FORMER teammates Robert Bolick and Jamie Malonzo found themselves crowding out each other for the PBA Commissioner's Cup Best Player of the Conference plum.
Bolick and Malonzo emerged the top two candidates for the conference's top individual award at the end of the eliminations last week.
In the latest statistics released by the league prior to the playoffs, the 27-year-old Bolick leads the BPC race with 35.9 statistical points while also showing the way in scoring with a 21.7-point average per game.
Malonzo, meanwhile, ranked second with 31.3 sps. as he thrives in his first season with the Kings by leading them in scoring with an average of 14.3 points and submitting 6.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.
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Bolick and Malonzo were former teammates at NorthPort.
Incidentally, the two are set to meet in the best-of-three quarterfinals as the third seeded Kings battle the no. 6 Batang Pier in their series that starts on Wednesday.
Reigning MVP Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra is also making a case for the BPC plum as he is currently at no. 3, followed by Magnolia's Jio Jalalon, and CJ Perez of San Miguel Beer.
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Thompson is lurking behind Malonzo with 31.1 sps., while Jalalon, the leader in steals with 2.4 per game, submitted 30.4 and Perez 30.3.
Meanwhile, Earl Clark of NLEX is showing the way in the race for the Best Import plum.
The 34-year-old Clark leads all imports in scoring with a 32.3 point average on the way to earning a total of 56.0 sps.
The Road Warriors' failure to make the playoffs of the mid-season tournament though, will definitely affect Clark's shot at the award, which is also being closely disputed by Quincy Miller of Converge, Barangay Ginebra's Justine Brownlee, and Nick Rakocevic of Magnolia.
Miller, a former NBA player like Clark, is running second with 55.3 sps, followed by Brownlee with 52.4 and Rakocevic with 52.3, respectively.
Brownlee, the two-time recipient of the Best Import plum, is tops among imports in assists (7.2), while the 24-year-old Rakocevic, a Serbian playing in just his second overseas stint, leads the rebounding department with 18.6.
Also making the Top 10 of the BPC list are NLEX's Don Trollano (29.09), Arvin Tolentino of NorthPort (29.08), Javee Mocon of Phoenix (28.6), Barangay Ginebra's Christian Standhardinger (27.9), and Jeron Teng of Converge (27.8). (RG)
