2024 WNBA Season: Part 2 (August ---) | Page 22 | The Boneyard

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

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Dillon77 said:
You're right about that Mystic bench in the 90-86 win over Dallas.
  • Emily Engstler with a double-double: a career-high 19 pts. and 10 rebounds
  • Julie Vanloo and Shartori Walker-Kimbroigh with 11 each
  • Karlie Samuelson with 8
  • Jade Melbourne with 5

By contrast, the Wings bench had 13 points, 10 by Kalani Brown.

With expansion, who knows if some of these players will be chosen, but Engstler will/would look good for a number of teams, as would all the others.
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I have been a huge fan of Emily Engstler's since Day One! Way to go, Emily!! I wish that Minnesota would have figured out a way to hold on to her.
 
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LA is so hard to figure. They've had a bad season by every measurable metric. But they've beaten New York and Las Vegas, seem to play the Aces tough every game. Indiana just can't shake them tonight.
 
Clark needed 1 more rebound for a triple double, got it inside 10 seconds left. 24/10/10. Boston with her biggest offensive output in a while, 24 pts/14 reb. Like I said, LA wouldn't go away but Indiana held on.
 
The Fever are legitimately playing like a top-4 team in the league right now. At this point I won’t be at all surprised if they make it into the semis of the playoffs. If they beat the Lynx on Friday I’ll be totally sold.

Next week’s homestand with Vegas should be very interesting. I don’t see the Aces getting out of Indiana 2-0.
 
I wonder if Dan Patrick has reached out to Geno for a follow-up interview. Fever have transformed into one of the more entertaining products in sports right now, helps that they're on some type of national platform every night but I can't miss a game.
 
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azfan said:
Nate Tibbet'ts agent should be enshrined in the Bobby Bonilla Sports Agent Hall of Fame.

frontofficesports.com

The Highest-Paid WNBA Coaches in 2026

Nate Tibbetts and Becky Hammon are reportedly among the highest-paid WNBA coaches due to their current contracts with the Mercury and Aces.
frontofficesports.com frontofficesports.com

The Mercury head coach earns

Twice the salary of SB in New York

$300,000 more than Cheryl Reeves

And more than Becky Hammon

For this league leading coaching salary Merc fans have received

1. A team that set the record for technical fouls

2. A team that's at .500

3. In addition to being number one in the w in technical fouls the Mercury are 10th in rebounding and 11th in assists.

All this for only a million dollars! I do wonder how Minnesota was able to sign a coach like Cheryl Reeves for $700,000....... Inquiring minds want to know.

ESPN's Voepel. states the obvious

"The Mercury could have made a statement last week but didn't. Instead, they lost three games at home: to New York, Minnesota and Las Vegas. Phoenix has stockpiled enough victories that the playoffs seem nearly certain, but Mercury are just not playing well now."

www.espn.com

WNBA Power Rankings: Indiana jumps defending champs Las Vegas

The Fever came off the break on a mission and are now above .500 and climbing our rankings.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Actually the Mercury did make a statement last week that just like Celeste Taylor they're mediocre, a mediocre team led by a mediocre (and overpaid) coach that lacks both professionalism and more importantly a culture of accountability.
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To me the important thing is that he makes the salary cap. How many coaches in other sports make as much as the whole team?
 
Hats off to Indiana Fever. 5 game winning streak. Last 10 games, 8-2. They join New York and Minnesota with that same mark over the last 10 games. They are playing some pretty solid basketball. Hopefully my Minnesota squad shows up and Friday and handle business against Indiana.
 
There’s an outside chance CC reaches the league career mark for 20-10 assist games in her rookie year.

Career leader is Vandersloot with 10. Somebody named Torrosy or something has 9. CC has 7.
 
azfan said:
All current and aspiring coaches should be big fans of the million dollar coach. If his resume and current performance sets the standard for a million dollar annual salary then competent coaches and those coaches with above 500 records would certainly be entitled to a million dollars plus one.

And then what about outstanding coaches they might earn a salary of a million dollars plus two.

We see you Noelle Quinn. And LT in Dallas who certainly has committed to the women's game over the past 20 years and has her team winging in the right direction. And how about that younger coach in Indianapolis. Every single coach in the w is a big fan of the Nate Meister, or more specifically the salary that he receives. I'm not certain that he earns his salary but he certainly does cash those checks.

I understand the million dollar coach will be conducting seminars on the technical foul it's use and how to support it.

For those who admire mediocrity Celeste Taylor is certainly a feel-good story. As a starter in 33 minutes in addition to her five turnovers and one for six shooting (0-3 from three land) Taylor embraced the million dollar coach's defensive philosophy as she joined with her mates in holding Ryan Howard to 31 points. She had twice as many personal fouls as assists and were it not for Cloud's suspension and the inept roster management would have not had more than her typical half dozen minutes on the court. The closest comp I could find for Celeste was the Sun's Harris. Harris in 32 minutes was also one for six although she did have seven assists to offset her 3 fouls. Opposing guards Skylar Diggins and Jewel Lloyd both had less than 20 points on a combined 12-30 shooting. Objectively Taylor had the worst performance of any starting guard.
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Oye. Sure her numbers weren't great but she's far from mediocre. Taylor needs an opportunity to be with a team for longer than a 7 day contract. People thought the same of Carleton when she was cut by the Sun and she found success with the Lynx, having her best season. Engstler has bounced around for the last 3 seasons and looks to be gaining traction this season. That doesn't take away from the fact she's trying the make the best of her opportunities which is what I wanted to give her credit for.
 
cancontent said:
Oye. Sure her numbers weren't great but she's far from mediocre. Taylor needs an opportunity to be with a team for longer than a 7 day contract. People thought the same of Carleton when she was cut by the Sun and she found success with the Lynx, having her best season. Engstler has bounced around for the last 3 seasons and looks to be gaining traction this season. That doesn't take away from the fact she's trying the make the best of her opportunities which is what I wanted to give her credit for.
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Hum ...... I'm trying to think of a guard currently in the w who's worse than Taylor. Help me out here. By definition if you're the worst at your job mediocre might well be a kind description.


I compared Taylor's game to that of Harris. Which one would you take? More to the point which guard would a general manager take. That might be the process I'd use to determine how far below average Taylor is as a guard in the current W. Which guard currently on a W roster would a competent general manager take Taylor over? The only guard I can think of I would take over Taylor is Osborne also on the Mercury roster and she's injured.

There may very well be a reason she's bounced around so much. There are a plethora of outstanding guards who are not playing in the league.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Seattle got a much needed win. The Sun aren't exactly on a roll as the playoffs are approaching.


Meanwhile, the Mystics bench is tearing Dallas apart. 50 points combined.
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It's useful to keep in mind that Dallas has the worst scoring defense in the league giving up 90 point a game. So before going overboard with the Mystics and their bench remember that everybody scores a lot in tearing Dallas apart .
 
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Bigboote said:
To me the important thing is that he makes the salary cap. How many coaches in other sports make as much as the whole team?
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And........ I'm confident Kristi Toliver could do better than 500 at 1/3 the salary that the Nate Meister is pulling down.
 
JellyBean said:
I have been a huge fan of Emily Engstler's since Day One! Way to go, Emily!! I wish that Minnesota would have figured out a way to hold on to her.
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Engstler should be licking her chops about the game this evening at Footprint arena. Against the lackadaisical Mercury defense she could have career numbers.

In fact look for that vaunted bench offense to tear apart Phoenix.

Cloud's back in the lineup so wondering at the number of t's to Mercury will accumulate tonight. 40 for the season is in sight, if not in reach
 
azfan said:
Hum ...... I'm trying to think of a guard currently in the w who's worse than Taylor. Help me out here. By definition if you're the worst at your job mediocre might well be a kind description.


I compared Taylor's game to that of Harris. Which one would you take? More to the point which guard would a general manager take. That might be the process I'd use to determine how far below average Taylor is as a guard in the current W. Which guard currently on a W roster would a competent general manager take Taylor over? The only guard I can think of I would take over Taylor is Osborne also on the Mercury roster and she's injured.

There may very well be a reason she's bounced around so much. There are a plethora of outstanding guards who are not playing in the league.
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She's a rookie in a league that has a limited number of spots. It's a common thing due to the situation in the WNBA unfortunately. Like the examples of Carleton and Engstler, were they mediocre when they were cut by their respective teams in their first and second years respectively? I think they were unfortunate cuts by their teams due to strategy and long term planning.

And considering the drafting history of Indiana in recent years, it wasn't the best situation for her from the start. I'm not rushing to judgement and assuming she's mediocre while she's doing what she can go stick with a team this season. Hopefully things work out for her and she makes the best of her current situation.
 
azfan said:
All current and aspiring coaches should be big fans of the million dollar coach. If his resume and current performance sets the standard for a million dollar annual salary then competent coaches and those coaches with above 500 records would certainly be entitled to a million dollars plus one.

And then what about outstanding coaches they might earn a salary of a million dollars plus two.

We see you Noelle Quinn. And LT in Dallas who certainly has committed to the women's game over the past 20 years and has her team winging in the right direction. And how about that younger coach in Indianapolis. Every single coach in the w is a big fan of the Nate Meister, or more specifically the salary that he receives. I'm not certain that he earns his salary but he certainly does cash those checks.

I understand the million dollar coach will be conducting seminars on the technical foul it's use and how to support it.

For those who admire mediocrity Celeste Taylor is certainly a feel-good story. As a starter in 33 minutes in addition to her five turnovers and one for six shooting (0-3 from three land) Taylor embraced the million dollar coach's defensive philosophy as she joined with her mates in holding Ryan Howard to 31 points. She had twice as many personal fouls as assists and were it not for Cloud's suspension and the inept roster management would have not had more than her typical half dozen minutes on the court. The closest comp I could find for Celeste was the Sun's Harris. Harris in 32 minutes was also one for six although she did have seven assists to offset her 3 fouls. Opposing guards Skylar Diggins and Jewel Lloyd both had less than 20 points on a combined 12-30 shooting. Objectively Taylor had the worst performance of any starting guard.
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I hope if anything this pushes the league and owners to recognize that coaches in the WNBA should absolutely have relevant coaching experience or league experience. Plucking an NBA assistant with zero experience coaching in the WNBA, zero experience coaching women in general, and minimal head coaching experience should not be gifted a WNBA head coaching job, let alone one where youre the highest paid coach in the league. I applaud the Mercury owners for investing a lot in their team, but pick a better coach who is actually qualified.
 
azfan said:
It's useful to keep in mind that Dallas has the worst scoring defense in the league giving up 90 point a game. So before going overboard with the Mystics and their bench remember that everybody scores a lot in tearing Dallas apart .
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50 points from the bench is a lot, I don't care who you are playing. Washington's starters scored 40.
 
bballnut90 said:
I hope if anything this pushes the league and owners to recognize that coaches in the WNBA should absolutely have relevant coaching experience or league experience. Plucking an NBA assistant with zero experience coaching in the WNBA, zero experience coaching women in general, and minimal head coaching experience should not be gifted a WNBA head coaching job, let alone one where youre the highest paid coach in the league. I applaud the Mercury owners for investing a lot in their team, but pick a better coach who is actually qualified.
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The bolded portion of your post is an amazingly accurate description of Mike Thibault when the Sun hired him in 2003. That worked out OK, and he has done pretty well in the WNBA.
 
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JoePgh said:
The bolded portion of your post is an amazingly accurate description of Mike Thibault when the Sun hired him in 2003. That worked out OK, and he has done pretty well in the WNBA.
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Over the 21 years since, a number of very, very talented female coaches have developed.

To misquote Loophole Lloyd Bentson to Nate Tibbetts- I knew Mike Thibault, I coached with Mike Thibault, you Nate are no Mike.
 
nwhoopfan said:
50 points from the bench is a lot, I don't care who you are playing. Washington's starters scored 40.
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Even when you are playing the porous Dallas wing non defense!

The bench also played 92 minutes as the starters got tired from shooting wide open jumpers.
 
GoChips20 said:
The Fever are legitimately playing like a top-4 team in the league right now. At this point I won’t be at all surprised if they make it into the semis of the playoffs. If they beat the Lynx on Friday I’ll be totally sold.

Next week’s homestand with Vegas should be very interesting. I don’t see the Aces getting out of Indiana 2-0.
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My initial goal for the Fever was to make the playoffs. Goal #2 was to finish over .500.

Both look doable.

Dare I hope they could win a series in the playoffs?

They weren’t as bad as their record last year, they just couldn’t closed out wins in the fourth quarter with just Kelsey and Aliya as scoring options. The addition of Caitlin ( and the Olympic break) has pushed them into being a decent closer team.
 
visitingcock said:
My initial goal for the Fever was to make the playoffs. Goal #2 was to finish over .500.

Both look doable.

Dare I hope they could win a series in the playoffs?

They weren’t as bad as their record last year, they just couldn’t closed out wins in the fourth quarter with just Kelsey and Aliya as scoring options. The addition of Caitlin ( and the Olympic break) has pushed them into being a decent closer team.
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I thought I saw something saying this will be the first playoff appearance for all their players, but that can't possibly be correct. All 5 starters though? Dantas must've been in the playoffs w/ Minnesota, KLS somewhere along the line, maybe Wheeler?
 
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With the 6/7 spots clinch, who gets the last playoff spot? Chicago ? Atlanta? Dallas?
 
JoePgh said:
The bolded portion of your post is an amazingly accurate description of Mike Thibault when the Sun hired him in 2003. That worked out OK, and he has done pretty well in the WNBA.
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21 years later and the landscape is vastly different. He also didn’t get the league’s top salary from day 1 either
 
You would probably think w/ Stewie and Ionescu shooting a combined 7-28 New York would be in big trouble. You would be wrong.
 
visitingcock said:
With the 6/7 spots clinch, who gets the last playoff spot? Chicago ? Atlanta? Dallas?
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It’s an interesting predicament because with Sabally back, Dallas is probably the most talented and dangerous team, but they have the most ground to make up and there’s just not a lot of time left.

I know tanking goes against T-Spoon’s DNA but realistically there’s no incentive for Chicago to stumble into the playoffs. They’d be bounced in round one and they could really benefit from a shot at the Bueckers sweepstakes.

With the way they’ve been playing with Canada back I’m guessing it’ll be Atlanta.
 
What's up with Chennedy Carter? I think I saw a hospital room in a social media pic.
 
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