Veteran forward Jay Washington hurt his hamstring at a bad time.
The two-time Best Player of the Conference couldn’t do anything but watch from the sidelines as the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters deal with the absence of key players Gabe Norwood and Raymond Almazan who are both on loan to Gilas Pilipinas.
Apart from that, Washington said his injury has prevented him from showcasing his wares in the hopes of making a good impression and landing a contract extension.
“It’s really a bad timing. With Norwood and Almazan, out, I felt bad. It’s really a bad timing. I’ve never been in this situation before, especially with contract stuff. That’s the way it is sometimes,” said the 35-year-old Washington who is now at the twilight of his career.
A fast recovery for the 6’7″ forward will be a welcome development for Rain or Shine which recently traded Jeff Chan and Mike Tolomia in exchange for Mark Borboran and Ed Daquioag in separate trades.
“Ang babaw namin ngayon. If Jay is healthy, he could have helped us out more,” team owner Raymond Yu said.
For now, Washington is mulling whether to just take a rest or undergo surgery.
“I’m still trying to figure it out. I have couple of different opinions on it. A couple said I need some therapy, a couple recommending surgery. I have hamstring tear. Something is going on with my knee also. Everything I hear, these two guys said it’s more of a rest thing. At least it’s not that type of injury like an ACL or an MCL, which for sure I’ll need surgery,” he said.
“I’ll just need to rest four to six weeks. That’s why I’m trying to figure out the next step. It hurts me a lot. It doesn’t feel normal, for sure. It just feels off. The area of the hamstring and knee is so touchy. If I come back early, it might get worse. I just want to feel safe, do what’s best for my career.”
