Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone was like everyone else at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night when Gin Kings big man Greg Slaughter landed awkwardly late in their game against the NorthPort Batang Pier.
“At least, we survived a scary moment for Greg. I was worried about that the way he fell,” Cone told reporters after the game.
“When seven-feet tall guys fall like that, first thing you think are injuries.”
Cone and the rest who held their breaths eventually let out a huge sigh of relief when Slaughter managed to get back up on his feet and walk towards the Ginebra bench with 5:49 remaining in the game with an apparent left ankle injury.
“They told me he could’ve come back into the game so that’s a good indication that it’s not as bad as it might have looked,” Cone said of Slaughter’s health status. “But I did not want him hobbling down the last two mins of the game so i decided to just let him sit.”
“I almost brought him in one time for defense after a timeout but I think he could’ve played if we would’ve forced it,” he added. “Hopefully, he’ll be fine for the national team.”
Slaughter, who has been called up for national team duty for the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers, appeared to have tweaked his left ankle while going for a rebound before falling on the floor.
The 30-year-old Slaughter, who had just recovered from a severe left ankle sprain he suffered in the Philippine Cup last February, stayed optimistic despite feeling some pain.
“You can’t really tell until the next day with these things. So lucky there’s a body right under me on that rebound but I twisted it, we’ll see tomorrow,” Slaughter, who had 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocks before sustaining the injury, said.
“Right now, it kinda hurts but hopefully it will feel a lot better tomorrow.”