Paul Lee out of Gilas Pilipinas pool for Olympic qualifier

Rain or Shine guard Paul Lee is officially out of the Gilas Pilipinas pool for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July.

The Lethal Weapon is still nursing a nagging knee injury sustained before the PBA season. He attended the national team's practice on Tuesday to inform head coach Tab Baldwin of his situation.

"Malungkot para sa akin lalo na dito gagawin sa atin 'yung laro. Medyo masakit para sa akin na mag-skip ako ngayon," said Lee, who recently won the championship in the Commissioner's Cup with the Elasto Painters.

Lee said he will need to undergo a plasma treatment to heal the tear in his knee, and then rest for five to six weeks to fully recover.

Baldwin said Lee's unavailability is a "misfortune" for Gilas, but said the team needs to move on and continue preparations for the wild card tournament.

"There's nothing we can do about it. We just wish him the best. He's a fallen brother and we hope he gets back on his feet as soon as possible," the coach said.

With Lee out of the pool, the Gilas guards remain in tough competiton for slots with Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo, LA Tenorio, Kiefer Ravena, Marcio Lassiter, and Jeff Chan still in action for the national team. —ALG, GMA News