Cooke underwent a surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital last night to repair the damaged left ankle he suffered in the third quarter of the Purefoods-Coke tiff at the Araneta Coliseum. Attending physician Raul Canlas said the player would be out for at least six months.
"That’s the sad part because we thought Lenny is tailor-made for us. Lenny also feels bad kasi tingin niya ang ganda ng team namin ngayon," said coach Ryan Gregorio of Cooke who’s in his second tour of duty with the team.
Gregorio has made emergency calls to agents in the United States but has yet to get a player ready to fly in time for the Hotdogs’ game versus the Barangay Ginebra Kings Sunday.
Purefoods is scheduled to play Shell in the tourney’s first out-of-town game in Gen. Santos City Thursday. Upon their return to Manila, the Hotdogs will clash with the Alaska Aces on March 7.
Gregorio said they’re likely to tap Troy Brown as Cooke’s temporary replacement. Brown, a former Providence mainstay, is in town as he tried out but failed to make the grade at FedEx.
Another import hopeful, Bingo Merriex, is in town but he’s signed a one-week guaranteed pact with Red Bull Barako which has junked Carlos Wheeler. Merriex joins the Thunder in practice today.
"Even if we decide not to tap Merriex, malabo na rin makalaro sa Purefoods by Sunday kasi Saturday pa mage-expire ang rights namin sa kanya. By that time, hindi na nila maayos ang mga papers niya," said Red Bull Barako team manager Tony Chua.
Merriex was the same player Barangay Ginebra has considered to replace Jarmaine Walker. But the Ginebra management decided to gamble on Rossell Ellis after Merriex failed to arrive in time.
Meanwhile, FedEx team manager Lito Alvarez said they are giving Alvin Jefferson three games to shape up or he would be shipped out.
"Coach Boni Garcia told us Jefferson showed improvement the past week kaya bibigyan namin ng chance baka lalo pang mag-improve," said Alvarez.
The FedEx management has already contacted old import Franz Pierre Louis. However, the former Pennsylvania Valledawg is still playing in Spain and won’t be available to fly to the Philippines until the fourth week of April.