Meralco can’t bolt in

Almazan sidelined by injury

MANILA, Philippines — Six peat-gunning San Miguel Beer is not alone in dealing with injury woes heading into the PBA Philippine Cup.

If the Beermen are missing ace center June Mar Fajardo due to a fractured shin, some of their challengers to the throne are similarly trying to find ways to survive with key players in sick bay before Sunday’s Season 45 kick-off.

The Meralco Bolts, for one, are hard-pressed to overcome a big hole in the middle with slotman Raymond Almazan still in the sidelines after sustaining a lateral meniscus tear on his left knee during the Governors’ Cup finals last January.

Bolts coach Norman Black said Almazan – Meralco’s potent inside weapon in a tournament without Fajardo and Greg Slaughter of Barangay Ginebra (on sabbatical) – isn’t expected to return for at least five more weeks.

“It will be a challenge in the beginning because despite the fact that Greg and June Mar are out, Raymond Almazan’s also out. That’s normally our weakness in the past. We couldn’t compete inside the paint during the All-Filipino,” Black said.

“Then we recruited Raymond (in mid-2019) to solve that problem and now he’s going to be out for a while so hopefully we can hold the fort until he returns in the middle of the conference,” he added.

NorthPort, which came off a semifinal stint in the season-ending conference, is hit hard by the injury bug, too.

Sophomore Robert Bolick has yet to practice after going under the knife for his ACL tear and won’t be back until July or August,  with Jonathan Grey and Bradwyn Guinto still not good to go coming off their respective injuries.

To make matters worse, Sean Anthony is nursing a calf injury.