The Tropang Giga will be three men down, as key players Poy Erram, Ryan Reyes, and Brian Heruela continue to be sidelined.
The TNT Tropang Giga may have gotten their Governors’ Cup campaign off to a rousing start, but they might soon encounter rough waters with three of their key players out for an extended period.
Yes, the injury bug that slowed down TNT in the Commissioner’s Cup continues to bite the Tropang Giga, and it might extend well into the latter stages of the Governors’ Cup — at least for two key rotation players in big man Poy Erram and defense-first guard Ryan Reyes.
Erram, according to a report by PBA courtside reporter Denise Tan, will be out for 6–8 weeks after being diagnosed with a partial meniscus tear in his right knee. The Gilas mainstay and regular TNT starter, Tan added, had already undergone an arthroscopic procedure on his injured knee two weeks ago, but he can start physical therapy only by the second week of February. That timeline would potentially push Erram’s return to the last week of February at the earliest — or either mid-or end-March most likely.
Another Tropang Giga who will be out a while is Reyes, who is still nursing a left ankle injury exacerbated by what Tan described in her report as “cartilage defects.” The injury will reportedly keep the 39-year-old veteran out of action for at least a month more.
But the good news for Erram and Reyes is that they are likely to still see action in this Governors’ Cup. The same cannot be said of Heruela, whose own foot injury, according to Tan, also has cartilage defects. Unfortunately for the 33-year-old Cebuano guard, his return to action timeline is much longer, as he is expected to miss six more months of competitive basketball.
But if it is any consolation, it appears TNT has more than enough to hold the fort — at least until Erram and Reyes come back.