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Message: [QUOTE="CamrnCrz1974, post: 2858430, member: 1052"] [USER=6749]@plastic[/USER] , I wanted to respond to your post and present some information: [LIST] [*]3X WNBA MVP [*]2X WNBA scoring champion [*]3X Defensive POY [*]5X All-WNBA First Team [*]2X All-WNBA Second Team [/LIST] Those were some of the numbers of Sheryl Swoopes, Cooper's teammate for all four of her seasons in Houston. Swoopes made the All-WNBA First Team in 1998, 1999, and 2000 (plus two other times); those three years were years in which the Houston Comets won the WNBA title. And in 2000 - the last WNBA title for Houston - Swoopes won the scoring title, WNBA MVP, and DPOY award. While Cooper may have won the Finals MVP, the best player in the league that year was Sheryl Swoopes. And just so we are clear: [LIST] [*]3X All-WNBA First Team [*]4X All-WNBA Second Team [*]WNBA All-Star Game MVP [/LIST] Those are some of the numbers for Tina Thompson, Cooper's teammate for all four of her seasons in Houston. Thompson made the All-WNBA First Team in 1997 and 1998 (plus another year) and the All-WNBA Second Team in 1999 and 2000 (plus two more times). Houston won its four titles while Thompson was either All-WNBA First Team or Second Team. As an aside, Thompson was also the WNBA All-Star Game MVP in 2000. Now, Cooper was an amazing player. Absolutely incredible. But it should be noted that Cooper never won a title without having another All-WNBA First Team honoree as a teammate - and in 1998, she had two All-WNBA First Team honorees as teammates. In two other seasons (1999 and 2000), she had both ll-WNBA First Team and All-WNBA Team honorees as teammates. At no point in the WNBA has Taurasi ever played with that collective amount of talent in the same year. [USER=3065]@Wally East[/USER] , I wanted to add a few counterpoints to your argument about player comparison. First, the WNBA is a MUCH deeper league in terms of talent than it was back in 1997-2000. Heck, in 1997 and 1998, most of the world's best players [I]were not even playing[/I] in the WNBA, but were in the ABL - Katie Smith, Shannon Johnson, Yolanda Griffith, Natalie Williams, DeLisha Milton, Jennifer Azzi, Tonya Edward, Tari Phillips, Dawn Staley, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, etc. Second, while you are using Cooper's three-point percentage, consider this. From 1997-2000 - Cynthia Cooper's heyday - the three-point line was 19 feet, 9 inches. In 2004 - Diana Taurasi's rookie season - the three-point line was moved to 20 feet, 6-1/4 inches from the basket (9-1/4 inches farther). And in 2012, the three-point arc was moved again to 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches (matching the distance used in international competition). When Cooper was shooting her threes at the same age as Taurasi, she was shooting them from 19-9. At the same age, Taurasi is shooting them from 22-1.75. That makes a huge difference, when comparing percentages. As I said earlier, Cooper was an amazing player. She should be on the Mount Rushmore of the WNBA. But when examining Cooper vs. Taurasi, simply comparing statistics at respective ages does not give a full measure of performance. Diana Taurasi won her first NCAA title with TASS - Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones, Swin Cash, and Sue Bird - all of whom were taken among the top six players in the WNBA draft (three of whom have gold medals at both the World Championships and the Olympics). When that class graduated, Taurasi led a group of freshmen (specifically, Barbara Turner, Wilnett Crockett, and Ann Strother) to the 2003 title. And after the top players in the 2003 high school class went elsewhere, Taurasi still led the team to the 2004 title. Put it this way: [LIST] [*]Cynthia Cooper won two NCAA titles playing next to Cheryl Miller, considered one of the greatest players of all time. During Cooper's tenure at USC, Miller was the Naismith POY three times and was the Final Four MOP for both titles. Also on the 1983 and 1984 NCAA Championship teams were Pam McGee (1984 Olympian and All-American) and Paula McGee (1982 and 1983 All-American). [/LIST] [LIST] [*]For her last two titles, Diana Taurasi had Maria Conlon starting in the backcourt next to her, plus major minutes being played by Morgan Valley and Ashley Valley, who were not in the same straosphere as the college teammates that Cooper had (no disrespect intended to Conlon and the Valleys). [/LIST] I am curious to hear what [USER=1511]@ucbart[/USER] , [USER=5823]@CocoHusky[/USER] , and [USER=26]@EricLA[/USER] have to say and what they think about this topic. [/QUOTE]

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