2024 WNBA Season: Part 2 (August ---) | Page 3 | The Boneyard

2024 WNBA Season: Part 2 (August ---)

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Was nice to see Austin, Sykes and Samuelson back on the court for Washington. This team hasn't had their full roster for most of the season if my recollection is correct.

Looking forward to seeing what Dallas looks like with Sabally returning. Granted having to do that against Connecticut isn't ideal but it is what it is.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Oops, I should add that Carter didn't play for Chicago tonight.
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Yup...think that had something to do with it, as well. ;)
However, I do think Carter is going to find doubles coming to her early and often now that Mabrey is gone.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Weren't they together briefly in LA? I could be wrong.
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@MilfordHusky @canconte
nt

Yes, Karlie and Lou were together briefly at LA.

BTW, Richard Cohen of HerHoopsStats has some proposed trades as well and he, too, has Karlie and KLS together...but in Indiana:

Indiana Fever trade Lexie Hull and Grace Berger to the Washington Mystics for Karlie Samuelson​


Not sure the Mystics would want Berger given how they also have VanLoo and Melbourne.
 
Dillon77 said:
@MilfordHusky @canconte
nt

Yes, Karlie and Lou were together briefly at LA.

BTW, Richard Cohen of HerHoopsStats has some proposed trades as well and he, too, has Karlie and KLS together...but in Indiana:

Indiana Fever trade Lexie Hull and Grace Berger to the Washington Mystics for Karlie Samuelson​


Not sure the Mystics would want Berger given how they also have VanLoo and Melbourne.
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Seems like the media pundits are all in on a Samuelson sister reunion.
 
Dillon77 said:
@MilfordHusky @canconte
nt

Yes, Karlie and Lou were together briefly at LA.

BTW, Richard Cohen of HerHoopsStats has some proposed trades as well and he, too, has Karlie and KLS together...but in Indiana:

Indiana Fever trade Lexie Hull and Grace Berger to the Washington Mystics for Karlie Samuelson​


Not sure the Mystics would want Berger given how they also have VanLoo and Melbourne.
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Briefly at LA in 2022, briefly at Seattle in 2021. Although KLS was on the roster with Karlie in 2023, she did not play due to pregnancy.

KLS and Karlie started together for two years for Avenida in Spain and EuroLeague and had a considerable amount of success
 
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The Next caught up with Marina Mabrey prior to her debut with The Sun vs. Dallas tonight.
I thought UConn and ND fans alike would find this quote interesting.

" (Marina) Mabrey loves the culture that Connecticut fans create when it comes to women’s basketball, despite her playing in college for Notre Dame, one of UConn’s oldest and biggest rivals.
“The fans are super loyal. Like, they’re always there. They’re like die-hard 'bleed blue,'” Mabrey said. “It’s great for the sport, and I think that rivalry and that kind of competitiveness propel the sport. It makes people show up. So if they want to make a rival out of Notre Dame or whatever, that’s great. Let’s do it.
“I’m really excited to be here,” she said. “I’m here to win a championship and help this team get exactly where they’ve been working towards getting to these past couple years,” Mabrey said. “I know I’m a little bit late to the party, but better late than never. I’m just gonna bring my fire and my flair.”
 
Dillon77 said:
The Next caught up with Marina Mabrey prior to her debut with The Sun vs. Dallas tonight.
I thought UConn and ND fans alike would find this quote interesting.

" (Marina) Mabrey loves the culture that Connecticut fans create when it comes to women’s basketball, despite her playing in college for Notre Dame, one of UConn’s oldest and biggest rivals.
“The fans are super loyal. Like, they’re always there. They’re like die-hard 'bleed blue,'” Mabrey said. “It’s great for the sport, and I think that rivalry and that kind of competitiveness propel the sport. It makes people show up. So if they want to make a rival out of Notre Dame or whatever, that’s great. Let’s do it.
“I’m really excited to be here,” she said. “I’m here to win a championship and help this team get exactly where they’ve been working towards getting to these past couple years,” Mabrey said. “I know I’m a little bit late to the party, but better late than never. I’m just gonna bring my fire and my flair.”
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With the Suns' roster, she's gonna fit in just fine.
 
cancontent said:


Getting flashbacks of "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?", with the number of moves that has happened to Taylor this year.
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Yeah, she played 17 minutes for the Mercury last night, so I found this surprising.
 
Bigboote said:
Yeah, she played 17 minutes for the Mercury last night, so I found this surprising.
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My comment was more about the number of teams she's been associated with in her rookie season, however someone provided an explanation.

Taylor was on a 7-day contract with Phoenix that ended with yesterday's game. Connecticut signing her is legal as she's a free agent, if that's the correct term to use here.
 
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cancontent said:
My comment was more about the number of teams she's been associated with in her rookie season, however someone provided an explanation.

Taylor was on a 7-day contract with Phoenix that ended with yesterday's game. Connecticut signing her is legal as she's a free agent, if that's the correct term to use here.
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Here's the explanation I was referring to.

 
A 15 - 2 open propelled the Mercury to what I thought was a surprisingly easy win over the Sky. Tonight's game against Indiana will reveal a lot about both teams.

What was not surprising were the three t's the million dollar coach's team picked up in the game. Sophie Cunningham as part of a double technical, Copper for kicking the ball and of course the all time leader picked one up for really no apparent reason other than she's the all time leader.

This back to back road game will indicate to what extent the Mercury have addressed whatever issues are the foundation for their poor road performance. I think the pressure is squarely on CC and her mates to take care of business at home. The million dollar coach has an extremely short roster with all of his starters over 30 minutes last night. I'll be surprised if DT can muster 30 plus minutes and with Taylor headed back east I've got to wonder where the minutes are going to come from

Wondering if the GOAT can go back to back with Ts in limited minutes tonight. Indiana guards are licking their chops at the prospect of a tired DT on the defensive end of the court.

The calls for coaching change will certain escalate (understandably) if the Fever don't win at home tonight.

Edit-with Odyssey Sims available and the holes the million dollar new coach needs to fill in the roster it's a clear indication of the incompetence of the entire organization and management in roster construction and salary allocation that the Mer's hands really appear to be tied.
 
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I assume Taylor was only signed by the Mercury b/c she was an available body near Indianapolis (she'd recently been cut). The Mercury had a pretty bad injury situation before that game.
 
And....4:42 into the game DT gets ted up!

Edit-7 minutes left in the game there it is BG makes it three t's for the second consecutive game.
 
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Indiana-Phoenix was quite an entertaining game to watch. Clark was at her best with 29 points and 10 assists on 50% shooting. After the brutal start where Indy played 11 games in 20 days and went 2-9, her averages in the last 16 games (10-6 record) are:

18.9 points, 9.6 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.7 A/TO with shooting splits of 44.4/35.0/88.9.

It's pretty cut and dry that she's the best PG in the league right now which is remarkable for a rookie. So much for the speculation that she'd struggle this year. I could see Indiana as a legitimate title threat next year if they pick up a big name vet in free agency to pair with Clark/Boston. There's lots of speculation that Nalyssa Smith/Kelsey Mitchell will not be back.

Speaking of Kelsey Mitchell, she was great tonight. Indiana looked terrific aside from a brutal stretch where Phoenix made an insane comeback. Major props to the Mercury for battling after playing last night and having 3 starters come back from Paris earlier this week. They were down 26 in the first half and rallied to take a lead in the 3rd quarter. Really fun game highlighted by great offense and playmaking on both sides.
 
bballnut90 said:
Indiana-Phoenix was quite an entertaining game to watch. Clark was at her best with 29 points and 10 assists on 50% shooting. After the brutal start where Indy played 11 games in 20 days and went 2-9, her averages in the last 16 games (10-6 record) are:

18.9 points, 9.6 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.7 A/TO with shooting splits of 44.4/35.0/88.9.

It's pretty cut and dry that she's the best PG in the league right now which is remarkable for a rookie. So much for the speculation that she'd struggle this year. I could see Indiana as a legitimate title threat next year if they pick up a big name vet in free agency to pair with Clark/Boston. There's lots of speculation that Nalyssa Smith/Kelsey Mitchell will not be back.

Speaking of Kelsey Mitchell, she was great tonight. Indiana looked terrific aside from a brutal stretch where Phoenix made an insane comeback. Major props to the Mercury for battling after playing last night and having 3 starters come back from Paris earlier this week. They were down 26 in the first half and rallied to take a lead in the 3rd quarter. Really fun game highlighted by great offense and playmaking on both sides.
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Mitchell was recently interviewed about this and she said it would be her first time as a free agent and that she was excited to go through the process. I didn't get the impression that she was hinting at wanting to leave. I bet Indiana will do everything in their power to keep her so I doubt she leaves but there may be intangibles that make her seek a change.

The Fever need to start thinking now about keeping their star players by ensuring that Indiana has the best facilities and support staff in the league. With all the sponsorships, sell out crowds and local excitement, the Fever staff need to capitalize on it now to upgrade their facilities.
 
bballnut90 said:
Indiana-Phoenix was quite an entertaining game to watch. Clark
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Absolutely.

Especially if you love offense. The Fever did exactly what they had to do in a home game against an old tired Mercury team on the second game of a road back to back. The million dollar coach and his tired squad indicated that then when they reached deep down to play defense well there's nothing there.

Both of these teams seem to share a defensive philosophy which is we need to shoot more than you can shoot. After a solid first half the Fever seem to employ a hack a Copper defense and the million dollar coach's technical foul strategy began to bear fruit against an opponent who despises defense as much as he does.

Sunday Mercury get a rematch with the Sky as they seek to extend their triumvirate of technicals to a third straight game.

In any event I would speculate that when the playoffs begin both of these teams will be easy outs for whoever gets to play them. Given the track record of the Phoenix Mercury I'm guessing maybe they extend the million dollar coach and double his salary.

While they held Reese company to 65 on Thursday (or maybe the Sky are just that bad) the over under is the Sky should exceed that by a 20 points, particularly if Carter plays. That's an interesting mystery as well non-covid illness? Is that code for something?
 
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GamecockFam said:
Mitchell was recently interviewed about this and she said it would be her first time as a free agent and that she was excited to go through the process. I didn't get the impression that she was hinting at wanting to leave. I bet Indiana will do everything in their power to keep her so I doubt she leaves but there may be intangibles that make her seek a change.

The Fever need to start thinking now about keeping their star players by ensuring that Indiana has the best facilities and support staff in the league. With all the sponsorships, sell out crowds and local excitement, the Fever staff need to capitalize on it now to upgrade their facilities.
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Mitchell made a comment saying “good for them” in regards to Indiana hosting the 2025 ASG which has led to speculation that she’s out of Indiana after this year. She catches a lot of flack for whatever reason but I think she’s been excellent for Indiana and fills her role quite well there
 
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bballnut90 said:
Mitchell made a comment saying “good for them” in regards to Indiana hosting the 2025 ASG which has led to speculation that she’s out of Indiana after this year. She catches a lot of flack for whatever reason but I think she’s been excellent for Indiana and fills her role quite well there
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"Them" in this context could mean anything. For all we know, it was a reference to the support staff that were campaigning for the opportunity...
 
cancontent said:
Didn't watch the entire game, but I thought Mabrey fit in very well in Connecticut's system. Will be interesting to see if this trade helps Connecticut during the playoffs.
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Carrington didn't play for personal reasons, so Coach White didn't have to show her hand/make a decision on whether Mabrey starts.
As such, White and Mabrey had the benefit of playing a bunch of minutes (30) to get acclimated to the collective and individual flows of the Sun. Veronica Burton and Tyasha Harris split lots of time at the other guard spot.

BTW, it was really strange seeing Mabrey, Burton and Harris all playing on Dallas' home floor. Given Coach Trammel's alleged preference for defensive expertise, I'm still perplexed Burton was a last cut on that team. :rolleyes: Wings loss, Sun gain.
 
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Dillon77 said:
Carrington didn't play for personal reasons, so Coach White didn't have to show her hand/make a decision on whether Mabrey starts.
As such, White and Mabrey had the benefit of playing a bunch of minutes (30) to get acclimated to the collective and individual flows of the Sun. Veronic Burton and Tyasha Harris split lots of time at the other guard spot.

BTW, it was really strange seeing Mabrey, Burton and Harris all playing on Dallas' home floor. Given Coach Trammel's alleged preference for defensive expertise, I'm still perplexed she was a last cut on that team. :rolleyes: Wings loss, Sun gain.
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That's been something I've wondered myself. This has definitely worked to the benefit of Connecticut and these three players. Harris and Burton seem to be thriving there. Looking forward to seeing what Mabrey can do with this team.
 
Karlie has only played 1 minute in the Mystics/Lynx game. Anyone know whaddup?
 
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