THE ‘Beast’ just showed he is mortal, too.
Calvin Abueva went down with a calf muscle strain and could miss several weeks for Magnolia in the PBA Governors Cup.
The 34-year-old forward's MRI has confirmed the injury and he will consult with the doctor on Wednesday before getting his PRP treatment, according to coach Chito Victolero.
The slight tear in Abueva’s calf rules him out from the league-leading Hotshots' match against the NLEX Road Warriors on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“He will miss around two to three weeks, I think. Yun ang initial estimate, but I don’t know kung bababa or tatagal pa siya. Yung doctor niya bukas ang magsasabi kung ilang weeks siya mawawala,” said Victolero.
Abueva has not joined the Hotshots’ practices the past few days as ordered by the team’s physical therapists after sustaining the injury in the team’s 96-93 win over TNT Tropang Giga last Friday.
Victolero and the rest of the team were actually surprised with the injury, especially with the Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference still managing to finish the game against TNT, where he finished with six points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Abueva finishes game
“Actually natapos niya pa yung game, e. After na nung naramdaman niya,” said the Magnolia coach. “We feel hindi naman ganun ka-grabe kasi natapos niya pa yung laro. Pero dahil sumasakit nga, kailangan pag-pahingahin muna siya.”
The Hotshots are keeping their fingers crossed it would just be a minor setback, and hope Abueva would be able to rejoin the team in time for the playoffs.
“Yun na lang ang positive na iniisip namin na sana makahabol siya (for the playoffs),” said Victolero, whose team is currently tied for the lead with Meralco at 4-0.
The injury to Abueva added to Magnolia’s personnel woes as the former NCAA MVP out of San Sebastian joins Rome Dela Rosa and big man James Laput in the sidelines.
Dela Rosa is out for two weeks with a hamstring injury, while the 6-foot-10 Laput could be gone for the rest of the conference as he’s set to undergo surgery on Wednesday to remove bone spurs in his ankle.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph