Abueva, Santos, Castro lead MVP race
He may have lost out on a pair of modest PBA honors but Alaska prized rookie Calvin Abueva is right on track for the loftiest one in the pro league’s 38th season.
The second overall pick in last year’s rookie draft is showing the way both in the Most Valuable Player and the Rookie of the Year races after two conferences with an accumulated 21.4 statistical points in 40 outings.
Just a shade under 6-foot-3, the 24-year-old Abueva failed to bag any of the previous two Best Player of the Conference awards, won by Talk ‘N Text spitfire Jayson Castro (Philippine Cup) and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel playmaker LA Tenorio (Commissioner's Cup).
However, the former San Sebastian College-Recoletos standout has a strong shot in following the footsteps of former pro league great Benjie Paras, who bagged the MVP and Rookie of the Year honors right on his first year with the defunct Shell team in 1989.
To realize that cherished dream, Abueva not only needs to pile up the numbers on the statistical sheets but also gain the nod from the covering press, fellow players and league players who also cast their votes for the top two annual honors.
Running a close second in the MVP race is Abueva’s fellow Kapampangan and Petron Blaze forward Arwind Santos, who has 21 SPs.
The 5-foot-11 Castro, who was adjudged as the Best Point Guard in Asia following Gilas Pilipinas’ magical run in the 27th FIBA-Asia cage joust, is at third with 20.0 SPs followed by GlobalPort guard Sol Mercado at fourth with 19.4 and TNT power forward Ranidel de Ocampo at fifth with 19.1.
Rounding up the Top 10 for the league’s highest individual award are reigning MVP Mark Caguioa of Ginebra (18.9 SPs); Alaska playmaker JVee Casio (18.8); Tenorio (18.2); Cyrus Baguio of Alaska (18.1), and; San Mig Coffee power forward Marc Pingris.
In the rookie race, Abueva is the runaway leader, with his closest pursuer center June Mar Fajardo of Petron Blaze coming up with just 16.3 SPs in 24 outings after the two conferences.
Another do-it-all rookie, Cliff Hodge of Meralco, is at third with 15.1 SPs followed by high-flying Ginebra guard Chris Ellis with 13.5 and Air21’s Vic Manuel with 10.2.
