Terrence Romeo may be nearing a return to the San Miguel lineup, but a knee injury to Alex Cabagnot could keep the Beermen from posting a clean bill of health heading into the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup restart in Pampanga.
Team officials on Monday updated ESPN5 about the status of both backcourt stars just as San Miguel arrived at the Quest Hotel in Clark to prepare for a return to play in a semi-bubble setup.
Beermen team manager Gee Abanilla said Romeo would continue rehabilitating the left knee he hyperextended during their season opener over a month ago, but he and Cabagnot are still listed as questionable for their first game back in a yet-to-be-determined date.
"Terrence is still doing his rehab and decided to continue it in Pampanga," he said. "I am still not sure of the availability of these two players in our next game."
"I'm hoping Terrence has caught up to the level of cond itioning he wants to achieve. He's with us here in Pampanga," added head coach Leo Austria. Cabagnot, meanwhile, could end up missing at least a couple more games depending on the severity of his knee injury, which Austria described as a "bruise."
"He sustained the injury after slipping on a wet part of the floor in Ynares in our last game," detailed the mentor, referring to SMB's 99-80 win over Blackwater last July 28. "I think in due time, he'll be able to catch up. The injury isn't serious."
Abanilla said Cabagnot is set for another check-up with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Raul Canlas on Friday. In his eyes, the 38-year-old guard could possibly still come back sometime during the conference.
"He has been in crutches for quite some time already, but he is diligently doing rehab. He really wants to play, but of course it will all depend on the progress of healing of the injury. Hopefully he can do more work after his check-up with Dr. Canlas," bared the manager.
"He is not out for the conference. There is still a chance," he added.
San Miguel, 3-1 thus far in the All-Filipino Conference, arrived safely in Pampanga Monday morning and is already looking forward to jumping back into action.
Naturally, there are concerns about their rhythm on the floor and ability to continuously adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols.
"We feel good, but cautious at the same time because COVID is real," explained Abanilla. "Although we're fully vaccinated, we still keep on stressing that our protocols and safety measures should always be in place."
"And rhythm would be something to consider. Although we were doing our Zoom workouts almost every day, the daily grind in the basketball court is different. Hopefully, one week would be enough," he continued.