ANTIPOLO — As if finding the right balance isn’t challenging enough, the talent-laden Converge finds itself coming to grips with matters beyond its control.
While still awaiting the debut of two-time BPC Calvin Abueva, the FiberXers are currently dealing with Juan Gomez de Liano and his knee injury, which he sustained during their eventual defeat to Terrafirma last Saturday in Montalban.
The lefty guard had already undergone an MRI scan and now has his fingers crossed that he suffered nothing serious, as he wants to return sooner.
“I just had an MRI yesterday, hopefully it’s just a minor bone contusion,” he said.
“I hurt my knee last game, natamaan, knee to knee. That’s pretty much the same. Kinda a bit swollen, so hopefully it heals by itself, and hopefully mabilis.”
Gomez de Liano disclosed as much moments after Converge’s 109-88 defeat to Meralco, which was already their second in a row in the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup after a triumphant opener by beating Macau.
He sat out due to the injury, leaving Coach Delta Pineda without one of his top gunners — and without somebody to match up against CJ Cansino, who was one of the Gilas playmaker’s contemporaries in the UAAP high school ranks.
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Cansino went on to finish with 23 points behind a near-perfect shooting night with an 8-of-9 clip, including two fours, and also had eight rebounds.
Beyond what the opposing team did, Gomez de Liano felt more concerned about helplessly watching his team drop to 1-2 in the standings.
“It was tough to see,” said the 26-year-old guard from UP. “I really wanted to be out there with the guys and just kinda help them, pero injuries are out of my control.”
Still, he’s choosing to look at the glass half-full, saying that he’d rather see Converge lose this early and take it as a learning curve.
“It’s just a matter of time to build trust with one another and gain chemistry. I’m glad these two losses happened early in the conference,” he said. “We just have to continue to build up and work together … We just have to be patient.”
As for himself, rest, rehab, and recovery will be his top-most priorities in the coming days. He hopes that he’ll be good to go by the time they face San Miguel next Wednesday, March 25 — here as well — in another true test for the FiberXers.
“Hopefully. That’s my main goal,” said the rookie guard, who averaged 12.5 points in their first two games. “So I’ll just attack my rehab and allow it to heal.
“Just catch up on some rest kasi tuloy-tuloy din yung mga ganap sa akin with the training and Gilas, and I feel like na-overfatigue lang ako. Hopefully, makabalik na ‘ko by then.”
