TIM Cone expects veteran Barangay Ginebra big man Japeth Aguilar to use the Holy Week break as a chance to rest his banged-up knee.
The seasoned PBA veteran hurt his knee after landing awkwardly in the fourth quarter of Ginebra’s 118-113 loss to NLEX recently.
The 39-year-old Aguilar was subbed out after that and did not return.
In Ginebra’s next game against Converge, the 6-9 Aguilar failed to play, but the PBA’s most popular squad managed to score a grinding 99-93 win.
“We’re hoping Japeth won’t be out for too long. Obviously, it’s a big hole for us,” said Cone.
Cone knows the urgency of having Aguilar back since Ginebra will be taking on powerhouse squad San Miguel Beer this Easter Sunday.
The Beermen are coming off a 110-94 demolition of the Macau Black Knights, with new import Justin Patton delivering 24 points and 17 rebounds in his debut game.
Patton came in to replace Marcus Lee, who lasted just three games.
Of course, other than Patton, Cone will have to deal with SMB’s top star center June Mar Fajardo who leads the conference in rebounds (17.0 boards per game), while averaging 18.5 points (tied for eighth and ninth spots with Magnolia big man Zavier Lucero among local players).
Ginebra fans can heave a sigh of relief as Cone bared recently that Aguilar’s MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) results reveal nothing serious.
“There is no structural problem. There is some residual swelling. He still has pain, though the trainers described it at a level of 4 out of 10. So we thought we better hold him out,” said Cone.