Raymond Almazan had said that he planned to finish the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals despite a knee injury.
The 6-foot-8 center made the declaration after playing in Game Four of Meralco’s clash versus Ginebra last Wednesday, despite a diagnosis of a meniscal tear in his left knee the day before.
Almazan did not suit up in Game Five on Friday night, though. The Barangay capitalized on his absence, taking a 105-93 win to clinch their third Governors’ Cup title in four years.
“Masakit talaga na ‘di ako makatulong sa team ko,” said Almazan, who sustained the injury back in Game Three last Sunday.
Despite the disappointing result of the series, Almazan is simply moving on from it. He now plans to undergo surgery to repair his knee, then focus on healing.
“Ang estimated time of healing is six weeks, pero depende pa rin sa body, kung mabilis ang recovery. Ready ako to go back sa conditioning. ”Yun na ang focus ko ngayon.
“Nung nalaman ko na ‘di ako maglalaro, tinanong ko agad ‘yung PT kung pwede mas maaga operahan,” the 30-year-old bruiser added.
He is set to go under the knife “probably next week”.
Almazan knows that it will take some time for him to recover. Still, the six-year pro out of Letran said that this will only motivate him to come back stronger and better.
“Ginagawa ko na lang din na motivation na makabalik na mas malakas and mas ready,” he said.
“Six years in the league, may mga rookie na mas bata, so kailangan mas magpalakas.”
