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By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – The anticipated debut of James Yap with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will have to wait as he could miss the early part of the 2015-2016 PBA Philippine Cup due to a minor knee surgery.
The Escalante, Negros Occidental-native Yap said that he had decided to have his right knee operated in October to avoid having long term problems, as he aims to play for three more years in the league.
“Ngayon maayos ayos na ang tuhod ko. Mga two weeks pa siguro,” said Yap while watching the Painters pull off a 98-94 win over the Blackwater Elite in their tune-up game on Thursday.
“Nag-decide akong ipa-opera last month kasi ayaw kong magkaroon ng problema sa susunod,” added Yap. “Habang naka-sideline naman ako ay pinag aaralan ko ‘yung system ni (Painters) coach Caloy (Garcia) para pagbalik ko hindi ako mangapa.”
Yap, a two-time PBA MVP awardee, also said he was delighted that the PBA has decided to reschedule the Painters-Star Hotshots matchup, which was originally scheduled for the opening day on Nov. 20.
“Nagpapasalamat nga ako at minove nila kasi sakaling sa 20 nila i-schedule ‘yun, hindi ako magiging 100 percent syempre mas maganda kung healthy ako kapag nakaharap ko ang former team ko,” Yap said.
After spending his first 12 years with the Hotshots, the 34-year-old Yap was surprisingly traded to the Painters during the offseason in exchange for former PBA Rookie of the Year Paul Lee.
Yap is aiming for a new start with the Painters after averaging career-lows 11.62 points, 2.93 rebounds and 1.28 assists in his injury-riddled last season with the Hotshots season./PN
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