2024 WNBA Season: Playoffs

[WBBTakeover]

This is what I see with Dearica Hamby:

• In 2024, Hamby increased her scoring averages to 17.3 points (51.2% FG, 34.1% 3PT) and added 9.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Hamby also became the Sparks’ single-season points leader, finishing the year with 691.
• That 9.2 rpg placed her fifth in the league.
• The Associated Press named her the Most Improved Player in the league. She was named to the WNBA All-Star game for the third time; the first with the Sparks. (Edit: She came in 2nd in WNBA vote, after Ms. Carrington from the Sun.)
• Outside of the W, she was an injury-addition to the U.S.A. 3x3 women's hoops team, which finished 3rd in the Olympics, winning a bronze medal. As you undoubtedly know, she took the place of her Sparks teammate, Cameron Brink, who was injured after a few games of her rookie year.
• Given how well Rickea Jackson did her rookie year, one might figure that a font line of Hamby, Jackson and Brink would give the new LA Sparks head coach something to build on.

Yet ...
You've been consistent in calling for LA to send her elsewhere.
Why? If you have some time, I'd welcome your rationale.
- BTW, she's under contract through the 2025 season, so how will that "jettison" take place? Trade? If so, any ideas.

Thanks.

Hamby is 31. She's not a superstar by any stretch. She was the "best" player on an extremely bad team (8-32). At her age and given her current mindset, she has zero value for a rebuilding team. She's simply in the way.

I've questioned her leadership acumen throughout the season. She wasn't a leader in Vegas, and I haven't heard much (maybe an anecdote here and there) about her leadership in LA. She doesn't give the impression that she even wants to be in LA (she even mentioned in one of her court filings that she sees LA as being "less prestigious" of a WNBA franchise than others), but it was convenient for her to "get hers" while the team continued to sink to the bottom. Luckily for her, she had a coach who was okay with that. It played a role in costing him his job.

I'd take a front line of Jackson, Stevens, and Brink. Li is also an option. The Sparks don't need Hamby at all. They can trade her for a much younger piece who fits the rebuilding timeline with Paige.

 

[bballnut90]

Pretty disappointing season for Seattle considering the talent they have. Lots of pieces moved around and big names brought in, only for them to be swept out of the 1st round of the playoffs. Quinn has underwhelmed as a coach there.

 

[JellyBean]

Watching the Vegas-Seattle game and it looked like Chelsea Gray is back to herself compared to when she first returned to play. Am I reading more into it than I should? I thought her play was impressive last night, especially some of those assists!

Chelsea looked like she was in rhythm and playing fluid, which is scary!

 

[JellyBean]

Atlanta played their best game of the season! They put a little fear in New York. Sabrina Ionescu. Wow!! What a game!!

 

[sivad40]

Cut off date is being born before 12/31/2003 and all were born before that date assuming what's on google is accurate

I think you're right. A player is eligible for the draft if they turn 22 the year draft is held. If I'm not mistaken, Paige Bueckers was eligible last two WNBA drafts.

 

[bballnut90]

Atlanta played their best game of the season! They put a little fear in New York. Sabrina Ionescu. Wow!! What a game!!

Heck of a game and a great fight from Atlanta. Gray/Howard were great for Atlanta but they just ran out of gas at the end.

Inserting Fiebich into the starting 5 is a championship winning move by Brondello. NY is so much more potent with her in the lineup and she's the perfect oversized wing who knocks down open looks. It also opens up Sabrina to take on a Caitlin Clark type of role as a ball dominant scorer and distributor which is where she's best IMO.

 

[bballnut90]

I think you're right. A player is eligible for the draft if they turn 22 the year draft is held. If I'm not mistaken, Paige Bueckers was eligible last two WNBA drafts.

Correct, she could've left after the 2023 season. During Paige's freshman year, there was chatter about her potentially leaving after her junior season since NIL wasn't in play and she had a massive social media following that she couldn't make money off of. Fast forward 3 years and it's amazing how much the landscape of WCBB has changed.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Watching the Vegas-Seattle game and it looked like Chelsea Gray is back to herself compared to when she first returned to play. Am I reading more into it than I should? I thought her play was impressive last night, especially some of those assists!

She's hitting some of those tough fade away jumpers she loves to take. Seems like that's been missing for the most part all season.

 

[cancontent]

Definitely thought Carrington was deserving of this award.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Did anyone catch CC in Mystic?

 

[ochoopsfan]

Definitely thought Carrington was deserving of this award.

Without a doubt Carrington "nailed" that award!

 

[cancontent]

Without a doubt Carrington "nailed" that award!

Dude, seriously?

 

[ochoopsfan]

Dude, seriously?

purple emoji is sarcasm

 

[cancontent]

purple emoji is sarcasm

The delivery needs some work

 

[nwhoopfan]

Will this be NaLyssa Smith's last game w/ the Fever? Didn't start and barely played.

Glad the Fever were competitive in this one. I didn't tune in. I've seen the Sun too many times, I just can't watch them do their thing: beat up the opponent and don't get called for any fouls. I hope Minnesota crushes them in Round 2.

 

[bballnut90]

Sun/Fever game super chippy. Some really questionable calls but Bonner/Mabrey made huge shots down the stretch. I’m not on the fire Christie Sides train but man, she is awful at end of game situations. She seems to have an aversion of running anything through Clark at the end of games and it’s cost them multiple times including tonight. They also have zero bench productivity and players were clearly gassed by the end.

Mitchell was brilliant all post-Olympic break but didn’t show up this series and killed their chances down the stretch after getting a lead late. Another sweep, hoping Phoenix can pull some magic and push at least one series to a game 3

 

[12au]

Oh well, that was a great Fever season. Should be an interesting offseason. My guess is Dunn retires, then new GM decides to give Sides one more year. Then after next season Sides is fired.

Worst case scenario is Dunn stays, fires Sides, hires another bad coach, makes another series of bad moves.

 

[cancontent]

Sun/Fever game super chippy. Some really questionable calls but Bonner/Mabrey made huge shots down the stretch. I’m not on the fire Christie Sides train but man, she is awful at end of game situations. She seems to have an aversion of running anything through Clark at the end of games and it’s cost them multiple times including tonight. They also have zero bench productivity and players were clearly gassed by the end.

Mitchell was brilliant all post-Olympic break but didn’t show up this series and killed their chances down the stretch after getting a lead late. Another sweep, hoping Phoenix can pull some magic and push at least one series to a game 3

That's putting it nicely. The officiating ruined the game for me. Took away from an entertaining battle between these teams.

 

[ninety-nine]

Mabrey really might be the missing piece for the Sun, plus the added boost of Carrington's defense. They match up well with Minnesota (and clearly Phoenix), so we might be seeing them get another shot at a title, if they can avoid mistakes and too many bad shots. Both finals matchups would be bad for Connecticut, though. I'd rather see the Liberty, I think. The Aces have that inevitability vibe now.

I'm willing to bet tickets for semifinals games at Mohegan Sun will be much cheaper than the first round was!

 

[GirlBoo1020]

I have to be honest but Steph White isn't a great coach in regards to rotations imo. The Sun swept here because Ty Harris went out and Bri Jones got injured but I don't think they sweep the Fever if White had the opportunity to play them big minutes. All season she went with them even when it wasn't working so the worst luck the Fever got was those player out because Steph couldn't keep Mabry and Ono on the bench. Good coach otherwise it seems.

 

[azfan]

Atlanta and Seattle put up a fight tonight. But we are pretty close to the four sweep scenario.

The wnba may have to discuss changing the playoff format. I am not sure about a system where half the teams don’t get a single home playoff game.

Herding cats on this playoff thread....lol

No surprises there we all expected 8-0 with the higher seeds sweeping and with the exception Minnesota having no trouble.. WNBA definitely has to re-examine this format or just go ahead and move the top four teams to semi.

The surprise was the real difficulty Minnesota experienced with the million dollar coach"s squad. Phoenix is a very poor team and in the first game the vaunted Minnesota defense was shredded for 95. In tonight's game they were able to take care of a team whose roster is an embarrassment only by the 4th No bench and yet the GOAT willed the Merc to stay with Minnesota till the 4th quarter. Minnesota did win the t battle however in a stunner

The semi round is what we expect and should be very interesting particularly the rematch of last year's championship game. New arrivals Tiffany and Leone may have a lot to say with who advances to a finals that may well be against Connecticut.

 

[azfan]

Without a doubt Carrington "nailed" that award!

Does she get a Kia. If so does she have to accept it.

 

[azfan]

Hamby is 31. She's not a superstar by any stretch. She

I'd take a front line of Jackson, Stevens, and Brink. Li is also an option. The Sparks don't need Hamby at all. They can trade her for a much younger piece who fits the rebuilding timeline with Paige.

I'm thinking of the bizarro Seinfeld episode. On our playoff threadI saw the above comment and thought are they going to just jump into the semi-final round and play three on five alternatively in Las Vegas and then Minneapolis.

 

[Stagnant]

Yeah, we got those four sweeps. Obviously, I think it was pretty predictable. The four top teams were way better than teams 5-8.

Actually, I would say I was most surprised by the mercury. They were a lot closer than I expected. (And that makes me wonder if Connecticut will beat Minnesota.)

 

[azfan]

Chelsea looked like she was in rhythm and playing fluid, which is scary!

Absolutely. This is why the Aces have been the hottest team down the stretch.