Cone hopes for Negrense Devance’s return in PBA finals

Posted by watchmen
October 30, 2024
Posted in SPORTS
JOE DEVANCE (Tiebreaker Times photo)
JOE DEVANCE (Tiebreaker Times photo)

By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings head coach Tim Cone is still hoping that veteran forward Joe Devance can rejoin the team in the latter games of their PBA Governors’ Cup finals series with the TNT Tropang Giga.

The 42-year-old Devance is out indefinitely after sustaining a bone bruise injury during Game 5 of the Gin Kings’ semifinals series with sister team, the San Miguel Beermen, two weeks ago.

“Right now he’s still on crutches. He still got a brace. So can he take that off and probably be ready to play in [the PBA finals]? Probably doubtful,” Cone said.

“But probably, sometime in the series, he might come back,” he added.

The Negros Occidental’s Escalante City native Devance was signed by the Gin Kings prior to the start of the quarterfinals to make up for the injuries of big men George Isaac Go, Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray.

“Hanging out around here and, suddenly, he has to play high-level basketball without being able to prepare his body and be in shape. It was amazing that he was able to do what he was able to do,” Cone said.

“We were trying to limit his minutes [in the quarterfinals and semifinals], so we didn’t get him to that injury thing. But it still happened,” Cone said of Devance, who averaged 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in eight games.

The Gin Kings will try to bounce back against TNT in Game 2 of the best-of-seven finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight./ASC, WDJ

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