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Prior to the trade, Devance was thinking to retire as an Ace


Joe Devance, a strong candidate for the Most Valuable Player award, was having a breakout performance this season. He was the most consistent performer in the recently-concluded Commissioner’s Cup, making him probably the most important ace in the Alaska roster. Devance was actually leading the statistical race for the Best Player of the Conference award in the conference that was just won by Talk N Text. He was second in Alaska’s scoring (next to LA Tenorio) with 13.4 points per game average. He also averaged 8.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists and wound up with an average of 32 statistical points at the end of the single-round eliminations. He is touted as the next most important player and the cornerstone of the Aces’ frontline until the unthinkable happened — Devance and the Aces had to part ways only after three seasons after the player was shipped to the Air21 Express in exchange for the talented but underachieving forward Jay-R Reyes. Whether the Aces initiated the trade or the player asked to be traded appeared less interesting now. The more interesting question is whether Devance will stay longer as a member of the Express or will he be shipped to another team right away? “I don’t know what’s going to happen," Devance told GMA News. “I don’t know if I’m going to stay with Air21 or find myself being traded to another team, but if ever I will stay with Air21, I will do my job of helping them win games." The Express is a team known for shipping players with big paychecks and Devance will become the newest addition to a squad that also has high-paying cagers such as Danny Seigle, Dondon Hontiveros, and Dorian Pena, who were also acquired in a separate trade this season. For Devance, his separation with Alaska came more as a surprise. “Being traded can happen to anyone," said Devance. “I was hoping I could end my career in Alaska because I thought I was doing a great job and my game fits the team’s system. Me and the Triangle Offense are fitted together and I was so thankful on coach Tim Cone to allow me to thrive on offense." “Now that I will be playing for a new team, I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know if I will be able to play with the same efficiency as I did with Alaska," added Devance. — Rey Joble/KBK, GMA News

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