Is scoring overvalued in other leagues besides the NBA? Kevin Pelton, one of my competitors in the True Hoop Stat Geek Smackdown, points out an interesting example from the WNBA (which he covers in addition to the NBA) that indicates a strong relationship between scoring and accolades in that league as well.
WNBA.com publishes Rookie Rankings weekly, and this week’s leader is Ashley Shields of the Houston Comets. Shields has been inefficient (to say the least) so far, shooting 27.5% from the field and committing 13 turnovers in three games. What category (besides turnovers) does Shields lead rookies in? Scoring, of course, as she’s averaged 15.0 points per game. Other rookies have also struggled early in the season, but Shields seems like a poor choice when we consider the rest of her game in addition to scoring.Perhaps this is a good research topic: How does the evaluation of WNBA players differ from what we see in the NBA? Do WNBA players have the same incentive to focus on scoring totals?
By the way, I hope for more posts like this one, which was less than 300 words. Yesterday’s post on Chris Paul was nearly 1,400 words, which is way too long. Basically, the more I write, the higher my costs in time and effort. And the more I write, the fewer comments – and I assume readers – I see. So basically, when I post 1,400 words I am behaving irrationally (raising my costs and lowering my benefits). Such behavior might also be a good subject for future research.
– DJ
Wages of Wins Journal 
Will
May 31, 2007
Too short.
dberri
May 31, 2007
Will,
The short post is probably something I will never be good at. Tomorrow will be a longer post (assuming I do some writing tonight) on Kobe Bryant’s demand to be traded.
Jeremy
May 31, 2007
I like digging into the meatier (longer) ones, but it’s probably true that you’re going to get fewer people following the whole argument and commenting on topic.
dberri
May 31, 2007
Jeremy,
Thanks for the comment back at WoW Anniversary.
I really should treat these posts like newspaper columns. 800-1,000 words are the limit. Once I hit that limit, the post should end. Other thoughts should be saved for another day.
If you looked at The Wages of Wins you saw 60 pages of end notes (which were almost entirely ignored). These end notes are all “other thoughts.” Maybe I could get an end note feature added to the blog.
nick
May 31, 2007
i love reading your long articles, keep them going!
Loanshub
June 1, 2007
You articles are really good. If I see anything uneasy i will definitely let you know.
Steve Walters
June 1, 2007
Speaking of scoring, how ’bout that LeBron? He had a pretty good night, didn’t he?
That performance, by the way, suggests another reason why there’s so much competitive imbalance in hoops. More than in any other sport, the possession of a single elite player gives your team a chance to win, since you can funnel up to 100% of your offense through that superstar. (Which is pretty much what happened toward the end–a good strategy, given the Pistons’ failure to respond defensively.)