By Waylon Galvez
It’s over for now for Meralco center Raymond Almazan after he was diagnosed with a lateral meniscal tear on his left knee, cutting short his stint in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Meralco team manager Paolo Trillo confirmed yesterday their worst fear based on the result of the MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Almazan.
“MRI shows Raymond sustained a lateral meniscal tear on his left knee,” said Trillo in a text message.
The 6-foot-9 Almazan fell badly after colliding with Ginebra’s LA Tenorio in the first quarter of Game 3 on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Trillo said the team, especially coach Norman Black, was saddened with the result, knowing full well that Almazan really wanted to help the Bolts win its first PBA title.
“Of course we’ll talk to Raymond, first and foremost for us is his health. We’ll ask what the doctors would recommend, but for now we still don’t know what actions to take,” said Trillo when asked if a surgery is necessary.
“It’s really unfortunate that it happened to Raymond. He’s playing well this conference, especially in the finals. But it is what it is… we just got to deal with it,” added Trillo.
An athlete that requires lateral meniscus repair needs three to four months to return to full strength. That means Almazan would be available to play sometime in April or May next season in the Philippine Cup.
Almazan, who joined Meralco following a trade with Rain or Shine, hurt his knee with 6:09 left in the first period of Game 3, which Ginebra won 92-84 for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
