Is the best always the MVP?
I love it. The writers and coaches in the WNBA are having this huge debate over who should be the league MVP. It's nice to see I'm not the only person who has a difficult time choosing postseason individual awards.
The WNBA debate involves Seattle's Lauren Jackson, who is clearly the best player in the world but plays on a sub .500 team. Meanwhile, players like Becky Hammon and Deanna Nolan are helping teams win games but don't have the individual numbers.
It's a dilemma that has no concrete answer. How do you determine individual awards in a team sport?
I think I've done a pretty good job over the years in Union County but, every year, at least one coach, parent and player disagrees with me. I guess that's what makes it fun.
Here's an article I procured from WNBA.com talking about the MVP race.
By Jayda Evans
Seattle Times
There are no rules or clear definitions.
And oddly, that's the only thing that could hurt Storm All-Star Lauren Jackson, a maverick wrapped in an enigma, as the media begins to seriously mull postseason awards.
Ballots were released this month and among the categories is most valuable player, for which Jackson has been a front-runner since June. She has scored at least 30 points a league-record-tying eight games.
But what is "value" in the WNBA?
It's a characteristic that has ignited many Internet debates, keeping Jackson from being a unanimous pick for MVP. The discussion has been heated.
Few doubt Jackson's value, when defined as having great merit, use or service. After winning gold for Australia at the World Championships in Brazil and a SuperLeague title in Russia, Jackson burst into her seventh WNBA campaign by recording 10 rebounds and three blocks in her opening game and 31 points in her second.
"Lauren Jackson puts up big numbers, but they're a .500 ballclub," Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said. "The most valuable player wills their team and makes their team more competitive in terms of overall record during the regular season. That hasn't happened in Seattle.
"I'm not dismissing Lauren and her talents. She's the best player in the league, but this year she is not the most valuable player."
Plagued by shin and foot injuries throughout the 2006 season, which kept her out of practice as she averaged a career-low 28.4 minutes, Jackson declared herself injury-free at the beginning of the season. Jackson discovered deterioration in the meniscus behind her right knee in July, but she is averaging career-bests of 23.8 points and 9.5 rebounds, shooting 52.5 percent from the field.
"She's matured and is in the best shape of her career," said San Antonio assistant coach Sandy Brondello, a fellow Aussie who played with Jackson when the latter won the 2003 MVP award. "She's always wanted to be the best player, and I think she knows that she's the best player. She handles that pressure quite well. I've always admired that competitive nature. Not all players are like that, but Lauren likes to put everything on her shoulders."
Placing a team atop her defined 6-foot-5 frame probably explains Jackson's most recent explosion.
Missing the Storm's final two road games to be in Australia with her grandmother, who died Friday, Jackson has averaged 26.3 points and 9.9 rebounds her past 10 games, dragging the Storm to its fourth consecutive postseason berth despite going 4-6 during that stretch.
One of the defeats was a one-point overtime loss at Washington, where Jackson scored 33 of her WNBA record-tying 47 points in the closing half.
In the WNBA, the currency of "value" is wins, which the Storm (15-17) can't seem to find despite having what many have called the world's best player lined up with two Olympians (point guard Sue Bird and small forward Iziane Castro Marques of Brazil), a 2004 Finals MVP in Betty Lennox and a quality center in Janell Burse. Each of those players has been hampered by injuries, but regardless of health, Seattle's fourth-place standing in the Western Conference opens the door for other statistically less phenomenal players to be awarded the regular-season MVP award.
Enter All-Stars Becky Hammon, Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor, Deanna Nolan and Tamika Catchings. Although Phoenix has been hot, Taurasi and Taylor could cancel each other out because they're equally important to their team. Nolan leads defending champion Detroit (24-7) with 16.6 points and 4.3 assists, but also is in a lineup full of All-Stars who share the spotlight.
Hammon is the WNBA's third-leading scorer (19.2) on an overhauled Silver Stars team that jumped from sixth to second in the West at 19-11. She was a draft-day trade from New York.
Catchings, of Indiana, hasn't played since she was hurt July 20. She is out with a partial tear of the plantar fascia in her left foot, but is hopeful of returning for the playoffs. It's an injury that most likely takes Catchings out of contention for the award regardless of her obvious value.
Sheri Sam, an Indiana forward and former Storm player, has played with both Jackson and Catchings. She says Catchings is more valuable.
"This is going to get me in trouble," said Sam after sending a congratulatory text to Jackson following her 47-point game in July. They remain friends since teaming to win the Storm's 2004 championship. "L is a dominant scorer and she's got some rebounding, but I look at overall impact on the stat sheet. It's points, it's rebounds, it's steals, it's assists, plus the play of your teammates. Tamika affects the game in so many ways, so she's the MVP. If you're looking for a dominant scorer, that's L. Nobody can stop her from scoring."
The postseason selections aren't internal votes by players, coaches and front-office personnel, however. It's up to a panel of 12 members of the national media and three representatives apiece from each of the 13 WNBA cities, including one vote from The Seattle Times.
And while some discount Jackson because of the Storm's record, that didn't stop her from winning in 2003 when Seattle didn't advance to the postseason with an 18-16 record. Jackson hasn't had arena press rooms buzzing nationwide like this since she posed nude for an Australian magazine featuring 2004 Aussie Olympic hopefuls.
First were her statements about being treated "like a 12-year-old" in a struggle between Storm coaches and players. Then her affirmation that she's not going to return if the team relocates to Oklahoma City. The capper was the 47-point night in the nation's capital, a week after starting in her sixth All-Star Game in the same city.
Across the country, reporters opined about her brazen on-court personality. Her skill taking players off the dribble for dazzling layins. The signature turnaround jumper where she seemingly rises like a phoenix while being triple teamed. Jackson's deft blocks. And, of course, her tenacity in grabbing rebounds.
It's a nightly electric display of talent reminiscent of legends Lisa Leslie or Cynthia Cooper, whose scoring records and number of player-of-the-week honors Jackson is currently breaking.
"Lauren Jackson is not a prototype, she's a freak," Chicago coach Bo Overton said. "She's a post player with a guard's body control and skill who can shoot the three, drive and handle the ball. There's no one like her."
Is uniqueness enough to equate to MVP?
"There can't be anybody who doesn't vote for Lauren," Storm coach Anne Donovan said. "It's a ridiculous vote if you put it somewhere else."
If only that were a rule.
The WNBA debate involves Seattle's Lauren Jackson, who is clearly the best player in the world but plays on a sub .500 team. Meanwhile, players like Becky Hammon and Deanna Nolan are helping teams win games but don't have the individual numbers.
It's a dilemma that has no concrete answer. How do you determine individual awards in a team sport?
I think I've done a pretty good job over the years in Union County but, every year, at least one coach, parent and player disagrees with me. I guess that's what makes it fun.
Here's an article I procured from WNBA.com talking about the MVP race.
By Jayda Evans
Seattle Times
There are no rules or clear definitions.
And oddly, that's the only thing that could hurt Storm All-Star Lauren Jackson, a maverick wrapped in an enigma, as the media begins to seriously mull postseason awards.
Ballots were released this month and among the categories is most valuable player, for which Jackson has been a front-runner since June. She has scored at least 30 points a league-record-tying eight games.
But what is "value" in the WNBA?
It's a characteristic that has ignited many Internet debates, keeping Jackson from being a unanimous pick for MVP. The discussion has been heated.
Few doubt Jackson's value, when defined as having great merit, use or service. After winning gold for Australia at the World Championships in Brazil and a SuperLeague title in Russia, Jackson burst into her seventh WNBA campaign by recording 10 rebounds and three blocks in her opening game and 31 points in her second.
"Lauren Jackson puts up big numbers, but they're a .500 ballclub," Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said. "The most valuable player wills their team and makes their team more competitive in terms of overall record during the regular season. That hasn't happened in Seattle.
"I'm not dismissing Lauren and her talents. She's the best player in the league, but this year she is not the most valuable player."
Plagued by shin and foot injuries throughout the 2006 season, which kept her out of practice as she averaged a career-low 28.4 minutes, Jackson declared herself injury-free at the beginning of the season. Jackson discovered deterioration in the meniscus behind her right knee in July, but she is averaging career-bests of 23.8 points and 9.5 rebounds, shooting 52.5 percent from the field.
"She's matured and is in the best shape of her career," said San Antonio assistant coach Sandy Brondello, a fellow Aussie who played with Jackson when the latter won the 2003 MVP award. "She's always wanted to be the best player, and I think she knows that she's the best player. She handles that pressure quite well. I've always admired that competitive nature. Not all players are like that, but Lauren likes to put everything on her shoulders."
Placing a team atop her defined 6-foot-5 frame probably explains Jackson's most recent explosion.
Missing the Storm's final two road games to be in Australia with her grandmother, who died Friday, Jackson has averaged 26.3 points and 9.9 rebounds her past 10 games, dragging the Storm to its fourth consecutive postseason berth despite going 4-6 during that stretch.
One of the defeats was a one-point overtime loss at Washington, where Jackson scored 33 of her WNBA record-tying 47 points in the closing half.
In the WNBA, the currency of "value" is wins, which the Storm (15-17) can't seem to find despite having what many have called the world's best player lined up with two Olympians (point guard Sue Bird and small forward Iziane Castro Marques of Brazil), a 2004 Finals MVP in Betty Lennox and a quality center in Janell Burse. Each of those players has been hampered by injuries, but regardless of health, Seattle's fourth-place standing in the Western Conference opens the door for other statistically less phenomenal players to be awarded the regular-season MVP award.
Enter All-Stars Becky Hammon, Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor, Deanna Nolan and Tamika Catchings. Although Phoenix has been hot, Taurasi and Taylor could cancel each other out because they're equally important to their team. Nolan leads defending champion Detroit (24-7) with 16.6 points and 4.3 assists, but also is in a lineup full of All-Stars who share the spotlight.
Hammon is the WNBA's third-leading scorer (19.2) on an overhauled Silver Stars team that jumped from sixth to second in the West at 19-11. She was a draft-day trade from New York.
Catchings, of Indiana, hasn't played since she was hurt July 20. She is out with a partial tear of the plantar fascia in her left foot, but is hopeful of returning for the playoffs. It's an injury that most likely takes Catchings out of contention for the award regardless of her obvious value.
Sheri Sam, an Indiana forward and former Storm player, has played with both Jackson and Catchings. She says Catchings is more valuable.
"This is going to get me in trouble," said Sam after sending a congratulatory text to Jackson following her 47-point game in July. They remain friends since teaming to win the Storm's 2004 championship. "L is a dominant scorer and she's got some rebounding, but I look at overall impact on the stat sheet. It's points, it's rebounds, it's steals, it's assists, plus the play of your teammates. Tamika affects the game in so many ways, so she's the MVP. If you're looking for a dominant scorer, that's L. Nobody can stop her from scoring."
The postseason selections aren't internal votes by players, coaches and front-office personnel, however. It's up to a panel of 12 members of the national media and three representatives apiece from each of the 13 WNBA cities, including one vote from The Seattle Times.
And while some discount Jackson because of the Storm's record, that didn't stop her from winning in 2003 when Seattle didn't advance to the postseason with an 18-16 record. Jackson hasn't had arena press rooms buzzing nationwide like this since she posed nude for an Australian magazine featuring 2004 Aussie Olympic hopefuls.
First were her statements about being treated "like a 12-year-old" in a struggle between Storm coaches and players. Then her affirmation that she's not going to return if the team relocates to Oklahoma City. The capper was the 47-point night in the nation's capital, a week after starting in her sixth All-Star Game in the same city.
Across the country, reporters opined about her brazen on-court personality. Her skill taking players off the dribble for dazzling layins. The signature turnaround jumper where she seemingly rises like a phoenix while being triple teamed. Jackson's deft blocks. And, of course, her tenacity in grabbing rebounds.
It's a nightly electric display of talent reminiscent of legends Lisa Leslie or Cynthia Cooper, whose scoring records and number of player-of-the-week honors Jackson is currently breaking.
"Lauren Jackson is not a prototype, she's a freak," Chicago coach Bo Overton said. "She's a post player with a guard's body control and skill who can shoot the three, drive and handle the ball. There's no one like her."
Is uniqueness enough to equate to MVP?
"There can't be anybody who doesn't vote for Lauren," Storm coach Anne Donovan said. "It's a ridiculous vote if you put it somewhere else."
If only that were a rule.
posted by Tony at
1:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home