SPMSportspage.com's 2008 WNBA Awards

By Richard Cohen: SPM Contributing Writer
Posted Friday, September 19, 2008

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Second Annual SPMSportspage.com’s WNBA Awards! We polled all our contributors for their choices in each of the categories recognized by the league to see who we think should be rewarded for their efforts in the 2008 regular season. The official awards will be handed out by the WNBA throughout the playoffs, but here's who we think should be dusting off a spot on their mantelpiece to make room for some brand new hardware.
 

In a vote that was arguably less conclusive than one might have expected, super-rookie Candice Wiggins takes the honors, as she's the favorite to do when the official votes are counted. Tanisha Wright had something of a breakout season in Seattle and helped the winning continue despite their multitude of injuries, which understandably led to some favoring her. Plenette Pierson, last year's winner, may have lost some votes due to her involvement in the mid-season brawl.
 
Thought this one would be slightly more conclusive as well, actually. The official voting for Rookie of the Year has never been unanimous, so perhaps we're just representing history, but unless you're voting against her because of the fracas at the Palace it's hard to see past Parker here. If healthy Fowles might've given her a run, but ultimately Big Syl missed too many games to be a true competitor in this race.

 

On a disappointing Indiana Fever team, Ebony Hoffman has been the bright spark all season long. A thoroughly deserving winner of the SPM vote, she's also considered the favorite to take the official award (and may well have done so already by the time you're reading this). Jones stepped up in Connecticut in the absence of other stars, but it's hard to win this award when you were already practically a star. (Much easier to win it by stepping up from mediocre to good or very good). Wauters may have technically improved, but after two years choosing to stay away from the league she isn't really who the league is looking to for this trophy.

 

VJ gets our nod for this one, but among the many worthy choices it's a complete toss-up who will win the official version. A beloved veteran who's built her reputation over several years is most likely, but that still leaves several alternatives. Dual love from old-school New York and new-era San Antonio might help VJ out (and might well have led to her win in the SPM balloting).

 

As is often the case in Coach of the Year voting (whatever the sport), exceeding expectations wins out here. Hughes, Agler and Laimbeer all led their respective teams to slightly better records than Mike Thibault managed in Connecticut, but all three had rosters that were expected by nearly everybody to make the playoffs at the start of the season. After the loss of Sales, Douglas and Dydek, many thought Connecticut would struggle with such an inexperienced roster, but Thibault led them to a 21-13 record and second-place in the East. Thibault is a worthy winner of SPM's vote, although strong cases can be made for several other candidates.

 

Always a difficult award to select because of the comparative lack of raw defensive statistics available, the league leader in blocks just barely edges the SPM decision. Outside the real debate for overall MVP in her first year back from pregnancy, Leslie's numbers certainly still make her a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year and her smarts continue to compensate for the step she may have lost due to the aging process. The unbounded athleticism of Parker and veteran smarts and toughness of Katie Smith provide Leslie's closest competition in our DPOY vote, while Fowles and Catchings both may have figured more prominently if they'd missed fewer games.

 

Hammonites rejoice! The SPM voters decided, in their wisdom, that after her second-place finish last season, the improvement in San Antonio's performance this year should push their lead-guard Becky Hammon to the summit. Whether the voters for the official MVP award hold Hammon's 39% shooting, comfortably the worst of her career, against her, remains to be seen. Diana Taurasi's superb play for a non-playoff team was considered good enough by our writers to hold off early-season favorite Lindsay Whalen and the late push from Sue Bird for the runner-up spot. Perhaps surprisingly, rookie phenom Candace Parker fell to fifth in our vote despite her strong statistical production. And while the majority of the 'best player on the best team' votes would appear to have gone to Hammon, Sophia Young still makes it into the top six as Becky's partner in crime in San Antonio.

 

As is inevitably the case, the All-WNBA teams reflect similar results to the MVP voting. Whalen can perhaps consider herself unlucky to slide into the 2nd team after finishing just ahead of Bird in our MVP ballot, while Lisa Leslie jumps up due to the need to find a center for the 1st Team. Lauren Jackson, who only played 21 games, is arguably something of a surprise sneaking into the 2nd Team, perhaps reflecting the paucity of choices at center in a league that doesn't possess too many true 5s. In the official vote the WNBA may consider her to be conclusively a forward, which would push Ann Wauters of San Antonio into that free spot in the 2nd Team.