Stewie WNBA MVP

[nwhoopfan]

I think this debate is going to rage on for quite a while. All 3 have passionate advocates for why they should've won it.

 

[darrell]

I think this debate is going to rage on for quite a while. All 3 have passionate advocates for why they should've won it.

Good thing the person I’ve advocated for won.

 

[baggerbob]

Let it be... of course it 'hurt (A'ja) like hell,' which is surely did for AT, and would've for Stewie if just a few votes had been different.

Congrats to all three on a great season, and to Stewie on earning the MVP!

You don't want a player who doesn't want to be the best.

 

[maccca3232]

Stewart is now tied for third with most Top 3 finishes in MVP voting with 5.

Alyssa Thomas becomes the 29th player to finish in the Top 3 in MVP voting (she finished fourth last season).

Historically your chances of winning an MVP drop after age 31 (shown in red for active players), even though 4 MVP's have be won after this age (Leslie age 33, Swoopes age 33 and Cooper age 33 & 34).

 

[MilfordHusky]

Stewart is now tied for third with most Top 3 finishes in MVP voting with 5.

Alyssa Thomas becomes the 29th player to finish in the Top 3 in MVP voting (she finished fourth last season).

Historically your chances of winning an MVP drop after age 31 (shown in red for active players), even though 4 MVP's have be won after this age (Leslie age 33, Swoopes age 33 and Cooper age 33 & 34).

View attachment 91709

Interesting chart! Thanks! How many on that list will NOT make it into the Hall of Fame? Very few is my guess.

 

[JellyBean]

Stewart is now tied for third with most Top 3 finishes in MVP voting with 5.

Alyssa Thomas becomes the 29th player to finish in the Top 3 in MVP voting (she finished fourth last season).

Historically your chances of winning an MVP drop after age 31 (shown in red for active players), even though 4 MVP's have be won after this age (Leslie age 33, Swoopes age 33 and Cooper age 33 & 34).

View attachment 91709

I agree with @MilfordHusky. Thanks for this chart. Very impressive. I was just checking out the names. What a list! Yolanda Griffith. Jennifer Gillom. Andrea Stinson. Some WNBA legends on that list along with future WNBA legends.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I know this is thread drift, but I was thinking about it before and seeing her name on the chart, might as well mention it. Plum finished 3rd last year, didn't receive a single vote this year. It's not like she fell of a cliff. Scoring, assists and made 3 pointers down slightly, but FG% was up. Maybe a tribute to how many really good guards there were this season, but also probably an indication of just how fickle the voters can be, and how they change their criteria every year maybe?

 

[AmeriConn]

 

[rt bb fan]

Good thing this award is for the regular season. Breana's last 4 four games (season-ending game and 3 playoff games) have her in the midst of possibly the worst shooting slump of her career (23 of 83).

Anybody know if she is concealing or hindered by an injury? If it is a shooting slump, I'd expect her to come out guns blazing in game 2 versus the Sun, especially after losing the opener.

Stewie had quite a few games in which her shooting percentage was low.Not sure if Coach Brondello is utilizing her players strengths correctly.

 

[snlMINAJ]

if i understand correctly... Phee had 45 total votes, so 15 media members did not think she was a top 5 player?

 

[cancontent]

Let it be... of course it 'hurt (A'ja) like hell,' which is surely did for AT, and would've for Stewie if just a few votes had been different.

Congrats to all three on a great season, and to Stewie on earning the MVP!

Agreed. It's interesting to see how some perceive certain players responses over others.

For contrast Alyssa Thomas also talked about how she was disappointed she didn't win and felt she has been overlooked over the years. Haven't seen much chatter about those comments.

These players want to be the best at their craft. Why are they being slammed for being honest about their feelings?

 

[diggerfoot]

Agreed. It's interesting to see how some perceive certain players responses over others.

For contrast Alyssa Thomas also talked about how she was disappointed she didn't win and felt she has been overlooked over the years. Haven't seen much chatter about those comments.

These players want to be the best at their craft. Why are they being slammed for being honest about their feelings?

While I think Wilson is a fine person, and have no real objections to her response, there is a difference when comparing her to Thomas.

Wilson’s advanced metrics were the best this year, which perhaps fuels her disappointment. Yet Stewart’s metrics were the best last year and Wilson won. I can go back in time with some more striking examples, but MVP has had a large degree of subjectivity to it. To feel hurt one year by that subjectivity even though you benefited from it the previous year is not a bad look from my perspective, but such feelings do not really fall under the category of proving you are the best. In this case it is not integral to being an alpha competitor as you are alleging.

On the other hand, Thomas has never won MVP, unlike either Stewart or Wilson, and this may have been her only chance. To equate the two disappointments is a false equivalency.

 

[EricLA]

Agreed. It's interesting to see how some perceive certain players responses over others.

For contrast Alyssa Thomas also talked about how she was disappointed she didn't win and felt she has been overlooked over the years. Haven't seen much chatter about those comments.

These players want to be the best at their craft. Why are they being slammed for being honest about their feelings?

I have no problem with players expressing disappointment. What I DO have a problem with is them not congratulating Stewie for winning. That's just low class and poor sportsmanship. From the time little girls can bounce a ball, win or lose, the coaches and team line up for the hand-shake line.

We constantly criticize coaches or teammates who don't give kudos to the other team when they lose. Even if your team played terribly, players/coaches almost always give credit to the other team. When they don't, they are called out. Why is this any different?

I certainly don't expect Wilson or Thomas to be thrilled Stewie won the award. I haven't seen all the Thomas quotes so I'm not sure if she congratulated Breanna, but I've seen zero quotes from Wilson congratulating her. That's the issue, and both of them should be criticized for it. Zero tolerance for poor losers.

 

[cancontent]

I have no problem with players expressing disappointment. What I DO have a problem with is them not congratulating Stewie for winning. That's just low class and poor sportsmanship. From the time little girls can bounce a ball, win or lose, the coaches and team line up for the hand-shake line.

We constantly criticize coaches or teammates who don't give kudos to the other team when they lose. Even if your team played terribly, players/coaches almost always give credit to the other team. When they don't, they are called out. Why is this any different?

I certainly don't expect Wilson or Thomas to be thrilled Stewie won the award. I haven't seen all the Thomas quotes so I'm not sure if she congratulated Breanna, but I've seen zero quotes from Wilson congratulating her. That's the issue, and both of them should be criticized for it. Zero tolerance for poor losers.

If Stewart has done this publicly when she's lost MVP, I hear you. I say "if" because I don't remember seeing quotes of her doing the same in the past and will not claim she hasn't. It would be nice if the favour was returned.

At the same time, for all we know, this may have been done privately. Just because it wasn't public doesn't mean she didn't.

The scrutiny over a sentence when I'm sure there are plenty of examples of athletes in professional sports doing the same doesn't sit well with me.

 

[wbbhoops278]

If Stewart has done this publicly when she's lost MVP, I hear you. I say "if" because I don't remember seeing quotes of her doing the same in the past and will not claim she hasn't. It would be nice if the favour was returned.

At the same time, for all we know, this may have been done privately. Just because it wasn't public doesn't mean she didn't.

The scrutiny over a sentence when I'm sure there are plenty of examples of athletes in professional sports doing the same doesn't sit well with me.

I agree with everything you mentioned. I think the reality is, if everything was exactly the same but it was another UConn player instead of A'ja - we don't hear a peep from these people.

 

[EricLA]

If Stewart has done this publicly when she's lost MVP, I hear you. I say "if" because I don't remember seeing quotes of her doing the same in the past and will not claim she hasn't. It would be nice if the favour was returned.

At the same time, for all we know, this may have been done privately. Just because it wasn't public doesn't mean she didn't.

The scrutiny over a sentence when I'm sure there are plenty of examples of athletes in professional sports doing the same doesn't sit well with me.

Doesn't matter if it was done "privately". These players are icons for youngsters and looked up to by millions. Poor sportsmanship is poor sportsmanship. Context matters, but so does what people actually see. Why do these players get a pass when we have seen hundreds of posts in the past calling out others for poor sportsmanship? It is what it is. Low class quotes, maybe in the heat of the moment raw with emotion, but it is what it is.

Oh, and if you find quotes of either of them congratulating Breanna, then kudos for them and I'll acknowledge it.

 

[EricLA]

I agree with everything you mentioned. I think the reality is, if everything was exactly the same but it was another UConn player instead of A'ja - we don't hear a peep from these people.

That is completely untrue. Geno has been a favorite for people picking at what he says. His famous comment at Arike not choosing UCONN as her top 5 was a perfect example "I'll put out a list of 5 players I have no interest in recruiting" or something like that. He got raked over the coals by many, including UCONN fans.

And by the way, I think part of the reason you don't see UCONN fans complaining about UCONN players is because they just don't do it. I'd be the first in line to say it is poor sportsmanship if the tables were turned and Stewie was the one with the low class comments.

 

[wbbhoops278]

That is completely untrue. Geno has been a favorite for people picking at what he says. His famous comment at Arike not choosing UCONN as her top 5 was a perfect example "I'll put out a list of 5 players I have no interest in recruiting" or something like that. He got raked over the coals by many, including UCONN fans.

And by the way, I think part of the reason you don't see UCONN fans complaining about UCONN players is because they just don't do it. I'd be the first in line to say it is poor sportsmanship if the tables were turned and Stewie was the one with the low class comments.

Ohhhhhhh of course not. Those perfect UConn players would NEVER do something so awful like what you see from one of those Dawn Staley coached players. The comment wasn't even low class and that's the whole point. You wouldn't say anything if Stewie said it because it's not a big deal. BUT because Stewie won and it was A'ja - it's a problem. Some of y'all are gross.

 

[visitingcock]

I think this debate is going to rage on for quite a while. All 3 have passionate advocates for why they should've won it.

My only question is who is the voter who gave A'Ja a fourth place vote?

Somebody other than these three deserved a 1-3 vote?

 

[asuwish]

Stewart wins WNBA MVP; Wilson: 'Hurt like hell'

Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who set career highs in points and assists per game, edged Alyssa Thomas and A'ja Wilson to win WNBA MVP honors.

www.espn.com

Stewie, Thomas, and Wilson in that order. Maybe Dawn can hang a banner or something.

The WNBA should develop a system that if more then one player comes within a certain percentage point of the top vote getter you could have multiple MVP's. Clearly there were three players so equal they should share the award. Nobody clearly earned it over the others no matter how partial a fan you are.

 

[MilfordHusky]

My only question is who is the voter who gave A'Ja a fourth place vote?

Somebody other than these three deserved a 1-3 vote?

I agree with you, though the announcers on ESPN beat this to death. Interestingly, that voter gave Chelsea Gray--A'ja's teammate--the 3rd place vote and A'ja the 4th place vote. Based on a handful of games, I could understand that, but over 40 games, I think there were only 3 players deserving of a top-3 vote. Stewie, A'ja, and Alyssa separated themselves rather clearly, and they played on the top 3 teams.

 

[MilfordHusky]

if i understand correctly... Phee had 45 total votes, so 15 media members did not think she was a top 5 player?

I would have put Phee at #4 if I had a vote, and over half the voters did just that. Nearly one-fourth had her at #5. But the remaining 15 voters had her at 6th or lower, behind the top 3 plus probably Satou, Nneka, Chelsea, and/or Jewell. With 60 voters, it is likely that a small number may vote out of the mainstream--like the person who had A'ja at #4. In the balloting, Phee was a clear #4.

 

[diggerfoot]

Ohhhhhhh of course not. Those perfect UConn players would NEVER do something so awful like what you see from one of those Dawn Staley coached players. The comment wasn't even low class and that's the whole point. You wouldn't say anything if Stewie said it because it's not a big deal. BUT because Stewie won and it was A'ja - it's a problem. Some of y'all are gross.

Um, the comment by @EricLA that you responded to gave an example of UConn fans criticizing Auriemma, a more revered fan target than any player. That contradicts your assertion.

Personally, I do not think Wilson’s comments is a big deal and she seems to me to be an exemplary person. But backing up your assertion and countering @EricLA requires you to first cite an example of a UConn player not being gracious in defeat. I can’t think of one but I am open to evidence to the contrary and will acknowledge it if you should come up with one.

You are most likely to find success in offering some proof to your insinuation with Taurasi, considering her in game conduct in the heat of competition. Though I should warn you that Taurasi has drawn plenty of criticism of such conduct by UConn fans as well. If you can prove that either she or any other UConn player has been ungracious in defeat after the competition was over you might find the same reaction.

 

[Waquoit]

Thomas deserved it. She led a team with a ton of question marks coming into the year to the highest win total in franchise history. The other two are part of superteams.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Thomas deserved it. She led a team with a ton of question marks coming into the year to the highest win total in franchise history. The other two are part of superteams.

All 3 led their teams to highest win total in franchise history, since it was a longer season. That statement definitely needs an asterisk.