Meralco wary of returning Devance in quarterfinals series vs Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines -- The returning Joe Devance will be “another guy to worry about” for Meralco, head coach Luigi Trillo said, as the Bolts face Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.

The Bolts and the Gin Kings will figure in a best-of-5 quarterfinals starting Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The depleted Ginebra squad, which is missing Jamie Malonzo, Jeremiah Gray and Isaac Go, activated the 42-year-old Devance, who retired from basketball two years ago.

The 6-foot-7 forward is expected to shore up the frontline while also providing playmaking and outside shooting.

At the sidelines of the 30th PBA Press Corps Awards Tuesday night, Trillo said Devance provides a lot for Ginebra.

“He’s another guy that we have to worry about. He does a lot of things for them. Since JDV entered, they have won championships. So he knows the system in and out,” the coach told reporters.

“I think adding him there… We don’t know what type of shape he is but he’ll do certain things for them good. He knows how to make other guys better, he’s a facilitator, he does certain things not seen on the statsheet that equates to winning,” he added.

Despite this, Trillo voiced confidence in his team.

“We just have to see how this goes, we have the highest respect for Devance but on our point, we have enough guys, we believe in our guys, we’ll be ready also.”

Devance on Tuesday posted on Instagram that he will be suiting up for the Gin Kings anew, in lieu of Paul Garcia, who was relegated to the team’s Unrestricted Free Agent with Right to Receive Salary list.

Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone, whom Devance played for for many years, said it is “great to have him back.”

“It was just fortuitous that Joe showed up at a time when we were looking for a big man. We’re looking at some other guys but Joe, we worked him out in practice, saw what kind of a shape he was in. He slimmed down, his feet are good… We think he can be effective and it’s something that we really need at this point,” he said.

“There’s no guarantee that he’s gonna make that big of an impact, but if he could make a little bit of an impact, that’s gonna be good enough. That’s what we’re looking for,” he added.

Devance is also expected to contribute to the team both on and off the court, especially against a Meralco squad that defeated the Gin Kings in the PBA Philippine Cup last season.

“His game extends so much more beyond the court. He does everything behind the scenes, he’s a great chemistry guy, he’s a great communicator and he comes up, he’s being very happy-go-lucky but if you know him well, he has a real deep competitive spirit within him,” Cone added of Devance.

“They beat us in seven games last conference and I got totally outcoached the whole conference so we gotta do better this time around. We’ll see. Got a lot of work to do still.”