SANTOS, TENORIO, CASTRO VIE FOR MVP PLUM
The race for the Most Valuable Player honors in PBA Season 38 has boiled down to a fight among the year’s Best Player of the Conference winners.
Anyone among Talk n Text’s Jayson Castro, Ginebra’s LA Tenorio and Petron’s Arwind Santos will be the biggest toast in the 2013 Leo Awards set before Game Four of the PBA Governors Cup Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Friday.
Only Castro, Tenorio and Santos made the official roster of MVP candidates under the league’s revised guidelines for the MVP race. Narrowly missing the list is Alaska’s super rookie Calvin Abueva.
Castro was the Philippine Cup BPC while Tenorio and Santos were winners of the same award in the Commissioner’s Cup and the Governors Cup, respectively.
Stats-wise, Santos, a perennial MVP contender in the last few years, is ahead of his two rivals.
Through the end of the Governors Cup semifinals, Santos was toting a league-best statistical points average of 30.3 points as against Tenorio’s 28.1 and Castro’s 26.8.
The stats, however, is just one of the criteria. Also to be considered are the votes of their fellow players, the media and the PBA Commissioner’s Office.
If ever, Santos would finally bag the coveted award after several near misses. Or either Castro or Tenorio would become another guard to be MVP following the footsteps of Mark Caguioa, Jimmy Alapag, Jayjay Helterbrand, Willie Miller, Johnny Abarrientos, Ato Agustin, Ricardo Brown, Atoy Co and Robert Jaworski.
Santos was a member of the Mythical First Five in each of the last five seasons, Castro made the Mythical Second Team in 2011 and 2012 while Tenorio was a Mythical First Teamer in 2010.
The three are expected to easily make the Mythical First Team this season.
Other candidates for the Mythical Selection are guards Cyrus Baguio, Alex Cabagnot, Mark Caguioa, Jayvee Casio, Mike Cortez, Larry Fonacier, Marcio Lassiter and Sol Mercado and centers/forwards Calvin Abueva, KG Canaleta, Ranidel de Ocampo, Joe Devance, Junmar Fajardo, Cliff Hodge, Marc Pingris, Sonny Thoss and James Yap.
Rookie of the Year candidates are Abueva, Fajardo, Hodge, Chris Ellis and Vic Manuel.
Canaleta vies for the Most Improved Player award versus Jervy Cruz, Reynel Hugnatan and Mercado while Casio, Lassiter, Gabe Norwood, PJ Simon and Dondon Hontiveros are those in the running for the Sportsmanship Award.
Nominated for the All-Defensive Team are guards Mark Barroca, Castro, Lassiter, Norwood, Ryan Reyes, Ellis and Jireh Ibanes and centers/forwards Abueva, Beau Belga, Fajardo, Pingris, Rafi Reavis, Santos and Sonny Thoss. (SB)
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