Blatche sits out Gilas practice with groin injury

MANILA, Philippines -- Gilas Pilipinas physical therapist Dexter Aseron said naturalized player Andray Blatche’s condition will only be determined by Wednesday once the result of his MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) comes out.

Blatche, who only arrived in Manila early last week, failed to finish Monday’s practice due to a painful right groin.

Aseron, who also serves as Talk ‘N Text’s resident therapist, is scheduled to accompany the 6-foot-10 Blatche on Tuesday afternoon at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center for an MRI.

“Wala pa tayong masabing definite sa injury ni Andray kaya ngayon kung may pain, pinagte-take lang siya ng meds (medicine),” Aseron said when contacted by Philstar.com.

Aseron explained that Blatche didn’t actually sustain the groin injury during his practice at Gilas.

Instead, it was something he felt since he was still in the United States.

“Pagdating kasi niya last week, sabi niya narararamdaman na daw niya yun kaya hindi iyan galing sa ensayo a Gilas,” he said.

The boyish-looking Gilas therapist said Blatche is expected to sit out Tuesday night’s practice and just wait for the official result of the MRI to come out.

“Sa ngayon, rest lang muna si Andray. Siguro magpapakita lang siya sa ensayo.”

Concerns were raised on Blatche’s condition after obviously gaining extra weight upon arriving in Manila.

With six weeks to go before the Fiba-Asia men’s championships, Gilas is pressed for time to get the 28-year-old former NBA big man into shape.

Filipino fans remember Blatche for his dominant form last year after averaging 21.2 points and 13.8 rebounds for Gilas during the Philippines’ first Fiba World Cup stint in 40 years.

Blatche finished with 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help Gilas clinch an 81-79 double-overtime win over Senegal, marking the country’s first victory in the world championships since 1974.