MANILA, Philippines, October 18 ------ June Mar Fajardo’s throat injury has not only forced him out of action for San Miguel Beer in the PBA but also practically stalled his Gilas Pilipinas comeback.
The six-time MVP underwent operation last week after sustaining a laryngeal fracture and would need at least a four-week recovery period. SMB coach Leo Austria said they don’t expect “The Kraken” to be good to go until the start of the Commissioner’s Cup playoffs. Fajardo’s condition makes him unlikely to don the Gilas jersey in the Nationals’ away matches in the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Jordan (Nov. 10) and Saudi Arabia (Nov. 13).
The 6-foot-10 gentle giant last suited up in the Southeast Asian Games last May in Vietnam, where Gilas suffered a shocking defeat and yielded the gold medal to Indonesia. Fajardo could have been part of the Jordan Clarkson-led squad in Window 4 last August, if not for the PBA Philippine Cup finals at that time.
The Beermen won the coveted All-Filipino diadem with their star big man providing the big difference. Without him now, SMB is already feeling the pinch. Last Sunday, the Beermen fumbled big-time against the Bay Area Dragons, who pounced on their height advantage to post a comprehensive 113-87 romp. “Talagang na-feel namin. Iba ang impact ng pagkawala niya (Fajardo),” said Austria. “All our plays involve him. If he’s not posting up, we use him as a screener, as a roller and once he gets the ball, our opponents double him and that’s an opportunity for our shooters to have an open shot.”
The Beermen, with 1-2 record, will have to soldier on until Fajardo is ready to return. “Mawawala siya for four weeks, he will miss five games, we don’t know (exactly). But come playoffs, I think he’ll be available. So the challenge for us is to get to the playoffs,” said Austria. “Hopefully, in our next nine games, makuha namin at least 60 or 70 percent for us to get to the quarterfinals. But it will be difficult with June Mar out,” he added. Austria said they will reactivate Fajardo only if he’s fully recovered, taking the same approach when they patiently waited for the Cebuano ace to return from a shin injury that sidelined him in the 2020 bubble season. “We’re not rushing (to get him back),” he said.
Source: philstar.com
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