Although he wasn’t utilized much by the stacked San Miguel Beermen – most especially during import-laden conferences – Gabby Espinas is tempering his expectations of playing time in his return to the GlobalPort Batang Pier.
The 36-year-old big man was reunited with the Batang Pier – having played for them back in 2015, but for only a month – last Thursday as he got shipped by the Beermen in exchange for Kelly Nabong and a 2020 second round pick.
“‘Di ako nage-expect ng malaking playing time dito sa GlobalPort. Kung ano lang bigay yun lang talaga,” said the 6-foot-4 cager, who hails from Olongapo City.
In his first game since the trade, Espinas played for over 19 minutes and produced four points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal in GlobalPort’s 133-115 win over the Columbian Dyip.
The minutes he played for GlobalPort are far what he had with the Beermen, especially this 2018 Commissioner’s Cup. With that, the 6-foot-4 Espinas shared that he still has a lot of adjustments to do.
“Alam niyo naman tagal na akong ‘di nakakalaro. Nag-aadjust pa rin kahit papano,” the 12-year veteran shared.
The six-time PBA Champion definitely has a lot left in the tank, and his return to GlobalPort will only help the team even more. But what he really wants to impart to his new, younger teammates is the winning mentality he got from SMB.
“‘Yung winning attitude lang na galing akong lagi sa panalo. ‘Yun lang siguro ‘yung parang, bigay ko silang motivation. Hindi kami nagpra-practice para matalo,” pointed out Espinas, who won five of his six championships with San Miguel.
“Nagpupunta kami ng game hindi para matalo, kundi para manalo.”
