IT’S a case of Jonathan Williams of Phoenix winning the battle, but Tyler Bey of Magnolia winning the war.
Despite Magnolia defeating Phoenix in the semifinals to set up the current Finals series versus San Miguel, Williams defeated Bey for the PBA Commissioner's Cup Best Import Award.
The points that Williams received from the media voting were a topic of debate when copies of the Summary Points Value were made public. These points were crucial in helping the underdog Phoenix import win the coveted trophy in a closely contested race that could have gone either way.
LOOK:
In casting votes for the Best Import and Best Player of the Conference, voters are required to rank their preferred candidates from Nos. 1, 2, and 3, from the list provided by the league after the end of the semifinals, meaning numbers and performances of players seeing action in the finals will no longer reflect in the overall statistics.
Boatwright leads SPs
By the end of the semifinals, the official statistical point standings (SPs) had San Miguel’s Bennie Boatwright at No. 1 with 60.3 SPs followed by Williams with 50.7 SPs, and Bey with 50.6 SPs.
Corresponding weight percentages are given according to how the imports and players are ranked to determine their total points.
Williams got the bulk of the media votes at 424 while coming in second in statistics at 554. He finished third in players’ votes with 39.
In contrast, Bey topped the players’ votes with 76, finished second in media votes at 279, and third in statistics with 553.
Boatwright was No. 1 in statistics with 659, placed second among players’ votes with 63, and third in media votes at 156.
However, the argument against Boatwright was he only completed a total of seven games from late in the eliminations to the semifinals, although no minimum number of games is required for an import to qualify for the award.
Williams and Bey, on the other hand, had been there with their respective mother teams right from the start, with each import playing in 15 games or more.
Williams gets PBA Press Corps' nod
The PBA Press Corps carries the weight of media votes, although there are other members of the press outside of the group who regularly cast their votes, too.
Members of the Press Corps are considered bloc voters, meaning it votes together as one group and not individually.
The group usually meets for long hours, often turning emotional, to weigh the pros and cons on each candidate before making its choice.
Williams won over Bey by the slimmest margin of two points to get the nod of the group but lost in the votes of other media members who voted individually as reflected in the SPV.
Based on the SPS released by the league before the finals, Williams and Bey matched each other in terms of the all-around game, with the Phoenix import averaging 24.5 points, 16.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks as to his Magnolia counterpart’s 26.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.2 steals.
Even in the semis, it’s as close as things can get. Williams’ numbers read 18.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, while Bey submitted 21.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
Though it was always anticipated that a strong Magnolia team would make it to the finals or maybe win the title, maybe very few people envisioned a rebuilding Phoenix team advancing to the playoffs, particularly to the semifinals.
And Williams had a major role in it all. By improving the guys around him, he played selfless basketball and acted as the sparkplug that closed the enormous hole in Phoenix's middle.
Likewise, the semis stint was the first in Phoenix franchise history in an import-laden conference.
At the same time, the SPV showed only a few players voted, which reflected the low turnout of players’ votes.
From the looks of it, only two teams – or 30 players accordingly - appeared to have cast their votes, which Bey and Boatwright, unfortunately, divided between themselves.
The issue isn’t something new in the PBA.
Hulking Arinze Onuaku of Meralco was the last import to win the award –named after the late, seven-time winner Bobby Parks - without leading his team to the finals in the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup.
And lest Williams is criticized for his poor foul shooting (55.9 percent), Onuaku was even worse at 48 percent free throw shooting, as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
Arizona Reid of Rain or Shine won Best Import in the 2011 Governors’ Cup, which saw Petron and TNT battle each other in the finals.
Ditto, with the San Miguel duo of Larry Robinson and Jeff Ward during the 1997 season. Robinson was Best Import in the Governors’ Cup where Alaska and Purefoods faced each other for the championship, while Ward, a blue-collar import just like Williams, bagged the honor in the Commissioner’s Cup that featured Gordon Gins and Alaska in the title series.
In the 1994 Governors’ Cup, Pepsi Mega’s Ronnie Coleman was the Best Import in a conference where Alaska and Swift battled for the crown.
Even Parks was the 1990 Third Conference Best Import for Formula Shell despite Purefoods and Alaska seeing action in the finals.
Two equally popular Ginebra imports Jamie Waller and Michael Hackett won the award in the 1988 Open Conference and 1985 Reinforced Conference even without leading their respective teams to the finals.
Since it has happened in the past, it is happening now, and it will happen again in the future, the list can go on forever.
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