BY WAYLON GALVEZ
Meralco center Raymond Almazan will undergo surgery on his left knee anytime this month to repair a tear on his lateral meniscal.
“Yes magpapa-surgery na ako,” said the 6-foot-9Almazan as he walked with a slight limp together with wife Liza prior to Game 5 of the PBA Governors’ Cup finals Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
With the best-o-seven series tied at 1-1, Almazan injured his knee in the first quarter of Game 3. He did not play after that and had Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI test after the match, which Ginebra won 92-84.
Two days after the MRI test, it revealed he had a tear on the lateral meniscal.
Almazan made a surprise appearance in Game 4 and he played for almost 28 minutes, contributing 12 points and nine rebounds.
However, it was obvious he was in pain.
Almazan was in street clothes in Game 5, and he said that while he still wants to continue playing, he was advised by team doctors against it as it might aggravate the injury.
The surgery will keep him out of basketball-related activities for six weeks.
“Doon sa six weeks kasama na yung therapy, rehabilitation, strengthening and conditioning. So hopefully, makabalik sa paglalaro in time for the Philippine Cup,” said Almazan.
