Raymond Almazan took off his warmer, ran to the official’s table, and patiently waited for the next dead ball to occur. And with exactly 9:00 on the clock in the second quarter, he was subbed in for Jay Washington.
At last, the six-foot-seven big man has made his way back into the Rain or Shine rotation. Three months ago, the tall third-year cager sustained a calf injury in the 2017 Philippine Cup, nailing him for a long period of time in the sidelines.
But now in the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup, Almazan is back in business for the Elasto Painters, and he quickly made an impact on their 113-105 opening victory over NLEX Road Warriors, as he chipped in 18 points by going 7-of-9 from the floor.
The Gilas Pilipinas member is nothing but elated over his return, but admitted that he has yet to return to his usual shape since the months-long layoff had taken its toll on him condition-wise.
“Happy ako na-nakabalik na ako pero yung timing wala pa tiyaka yung conditioning,” shared Almazan. “Pansin niyo naman after mga five minutes parang gusto ko na magpa-sub.
“Medyo wala pa, mga 75-80 percent.”
Regarding his noteworthy outing, Almazan pointed out that it was just the result of letting the game come to him. The 27-year-old also gave credit to his teammates.
“Maganda nilaro ko dahil sa mga teammates ko e. [At saka] ‘Di naman mga forced shots [yung mga tira ko] na parang hiningi ko yung bola e. ‘Pag open samin ganun parin naman, tira lang,” said the Bataan-native.
Almazan’s return was also a heavy one. He was tasked to defend NLEX import Wayne Chism — the Elasto Painters’ former reinforcement. Asked how it felt like going up against his former teammate — and his mentor of sorts — he said it was something that he cherished.
“Malaking bagay ‘to. Ngayon sila pa unang kalaban namin. Nung naging import si Wayne, doon medyo rin ako ginamit,” said Almazan.
“Lagi rin niya akong sinasabihan, tinuturuan so malaking bagay sa’kin yun. Sinabi ko na I’m gonna stop him. Yan yung sinasabi ko sa kanya. Nagaasaran din kami tuwing nakaka-shoot.”
