Best Player in the Country | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Best Player in the Country

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easttexastrash said:
Stewart may be penalized simply because she has a tremendous amount of talent around her. Chiney and Odyssey both have had to carry their teams and may be rewarded for that. Their rolls have certainly been much more demanding than Stewart's. Stewart is in a position where she just goes out and plays her game and is not in the leadership role that Sims and Chiney are.
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You took the words right out of my mouth.
 
Geno-ista said:
It is really splitting hairs- all three do what their respective teams need them to do to win. And I know Stewie could score 30,a night if we wanted or needed her to.
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I think the voting will be close.
 
Stewart should win because she's a freak (meant in the sports complement sense.) The others a worthy, but Stewart's just phenomenal.

IMHO, of course.
 
alexrgct said:
There are a couple of NPOY awards out there. I hope Breanna "at least" wins the Wade. And if she doesn't win anything, I hope she goes after the Final Four like Vince Young did the 2006 Rose Bowl after being robbed of the Heisman.
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No one is going to get robbed of anything. All the players mentioned for NPOY and the Wade are all very deserving. Stewie will get many awards and NCs in her career.
 
alexrgct said:
What "roll" is that? To carry a team to a 2 seed? Stewie has been the best player on the #1 overall seed in the country.
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are you serious Alex? Stewie has a ton of talent around her and I bet UConn would still be a 1 seed without her. Stanford would be a 8 seed, if lucky, without Chiney. Chiney gets double and tripled team every night, Stewie is great player but if teams double and tripled teamed her, UConn would win by more.
 
cardfan said:
are you serious Alex? Stewie has a ton of talent around her and I bet UConn would still be a 1 seed without her. Stanford would be a 8 seed, if lucky, without Chiney. Chiney gets double and tripled team every night, Stewie is great player but if teams double and tripled teamed her, UConn would win by more.
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. Quality of teammates is irrelevant. The award is for the best player in the country. Stewie has proved she is that. Depriving her, and indeed, robbing her, of an award because her teammates are good is just stupid. Yes, she has talented teammates. And she's far and away the best player on that team. She could enter the WNBA draft this year, and she would be #1, ahead of Sims and Chiney.

Speculating how bad Stanford (or Baylor) would be without their best players and how good uconn would be without its best player is just that- speculation. Notwithstanding any of that, Stewie has been the best player on the best team. She was usually POG against top competition.

In 1993-94, we saw how good the Bulls were without Michael Jordan. No NBA championship was in the cards, but they were a very good team that flirted with contending for all the marbles. But with Jordan, they were obviously better. That 1993-94 season highlighted how good Scottie Pippen was. It didn't diminish one iota how good Jordan was.
 
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Player of the Year...it doesn't say "Most Talented Player." There are many qualities that go into being the player of the year, one of which is team leadership. Has Stewart been asked to lead a team of inexperienced players FAR beyond the expectations of basically everyone in WCBB? We are not only talking about on the court, we are talking about being the team leader off the court, and basically being a second coach on the court.

Like I said, Stewart is the most talented player in the country, but does that may her the POY? Maybe...maybe not. It depends on how the voters view the award and if it is a talent-based only award.
 
alexrgct said:
What "roll" is that? To carry a team to a 2 seed? Stewie has been the best player on the #1 overall seed in the country.
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LOL...that's hole I "roll."

You may dismiss the extra effort required of Sims and Chiney but I suspect that many voters will not. I agree that Stewart is the moste talented player in the country, but Chiney and Sims simply have a much bigger task every time they hit the floor than does Stewart. I am not sure if Stewart and Chiney switched teams today that Stewart could put up the same type of numbers that Chiney is.
 
easttexastrash said:
Player of the Year...it doesn't say "Most Talented Player." There are many qualities that go into being the player of the year, one of which is team leadership. Has Stewart been asked to lead a team of inexperienced players FAR beyond the expectations of basically everyone in WCBB? We are not only talking about on the court, we are talking about being the team leader off the court, and basically being a second coach on the court.

Like I said, Stewart is the most talented player in the country, but does that may her the POY? Maybe...maybe not. It depends on how the voters view the award and if it is a talent-based only award.
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Funny, I looked up the award and it doesn't say anything about leadership, on or off the court.

Didn't see a thing about the players they played with.

Maybe it's just for the best player? That's Stewart.
 
easttexastrash said:
I am not sure if Stewart and Chiney switched teams today that Stewart could put up the same type of numbers that Chiney is.
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Why? You think Chiney is so much better that Stewart couldn't handle the double teaming?

With her outside game and better passing ability, Her stats would be just as good if you player her the same minutes and Stewart had to take as many shots as Chiney.

Ridiculous statement.
 
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I'm just guessing here, but I just don't think that if you switched Stewie and Sims that the Bears would lose to Kansas by 16, or that if you switched Stewie and Chiney that the Cardinal could lose to Washington by anything. She might not be pulling down enough offensive rebounds to satisfy either Kim or Tara on those teams either, but they would win.
 
Icebear said:
And it is Player of the Year, not Most Valuable Player.
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Icebear- player of the year- I guess I would have to agree with Stewart then. I think Odyssey and then Chiney would be 1st and 2nd for MVP awards. I really wasn't taking into account the distinction.
 
Tonyc said:
BTW did you notice Carolyn wearing Orange yesterday.
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Absolutely. Ms Peck should be banned from wearing ANY team's colors.
I think that leaves fuchsia and chartreuse. In pinstripe.
 
For Ms Peck whichever is the game she does got the best player. When she did earlyer in the year a UConn game, her choice for player of the year was Stewie, she was doing a Baylor game so it's Sims and if she'll do a Stanford game it will be CO...
 
The more I watch the Huskies, the more I think we have a difference-maker who may be the best player her size that I have ever seen. I understand why Moriah was the highest-rated PG in the history of HoopGurlz rankings. When she drains threes, it is just ridiculous. She changes the tempo and takes over games in her own way.
 
The hypothetical of a Stewie-for-Chiney "trade" is interesting, especially given that Chiney might have come to UConn if left to make her own decision. But I'm not sure that Stewie's game, without Geno's coaching, would be as diverse as it is (particularly the assist total this year, totally different from last year). And I think Chiney would have a more developed perimeter game to go with her inside game, including more assists than she has.

One thing I'm sure about: if that had happened, the vast majority of posters on this board would be saying that Chiney is clearly the Player of the Year this year.
 
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alexrgct said:
. Quality of teammates is irrelevant. The award is for the best player in the country. Stewie has proved she is that. Depriving her, and indeed, robbing her, of an award because her teammates are good is just stupid. Yes, she has talented teammates. And she's far and away the best player on that team. She could enter the WNBA draft this year, and she would be #1, ahead of Sims and Chiney.

Speculating how bad Stanford (or Baylor) would be without their best players and how good uconn would be without its best player is just that- speculation. Notwithstanding any of that, Stewie has been the best player on the best team. She was usually POG against top competition.

In 1993-94, we saw how good the Bulls were without Michael Jordan. No NBA championship was in the cards, but they were a very good team that flirted with contending for all the marbles. But with Jordan, they were obviously better. That 1993-94 season highlighted how good Scottie Pippen was. It didn't diminish one iota how good Jordan was.
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Right, not having talented players on the floor doesn't make another talented player's job easier. Come on Alex, you are smarter than that. NPOY is the not NPOY on the best team. That is just stupid. Your comments are just as speculative.
 
JoePgh said:
The hypothetical of a Stewie-for-Chiney "trade" is interesting, especially given that Chiney might have come to UConn if left to make her own decision. But I'm not sure that Stewie's game, without Geno's coaching, would be as diverse as it is (particularly the assist total this year, totally different from last year). And I think Chiney would have a more developed perimeter game to go with her inside game, including more assists than she has.

One thing I'm sure about: if that had happened, the vast majority of posters on this board would be saying that Chiney is clearly the Player of the Year this year.
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wth? I'm not sure what you are talking about Chiney's decision, but she always wanted to come to Stanford for the combination of top academics and bball.

Obviously, you haven't seen Chiney play all 4 years to see her game develop. If you move her to the perimeter, like Stewie plays, we have no other posts like you do. You cannot compare the players without comparing their support. Yeah, I know it's your board and all, and some UConn fans can be pretty arrogant, but that is one of the most arrogant posts I've read. Later.
 
cardfan said:
Right, not having talented players on the floor doesn't make another talented player's job easier. Come on Alex, you are smarter than that. NPOY is the not NPOY on the best team. That is just stupid. Your comments are just as speculative.
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I don't give a rat's patoot about who's job is "easier". Uconn has a chance to do something historic. Breanna is the best player on that team. It's that simple. That carries weight.

If you don't follow the 1993-94 Bulls analogy, too bad; it's apt. What's dumb is to take anything away from a great player who has great teammates.

The only one speculating is you. Well, except the speculation that Stewie would be the #1 WNBA draft pick this year ahead of Chiney and Sims- that speculation is consensus rather than independent speculation. I'll go with the consensus opinion.

Voters will (and should) focus their ultimate voting decisions on the most memorable player on a team having as memorable a season imaginable. This isn't complicated.
 
I love my Lakers (well, maybe not so much this year), but now I guess I'll have to own up to the knowledge that Magic Johnson should never have been given those MVPs because he had pretty good teammates like Worthy, Scott, and Coop, and that Abdul-Jabbar guy with him. He should fork them all over to Larry Bird, .... except Larry had a pretty good cast around him too. Geesh, maybe it should go to Jon Sundvold who shot over 50% on 3s one year for a Heat team that gave him very little support.

And DT probably shouldn't have gotten her POYs because she made her teammates better, which means she had more support than a player who didn't make her teammates better.

These arguments are such head scratchers. I thought the POY was supposed to go to the top player in WCBB.
 
alexrgct said:
I don't give a rat's patoot about who's job is "easier". Uconn has a chance to do something historic. Breanna is the best player on that team. It's that simple. That carries weight.

If you don't follow the 1993-94 Bulls analogy, too bad; it's apt. What's dumb is to take anything away from a great player who has great teammates.

The only one speculating is you. Well, except the speculation that Stewie would be the #1 WNBA draft pick this year ahead of Chiney and Sims- that speculation is consensus rather than independent speculation. I'll go with the consensus opinion.

Voters will (and should) focus their ultimate voting decisions on the most memorable player on a team having as memorable a season imaginable. This isn't complicated.
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So if ND wins the NC which of their players gets the NPOY trophy? Last I checked they are having a pretty "memorable" season also. Based on your logic only the best player on the national champion team should win NPOY.
 
Geno-ista said:
Icebear- player of the year- I guess I would have to agree with Stewart then. I think Odyssey and then Chiney would be 1st and 2nd for MVP awards. I really wasn't taking into account the distinction.
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The silly thing is that somehow over the last few years the discussion among fans and analysts has made us think of these awards (at least partly) as something they are not, which is which player is most valuable to her team; the “Player of the Year” awards are, as Icebear stated, simply for the best performing player in the country. While “team effort” and/or “contribution to the team” are some of the many criteria used to evaluate a player, they are not the primary consideration that many are making out to be. Note that no major award has the term “valuable” in its title; likewise most tournaments have changed their MVP awards to “Most Outstanding Player” to avoid the same misinterpretation.

Making a case based primarily on a player carrying a team is a tacit admission that the player is not really otherwise the best player in the country, unless perhaps that player also carries her team to a National Championship. Diana Taurasi did that twice in the years after the TASSK force graduated, but there is no doubt that she was the best player in the country, with or without the TASSK force. The same can’t be said about Sims or Ogwumike – no one is talking about either of them as the player of the year without having to also emphasize both their numbers and that they are carrying their teams.

The fallacy in emphasizing the numbers of a player that is “carrying her team” is, as many have pointed out, a player in that situation also has far more opportunity to accumulate numbers. Of course, they also are the focus of the opponents’ defenses, but does anyone really believe that Breanna Stewart is not the focus of every team that plays UConn? Okay, one of many, er, focuses? Foci?

Besides, there is very valid argument that in playing the team-oriented game that UConn does, Breanna is contributing to “team effort” far more than a player that takes it upon herself alone to do most of the team’s scoring. Play with your team, not in spite of your team; remember that when Diana Taurasi left UConn, she held the school record not in scoring, but in assists.

Kayla, Odyssey and Chiney are great players but Breanna is special. If I were Muppet or Kim or Tara, I would be thrilled knowing that I have the one of the very best players in the country in my program. But at the same time, when I went to bed at night, there would be nights where just before I drifted off to sleep, I would wonder what more I could do if I had Breanna…and I would dream happy dreams.
 
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cardfan said:
are you serious Alex? Stewie has a ton of talent around her and I bet UConn would still be a 1 seed without her. Stanford would be a 8 seed, if lucky, without Chiney. Chiney gets double and tripled team every night, Stewie is great player but if teams double and tripled teamed her, UConn would win by more.
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I'm not going to get into POY - but I disagree with mentioning about "triple teams." A great penetrator guard w/o much of a jump shot that flies in the lane into traffic in which the defense collapses on that player - you shouldn't have to hear "if he or she wasn't triple teamed" as the defense knows where this player wants to go. You shouldn't get "credit" for having limited range thus the defense can more easily triple team you.

Thus Stewie is extremly hard to triple-team and even double team because she is out on the perimeter a lot. You need a junk box-and-one to really "double" her. Thus I don't see what you say about Chiney being double or triple teamed and Stewie isn't as often as holding much value. Plus if Stewie catches the ball in the low post - they had better be on her extremely quick. Otheriwse you can't affect her shot - because she is so darn tall and long. Doubling her with a player 6'1 or 6'2 may not do much good.
 
Weren't Stanford, and Baylor supposed to get to the final 4 last year, Sims , and Chiney were on those teams, UConn wasn't a favorite to win. Stewie has been since the end of last year the best player in the country, she elevated her game to help UConn win the National Championship, that's what Great players do. Notre Dame was a favorite last year, and they also came up short. If you give the award for most important to the team, then a player on a team that improves from 5 or 6 wins to 20+ wins would be eligible for the award.
 
I think ALL individual awards should be eliminated as this is a team sport.
 
If the ESPN talking heads are any indicator they expect the NPOY to be Stewart.
 
easttexastrash said:
Stewart doesn't seem like the type who would be offended and spurred on by not winning an award. She truly seems like the type that just goes about her business and just wants a team win.
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Ah yes ... that is her secret weapon ... that aw shucks, I just want to be on the winning team persona. But then you hear her talk about herself every once in a while and she is very determined to be the best player on the court every game, and the best player in the country this year, and the best player ever in college, and the best player the world has ever seen. Do not be fooled by the 'goofy' act!
 
As I have stated, I think Stewart is absolutely the most talented player in the country. If she winst he award it will be well deserved, as it would be for Chiney and Sims, as they all bring what their respective teams need for them to do.
 
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