July 30, 2009 -- When it comes to determining the league's Most Valuable Player, team success plays a big role, but that isn't necessarily the case with the Rookie of the Year award. Since the best players coming into the league typically are sent to those squads that are in the worst shape, judging a rookie by her team's record would not be fair, so the ROY commonly is earned by the player who puts up the best statistical season.
Candace Parker had both working for her last year, but in the three previous seasons the ROY's team finished below .500:
Armintie Price for Chicago in 2007 (14-20),
Seimone Augustus for Minnesota in 2006 (10-24) and
Temeka Johnson for Washington in 2005 (16-18).
However, that's not to say that W-L records of rookies' teams can't come into play. Let's say, hypothetically, Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry or Detroit's Shavonte Zellous slightly surpass Phoenix's DeWanna Bonner in terms of stats. Since Phoenix owns one of the best records in the league, the Dream are in the middle of the pack and the Shock are struggling, suddenly the leader for the honor wouldn't be so clear-cut.
In other words, we need a way to calibrate the Rookie of the Year leader by incorporating both individual and team performance. Thus, I give to you the WNBA Rookie Approval Matrix, which basically is a rip-off of New York Magazine's Approval Matrix, which runs in each week's issue. NY Mag's Approval Matrix puts the week's current events and pop culture happenings in graphic form in an effort to measure taste. The X axis is where items fall between "Brilliant" and "Despicable" and the Y axis is where things fall between "Highbrow" and "Lowbrow." The upper right-hand corner is the best position to be in, while the lower left-hand corner is the least desirable.
The same holds true for the WNBA Rookie Approval Matrix, in which the X axis is for statistical performance, from "Top-Notch" to "Wearing Warm-Ups," while the Y axis measures team success (or lack thereof), from "Winning it All" to "Cellar Dweller." And the players included are those that made the rankings or the honorable mention section.
Let's just go to the visual before too much math talk scares you away.
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GP
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MPG
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PPG
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FG%
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3PM-A
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RPG
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APG
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SPG
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BPG
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| 19 |
21.4 |
11.7 |
.435 |
1-6 |
6.3 |
0.3 |
0.5 |
0.8 |
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Skinny: Bonner gets the most love in our WNBA Rookie Approval Matrix as well as in our rankings. And why not? Bonner has started the second half of the season by continuing to show that she's the best rookie out there. In the team's first game after the All-Star break, the Phoenix phenom scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots in the Mercury's win over the Liberty at MSG. She followed that up by posting 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks in the team's road triumph over Connecticut two days later. Granted, Penny Taylor has yet to play since rejoining the team, but do they even need her with Bonner doing what she's doing?
Previous ranking: 1
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GP
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MPG
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PPG
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FG%
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3PM-A
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RPG
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APG
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SPG
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BPG
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| 18 |
16.6 |
9.4 |
.435 |
4-21 |
2.2 |
1.6 |
1.5 |
0.3 |
Skinny: McCoughtry's slate was light this past week, as in "no games" light, so she stays in the No. 2 position for now. The Dream's last game occurred way back on July 22 and they next hit the court Thursday when they host the red-hot Mercury. Should be an entertaining affair, pitting the top two players in the Rookie Rankings. The contest will mark the first time McCoughtry and Bonner have gone up against each other this season. Here's hoping both see plenty of minutes in the game and get to match up on many occasions.
Previous ranking: 2
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GP
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MPG
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PPG
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FG%
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3PM-A
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RPG
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APG
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SPG
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BPG
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| 14 |
23.1 |
11.6 |
.359 |
4-13 |
3.3 |
0.9 |
1.1 |
0.4 |
Skinny: Like McCoughtry, Zellous hasn't played a game since the last edition of the Rookie Rankings, but she and the Shock have a favorable schedule upcoming as Detroit plays its next three games at home and four of its next five. In six games at the Palace this season, Zellous has averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 40 percent from the field. Compare that to what she has done in eight games on the road, where she has averaged 10.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists while shooting 32 percent.
Previous ranking: 3
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