Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Nearly half of the WNBA season remains with another two months left on the schedule. That’s plenty of time for a player to get hot or go cold, ample time to post historic numbers or hit a wall. But why wait until the end when we can argue about Rookie of the Year right now?
Who ya got?
Two clear frontrunners have emerged and it’s no surprise that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the odds-on favorite ahead of Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese. Clark was virtually anointed MVP entering the league so winning ROY was supposed to be a given. Overexuberant fans and media have acted like breathing too hard on Clark should be called a foul. Brown-nosing blowholes like Jason Whitlock suggest so-called jealous players could conspire to cheat and boost Reese’s chances of winning the award.
University of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley says Reese doesn’t need any help. “If I had to pick a Rookie of the Year at this time, today … it’s Angel,” Staley told TMZ last weekend “Without a doubt, because of what she’s been able to do with the double-doubles.”
At the time, Reese had tallied a double-double (in points and rebounds) in 15 consecutive games, a league record. The streak ended Saturday but Reese started afresh Tuesday with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the defending champs in Las Vegas. Her tendency to dominate the boards at LSU has remained intact as she leads the league in rebounding (12 per game).
“Chi-Town Barbie” relocated from the Bayou but still does the grimy work down low, now often grunting and banging against bigger and stronger post players. But she’s a dawg, which can’t be taught or quantified, and there’s no quit in her. In glaring contrast to her off-court style, Reese plays in an unglamorous fashion, sometimes missing point-blank shots only to grab the rebound for putback attempts.
Admirers call it tenacity but critics call it stat padding. They might want to look up NBA legend Moses Malone, dubbed “Chairman of the Boards” who was masterful at rebounding his own misses. Using the backboard to create your next shot could be poor marksmanship or a timing mechanism, both acceptable explanations.
It’s true that Reese has chased stats to secure a double-double with seconds left in a game that’s already decided. It happened last Saturday on Chicago’s last possession against the New York Liberty, who led by 14 points with 19 seconds left. Trailing teams typically dribble out the clock in that situation, but Reese frantically called for the ball, needing a bucket to reach 10 points. The Liberty swarmed her with four players, clearly uninterested in letting the streak continue.
If four players swarmed Clark to keep her from a personal milestone, they’d be called petty.
“Winning is what’s most important to me,” Reese said. “I think I’ve done a great job, being able to be consistent and I’ve broken the record already. So I want to be able to just be me and do whatever my teammates need.”
She doesn’t have the logo three-pointers and pinpoint dimes that fill Clark’s highlight reel, but such is life in the trenches. Putting in work looks different down there, where players get it out the mud. And no one’s done it like Reese in breaking the double-double record set by Chicago native Candace Parker.
The only player to win ROY and MVP in the same season (2008), Parker is Reese’s favorite. She set the mark as a 29-year-old in her eighth season. Reese smashed it as a 22-year-old rookie facing torrents of racist hate and vitriol, largely from Clark fans. Their intensity in abusing Reese is remarkable and unnecessary, especially since Clark is flat-out balling, leading the league in assists becoming the first-ever rookie with a triple-double.
The W is entering a monthlong Olympic break, but Reese and Clark are about to be teammates for a change. They’re the lone rookies on Team WNBA, which is set to face Team USA in the All-Star Game on Saturday. Their every interaction will be examined like a courtroom video, with defenders and prosecutors making claims about body language and facial gestures.
Clark will probably win ROY on merit, despite being a turnover machine. Her most rabid fans will lose their minds if she doesn’t, but it’s not unfathomable that Reese takes the award. There’s no telling what either player will do when the season resumes and, prayerfully, they reach the playoffs.
I’m not gonna be mad if Reese hoists the trophy because she’s a worthy contender. I’m not proud of this, but watching her haters go berserk does have some appeal.
Who ya got?
Deron Snyder, from Brooklyn, is an award-winning columnist who lives near D.C. and pledged Alpha at HU-You Know! He’s reaching high, lying low, moving on, pushing off, keeping up, and throwing down. Got it? Get more at blackdoorventures.com/deron.