James Yap makes strong case for PBA MVP award

The title campaign has ended for James Yap and his Derby Ace Llamados. They have lost the battle in the semifinals and missed the opportunity of scoring a modern-day grandslam in the Philippine Basketball Association. But the window remains open for Yap’s bid of winning a second Most Valuable Player award, the highest recognition given to an individual. Yap is considered to be one of the strongest candidates to win the MVP plum as the Derby Ace superstar won the Best Player of the Conference and the Finals MVP while leading his team to the All-Filipino crown. In the Fiesta Cup, Yap continued to preside on his team's offense and emerged as the Llamados' most consistent local scorer all the way to the semifinals. While his estranged wife, movie and television personality Kris Aquino appeared publicly and announced that their marriage is finally over, James was doing his thing, focusing on the game and trying to bail out his banged up squad, which lost its injured captain for most part of the conference and had several key members of the squad playing in pain. Yap was one of those, but he barely showed signs of being distracted even when he’s hurt physically and emotionally. Instead, he never stopped competing and continued to keep the season going for Derby Ace. “James was superb the whole season. He played a big role in our All-Filipino campaign, which earned him two individual awards. His Fiesta Conference performance was equally inspiring. He carried our team to the semifinals and he was consistent all through out despite missing key personnel due to injuries. To excel while being hounded by his much publicized marital problems is simply phenomenal," said Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio.

“Well, the biggest reason why James should become the MVP is the way he has done for us all season long," said PBA chairman Rene Pardo, board governor of Derby Ace. “We have gone this far with only James carrying much of the load and he has to play at a high level despite his personal problems. That goes to show how valuable player he is, qualities of an MVP." With Kerby Raymundo missing most of the Fiesta Cup because of a right knee injury, it was Yap who kept the season going for the Llamados. “Honestly, if it’s James who’s out for most of the conference, we might not be able to make it to the semis," added Pardo. The 6-foot-2, former University of the East standout, carried his team to the quarterfinals first. In the quarterfinals, he averaged 23 points per game, including two 30-plus points. Up against a more talented and defensive-minded San Miguel squad, Yap averaged 16.33 points and had a hard time shaking off Dondon Hontiveros. Still, the Llamados pushed the Beermen to the limit with import Tony Washam and Yap carrying much of the scoring load. Their best weren’t enough, though, to tow their team to a second straight finals stint as they bowed to the Beermen in six games. “James did not only play great basketball, he also displayed incredible focus to shrug off personal problems to lead our team to establish the most number of wins by the franchise in one season (41 wins)," said Gregorio. So the conference is over for the Llamados. For Yap, the marriage which he fought for and wanted to keep, is over as well. But his numbers, his performance and his big fighting heart were enough justification to make a strong case for the MVP award. It might be a rocky road personally for James, who has kept himself silent about his personal life. But he might find himself destined to win the most coveted individual plum the second time around before the season ends. And if that happens, it will definitely be a bitter sweet experience for the PBA’s biggest star. “With his exploits inside the court and his courage to perform above par in spite of the distractions, he has positioned himself to earn his second MVP in his young PBA career," Gregorio added. - GMANews.TV