Art dela Cruz. Photo by Randolph B. Leongson
For a club as iconic as Ginebra, its new players are normally get thrown to the fire immediately.
And for Art Dela Cruz, his Ginebra baptism of fire is to fill the shoes of injured Joe Devance in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Dela Cruz missed much of the 2016-2017 season due to injury when he was still with Blackwater, and now that the third-year forward is well again, Tim Cone expects his new Gin King to play the spot that Devance has temporarily vacated.
“We hope we can replace Joe a little bit with the addition of Art Dela Cruz, you know the things that he does,” said Cone Friday at Upper Deck Sports Center.
Cone banks on the versatility of the 6-foot-4 Dela Cruz to replicate Devance’s playmaking in the Ginebra frontcourt as the 10-year veteran is sidelined after having surgery on his foot.
And as for Dela Cruz, he’s just thankful that he was given the opportunity to play in the same role as Devance’s.
“I’m thankful because Joe’s been here for like 10 years, and I’m really thankful because coach Tim saw that we have similarities,” said Dela Cruz in Filipino. “There’s pressure of course to be compared to Joe and I hope I can play that role, because this will be a long road for me.”
Helping Dela Cruz get acclimated with the Ginebra system are veterans LA Tenorio and Mark Caguioa as the third-year forward acquaints himself with Cone’s triangle system.
“It’s a process, my teammates are preparing me for the plays because my position changes every time,” said Dela Cruz. “Sometimes I play as the big man in the set but most of the time I’m tasked of bringing down the ball and execute plays. It’s a big opportunity for me because this is my first time playing like a point guard.”