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pilight
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005
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 Posted: 08/06/18 4:17 pm ::: |
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I find it hard to not include Jackson. Maybe I have Jackson over her teammate Bird. Then is that the best possible starting 5 in league history?
PG: Bird
SG: Cooper
SF: Taurasi
PF: Jackson
C: Leslie
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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| Posted: 08/06/18 4:44 pm ::: |
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| There's only four heads on Rushmore, although I think Trump is pushing a bill through to to get his head added.
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 08/06/18 4:53 pm ::: |
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| You have to include the league's best defensive player.
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calbearman76
Joined: 02 Nov 2009
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| Posted: 08/06/18 5:03 pm ::: |
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I would not include Cooper due to her very short career. No doubt she was great, but she played at a time when the quality of play was not nearly what is now. My 4 would be:
Tamika Catchings
Lauren Jackson
Lisa Leslie
Diana Taurasi.
Along with the quality of each player individually, they span the history of the league, balance positions and promote both offense and defense.
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
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| Posted: 08/06/18 5:04 pm ::: |
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Cooper to recognise the league's origins and the initial superstar; Jackson as the next transitional great and to acknowledge the league's somewhat global reach; Taurasi for the transition into the next generation and the more modern attitude; Catchings for everything.
But man that means some painful omissions. |
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mercfan3
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 08/06/18 5:32 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
Cooper to recognise the league's origins and the initial superstar; Jackson as the next transitional great and to acknowledge the league's somewhat global reach; Taurasi for the transition into the next generation and the more modern attitude; Catchings for everything.
But man that means some painful omissions. |
Agree with all four.
Only question with Cooper and Jackson would be for longevity purposes. (Maybe replace Cooper with Swoopes or Leslie, for that reason) but I think your reasoning for the two of them outweighs the longevity argument.
Taurasi and Catchings are the best offensive and defensive players in league history. I think that alone gets them on there. However, when you talk about the history of women’s basketball in general, you have to talk about Uconn/Tennessee...and I would think it would be fitting to have a representative from both schools.
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010
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| Posted: 08/06/18 5:51 pm ::: |
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Mount Rushmore based on PER:
Cynthia Cooper
Elena Delle Donne
Lauren Jackson
Nneka Ogwumike
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Mojo
Joined: 10 May 2017
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| Posted: 08/06/18 6:23 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
Cooper to recognise the league's origins and the initial superstar; Jackson as the next transitional great and to acknowledge the league's somewhat global reach; Taurasi for the transition into the next generation and the more modern attitude; Catchings for everything.
But man that means some painful omissions. |
"Catchings for everything"...perfect description. Nobody has been as well-rounded, not only as a player, but as a human being
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Richard 77
Joined: 19 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 08/07/18 3:37 am ::: |
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Swoopes
Leslie
Cooper
Lobo.
Before there was the three to see, these players were the four to be._________________ If you cannot inspire yourself to read a book about women's basketball, or any book about women's sports, you cannot inspire any young girl or boy to write a book about them. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Richardstrek |
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Randy
Joined: 08 Oct 2011
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| Posted: 08/07/18 7:05 am ::: |
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Let's see. Coquese Washington.
Moriah Jefferson
.......
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
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| Posted: 08/07/18 7:12 am ::: |
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| Randy wrote: |
Let's see. Coquese Washington.
Moriah Jefferson
....... |
Jewell Loyd was born in Lincolnwood, Illinois.  |
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005
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| Posted: 08/07/18 9:58 am ::: |
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Great question ... I have to have
Cynthia Cooper
Lisa Leslie
Diana Taurasi
They were/are must-see players with great skills and the ability to take over in big moments.
Then it gets a lot harder
Sue Bird
Lauren Jackson
Sheryl Swoopes
Tamika Catchings
And I feel like I'm leaving someone out.
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009
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| Posted: 08/07/18 10:46 am ::: |
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| ClayK wrote: |
Great question ... I have to have
Cynthia Cooper
Lisa Leslie
Diana Taurasi
They were/are must-see players with great skills and the ability to take over in big moments.
Then it gets a lot harder
Sue Bird
Lauren Jackson
Sheryl Swoopes
Tamika Catchings
And I feel like I'm leaving someone out. |
Ticha Penechiero was must see. I wish it was top 5 by position .
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Randy
Joined: 08 Oct 2011
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| Posted: 08/07/18 10:53 am ::: |
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| nvm
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CamrnCrz1974
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 08/07/18 11:59 am ::: |
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| ClayK wrote: |
Great question ... I have to have
Cynthia Cooper
Lisa Leslie
Diana Taurasi
They were/are must-see players with great skills and the ability to take over in big moments.
Then it gets a lot harder
Sue Bird
Lauren Jackson
Sheryl Swoopes
Tamika Catchings
And I feel like I'm leaving someone out. |
ClayK, of your players, Cynthia Cooper and Diana Taurasi are no-brainers for me.
What I find interesting is the Catchings v. Leslie debate for "no brainer" inclusion.
Tamika Catchings
WNBA Finals MVP (2012)
WNBA MVP (2011)
10× WNBA All-Star (2002, 2003, 2005–2007, 2009, 2011, 2013–2015)
7× All-WNBA First Team (2002, 2003, 2006, 2009–2012)
5× All-WNBA Second Team (2004, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015)
5× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012)
10× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2005–2013, 2015)
2× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014, 2016)
8× WNBA steals leader (2002, 2005–2007, 2009–2010, 2013, 2016)
In terms of all-time/career numbers, Catchings is 3rd in points, 2nd in rebounds, 7th in assists, 12th in blocks, and 1st in steals. In terms of career per game statistics, Catchings is 17th in ppg (16.1), 18th in rpg (7.3), and 2nd in spg (2.4).
Lisa Leslie
2× WNBA Finals MVP (2001, 2002)
3× WNBA MVP (2001, 2004, 2006)
8× WNBA All-Star (1999–2003, 2005, 2006, 2009)
3× WNBA All-Star Game MVP (1999, 2001, 2002)
8× All-WNBA First Team (1997, 2000–2004, 2006, 2008)
4× All-WNBA Second Team (1998, 1999, 2005, 2009)
2× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2004, 2008)
2× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2006, 2008)
2× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2005, 2009)
In terms of all-time/career numbers, Leslie 6th in points, 3rd in rebounds, and 2nd in blocks (also 16th in steals). In terms of career per game statistics, Leslie is 10th in ppg (17.3). 4th in rpg (9.1), and 3rd in bpg (2.3).
Looking at the two, in terms of per-game production, Lisa Leslie contributed more. But in terms of longevity, Tamika Catchings contributed more (in terms of overall numbers).
For me, the one issue I have with Catchings is her overall shooting. For 9 of her 15 seasons, she shot less than 42 percent (41.9 percent of less), with 6 seasons at 39.6 percent or worse. But if you had to pick one player in league history to be the defensive stopper on any play, by any player, at any time in the game, no doubt it would be Tamika Catchings.
I might have to add Catchings and Leslie to Taurasi and Cooper, which means leaving off Lauren Jackson, Sheryl Swoopes, and others.
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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005
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| Posted: 08/07/18 12:59 pm ::: |
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This is so hard. Cooper set the standard for this league and brought a face in this country to what it looks like to be a great professional player.
Leslie had a lot of firsts in this league and she was, in a lot of ways, built to be the face of this league along with her main contemporary, Sheryl Denise Swoopes. It's hard for me to include one of these two without the other. These two were the best two-way players this league has ever seen.
Taurasi definitely belongs next to Cooper. A lot of the times, describing her at her peak does her no justice. You just have to watch.
How do you leave Jackson off the list? Geez. She shares more MVP (tied with Leslie and Swoopes) than anyone for a reason.
No disrespect to Catch or Bird but it's between four of the five (Cooper, Jackson, Leslie, Swoopes, Taurasi).
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Last edited by Genero36 on 08/07/18 1:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Spark4Life
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: 08/07/18 12:59 pm ::: |
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Lisa 👑
Sheryl
Tina
LoJack
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Spark4Life
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: 08/07/18 1:01 pm ::: |
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| The lack of love for Tina Thompson in this thread is a bit shocking.
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Spark4Life
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: 08/07/18 1:03 pm ::: |
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| ClayK wrote: |
Great question ... I have to have
Cynthia Cooper
Lisa Leslie
Diana Taurasi
They were/are must-see players with great skills and the ability to take over in big moments.
Then it gets a lot harder
Sue Bird
Lauren Jackson
Sheryl Swoopes
Tamika Catchings
And I feel like I'm leaving someone out. |
No one in the history of the league was more "must see" than Sheryl. She is on that top tier.
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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| Posted: 08/07/18 1:08 pm ::: |
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| We're not necessarily looking for the best players in WNBA history. The presidents on Mount Rushmore were not selected because they were the best presidents. Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln were selected because of their roles in establishing, expanding, and preserving the nation. Roosevelt was selected because president Coolidge wouldn't authorize the sculpture on public lands without a second Republican.
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Randy
Joined: 08 Oct 2011
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| Posted: 08/07/18 1:28 pm ::: |
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| pilight wrote: |
| We're not necessarily looking for the best players in WNBA history. The presidents on Mount Rushmore were not selected because they were the best presidents. Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln were selected because of their roles in establishing, expanding, and preserving the nation. Roosevelt was selected because president Coolidge wouldn't authorize the sculpture on public lands without a second Republican. |
Very interesting point. I guess Becky Hammon should be on the list since she is probably the only WNBA player of any consequence from South Dakota.
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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| Posted: 08/07/18 1:33 pm ::: |
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| pilight wrote: |
| We're not necessarily looking for the best players in WNBA history. The presidents on Mount Rushmore were not selected because they were the best presidents. Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln were selected because of their roles in establishing, expanding, and preserving the nation. Roosevelt was selected because president Coolidge wouldn't authorize the sculpture on public lands without a second Republican. |
Are we supposed to go all historically correct on this? Just be happy if people can figure out how many heads are up there.
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009
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| Posted: 08/07/18 1:39 pm ::: |
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| Spark4Life wrote: |
| ClayK wrote: |
Great question ... I have to have
Cynthia Cooper
Lisa Leslie
Diana Taurasi
They were/are must-see players with great skills and the ability to take over in big moments.
Then it gets a lot harder
Sue Bird
Lauren Jackson
Sheryl Swoopes
Tamika Catchings
And I feel like I'm leaving someone out. |
No one in the history of the league was more "must see" than Sheryl. She is on that top tier. |
+1
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 08/07/18 1:51 pm ::: |
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| Spark4Life wrote: |
| The lack of love for Tina Thompson in this thread is a bit shocking. |
It would be more shocking if someone considered her to be one of the top four players in league history.
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