IT didn’t take long for Arnold Van Opstal’s fresh start at GlobalPort to be spoiled as he has been ruled out for the rest of the PBA season due to a knee injury.
Acquired in a trade with San Miguel Beer for Von Pessumal before the start of the Governors’ Cup, the rookie big man suffered another blow with a torn meniscus that requires surgery since the Batang Pier came out of a three-week break.
Van Opstal has actually already missed the Batang Pier’s past two games, last seeing action in the team’s 124-108 loss to Ginebra last July 30 in a game where he tallied two points and two boards in less than four minutes on the court.
GlobalPort coach Franz Pumaren confirmed Van Opstal’s injury in a text message on Thursday night, saying the 6-foot-9 slotman needs arthroscopic surgery of “osteochondral defect of right patella” and hyalofast and PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment for his recovery.
Van Opstal is set to miss his third straight game on Friday night when the Batang Pier take on TNT KaTropa on the road in Antipolo.
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