Pingris won't need surgery for muscle tear

MANILA, Philippines - B-Meg Derby Ace forward Marc Pingris will be back in Llamados fold sooner than his scheduled return as he would forego surgery to repair a muscle tear and simply undergo thorough rehabilitation.

PBA board chairman Rene Pardo, from Derby Ace, said the latest prognosis on Pingris was that the player can rejoin the Llamados by December.

Another good news for Derby Ace was the successful operation undertaken by main man James Yap, removing a polyp inside his nose.

The medical procedure was done at St. Luke’s Hospital Friday and Yap was scheduled to check out yesterday.

Pardo said Yap and Don Allado are set to sign their new pacts. Yap is to get P12.6 million in three years while Allado is inking a one-year deal.

With these developments, the team management and the coaching staff meet today to finalize their lineup for the 2010-11 PBA Philippine Cup, which fires off Oct. 3.

“We still have one slot left open. We’ll discuss who will take that spot,” said Pardo.

A veteran player left unsigned is Romel Adducul while the team was relieved by report from the famed Kerlan Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles, California that Pingris would be spared of surgery.

“The doctors discovered a tear, but it’s not that serious. No operation is needed,” said Pardo.

Meanwhile, Kerby Raymundo, the B-Meg’s tough 6-foot-6 center/forward, will likely miss the entire all-Filipino tourney after undergoing surgery.

The Llamados will be out to be the first team in 25 years to win the all-Filipino crown in successive fashion. They won the coveted championship over the Alaska Milk Aces last year.