The San Miguel Beermen have started the PBA Governors’ Cup 2-0. And yet they’re bound to get even better once nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo returns to full strength.
Fajardo, who leads the season MVP race yet again, is nursing a hyperextended right elbow that he sustained in Gilas Pilipinas’ loss to Australia in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. As a result, he missed San Miguel’s 129-109 win over the Macau Giant Pandas and was limited to just 15 minutes in the Beermen’s 109-104 escape act against the Terrafirma Dyip.
Fajardo Poses Another Challenge to Teams
While Fajardo is still getting back into shape, San Miguel assistant coach Peter Martin is already feeling good about the potential problems The Kraken will cause to opposing teams once he’s fully back in action. THat’s apart from the problems import George King is already posing.
“Obviously, we will be a much, much better offensive and even defensive team with June Mar,” said Martin, who assumed head coaching duties in the Beermen’s first two games because Leo Austria has been ill. “We can do whatever we want regarding that matchup problem. We have two matchup problems, with our import [George King] and with June Mar.”
Needless to say, Martin is right. In two games, King has averaged 32.0 points on 54.3% shooting and has largely gotten his way on offense. Fajardo, meanwhile, is the PBA great equalizer—an immovable force that defenses have yet to solve for over a decade now.
San Miguel Not Rushing JMF Back
The prospects of having both King and Fajardo on the floor for major minutes are tantalizing, to say the least. But that doesn’t mean San Miguel is in a rush to get their MVP back—not until he’s 100% or close to it.
“He practiced once and he didn’t even complete that practice,” Martin said. “Kumbaga kay June Mar, he’s trying to take it slowly, get into the flow of things.”
Martin and the Beermen have yet to put a timetable on the nine-time MVP’s full return to action. But, at the moment, he has three days until San Miguel returns to action, this time against the 3-0 Converge FiberXers.
And with the way Converge has been playing, the Beermen surely wouldn’t mind having Fajardo back for good.
