While Barangay Ginebra San Miguel pulled out a spectacular and heart-stopping thriller of a win over the Converge FiberXers to punch a ticket to the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, they might have quietly lost one of their key pieces in Jayson David. The 29-year-old guard went to the dugout in the fourth quarter of that do-or-die game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in obvious pain, and it turns out he had dislocated his right shoulder after a bad fall on a missed drive to the basket in transition.
David, who had scored 13 points up to the time of his untimely injury, broke the sad news to reporters in the aftermath of Ginebra’s thrilling 99–89 overtime victory, but said the team’s trainers had popped the shoulder back in place almost immediately as he looked to return to action in that very same game.
Tim Cone Keeping Fingers Crossed for Jayson David
Jayson David has been one of the PBA Philippine Cup’s surprise revelations despite the modest 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds he is averaging thus far in the conference. David, in particular, has come on strong for Ginebra in the latter half of the tournament, becoming an off-the-bench spark with his hustle, defense, activity, and improved shooting and playmaking.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone knows this for a fact, and he also knows not having the 6-foot-3 guard against the San Miguel Beermen in the semifinals isn’t exactly a great proposition for his team.
“He’s been playing both ends of the floor really well for us and really has been our sixth, seventh man off the bench outside of RJ [Abarrientos],” Cone told the PBA. “So, it will be a big blow for us if we don’t have him going into the next series.”
Now, the worse news: Jayson David might actually miss time due to his injury, which Cone described as being a “bad one.”
“Apparently, his shoulder came all the way out, so we don’t know how long he’s going to take to get back to playing,” added the PBA’s all-time winningest coach. “That was a bad injury.”
Jayson David Might Be Sidelined for a While
Judging by Cone’s description and based on several pieces of online medical literature, it appears the former Lyceum Pirate could be sidelined anywhere from four to 16 weeks, as that’s the usual timeline for a dislocated shoulder to fully heal and get back into playing shape.
“If your dislocation is fairly simple, your shoulder joint will improve over a few weeks,” the Mayo Clinic notes before warning against the dangers of returning to pre-injury activities too soon. “The greatest risk during healing for any shoulder dislocation is returning to activities before the shoulder is stable, even though you may be feeling pretty good. Resuming activities too quickly can lead to injury or possible repeat dislocation.”
The Singapore Sports and Orthopaedic Clinic, meanwhile, outlines a phased nonsurgical rehabilitation that begins with therapy, progresses to specialized exercises, and ends with plyometrics and strength training. These stages of recovery could mean David will have to miss considerable time, especially if Ginebra wants to make sure the injury doesn’t recur.
So, while Cone and the entire Ginebra faithful are hoping to get Jayson David back for that blockbuster semifinal series against the Beermen, there’s a more than decent chance he won’t be playing at all.
