The regular season is over, we're into the playoffs, and it's time for the hardware to be handed out (and the cash that goes with it, but no one ever mentions that). Some of the awards are decided by the press, some by the coaches, and last season the league even gave the fans a 25 percent stake in the MVP Award (no sign of that this year, fortunately).

What follows is a look at the various candidates for all the awards and who'd be receiving them if I happened to be God of the WNBA (which admittedly would be a seriously low-ranking deity. Like, below Xena). Just for fun, I've even included my preseason picks to give you all a good laugh along the way, check here and scroll all the way down to the end if you think I might be making them up.

Oh, and yes, I do know that this piece is somewhat late, and they've already started handing out the awards. All of this is still based on the regular season only, just like the standard awards, and nothing has been changed as a result of the playoff games that have already taken place. I promise. And if you can't trust a WNBA writer whom you've never heard of, who can you trust?
 

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Preseason pick: Deanna Nolan, with a mention for Diana Taurasi if the Mercury managed not to suck.

Some seasons this one's easy. An individual separates herself from the pack pretty early, the stats back her up, and apart from a couple of dissenters we all just hand her the award and move on. Some years it's a hell of a lot more complicated. Two years ago Lauren Jackson had an unbelievable year and it was easy. Last year was a mess that eventually led to Candace Parker sneaking just ahead of the field. This year's decided to stick around in the mess category.

My preseason pick turned out to be too injured for most of the year to really put up a true challenge. Nolan finished the year on a tear but played mediocre ball for the first half of the season because she practically needed a cane to make it on the floor. In fact, injuries had a huge effect on this award in general. Seimone Augustus looked absolutely outstanding for five games before blowing out her knee. Jackson was again a solid candidate before injuries first slowed her and then knocked her out entirely. Parker missed significant time after giving birth, then took eight or ten games to start playing well, so despite her solid numbers isn't really a legitimate candidate this year. Her teammate Lisa Leslie, in her exit year, missed more than ten games mid-season with an injury as well.

Other candidates we might've expected to make a run aren't realistically in the race either. San Antonio had such a disappointing season as a team, finishing only 15-19, that it's hard to take Becky Hammon or Sophia Young seriously as MVP contenders despite strong individual years. Lindsay Whalen had a down year in Connecticut and missed the playoffs. Even Sue Bird, who finished third in MVP voting last season, led her team as well as ever but didn't make anyone think MVP while watching the Storm. Alana Beard, while a big part of Washington's turnaround this season, hasn't had an MVP year either. Emerging forces like Nicky Anosike in Minnesota and Erika DeSouza in Atlanta were hugely important to their teams, but aren't yet at true MVP levels.

So we're left with the players who led their teams to the best records in the league. Indiana and Phoenix were the standout teams in the WNBA this season, and both were heavily dependent on a tandem of players for their success (which makes the MVP pick even tougher). In Indiana everything runs through Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas. The latter is the better shooter, but Catchings is the heart and soul of the team. Her drive, leadership and defense were behind the turnaround in Indiana this season and even with Douglas' higher scoring numbers it's Catch who's the clear MVP for the Fever. As MVP of the league, however, I continue to find it hard to overlook that .386 field-goal percentage. This is one of the best defensive teams in the league, but in many ways also one of the worst offensive ones, and a lot of that is down to Catchings on both ends. It's always been the knock on her, and it continues to be an issue. Can your league MVP really be a player who on average hits about four and a half shots per game out of the twelve she takes?

In Phoenix, Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter were the dynamic duo that led the Mercury to a surprising 23-11 record (surprising to idiots like me who predicted they'd finish at the bottom of the Western Conference, anyway). To get the bad out of the way first, both are awful defensively. Taurasi's gotten better as a help defender, even pushing herself into the top ten in the league in blocks, but she and Pondexter still routinely get torn to pieces as individual defenders. However, at the other end of the floor, they are two of the most outstanding players in the women's game. Pondexter can create her own shot from anywhere on the floor and has continued to improve her distribution, pushing her assists over five per game this season. Taurasi has unlimited range and a remarkable ability to just find a way to put the ball in the basket, which resulted in her leading the league in scoring yet again. She's simply one of the most talented and efficient offensive forces women's basketball has ever seen. Having to choose between Pondexter and Taurasi may cost both some votes in the official balloting for MVP.

Taurasi's DUI charge from earlier this season, delayed in court for a third time last week, could be held against her by some of the voters. It cost her a two-game suspension, and possibly some jail time in the future, but I don't think it should cost her this season's MVP award. It's a basketball award, and purely for performance on the court I think she just nicks it this year. Pondexter may be the more strikingly impressive and athletic member of Phoenix's All-Stars, but Taurasi is the metronomic driving force and leader of the Mercury. And her shooting continues to be ridiculous. Catchings has a legitimate claim, but I'll take great offense over great defense when forced to choose.

Final Pick: Diana Taurasi (and not just because she was my backup pick in preseason)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Preseason pick: Tamika Catchings

Well this was the only award I predicted correctly last season (apart from Parker for Rookie of the Year, which barely counts), so at least I'm showing some consistency. Catchings is a scary force defensively. Her total of 99 steals was just one off the league record and she consistently affects the game at the defensive end, not something that's easy to do as a swing forward who mostly plays on the wing.

Distinguishing candidates for this award is always difficult due to the lack of statistics to analyze defense, so reputation always ends up playing a large part in the voting. Even the coaches have a hard time with it, which is a large part of why the All-Defensive teams are invariably stocked with veterans who've had time to build their rep. The different kinds of defensive qualities also makes it difficult. Individual shutdown defenders are rare and hard to identify without hours of tape-study. Gamblers who rack up steals by playing passing lanes, or blocks by coming off their man on the weak side aren't always particularly good on-ball defenders. Some players, like Catchings, are particularly valuable because they can defend more than one position, giving their coaches multiple ways to structure their defense.

Alternative DPOY candidates are pretty thin on the ground. Defensive stalwarts like Katie Smith, Deanna Nolan, Ticha Penicheiro, Lauren Jackson, Sylvia Fowles and Lisa Leslie all had seasons that were heavily affected by injury, and when you're playing hurt like several of them did for much of the year, defense suffers at least as much as your offense. Nicky Anosike was fantastic in the middle for Minnesota, although on an awful defensive team. Tanisha Wright continues to draw the hardest perimeter assignment for Seattle every night and do a solid job, as does Alana Beard in Washington. Sancho Lyttle and Erika DeSouza made a fearsome tandem inside in Atlanta, while the size of Los Angeles' lineup, featuring Leslie, Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones consistently forced opposing teams into shooting low percentages. But as an individual defender Catchings wins at a canter this year, and it's unlikely the voting will be remotely close.

Final Pick: Tamika Catchings

COACH OF THE YEAR
Preseason pick: Brian Agler

Often the difficulty with the Coach of the Year Award, in any sport, is sifting through the multiple legitimate candidates. This year in the WNBA? Not so much. Atlanta had a huge turnaround, going from four wins last year to 18 this season under Marynell Meadors. However, anyone who's watched multiple Dream games this year has seen Meadors make countless bizarre decisions and mistakes. It took her weeks to decide what the hell her starting lineup was, never mind her rotation, and I don't feel she remotely deserves this award. Atlanta's improvement comes down to a vastly improved roster, not any particularly impressive coaching.

Down years, dismal coaching performances and discounting Atlanta leaves us with Indiana, Phoenix, Seattle and Washington. Lin Dunn finally got the Fever to play to the level they were expected to produce last year after acquiring Katie Douglas. Corey Gaines has to be given credit for leading a team nearly everyone had outside the playoffs in their preseason predictions to the best record in the league. Brian Agler held a thin Seattle roster together through injuries to arguably the World's best player. While in Washington, Julie Plank revived a moribund franchise, manufacturing a playoff spot and two strong Most Improved Player candidates from a roster that only really had one significant addition to last year's team.

For me, the choice is between Plank and Dunn, who've both significantly improved their teams from last season, and outperformed expectations. Dunn would probably just sneak my vote for finally putting all the pieces together in Indiana. If Meadors wins, the league should get themselves a new set of voters who actually watch the games.

Final pick: Lin Dunn

 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR / SIXTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Preseason pick (Rookie of the Year): Briann January (with a mention for DeWanna Bonner)
Preseason pick (Sixth Woman of the Year): Candace Parker

Two awards that don't typically go hand-in-hand, but this season they've ended up part of the same debate, so I'll tackle them together. Injuries, coaches reluctant to use their benches and the general lack of depth in the women's game led to limited candidates for the Sixth Woman of the Year Award this season. There wasn't a veteran force like Plenette Pierson coming strong off the pine for Detroit, or anyone essentially playing starter's minutes off the bench like Candice Wiggins did last year for Minnesota. Meanwhile, Sparks coach Michael Cooper ruined my hopeful pick of Parker by putting her in the starting lineup almost before they'd cut the cord. So despite decent efforts from the likes of Jessica Moore in Indiana (who was signed late and spent several games in the starting lineup) and Kara Braxton in Detroit (who missed the first six games due to a suspension for her second DUI), the best sixth women this year were rookies. Shavonte Zellous was an offensive boost off the bench for the Shock but the two outstanding candidates turned out to be fifth overall pick DeWanna Bonner in Phoenix and No. 1 overall Angel McCoughtry for Atlanta, consequently also the two prime contenders for Rookie of the Year.

Bonner turned out to be a perfect fit in the Mercury's run-and-gun system with her lean frame, versatility and athleticism (and the fact that it kept her from having to defend opposing power forwards straight up, as she'd have had to on other rosters). She stepped in instantly to add depth that Phoenix didn't have last season, and although her production dipped slightly as the season progressed (more due to Penny Taylor's arrival than any drop in performance) she was an important piece for the Mercury all season long. McCoughtry took longer to break through in Atlanta, partly due to Chamique Holdsclaw's presence in front of her in the rotation and partly because Marynell Meadors barely has the first clue what she's doing. Eventually she earned consistent minutes and produced, her scoring ability and aggressive play at both ends of the floor indicating a player who'll be part of the WNBA furniture for years to come.

The voters may have been given a way out of the difficult Bonner/McCoughtry decision late in the season when Holdsclaw got hurt and McCoughtry moved into Atlanta's starting lineup for their final ten games. It gave McCoughtry the chance to press her claims for Rookie of the Year as she showed she could play legitimate starter's minutes against opponents' best players and continue to produce at high levels. Simultaneously, it gave Bonner a boost for Sixth Woman because, although McCoughtry is still eligible for the award, several of her best games ultimately came as a starter. Being a little wishy-washy myself, if I had a ballot (where the hell is my ballot anyway, WNBA?) I might well have taken the easy way out and split my vote - Bonner for Sixth, McCoughtry for ROY. If I had to pick one, I lean towards McCoughtry, who stepped forward and pressed her case as a potential star in the WNBA as the season progressed. Bonner was a solid contributor after landing in the perfect situation to thrive and made the most of her opportunity, but McCoughtry forced herself into the conversation and made everyone stand up and take notice.

By the way, I am aware that Bonner's already been given the official Sixth Woman award. None of the above, or my picks, were affected by that.

Final pick (Sixth Woman of the Year): DeWanna Bonner
Final pick (Rookie of the Year): Angel McCoughtry 

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Preseason pick: Sylvia Fowles/Sandrine Gruda

This is the other meaningful award that's already been handed out at time of writing, so we might as well start there. Crystal Langhorne of the Mystics was my choice for this award almost from the opening week of the season, once we saw the leap forward she had taken. Players have been known to win Most Improved awards purely through being given more playing time, rather than actual improvement in skills or performance, and solely based on statistics Langhorne looks like she could fall into that category. However, those who watched her saw a desperately limited player last season, who had practically no range and dubious defensive skills at the WNBA level. There were good reasons for those limited minutes she played as a rookie. She came back this year and the change was remarkable. She's added a solid mid-range jumpshot which makes her vastly more dangerous offensively, she can hold her own at the defensive end and her startling shoooting percentage has been maintained even now she's a starter and taking far more shots. She's a worthy winner of the award. However...

As the season progressed, my mind started changing on Most Improved, through no fault of Langhorne's. Her teammate Lindsey Harding, finally healthy and released from Minnesota and former coach Don Zierden, took a quantum leap forward in her performance this season. Going from a player who looked lost running a team, couldn't shoot, and couldn't finish at the rim to the team leader and 44 percent shooter we saw this season was a remarkable turnaround for 2007's 1st overall pick. After two years in the league she was threatening to draw the dreaded term 'bust', but this season she's an honest-to-god All-Star level player, and would've been my vote for Most Improved. I kept expecting her to fall off (which would've handed my vote to Langhorne), but Harding just kept rolling and proving the doubters wrong.

Other players who improved significantly this year include Tanisha Wright in Seattle, now a strong backcourt mate to Sue Bird; Nicky Anosike went from solid to a star in her sophomore year in Minnesota; Sancho Lyttle and Erika DeSouza both finally showed what they were made of in Atlanta's frontcourt, although more due to health and opportunity than skill development; my preseason pick, Gruda, also started to really show what she can do in Connecticut; and Noelle Quinn made a late push in LA, but barely made an impression for the first half of the season and this award is for the whole year.

Final pick: Lindsey Harding
 

KIM PERROT SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Preseason pick: Yolanda Griffith

Fortunately they handed this out yesterday to Kara Lawson of the Sacramento Monarchs, which saves me writing a paragraph of waffle about how ridiculous it is trying to predict it. Indiana didn't nominate Griffith, which made it hard for my pick to come true.

 

ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM/SECOND TEAM
Preseason picks:

First Team:
Diana Taurasi
Deanna Nolan
Lauren Jackson
Tamika Catchings
Lisa Leslie

Second Team:
Sue Bird
Lindsay Whalen
Tina Thompson
Sophia Young
Sylvia Fowles

Well Taurasi and Catchings are obviously shoo-ins. So is Pondexter, as a legitimate contender for MVP in her own right. That leaves one spot for a guard or forward (because you can slide Taurasi either way) and one for a center in the first team, and that's where things get complicated. Nolan was outstanding the last month or two of the season once she finally approached being healthy. Becky Hammon put up her usual gaudy numbers in San Antonio, as did Sophia Young. Katie Douglas was Catchings' key partner in crime in Indiana. The entire Atlanta front court and Washington back court were key to their teams' respective turnarounds. Bird held things together with her usual poise in Seattle. And all that's before you even consider players who played outstanding basketball but missed considerable time like Jackson, Parker and Katie Smith.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Leslie given the royal send-off with the First Team spot at center, despite missing 11 games, and Jackson (who only missed 8) having started all her games for Seattle this year as a center. Nicky Anosike is the other option at the center spot, having avoided injury until the final 4 games of the season and impressed at both ends of the floor for the shorthanded Lynx all season. I think Anosike deserves the First Team spot in the middle, although that's something of an indication as to how weak the league was this year in the pivot (among players who actually managed to survive most of the year intact). I'd take Jackson's season over Leslie's as well, but I'm probably distinctly less sentimental than most of the voters.

My picks for that final perimeter player on the First Team and the entire Second Team change on a minute-to-minute basis, so you'll just have to read below and then curse my name in disgust. Or bitch and moan over on the message boards like everybody else.

Final picks:

First Team:
Cappie Pondexter
Deanna Nolan
Diana Taurasi
Tamika Catchings
Nicky Anosike

Second Team:
Becky Hammon
Katie Douglas
Sophia Young
Candace Parker
Lauren Jackson

 

WNBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM/SECOND TEAM
Preseason picks:

First Team:
Ticha Penicheiro
Deanna Nolan
Katie Smith
Tamika Catchings
Lisa Leslie

Second Team:
Candice Wiggins
Tanisha Wright
Erin Perperoglou
Lauren Jackson
Sylvia Fowles

All those other awards were made difficult by injuries; this one's made pretty much impossible. Who counts? Does everyone count but with marks taken off depending on how many games they missed? Does Jackson lose twice as many marks as Anosike for missing twice as many games? Suffice it to say, Catchings and Anosike should be on the First Team, and after that I'm open to arguments from all sides. Personally, I think Nolan played too much of the season too hurt (and hence semi-immobile) to be First Team All-Defense this year, but she'll probably get it anyway. Besides, I'd be happier with that than with the voters falling for the block stats and starting to believe that Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker are elite defenders.

Final picks:
First Team:
Tanisha Wright
Alana Beard
Tamika Catchings
Lauren Jackson
Nicky Anosike

Second Team:
Tully Bevilaqua
Lindsey Harding
Dominique Canty (yeah I know that's basically three guards. Sue me)
Erika DeSouza
Sylvia Fowles (missed a third of the season but made a ridiculous difference when she was there)

 

WNBA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Preseason picks:

Briann January
Angel McCoughtry
Marissa Coleman
DeWanna Bonner
Courtney Paris

McCoughtry and Bonner are obviously in, as the two central figures in the Rookie of the Year competition. So is Shavonte Zellous as the clear third place finisher. After that it gets awkward. Shalee Lehning won the starting point guard spot in Atlanta and without much flash or fanfare did a solid job for them. Marissa Coleman started off hot in Washington, then got hurt and never recaptured her form once she returned. Renee Montgomery won and then lost the starting point-guard spot in Minnesota in an up-and-down rookie year, although nowhere near the bizarre roller coaster Kristi Toliver rode in Chicago, playing 25 minutes one night and none the next due to her own deficiencies and the whims of coach Steve Key. Briann January, Courtney Paris and Megan Frazee also all showed flashes of promise in their first WNBA seasons, without exactly setting the league alight, and after arriving late Anete Jekabsone-Zogota showed why Connecticut were willing to wait for the Latvian star.

Bear in mind that the coaches don't have to vote by position for this one, so neither do I.

Final picks:

First Team:
Renee Montgomery
Shavonte Zellous
Anete Jekabsone-Zogota
Angel McCoughtry
DeWanna Bonner

Second Team:
Shalee Lehning
Briann January
Kristi Toliver
Marissa Coleman
Courtney Paris

That's about it.  Comments welcome via the sparkly new comments system below, whether positive or vitriolic.  See you all next year (or maybe once or twice in the offseason if you're really lucky).