PBA: Austria says priority is to get injured Fajardo back to 100%

June Mar Fajardo hides his face during one play. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

San Miguel coach Leo Austria said that San Miguel is staying cautious in handling in June Mar Fajardo’s knee injury despite a 0-2 deficit in the 2016 Smart Bro Philippine Cup finals.

Fajardo sat out for the second straight game on Tuesday night as he continues to recover from a swollen left knee he incurred in the semifinals.

“The swelling of the knee is on and off, that’s why we didn’t want him to get here cause it might not help in his recovery,” said Austria.

The affable coach said that the Cebuano giant has been frustrated with the entire situation, but Austria said that Fajardo’s health is top priority and he’s not risking further injury by forcing him to play.

“He really wants to play, but I told him ‘we could sacrifice the championship as long as we don’t prolong your injury. It’s okay with us.'”

“There are so many championships ahead of him. I think everybody from the management understands his situation,” he continued. “This is only a championship, and after this, we have another conference. We have a second and third, maybe we can have two out of three, so you can never know. What’s important is for June Mar to get 100-percent. We will not force him to play, unless he’s forcing himself because he’s the one who knows how he feels”

Austria admits that the whole team is hoping that Fajardo can still play, but if that means aggravating his injured left knee, the Beermen would rather slug it out against Alaska without the big man.

“I hope there’s a miracle, but if he can’t play, I don’t want him to go with us. We don’t want to delay his recovery,” he said.

Austria is also looking at the bigger picture, saying that there are other things which can benefit with Fajardo’s extended recovery.

“The way I see it, he’s not 100-percent so with his situation, he won’t help the team. I’m sure he will try, but I don’t want to take any risks. The future of Philippine basketball is with June Mar, especially in international competition, and also the future of San Miguel.”

Still, Austria believes that the Beermen can weather the 0-2 series deficit.

“I think this story is not yet finished. There might be another turnaround. We can never know what will happen. As long as there is a chance to win, we’re not losing hope,” he said.

Needing all the help it could get, San Miguel may just get the boost it needs with Game 3 being staged in Lucena at the Quezon Convention Center on Friday.

Austria, a native of Sariaya, Quezon, will find himself coaching in front of his home town crowd and is wishing that his fellow natives will back the Beermen as they try to fight for their lives.

“I hope the homecourt advantage helps and the crowd will cheer us.”