It could’ve been Bol’s time

Bol Manute Bol could’ve been the Best Import of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup but now that he’s out of the playoffs, the honor will go to either Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee or Rain or Shine’s Jaylen Johnson. He probably would’ve led TNT to the Finals and possibly, the championship. That discussion is now in the realm of speculation and “what if.”

Bol, 26, went down with an Achilles injury in the first quarter of Game 2 of the semis between TNT and Meralco at the MOA Arena last Friday.  By then, he had scored 10 points, including a four, and grabbed six rebounds in 9:21 minutes. Without Bol’s imposing presence, TNT gave it a good fight but sputtered in the homestretch to lose, 87-76. Before the contest, Bol averaged 37.6 points, 14.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 4.1 blocks and 39:52 minutes, numbers that would’ve easily justified a Best Import award.

It’s not the first time that Bol suffered a serious injury that cut short his season. In the 2018-19 US NCAA D1 campaign, he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his left foot and underwent surgery after playing nine games as a freshman with the University of Oregon varsity. Doctors inserted two screws and used a bone graft to address the issue. Bol was on crutches for at least eight weeks.

TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa said from an initial read of a partial Achilles tear, it appears that Bol’s injury is more serious and could be a total rip. Bol is scheduled to leave for New York on Wednesday and surgery will be done by the Brooklyn Nets team orthopedist Dr. Martin O’Malley who had operated on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s heel late last year. Dr. O’Malley is also the New York Knicks’ foot and ankle consultant and USA Basketball’s team physician. He performed surgery on Jayson Tatum’s heel and got the Boston Celtics star ready this past season.

Just when Bol started to get comfortable with coach Chot Reyes’ system, the accident happened. He drove to the basket and fell with no contact on anyone. Calvin Oftana helped Bol back to the bench then the 7-2 1/4 center was bodily carried off his feet to the locker room by three teammates. He was later brought to the hospital for tests. In Game 1 of the semis, Bol fired 37 points and compiled a career-high eight assists to lead TNT to a 94-89 win over Meralco. He recorded career highs of 53 points, seven blocks and 20 rebounds during his PBA stint. Playing for three teams in six NBA seasons, Bol posted highs of 26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

“The way Bol and the rest were playing, I believe we would’ve won the whole thing,” said Lastimosa. “Nobody has a matchup with Bol.” But TNT’s not out of the title picture. At presstime, Lastimosa was negotiating to suit up Bol’s replacement for Game 3 today. He might tap an interim sub with someone in town – maybe Malick Diouf or Ange Kouame? Options include former Houston Rockets forward Darius Days and 6-9 Marquese Chriss who was Sacramento’s first round pick in the 2016 NBA draft. But who can fly in at a moment’s notice?