SANTOS STILL LEADS BPS RACE,MAKES BID FOR MVP TROPHY

BURGER King stalwart Arwind Santos and Barangay Ginebra’s JayJay Helterbrand are expected to make a strong case for the season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) plum after consistently staying among the top contenders for the Philippine Basketball Association’s most coveted individual trophy.

Santos and Helterbrand are running third and fourth respectively, in the MVP race, but are projected to overtake earlier leaders Asi Taulava (Coca-Cola) and Kelly Williams (Sta. Lucia) for the top two spots after the Whoppers and Kings made it to the semifinals of the season-ending Fiesta Cup.

The 6-foot-3 Santos earned an average statistical points (sps) of 30.0, while Helterbrand is not far behind at 29.7 sps.

Incidentally, the former Far Eastern University King Tamaraw is still showing the way in the heated duel for the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) plum with an average of 32.6 sps.

Taulava has assumed the no.1 ranking from the injured Williams in the MVP derby with a league-best 32.14 sps at the end of the quarterfinal phase, although the 6-foot-9 Coca-Cola big man and captain of the Powerade Team Pilipinas will no longer improve on his numbers with the ouster of the Tigers during the wildcard stage.

The 6-foot-4, high-flying Williams has tumbled out of the top spot he held going into the playoffs, averaging 32.07 sps to land at no. 2.

High-scoring Talk `N Text guard Mac Cardona occupies the fifth spot (28.9 sps), but could also be surpassed by San Miguel’s Dondon Hontiveros, who is at no. 6 (28.4).

The rest of the top 10 contenders include Alaska’s Willie Miller at seventh (28.2 sps), Tropang Texter Jimmy Alapag at eight (28.1), Purefoods Kerby Raymundo at ninth (28.0 sps) and San Miguel’s Jay Washington at no. 10 (27.96).

The Rain or Shine duo of Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado are in a solid 1-2 position in the fight for the Rookie of the Year trophy.

Norwood is on top with 26.4 sps while Mercado’s 23.4 sps is good for no. 2.

Crowding out Santos for the BPC award are second running Taulava (31.7 sps), Hontiveros (28.7sps), last year’s winner Helterbrand (28sps)
and Alapag (27.9 sps).

Anthony Johnson’s bid for the Best Import award may go down the drain following Sta. Lucia’s ouster.

The do-it-all Realtors reinforcement has totalled 52.2 sps to lead the rest of the imports.

At second is Barangay Ginebra’s David Noel (48.3 sps), followed by Rashad Bell of Talk `N Text (48.0 sps), San Miguel’s Gabe Freeman (47.3 sps) and Jai Lewis of Rain or Shine (46.5 sps).