THE good news was Jamie Malonzo being cleared of an Achilles tear.
But Malonzo will be out for a month with a calf injury, rendering Barangay Ginebra one valuable piece less as the Kings battle the TNT Tropang Giga in a key face-off at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig Friday.
Ginebra's never-say-die attitude and next-man-up mantra will be put to a test again as the Kings slug it out with the Tropang Giga at 7:30 p.m., with both sides pushing their drives in the last half of the PBA Philippine Cup elimination phase.
Coach Tim Cone and his wards are at 5-3 while coach Chot Reyes and his troops are at 4-3 in a crowded bunch of teams in a spirited race for the two twice-to-beat spots in the quarterfinals.
San Miguel Beer has a view from the top at 5-0, followed by NLEX at 5-2, Magnolia at 4-2, then Ginebra and TNT with just a slight edge over the rallying Rain or Shine side (5-4).
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Ginebra will be without Malonzo who had to be carried to their locker room after a freak fall in the dying seconds of their 95-88 win over the NorthPort Batang Pier Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Even then, the Kings and the Tropang Giga brace for a slam-bang duel, with both coming from a two-game romp.
"At this point, he'll be out for at least a few days. Hopefully, it doesn't stretch into weeks or months because we can't afford to lose him," said Cone.
"He's such a valuable part of our team and such a great teammate. Everybody loves him so we're all going to feel bad if he's not able to play. But just like any other thing, it's next man up," he added.
Cone hopes to continue drawing an outstanding performance from promising rookie Ralph Cu, who came an assist short of a triple-double against the Batang Pier, and get a cranked-up game from the likes of backup forward Sydney Onwubere to fill the void.
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"If we can continue to get the kind of game we got from Ralph, that's what we talk about in terms of next-man-up," he said.
"Maybe now Sydney's going to have to step up, or Stan (Pringle) stepping up some more. That's the position we'll have to fill out," he added. (SB)
