🤔 Tim Cone’s Contradiction: Why Juan Gomez de Liaño Should Have Played Against Guam
The decision by Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone to cut Converge rookie sensation Juan Gomez de Liaño from the final 12-man lineup for the first window of the $2027$ FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers—specifically the games against Guam—is a curious and arguably detrimental move for the national program’s future.
Cone spoke highly of Gomez de Liaño, calling him "a future Gilas player," a "fixture on this team," and a "stud," but then chose to bench him in favor of RJ Abarrientos, citing the latter's greater "familiarity with the system."
This reasoning presents a major contradiction. If Juan Gomez de Liaño is truly the future of Gilas, why did Coach Tim Cone not take advantage of a weaker opponent like Guam to acclimate him to the system?
The Unacceptable Logic of "Loyalty"
Cone’s explanation hinges on continuity, stating, "We want to be loyal to the ones we had and RJ also had a great camp as well," and that Abarrientos "knows the system a little bit more."
Guam is the Perfect Testing Ground: The Philippines, currently ranked $37^{th}$ in the world, is significantly favored against Guam, ranked $81^{st}$. The first window, particularly the away game in Guam, represents the lowest-pressure, highest-margin opportunity on the schedule. It is the ideal moment to integrate a star like Juan GDL into the system—not just in practice, but in live, competitive minutes.
Delaying the Inevitable: Cone says, "What we did with him is we laid the foundation for Juan in terms of him learning the system this time and being able to go with us next time." This "next time" involves much tougher matchups against New Zealand and Australia in the February window. Throwing a system-novice player into those high-pressure, must-win games is infinitely riskier than allowing him to gain confidence and chemistry against Guam.
Prioritizing the Past Over the Future: Gomez de Liaño is a generational talent who, fresh off a $32$-point explosion in the PBA, is playing some of the best basketball of his career. Choosing system familiarity over a young player's current hot hand, especially when the goal is to build for the next World Cup, suggests a short-term, risk-averse mindset that is detrimental to the national team's evolution. By prioritizing the "loyalty" to players who know the Triangle offense over the player who is demonstrably the better play-creator and scorer right now, Cone is sacrificing long-term integration for short-term comfort.
The decision to choose RJ Abarrientos—a solid player—over the consensus "stud" in Juan GDL, based solely on system knowledge, is a clear misallocation of opportunity. If Cone truly believes Juan is the cornerstone, he needed to start building the house immediately. Instead, he has delayed the process, making the next step harder for both the coach and the player.
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