Race to WNBA MVP

[VAUConnFan]

1. Nice thread
2. A lot of good points are being made, and the back and forth is amusing.
3. Tina Charles should win it. Candace Parker might win it given the Sparks' turnaround from last season. For whatever, reason the WNBA PR powers that be seem to favor Parker.
4. Yes, it was Kobe Bryant't time, and it was about time.
5. I have a problem with Diana Taurasi resting before and after the Olympics while playing in the Olympics.
6. Head to head games should not matter in the overall evaluation of MVP consideration.
7. +/- is an overrated, often misleading stat in basketball. It is a useful stat in hockey.

 

[diggerfoot]

1. Nice thread
2. A lot of good points are being made, and the back and forth is amusing.
3. Tina Charles should win it. Candace Parker might win it given the Sparks' turnaround from last season. For whatever, reason the WNBA PR powers that be seem to favor Parker.
4. Yes, it was Kobe Bryant't time, and it was about time.
5. I have a problem with Diana Taurasi resting before and after the Olympics while playing in the Olympics.
6. Head to head games should not matter in the overall evaluation of MVP consideration.
7. +/- is an overrated, often misleading stat in basketball. It is a useful stat in hockey.

In one sense I'll one up you. All stats are overrated in isolation, whether for basketball or otherwise. And I say this as one who minored in stats and had to use stats for program evaluations. Rebounds, for example, are overrated because you will get more if you miss your own shots or if your team does not perform well on offense. To say that +/- is overrated by itself is a given, including for hockey; everything, EVERYTHING should be cross-referenced with experiential data to determine validity. In the case of Parker, there are questions about her teamwork and her defense based on experiential observation. The +/- stat thus does not appear to be any more overrated in isolation than, say, rebounding in this particular case.

 

[UConn990411]

+/- is a silly stat for one game, but it is very useful when used over longer stretches.

For instance, the Celtics were +121 in the 2012 playoffs when Kevin Garnett was on the floor, but -77 without him. That was not a coincidence.

 

[TheTruthBelow]

Did someone seriously suggest that Chris Paul didn't win the 2008 MVP because of a head-to-head matchup with Kobe? Kobe had never won the award before, an the consensus was that it was generally his time. He won the award going away.

Couldn't be more inaccurate. The consensus was that (a) Paul's numbers were measurably better and (b) Paul was more valuable to his team that Kobe was to his, but the Lakers finished atop the West over the Hornets by one game (hence the final head-to-head matchup being so crucial), so Kobe won the award.

 

[TheTruthBelow]

I think CP's midseason slump should/will cost her the MVP.

Oh yeah, lost in all of this is that I wouldn't vote for Parker either as MVP, for reasons I outlined in the best player/plus-minus thread. But the notion of having a MVP who can't hold her own against a fellow player at her position is pretty funny.

 

[doggydaddy]

Just to be clear on Tina Charles, she sat out one game. One game. She'll end up playing in 33 rather than 34 games this season. And you have no idea whether Tina has been playing through injuries as well. BTW, what was Parker's injury? I read where some assumed she had an injury but I never read any confirmation.

Yes, TNVol wasn't talking about Taurasi, it was all these other players that sat out when they were hurting. Right.......

And praise the lawd, Parker was healed for the last three games. After playing 10 consectutive games without scoring 20+ points and with only 3 of those with double digit rebounding, Parker was able to have double/doubles 0f 20+ and 10+ points and rebounds.

It was a miracle.

There is a difference between injuries and aches and pains and just being tired.

Derek Jeter likes to say that if he is playing then he is not injured and you should expect him to play up to his usual standards.

 

[JRRRJ]

BTW, I'm probably in the minority on this board, but I have no problem with Diana taking a rest. For 8 consecutive seasons Diana has averaged about 32-33 games per season in the WNBA. If she felt her well-being required some rest, than I respect that. She needs to take care of herself. This is Parker's 4th season in the league and the 2nd one she'll play more than 30 games. Good for her. And maybe Charles deserves extra consideration because she couldn't afford to have a slump with Asjha out with an achilles injury.

Count me firmly on the other side. My wife gave me tickets to Friday's Mercury/Lynx game for my birthday in July. It would have increased my enjoyment (and probably the final score) immensely to have seen Diana defending Maya and passing to DeWanna. Perhaps $100k is chickenfeed vs. what she'll be paid by Spartak, but I'm still annoyed.

But Erin Thorne sure put on a show. 5-5 from 3 before she missed one, and a couple of 'em were *really* deep. Her confidence on those shots was so palpable (from row 21), I knew they were going in before she shot them.

 

[UConnCat]

The ESPN writers weigh in with their picks for MVP. Voepel picks Maya and the others pick Tina.

By Michelle Smith

Unlike some of her compatriots on the Olympic team, who returned from London tired or injured, Charles had no lull. She jumped right back in and continued to dominate. Her play inside led the Sun to the second-best record in the league and a legitimate shot at a WNBA title.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/commentary/8419357/connecticut-sun-tina-charles-mvp-favorite

 

[UCONNfan1]

The ESPN writers weigh in with their picks for MVP. Voepel picks Maya and the others pick Tina.

By Michelle Smith

Unlike some of her compatriots on the Olympic team, who returned from London tired or injured, Charles had no lull. She jumped right back in and continued to dominate. Her play inside led the Sun to the second-best record in the league and a legitimate shot at a WNBA title.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/commentary/8419357/connecticut-sun-tina-charles-mvp-favorite

Not surprising regarding Tina - she deserves it, but I'm surprised Voepel didn't take Catch instead of Maya. But Maya had a fabulous 2nd half of the season. Still, I'll be shocked if Tina Charles is not the WNBA MVP...