Lynx: Brunson rated early favorite in MVP race

Every week wnba.com rates the top 10 candidates for MVP.

Last week Rebekkah Brunson was rated No. 6, but she has climbed to No. 1 this week. Her is the blub on her:

There's no better candidate for the No. 1 spot than Minnesota's Rebekkah Brunson. The Lynx's 3-1 start is proof that there's more than one weapon to work with on this roster, but Brunson's four straight double-doubles to open up the season remains a solid piece that teams will have to contend with if they're looking to get one up on Minny.

Brunson is averaging 14.8 points and a league-high 14 rebounds per game.

The 6-2 forward will chat with WNBA fans from 2 to 2:15 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN's SportsNation

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/38939/wnba-rebekkah-brunson Teammate Maya Moore, a rookie, dropped from No. 8 to 10. Her blurb:

Maya Moore didn't have the hottest game of her young career against Tulsa last Tuesday night, but she bounced back from that 2-for-10 shooting performance to drop 14 points on Seattle two nights later. Her accuracy was on that night as she hit 7-of-10 shots and also hauled in six rebounds. At times it's easy to forget that she's only four games into her rookie year.

Seimone Augustus is the only other Lynx player ever rated No. 1 in the MVP race -- and that was two and three years ago. A look at Lynx players in those ratings this season and the past four:

2007 – Augustus was #9 in weeks 1 and 6 #8 in week 7 2008 – Augustus was #8 in weeks 2 and 8 #1 in weeks 3 and 4 #3 in weeks 5, 6 and 12 #7 in week 7 and 9 #5 in weeks 10 and 11 #9 in week 132009 – Augustus was #1 in weeks 1 and 2, #6 in week 3 Wiggins was #5 in week 4 Anosike was #5 in week 5, #9 in weeks 7 and 8, #10 in week 102010 – Houston was #9 in weeks 1 and 2 Brunson was #9 in week 6 Augustus was #10 in weeks 6 and 13 Brunson was #10 in week 72011 – Brunson was #6 in week 1, #1 in week 2 Moore was #8 in week 1, #10 in week 2LYNX SCRIMMAGE

Nine of the Lynx players scrimmaged Tuesday against a team of young male players who appeared to be in their 20s at the Lifetime Fitness Center, the WNBA team's usual practice facility.

Rebekkah Brunson and Taj McWilliams-Franklin did not take part in the scrimmage. Both were getting a little extra rest at the start of a long season, a Lynx spokesperson said.

ATLANTA'S LYTTLE GONE

She will join Spain's national team for the 2011 Eurobasket, short for the European Women's Basketball Championships. They will be held from June 18 to July 3 in Poland. The champion gets a berth in the 2012 Olympics. The teams that finish fifth through second will get spots in an Olympic qualifying tournament.