Porzingis goes under knife
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Gilas Pilipinas can now heave a sigh of relief after Latvian star Kristaps Porzingis opted to undergo surgery, prompting him to miss the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the Paris Olympics.
The Boston Celtics power forward suffered a “rare” leg injury in Game 2 of the National Basketball Association Finals earlier this month and will go under the knife to repair the problem.
“The injury doesn’t allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition. Surgery will be performed in the coming days, and further updates will be provided when available,” the Celtics said in a statement. Porzingis suffered a 38-day layoff after injuring his right calf in April, before coming off the bench to play in game one of the NBA Finals for the Celtics. He played in game two but suffered a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg.”
That injury ruled him out of games three and four, although he returned from the bench to play 16 minutes in Game 5 as the Celtics wrapped up a 4-1 series victory. Porzingis’ absence will be one less problem for Gilas coach Tim Cone.
In a previous interview, Cone said the 7-foot-2 Porzingis will be a serious threat to their Olympic bid as their primary defender in 6-foot-10 AJ Edu will be out due to knee injury.
Gilas will face Latvia on 2 July before tackling Georgia the following day for a chance to advance to the second round, where Cameroon, Brazil and Montenegro are waiting.