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Message: [QUOTE="diggerfoot, post: 3697120, member: 1673"] Swoopes was league MVP one of those four years, plus she was league MVP 3 years to Cooper’s two. Once again, it’s not Swoope’s fault that Cooper started later in her career. The two years that Cooper won league MVP, and the first two championships, were won while there was a competing league that also had good American players. Would Houston have the same dominance if more talent was diffused into the league? Maybe, but by the time the talent was concentrated in one league it was Swoopes, not Cooper, that won league MVP while Houston won the championship. They brought different things to the table. Cooper, as the most experienced, savvy and still well-conditioned of the three, also was the best scorer. Like Taurasi she was also the best scorer in the league the first three years, two of those with diluted talent. Neither Moore nor Stewart are likely to be the league scorer for many of their years. Should they be dropped from the discussion or should Thompson be included because of her rebounding? I understand broadening the possibilities, in which case Leslie should be part of the conversation. I suspect broadening the possibilities while singling out only one player, the oldest and most savvy out of the most dominant triumvirate ever to exist during a talent diluted period of the league, is the advocacy of an ardent fan of Cooper more than a serious advocacy of broadening the discussion for GOAT. Nothing wrong with that, Cooper deserves having ardent supporters for GOAT. on edit: Let’s hypothetically consider that the triumvirate were of equal worth. Thompson would be the least likely to get an MVP because she came in as a true freshman. Cooper would be most likely as the most experienced. In that case her age is a benefit. Yet if they are of equal worth she is least likely to accumulate the most MVPs, once again because of her age, and in fact Swoopes did have more. The fact that Cooper came in older to a stacked team in a diluted start-up league provided a short term benefit but a long term handicap for a GOAT discussion. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach