James Yap favored to win 2nd PBA MVP award

Derby Ace hotshot James Yap may be the top bet for the PBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award this season, but his long-time nemesis Kelly Williams and Arwind Santos, emerged with the highest statistical points among the leading candidates for the league’s highest individual award. Williams took the no. 1 spot in terms of statistical points (SPs) rankings shortly before the ongoing Fiesta Conference Finals, accumulating a total of 34.9. Traded by Sta. Lucia to Talk `N Text along with Ryan Reyes, the 28-year old Fil-Am from Michigan edged Santos for the MVP honor in the 2007-08 season, and likewise did the same when the two fought for the Rookie of the Year plum a year earlier. Santos, playing his first season with San Miguel, occupies the no. 2 spot with 31.8 SPs, while Coca-Cola big man Asi Taulava is at third with 29.9 SPs. Yap, the Best Player of the Conference during the last Philippine Cup when he steered the Llamados to the title following a four-game sweep of Alaska, is currently at sixth place with 28.4 SPs, behind Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine (28.6 SPs), and Talk `N Text’s Mac-Mac Cardona (28.8 SPs) Also in the running are L.A. Tenorio of Alaska (27.1 SPs) at seventh and San Miguel’s Jay Washington (26.2), named Best Player of the Conference of the Fiesta Cup, at eighth spot. Winner of the award, which is expected to be a five-man battle among Yap, Washington, Tenorio, De Ocampo and Santos, will be announced during the Leo Awards Night set before Game 3 of the best-of-seven title series between Alaska and San Miguel Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum. Yap led a hurting Derby Ace to a semifinals stint in the season-ending meet, while Washington, Santos and Tenorio are currently key figures in their respective teams’ bid for the Fiesta Cup title. De Ocampo, meanwhile, was chosen top performer of the elimination round and then powered the top-seeded Tropang Texters all the way to the Final Four. But Yap, who won the MVP award in the 2005-2006 season, appeared to be the favorite to win the highest individual award. He won the Best Player of the Conference and the Finals MVP after steering the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants to the All-Filipino title this season, which gives him a certain edge to the other voting bodies for the award -- the media, his fellow players and the PBA five-man committee. Derby Ace’s Rico Maierhofer, the no. 2 overall selection behind the controversial Japeth Aguilar, is expected to romp away with the Rookie of the Year award. Fighting it out for the Most Improved Player award are Alex Cabagnot of San Miguel, Alaska’s Joe DeVance, JC Intal and Ronald Tubid of Barangay Ginebra, Sol Mercado of Rain or Shine, De Ocampo of Talk `N Text and Tenorio of Alaska. Also to be handed out are awards for Mythical selection and All-Defensive team. During the hour-long ceremony, the PBA will also fete outgoing chairman Lito Alvarez, now Customs commissioner. The former Air21 team manager is going to be presented with a special award by commissioner Sonny Barrios, deputy commissioner Chito Salud and the entire PBA Board of Governors led by chairman Rene Pardo of Purefoods. - RCJ, GMANews.TV