Key Beermen injuries stymie team buildup

MANILA, Philippines - If the PBA Season 41 were to start today, there’s probably no way the San Miguel Beermen could defend any of the two championships they won last season.

No less than six core players of the team, including back-to-back MVP winner Junmar Fajardo, are down with different ailments.

Fajardo, who was barely back, is out again with a recurring foot injury (plantar fasciitis).

“I was bothered by plantar fasciitis on both feet. It improved allowing me to join our practices for over a week. But my left foot injury reacted,” said 6-foot-10 Cebuano behemoth.

Chris Ross is nursing a meniscal tear, Marcio Lassiter is recovering from a hamstring partial tear, Yancy De Ocampo is complaining of a sore back, Alex Cabagnot has tonsillitis while Gabby Espinas was also indisposed.

Ross wants a second opinion while Lassiter, with a 5mm hamstring partial tear, is ready to take seven to 10 days off to heal the injury.

The Beermen, winners of the Philippine Cup and the Governors Cup last season, did some scrimmages but with practice players.

Meanwhile, the other teams are now in the thick of preparation for the coming season.

Commissioner’s Cup titlist Talk n Text, coming from a warm-up tourney in Seoul, put up a decent showing in the MVP Cup, scoring an upset of the Chinese Taipei national team.

Rain or Shine, the only team that made all the semifinals last season, had its buildup in Australia while Meralco and Blackwater had been to Las Vegas and Malaysia, respectively.

Globalport fought the Rajko Toroman-coached Jordan national team to a deadlock the other day. Yesterday, Barangay Ginebra drubbed the Jordan quintet, 94-85.

At the Star Hotshots camp, Joe Devance has finally rejoined the team after an extended stay in the US.

There were earlier reports that Devance would no longer come back, opting to take another job.