Cone impressed by Parks, Jr.'s effort in NBA Summer League

MANILA, Philippines -- New Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone came away impressed by Fil-American guard Bobby Ray Parks’ defensive effort despite the limited playing minutes he had with the Dallas Mavericks in the just-concluded NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Cone, who spent nine days watching the games in the Summer League, felt the 6-foot-4 Parks was able to adjust during the latter part of the tournament, giving him an opportunity to shine at the minutes given him.

“The thing that impressed me the most was Rayray’s ability to adapt because you can see at the beginning, he had a very a difficult time kind of adjusting to the (Summer League’s) level of play, and understanding how far he’s got to go,” Cone told media men on Thursday, shortly after the press conference that saw San Miguel Corp. big bosses announce the multi-titled coach as Ginebra’s new head coach.

The 57-year-old Cone explained that the left-handed Parks’ minutes gradually increased because he was able to do the little things on defense, while moving well without the ball.

“You can see on the floor when he’s (Parks) got in there, he’s doing it right. When suddenly, he got like 18 minutes, they got beat in earlier games, but he was doing everything right,” noted Cone, who was in the Summer League to scout for potential imports in the future.

“He was at the right position. He wasn’t scoring a lot but he was playing guys, helping properly, going to the proper spots on offense and you can see he just knew the game and understood the game,” he added.

“He was doing things that coaches really like. And when he did that, coaches gave him the time, and as he gave him more time he adapted to level of play, the’y started winning and his minutes compounded.”

Cone also said the 6-foot-4 Parks’ ability to showcase his defensive prowess even for just a brief moment, somehow, helped the former National University Bulldogs’ confidence.

“So from being the 12th man (off the bench), he became the sixth man. And he was guarding all the tough guys, like D’Angelo Russell, the no. 2 pick in the NBA, Fil-Am Jordan Clarkson, who’s a great athlete by the way,” he said.

“He did an awesome job defensively. And because of that, he was playing more and more.”

But then again, since the Mavericks already have a loaded guard spot that included returning playmaker Deron Williams, Devin Harris, JJ Barea, Raymond Felton and Wes Matthews, Cone believes Parks should play first in the NBA D-League to grow more accustomed to how the game is played.

“I think the Mavs have 14 or 15 with live contracts so maybe, they will give him an offer at the D-League team,” he said.

“But imagine playing 20 or 30 games at the D-League and how well he would adapt and adjust after that, then his confidence level will be up there,” added Cone.  “So, I personally believe it’s a good idea for him to go there, a year there, that will really elevate his game and he’ll be special coming back here.”

Parks, son of the late seven-time PBA Best Import Bobby Parks, averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.5 minutes of play with the Mavericks in the Summer League.