Congratulations to Tiago Splitter, who, to the surprise of extremely few, took home the ACB MVP title for 2009-10. Statistically, Splitter dominated the Spanish League while leading the ACB “playing ranking value” over 27 of the league’s 34 weeks. He ended up ranking first in ranking points per game (at 21.2, he blew away second-place finisher Gerald Fitch’s 17.9); sixth in scoring at 15.7 ppg; eighth in boards at 6.72 rpg; third in defensive rebounds with 4.9 per game; 14th in blocks at 0.76 per; fourth in total free-throw attempts (despite missing five games); and first in fouls drawn (with a crazy 5.72 per game).
However, it wasn’t totally about the stats, as Splitter proved himself a leader in Caja Laboral Baskonia’s second-half surge that saw his team catch up and pass Real Madrid from a four-game deficit in December to take the league’s no. 2 seed for the playoffs.
In the first season he was named the ACB “Quinteto Ideal,” Splitter can add the MVP to his full-to-bursting trophy case for 2009-10: He also won the ACB’s MVP award for April and was named to the All-Euroleague second team.
Splitter, drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, has been rumored to be ever closer to signing with the NBA team, but no definitive word has emerged yet.
The other members of the ACB’s Quinteto Ideal for 2009-10 were Ricky Rubio, Juan Carlos Navarro, Carlos Suárez and Erazem Lorbek. Xavi Pascual of FC Barcelona was named coach of the year.
