MANILA, Philippines — Veteran forward Joe Devance's first game back following a two-year hiatus might seem immaterial—two points, zero rebounds and assists in just six minutes and 19 seconds.
But for Ginebra coach Tim Cone, his mere presence inside the court even in such a short period of time was "fantastic" enough to give Japeth Aguilar the needed rest in Game 1 of the Gin Kings' PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup best-of-five quarterfinal series versus the Meralco Bolts Thursday night.
"I thought he was fantastic for us, he came in and played really super valuable minutes," Cone said of Devance, the 42-year-old versatile forward, who was plucked out of retirement to help Ginebra in its quest for the Governors' Cup crown this season.
Ginebra took Game 1, 99-92 with import Justin Brownlee taking charge in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-7 Devance retired in June 2022 after battling through an assortment of injuries during the late stages of his illustrious 14-year PBA career that saw him win 12 league championships.
"At times, we try to manage Japeth's minutes. That's been our issue because once Isaac (Go) went down (with an injury), we didn't have anybody to really manage his minutes," explained the 66-year-old Cone.
Cone explained prior to the start of the playoffs that losing the 6-foot-7 Go to a knee injury towards the end of the double-round eliminations left the team with no other big man, who could ably spell Aguilar at the slot this conference.
Ginebra got Go, along with Stephen Holt in the offseason after trading away veterans Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle to the Terrafirma Dyip.
Without Go, Cone said it was difficult to find a balance at preserving the 37-year-old legs of Aguilar, who has been averaging 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in nearly 30 minutes of play in the elimination round.
"We're very conscious of playing him and getting him too tired," Cone said. " He's a freak of nature, being able to do his stuff in the game. But hopefully, we're smart enough to know we have to be careful with him."
With Devance around, Cone said he's confident that Ginebra won't lose its edge too much since the left-handed Filipino-American understands the team system very well.
"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 got a bucket, played defense, he got up and down the floor, and that's not bad for someone who has not played basketball for two years and having one practice under his belt," explained the all-time PBA winningest coach.
Ginebra will shoot for no less than a 2-0 series lead come Saturday when the team faces Meralco at the Big Dome.
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