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Message: [QUOTE="Shades, post: 2486419, member: 6101"] It's fairly common for teams to spend [I]late round[/I] picks on foreign players just so they secure their rights in perpetuity. A good Sun example is Alba Torrens, who was drafted by the Sun at #36 in 2009. She has become a prominent player overseas and still is 8 years after the draft, but she has never played in the WNBA. She cites national team obligations. In 2009, the Sun used the #9 pick to draft Astan Dabo, who has never played in the WNBA. If indeed [I]Russia is trying to regain relevance in women's basketball[/I], it would be in national team events, not the WNBA. Emphasis on national team events would mean practicing with the national team during the summer instead of playing in the WNBA. As I stated earlier, I believe Svetlana Ambrosimova, who went through the NCAA system, is the Russian who has played the most in the WNBA. She was very westernized going to UConn. How westernized is Vadeeva? Does she speak English? Does she even have an interest in playing in the WNBA? These are important questions that need to be answered before we can properly assess Vadeeva's draft position. Last year, Chicago had two first round picks, and neither of them played in the WNBA. I don't think the fans or organization were particularly happy about that. The #2 pick (Coates) was injured more severely than they may have anticipated. The #9 pick (Jankoska) got cut in camp. So I really don't think they're in the mood for gambling, especially with a high pick with very nice players that are available who they can be certain will show up. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach