The Beast is raring to go!
Calvin “The Beast” Abueva has had quite the misfortune recently. A couple of months back, he was supposed to don the Gilas Pilipinas jersey for the Asian Games but was barred from doing so due to some confusion over the lineup submission. On the opening day of the PBA’s 48th season, the tireless forward was once again sidelined, this time due to a hemorrhoids operation he underwent in October.
The 35-year-old forward of the Magnolia Hotshots, however, still braved the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday in support of his teammates as they faced TNT Tropang Giga. Abueva’s effort didn’t go in vain as Magnolia came out victorious to open up its Commissioner’s Cup campaign. During the curtain-raiser, the Angeles City, Pampanga native, who seemed to be in high-spirits, gave an update on his timetable for recovery.
“It’s a good sign na posibleng mapabilis, depende kay coach (Chito Victolero). Yesterday kasi, nag-try ako mag-dunk and wala namang reaction na nangyari sa part ng surgery,” Abueva disclosed to One Sports.
Given how jovial the San Sebastian Stags product sounded, his injury might be healing right on schedule. The only concern now for The Beast is his conditioning, particularly his cardio.
“’Yung hangin siguro, kailangan ko para at least, makasabay sa kanila. Kasi running game ‘to, hindi ka puwedeng mag-timeout o mag-foul para makapahinga,” said the eight-time PBA All-Star.
“’Yun ‘yung kailangan ko, at least, makahabol at makapag-ambag sa mga gagawin nila this season,” he added.
Admittedly, he’s not yet in game shape. With that in mind, Abueva plans to continue building up his body inside the weight room in the coming days.
“Sumasabay ako ng kaunti sa mga drills pero hindi pa 100%. This week, lift muna tayo para at least, magkalaman tayo,” Abueva revealed further.
Well, it looks like Magnolia fans will have to wait a few more games before they see The Beast back in action.
(With reports from Mei-Lin Lozada, One Sports Digital)
(MDB)