Joe Devance: The invisible puzzle piece

The balloons were still falling from the rafters that Wednesday night. For the second straight conference, the red, yellow, and blue balloons fell for Joe Devance and his San Mig Super Coffee Mixers.

A bunch of photographers circled Marc Pingris as he was perched atop a ladder to cut down the net. James Yap, PJ Simon, and Mark Barroca were being flocked by fans on their quests to take championship selfies. The rest of the Mixers were all over the floor celebrating.

Devance looked up at Pingris, one of the possible Finals MVP winners. In the 2014 Philippine Cup Finals, six Mixers could have won that trophy. Starters Pingris, Devance, Yap, and Simon  all had their moments. Off the bench players Ian Sangalang and Barroca tilted the balance towards San Mig’s favor.

The 6-foot-7 Fil-Am forward chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists per contest in the finals, enough to be a candidate to the prestigious award. The problem though is that he didn’t have signature moments except maybe for the eight points he scored in Game 4 after Pingris hurt his eye.

Devance didn’t score the killing blows, Barroca did. Devance didn’t make the final stops, Pingris did. So there he was on the side, carrying his daughter who so badly wanted a balloon.

“Say thank you,” Devance instructed his daughter after a fan from the baseline tossed in a red balloon. “Man, I’d love to be Finals MVP but I’m pretty sure I won’t get this one,” he said as he watched his kid play.

Devance knows there a huge chance that he will not be noticed again. It has happened so many times before. In Game 6 of the semis, no one reported that he injured his ankle. If this happened to Pingris or Yap or Simon or Barroca, it would be all over peoples’ mouths but since it happened to Devance, no one bothered to notice.

The Fil-Am missed an entire half in a loss. Pingris on the other hand missed one and a half quarters in their Game 4 win against Rain or Shine but if you compare the coverage the two injuries got, you’ll understand just how little attention Devance gets.

San Mig Super Coffee head coach Tim Cone, however, knows just how important Devance is to the team. “He’s the last piece that makes the whole puzzle. Without him our puzzle is not complete because he does things that allows us to play unconventionally,” Cone said. “We can play three big men because he can play the backcourt. He allows us to play Ping on smaller guys because Joe can guard a big guy.”

Sangalang’s baskets? Those are partly because the Mixers played three bigs, forcing Paul Lee or Jeff Chan to defend either the rookie of Devance at the post. They chose to guard Sangalang with a small and he made them pay. Pingris’ assists? Most of those went to Devance who expertly cut to the basket just as the defense sagged on the post. Barroca’s leak out plays? Again, partly because the point guard could run the break when he has Devance rebounding and bringing down the ball for him.

“If you look at our lineup, our first group has three bigs and no point guard. Joe allows us to do that because he can bring down the ball and set up plays,” Cone continued. “And then our second group, we play three point guards and Joe transitions to being a post threat. His ability to do that is a huge part of our success. Without that guy, then we’re not going to have the same success.”

Last conference, the San Mig Coffee Planet crowned Pingris as the Finals MVP of the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup. His spirited performance was enough for the people to shout M-V-P whenever he held the ball. The PBA Press Corps heeded their call and gave Pingris the award. This time, the Mixers’ fans once again made their presence felt.

When the Finals MVP was set to be announced, chants of BARROCA echoed in the coliseum. He averaged 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the Finals. Barroca deserved it. But if five other Mixers, Devance included, won the award, they’d completely deserve it too.

When the point guard’s name was called, Devance cheered. While the attention of the PBA universe was on the newly crowned Coffee King, Devance stood at the back, holding his daughter.

For the young kid, her dad is the best player out there even if someone else hoisted the handsome trophy. For the father, her opinion was all that mattered.

 
“Joe’s playing with really popular guys. James is James, Ping has always been there but he’s exploding in the scene now, and PJ’s always had his following, now Mark is beginning to gain popularity, and also Justin (Melton),” Cone explained. “Joe pulls up the rear but I really don’t think that upsets him that much. I’m sure he wants to get some attention but as long as his teammates appreciate him, as long as the coaches and management appreciate what he does, then I think he’s fine with everything.”

Devance has taken a lot of heat from fans throughout his career. They always wanted him to be more. He’s too soft. He’s too passive. Why is he shooting floaters when he’s 6-foot-7? Nothing he ever does seems to be enough to convince people that he’s playing hard. Not winning three titles in three years, not even banging bodies with the boys of Extra Rice Inc.

To some Purefoods fans he’s still an Alaska guy. For the Alaska fans, he’s a deserter. Devance has always been stuck in the middle of it all.

Inside the dugout, after they were all drenched with beer and champagne, Devance sat quietly beside Rafi Reavis and their incoming import James Mays. As usual, the cameras were on the San Mig’s big three, the core that has been with the team for so long. Devance didn’t sulk about not winning the Finals MVP. He was genuinely happy for Barroca. He also didn’t mind being away from the spotlight. He was genuinely okay with his brothers getting most of the attention.

“To be honest, it feels great just to win. If one of my teammates gets the Finals MVP, that just means we won and I’m happy with that,” Devance said. “Personal accolades mean nothing to me. But don’t get me wrong, it would be nice to win some but it’s not my goal. My goal is to make the team better and see how many championships we can win together.”

Before you judge this as lip service, consider this. Every day, Devance pays for the services of Todd Benfit, a laser treatment expert, to help out with his injuries. Benfit took care of Devance’s ankles and his back throughout the playoffs. Other Mixers also ask the laser therapist for help. A sore calf here, a dinged up knee there: Benfit was at their disposal all day because most players thought that the team hired him. They don’t know that because Devance wants to win so bad, he shouldered the cost of laser therapy for everyone.

When Devance says that he wants to make his teammates better, he’s not just talking about being better on the court. He makes himself available to the younger Mixers who want to learn more about the triangle offense. He even pays for treatment of the entire team.

“I have great teammates. They’re great players and I’m grateful I’m with them,” Devance said. “I’m okay with being under the radar. All my teammates can have all the shine as long as we keep winning. Ping, PJ, and James, they’ve been here for so long. I’m just here to support everybody. I’m just trying to do my role so we can win.”