SIDELINED by an ACL tear for a year, Greg Slaughter said he’s not yet 100 percent back in shape after undergoing operation and rehabilitation.
And yet, the seven-foot Barangay Ginebra slotman is expected to crowd his teammate LA Tenorio, San Miguel Beer’s JuneMar Fajardo and Meralco swingman Chris Newsome for the PBA Best Player of the Conference Award.
Now imagine a Slaughter that’s 100 percent full recovered.
Good news for the Kings, bad news for the rest.
“I still have a lot of work to do, but I hope to contribute a lot for the team,” Slaughter said. “From here, I hope we’ll get better and better as a team.”
Slaughter, LA Tenorio,Newsome and Fajardo are four of the top players gunning for the BPC award for the tournament.
With the Gin Kings and the Bolts about to go at it in a much-anticipated best-of-seven finals showdown, the four are projected to be the front-runners for the individual plum.
As for the Best Import Award, just like last season, it will boil down again between reigning winner Allen Durham of Meralco and Justin Brownlee of Barangay Ginebra.
Based on statistics for the tournament, three-time reigning Most Valuable Player Fajardo and Jayson Castro of TNT KaTropa are the top two players.
However, Fajardo’s Beermen were eliminated early on in the quarterfinals, while Castro’s Tropang Texters made their exit after the semifinals, leaving the the three players from the Gin Kings and the Bolts the active ones remaining.
Fajardo, who is once again the favorite to win the MVP of the season award for the fourth straight time, ended up with an average of 38.45 statistical points for the tourney, while Castro wrapped up his campaign up with 33.56.
Slaughter is third in the race with 32.6, while Newsome isn’t far behind at fourth with 30.88. Arwind Santos rounds up the Top 5 with his 30.58 average.
Tenorio is sixth with his 30.19 SPs.
For Best Import, Durham leads with his average of 58.88 SPs.
Both awards will be given in Game 4 of the finals.
Ginebra and Meralco will kick off their finals rematch tomorrow at 7 p.m. Game 1, scheduled at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City, Quezon.