The Gilas Pilipinas and Barangay Ginebra forward hasn’t played since tearing his calf on April 14.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Gilas Pilipinas forward Jamie Malonzo could only watch helplessly from the sidelines on Wednesday night as his PBA team fell to the Meralco Bolts, 86-81, in Game 6 of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series, sending it to a seventh game on Friday night in San Juan, Batangas.
Malonzo has been sidelined since April 14 after he tore his calf with just seconds left in Barangay Ginebra’s game against the NorthPort Batang Pier.
After the loss to the Bolts, Malonzo gingerly walked out of the Smart Araneta Coliseum wearing a walking boot.
“It’s going good, you know,” he told a group of reporters. “I’m just taking it easy. Not trying to do too much.”
He revealed that he had surgery on his calf “maybe two to three weeks ago” and that it was performed by famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Raul Canlas.
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to do some therapy soon and get back to the normal schedule. Yeah, that was my first major injury, but you know, I feel good. For sure, I’ll be back soon.”
However, Jamie definitely won’t be back in time to join Gilas Pilipinas in Riga, Latvia in the first week of July for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
“I have maybe another month of just relaxing and then I’ll jump right into therapy,” he said. “I might miss a few windows, but hopefully by next conference, I’ll be good to go.
“Dr. Canlas said ‘Be patient.’ Shout out to Dr. Canlas. He’s doing a good job with me. But he said, ‘You just gotta be patient.’
“It’ll be maybe four weeks wearing the boot. And then after that, it’ll be the therapy time. That’s when it’ll be the most important.”
Malonzo’s absence will surely be felt by Gilas. His size, athleticism, and shooting make him a good fit for international competition as a tall wing player and outside sniper. Without him, Gilas coach Tim Cone will have to rely more on Dwight Ramos and Calvin Oftana to fill the three-spot.
And it’s not only Gilas that is missing Jamie. Barangay Ginebra has been dragged to seven games in their semifinal series, and if they manage to pull it off on Friday, they will be facing the powerhouse San Miguel Beermen in the finals. Prior to his injury, Malonzo had been averaging 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game for the crowd favorites.
“They didn’t want to go to the Game 7, but hopefully we can get them,” Malnzo said about Game 6. “People don’t understand how hard it is to be a professional athlete. Playing all these games, it’s a big load, you know.
“The guys are doing the best they can and hopefully, they pull it off in Batangas. I like Game 7s. So, a little bit frustrated. But, it’s all good.”
Banner Image from PBA Media Bureau.
Related Stories:
RJ Abarrientos Gets Real On Playing Abroad and Which Pinoy Player Can Make Waves Overseas