San Miguel Beer point guard Alex Cabagnot is smokin’!
Cabagnot will put on hold a surgery to repair a ‘septal’ deviation and fractured nose as he focuses on the team’s bid to win a third straight PBA Philippine Cup championship.
Cabagnot made known his decision last Sunday after the team’s game against Governors’ Cup champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel where he wore a protective mask to protect his nose.
Actually it does (need a surgery),” said Cabagnot after SMB escaped with a 72-70 win at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“But if I do surgery it would take six weeks (to recover) and I’ll miss (the rest of Philippine Cup). I’m just going to suck it up and wait it out. It’s actually doctor’s orders (to wear mask). I would love to take it off but I can’t.
“That’s the deal we made, I have to wear a mask and I can play or I don’t wear a mask and I don’t play,” added the 6-foot-1 guard.
Cabagnot sustained the injury during SMB’s game against Meralco after he was inadvertently hit with an elbow by Bolt’s forward Cliff Hodge last Dec. 28. SMB defeated Meralco, 101-86, and with its win versus Ginebra, the team improved to 6-1.
The 34-year-old Cabagnot, now on his 12th season, is enjoying his best scoring average with 18.2 points a game with 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.2 steals.
“It’s still a little bit swollen. It’s still fractured but we’ll try to work through it, no excuses,” said Cabagnot, at third place in the BPC race with 34.6 Statistical Points behind teammate June Mar Fajardo (44.2) and GlobalPort’s Terrence Romeo (37.5).