Alex Cabagnot's status for the rest of the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup will be reassessed in two weeks after he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee, San Miguel team management told ESPN5 Tuesday.
Beermen manager Gee Abanilla disclosed the development ahead of their first game back on Wednesday against Terrafirma and added the 38-year-old guard had also sprained his MCL and LCL. Cabagnot, however, has not been ruled out for the rest of the conference.
"[Alex] started his strengthening exercises last week," said Abanilla through text. "He will be reassessed by Dr. Raul Canlas on September 13. [A return is] still possible, but it really depends on the assessment of Dr. Canlas. Let's see."
A week ago, head coach Leo Austria said that Cabagnot got injured after slipping on a wet part of the floor inside Pasig's Ynares Sports Arena during SMB's 99-80 win over Blackwater last July 28. The nine-time champion played 23 minutes and logged 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in three quarters before sitting out the rest of the game.
Then, Austria described the injury as a bone bruise, while Abanilla shared Cabagnot was in crutches for "quite some time already."
"He's very cautious, and so are we. This is a long conference so we're not rushing him back. We want him to feel confident once he's back," explained Austria now there's a full diagnosis on the injury to Cabagnot, who had averaged 12.3 points on 47.4 percent shooting, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and a steal in 25.7 minutes for the Beermen.
San Miguel, currently fourth in the standings with a 3-1 record, will be getting Terrence Romeo back versus the Dyip at 3:00 p.m. at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
"Since we started practicing here, he's participated in full. I'm expecting him to play," commented their always amiable mentor on the 29-year-old who will nonetheless continue rehabilitating the left knee he hyperextended in their season opener over a month ago.
Meanwhile, Magnolia (4-0) and Barangay Ginebra (2-2) are both getting much-welcome shots in the arm with the return of pivotal players.
Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero said Paul Lee is back in the lineup and will see action in their matchup against Meralco (4-1) on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Lee, who averaged 16.0 points on 26.3 percent shooting to go with 2.3 rebounds and two assists in the first four games, strained his right hamstring in their last game against Terrafirma last Aug. 1, but has recovered over the course of the extended break.
"He will play tomorrow (Wednesday)," remarked Victolero.
The Gin Kings, on the other hand, have reactivated forward Aljon Mariano in lieu of veteran Joe Devance, who is dealing with a knee problem. The 29-year-old was initially expected to miss most of the title defense as he continued to recover from a surgery to remove bone spurs in his foot, but Mariano appears to have recovered in time to shore up the frontcourt.
The versatile forward played the fifth-most minutes of any Gin King last year and averaged 8.6 points on 45.5/20/75.4 shooting splits, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
"Aljon is available and ready to go. He's a big addition for us because of his versatility and tenacity. He's perhaps our most underrated player," Cone shared.
Devance, meantime, joins Mark Caguioa and Art dela Cruz on the crowd darlings' reserve list.
"Mark is in Manila. Joe is dealing with a knee issue, and Art has plantar fasciitis," explained head coach Tim Cone. "We're hoping to get one, if not all, back at the end of the conference."