UConnCat
Wise Woman
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Ben York (Slamonline) makes the case for Sue Bird as 2011 MVP. I agree with a lot of what Ben says, but, like him, I doubt Sue will win it. If a point guard were to win the award for the first time this year, the chances are greater it will be Whalen. I believe Sue should have won the award in 2008 when she also carried her team to the playoffs after LJ went down with an injury. She did it again this year. LJ and Candace Parker went down about the same time early in the season; the Storm will be playing in the playoffs and the Sparks will be watching on TV. The reason is the Storm has Sue Bird.
Here's some of what Ben says:
http://www.slamonline.com/online/ot.../09/why-sue-bird-should-be-the-2011-wnba-mvp/
"In what will likely be the tightest race for MVP in league history, there are literally ten players (including Sue Bird) that could end up winning the award without objection: Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry, Becky Hammon, Sylvia Fowles, Penny Taylor, and Diana Taurasi.
Each one of those players deserves the MVP in 2011 and their team wouldn’t be nearly as successful without them.
But Sue Bird has managed to separate herself from the rest of the pack.
In a season where the Storm lost Lauren Jackson (the team’s leading scorer and 2010 WNBA MVP) for 20 games (including 13 on the road) Sue Bird has managed to not only keep the Storm in the race in the Western Conference, but has them in second place (19-13) and nearing the 20-win mark.
In 2011, Bird is averaging a career-high 14.8 ppg, 5.0 apg (5th in WNBA), 3.0 rpg, shooting 45 percent from the floor, and just 2.4 turnovers in spite of playing 33 minutes a night with the ball in her hands the vast majority of the time.
* * *
Without Bird in 2011, would the Storm be nearing 20 wins? 15 wins? If that’s the case, their record would probably be closer to where San Antonio (16-16) or Los Angeles (13-19) currently is which would be good for fourth or fifth place in the Western Conference rather than second (19-13).
If that doesn’t exemplify what an MVP is, I’m not sure what does.
* * *
Admittedly, the odds of Bird winning the MVP aren’t great. It would surprise me if she ended up finishing as one of the top three vote-getters. Other players are putting up bigger numbers for their respective team and the attention will probably go to them.
It’s a shame because, to date, Bird has led a Lauren Jackson-less Seattle Storm to just six-fewer wins than the league-leading Minnesota Lynx (25) who feature a lineup full of healthy All-Stars.
Again, this isn’t taking anything away from the contributions that other MVP-favorites have made; it’s simply recognizing how important Sue Bird is to her team.
Unlike other candidates, not everything Bird does will necessarily show up in the box score.
Still, you’ll be hard-pressed to convince me there is another player who has meant more to her team this season than No. 10 for the Seattle Storm."
Here's some of what Ben says:
http://www.slamonline.com/online/ot.../09/why-sue-bird-should-be-the-2011-wnba-mvp/
"In what will likely be the tightest race for MVP in league history, there are literally ten players (including Sue Bird) that could end up winning the award without objection: Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry, Becky Hammon, Sylvia Fowles, Penny Taylor, and Diana Taurasi.
Each one of those players deserves the MVP in 2011 and their team wouldn’t be nearly as successful without them.
But Sue Bird has managed to separate herself from the rest of the pack.
In a season where the Storm lost Lauren Jackson (the team’s leading scorer and 2010 WNBA MVP) for 20 games (including 13 on the road) Sue Bird has managed to not only keep the Storm in the race in the Western Conference, but has them in second place (19-13) and nearing the 20-win mark.
In 2011, Bird is averaging a career-high 14.8 ppg, 5.0 apg (5th in WNBA), 3.0 rpg, shooting 45 percent from the floor, and just 2.4 turnovers in spite of playing 33 minutes a night with the ball in her hands the vast majority of the time.
* * *
Without Bird in 2011, would the Storm be nearing 20 wins? 15 wins? If that’s the case, their record would probably be closer to where San Antonio (16-16) or Los Angeles (13-19) currently is which would be good for fourth or fifth place in the Western Conference rather than second (19-13).
If that doesn’t exemplify what an MVP is, I’m not sure what does.
* * *
Admittedly, the odds of Bird winning the MVP aren’t great. It would surprise me if she ended up finishing as one of the top three vote-getters. Other players are putting up bigger numbers for their respective team and the attention will probably go to them.
It’s a shame because, to date, Bird has led a Lauren Jackson-less Seattle Storm to just six-fewer wins than the league-leading Minnesota Lynx (25) who feature a lineup full of healthy All-Stars.
Again, this isn’t taking anything away from the contributions that other MVP-favorites have made; it’s simply recognizing how important Sue Bird is to her team.
Unlike other candidates, not everything Bird does will necessarily show up in the box score.
Still, you’ll be hard-pressed to convince me there is another player who has meant more to her team this season than No. 10 for the Seattle Storm."
