THE lack of an extra big man following the injury to Isaac Go forced Barangay Ginebra to take another look at former player Joe Devance.
Coach Tim Cone said the decision to sign up the 42-year-old forward came while Devance was on a quick visit in Manila last week.
“Joe’s sudden return to Manila was fortuitious,” said Cone.
“We put him through some workouts to check his conditioning, and although he’ll need some more buildup, we think he can contribute right away.”
Go has been sidelined for two weeks now since hurting his knee in the Gin Kings’ 124-102 win over Rain or Shine.
Cone said the Kings have no actual timeline on the return of the center out of Ateneo, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Terrafirma that also involved Christian Standhardinger, Stanley Pringle, and Stephen Holt, as well as the rights to the picks of RJ Abarrientos and Mark Nonoy.
“It looks like an extended injury. And when I say extended, months, not just weeks,” said Cone.
That led Cone to consider his former big man who won a total of 12 championships playing under the multi-titled mentor with three different teams.
His long working relationship with the Fil-Am big man had the Ginebra coach confident Devance no longer needed to be taught about the intricacies of the triangle.
“Needless to say, we won’t need to teach him the system. He’ll be teaching it to everyone else,” said Cone.
The 6-foot-8 Devance announced his retirement from the league in 2022 after being picked No. 1 overall back in the 2007 draft by the Welcoat franchise.
So far, so good in JDV's return
Upon his return to the Gin Kings after two years, Devance played for six minutes and finished with two points.
More than the numbers, his presence helped Cone give veteran big man Japeth Aguilar precious minutes to rest on the bench.
"He came and played super valuable minutes for us. We’re trying to keep managing Japeth’s minutes. That’s been our issue," said Cone.
"Once Isaac went down, we didn’t have anybody to help us manage his minutes. We’re very conscious of playing him and getting him too tired."
Despite just being asked to return and play for Ginebra just last Saturday, Cone gave Devance a passing mark in his first game back.
"So Joe’s ability to come in and play those six minutes, six minutes that Japeth doesn’t have to play, we don’t lose too much. He played defense, he got up and down the floor, and that’s not bad for someone who has not played two years of basketball and having one practice under his belt," said Cone of JDV.
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