2025 WNBA Regular Season

[TRest]

Sky announced during the game she is ruled out with back injury. But she was not on any pre-game injury report and the Sky coach said before the game he expected her to play. 10-1 she’s refusing to play. Don’t even see her on the bench.

She claimed a back injury after playing in the all star game. Twitter believes there is a market for her services. I don’t.

 

[GamecockFam]

Sky announced during the game she is ruled out with back injury. But she was not on any pre-game injury report and the Sky coach said before the game he expected her to play. 10-1 she’s refusing to play. Don’t even see her on the bench.

She was on the bench with a back brace on, though I tend to agree with your assessment. She showed absolutely zero emotion and looks like she got her nails done -- something I wouldn't expect from a player who is expecting to play anytime soon. It is pretty obvious that she has mentally checked out

 

[JstVisiting]

Sky announced during the game she is ruled out with back injury. But she was not on any pre-game injury report and the Sky coach said before the game he expected her to play. 10-1 she’s refusing to play. Don’t even see her on the bench.

Hailey Van Lith, as everyone around her reacts to the Angel Reese chaos.

 

[Baller29]

 

[JstVisiting]

If the A’jas win these last two, need to really appreciate what they did to move to 2nd regardless of what happens in the postseason.

Neither Atlanta nor Phoenix has made it easy for them. Atlanta has won 13 of 16, with 2 of the losses to Las Vegas. Phoenix is 11-4, with 2 losses to LV and one to Atlanta.

Either franchise would have likely assumed on August 1 such a pace would be enough to have already wrapped up the 2 seed.

 

[nwhoopfan]

LA for once wins comfortably against Dallas...while most of their starters had a subpar game? Allemand to the rescue w/ 21 points on perfect shooting. 8-8 from the floor, 3-3 behind the arc, 2-2 from the charity stripe. And 5 steals.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Sky announced during the game she is ruled out with back injury. But she was not on any pre-game injury report and the Sky coach said before the game he expected her to play. 10-1 she’s refusing to play. Don’t even see her on the bench.

If that's the case, respectfully, she's not good enough to warrant the drama. It would absolutely pain me to think of her in a Valkyries jersey. Our team has such great chemistry and is so bought into "family shots" that I'd gladly pass up a potential upgrade in talent and miss out on two or three dozen ultimately meaningless double doubles.

 

[Geew1992]

She claimed a back injury after playing in the all star game. Twitter believes there is a market for her services. I don’t.

I’d put money on her services being wanted by numerous teams

 

[GamecockFam]

I’d put money on her services being wanted by numerous teams

How she has handled her issues with the Sky has probably tempered some desires for her services. With that said, it's fairly hard to predict what teams will look like next season since everyone is basically a free agent. I assume teams will be going for bigger fish, and taking Reece as a consolation when other options fail. Of the teams with rookie bigs on contract, I doubt the Sparks, Mystic, or Fever will be looking.

If we're just doing a mental exercise looking at current rosters, the Wings, Aces, and Sun would probably be the only teams with a gap she could get plugged into.

 

[TheFarmFan]

How she has handled her issues with the Sky has probably tempered some desires for her services. With that said, it's fairly hard to predict what teams will look like next season since everyone is basically a free agent. I assume teams will be going for bigger fish, and taking Reece as a consolation when other options fail. Of the teams with rookie bigs on contract, I doubt the Sparks, Mystic, or Fever will be looking.

If we're just doing a mental exercise looking at current rosters, the Wings, Aces, and Sun would probably be the only teams with a gap she could get plugged into.

Ironically we have no true big who'd be under contract next season (Ja at 6'2" and Illy at 6'4" are on reserved player contracts, which means if we protect them we can be sure to get them back, but Ja plays more like a 4 and Illy more like a "stretch 3/4" on offense.), so we could use a true big who boards and posts up. That said, that drama that would come with Reese wouldn't be worth it for me. Team unity has always got to come first, and that requires more humility than I think Reese is capable of at this stage.

 

[JstVisiting]

I’d put money on her services being wanted by numerous teams

The problem is she’s probably not an All Star on a winning team, but it’s fair to assume she’d expect to be treated like one, and she just threw her teammates under the bus on a losing team.

 

[bballnut90]

The problem is she’s probably not an All Star on a winning team, but it’s fair to assume she’d expect to be treated like one, and she just threw her teammates under the bus on a losing team.

Reese is a lot of things but she's never been a selfish player on the court. I don't think she'd have any problem being a 3rd or 4th option offensively if it means her team is winning. It's clear there are chemistry issues in Chicago right now, but you add her to any team and she immediately makes them better. The intangibles she brings to the table (motor, rebounding, aggressive defense, toughness) aren't flashy but they're incredible important. She also has improved significantly from year 1 to year 2 and has a high ceiling if she can develop a mid range or perimeter shot. She'll be one of the more coveted players this offseason if she's on the trading block.

 

[visitingcock]

Reese is a lot of things but she's never been a selfish player on the court. I don't think she'd have any problem being a 3rd or 4th option offensively if it means her team is winning. It's clear there are chemistry issues in Chicago right now, but you add her to any team and she immediately makes them better. The intangibles she brings to the table (motor, rebounding, aggressive defense, toughness) aren't flashy but they're incredible important. She also has improved significantly from year 1 to year 2 and has a high ceiling if she can develop a mid range or perimeter shot. She'll be one of the more coveted players this offseason if she's on the trading block.

I would expect the Sky to trade Kamilla before her.

 

[bballnut90]

I would expect the Sky to trade Kamilla before her.

Agreed. Kamilla feels like a sleeping giant. Once it clicks for her she could be a 15/10 player every night. Curious to see if her career path goes more in the mold of Sylvia Fowles or if it trails off like Teaira McCowan. A new team with a coach that pushes her could get her to new heights

 

[Geew1992]

The problem is she’s probably not an All Star on a winning team, but it’s fair to assume she’d expect to be treated like one, and she just threw her teammates under the bus on a losing team.

Well... both Syl and EDD demanded trades, other players have said they would never go back there to play. Did Angel really throw them under the bus?? And if I was the GM, Sloot would most def be coming off the bench.

 

[cancontent]

Well... both Syl and EDD demanded trades, other players have said they would never go back there to play. Did Angel really throw them under the bus?? And if I was the GM, Sloot would most def be coming off the bench.

Your point about Chicago's front office is one I haven't seen brought up as part of this discussion. The front office track record isn't great. It feels like nothing has improved for almost a decade, if not longer. Some of the cultural issues within the team stems from their decisions (or lack of decisions) has to fall at their feet.

With respect to your question about Angel throwing the team under the bus? My answer is yes and no. Yes - regarding what she said publicly about her team mates. That could have been framed better and she has access to media training supports to help with her messaging No - with how players in the league view the team Sky based on the WNBA player polls that are done every year, it wouldn't surprise me that team morale internally being low.

I'm not of the belief that WNBA teams would not be interested in Reese if she was available via trade. It's too soon to write her off considering this is her second season. This is the only known example of Reese being a problem in the locker room that we are aware of, in my opinion. If there was a history, say similar to Liz Cambage when she was in the league, then it may be a different situation.

 

[cancontent]

 

[baggerbob]

Your point about Chicago's front office is one I haven't seen brought up as part of this discussion. The front office track record isn't great. It feels like nothing has improved for almost a decade, if not longer. Some of the cultural issues within the team stems from their decisions (or lack of decisions) has to fall at their feet.

With respect to your question about Angel throwing the team under the bus? My answer is yes and no. Yes - regarding what she said publicly about her team mates. That could have been framed better and she has access to media training supports to help with her messaging No - with how players in the league view the team Sky based on the WNBA player polls that are done every year, it wouldn't surprise me that team morale internally being low.

I'm not of the belief that WNBA teams would not be interested in Reese if she was available via trade. It's too soon to write her off considering this is her second season. This is the only known example of Reese being a problem in the locker room that we are aware of, in my opinion. If there was a history, say similar to Liz Cambage when she was in the league, then it may be a different situation.

Actually the league would be smart to move the franchise to Houston. It's a bad franchise and the ownership needs to change. Unless someone else steps in to buy the franchise the league needs to do something.

 

[cancontent]

Actually the league would be smart to move the franchise to Houston. It's a bad franchise and the ownership needs to change. Unless someone else steps in to buy the franchise the league needs to do something.

Interesting. While the nostalgia of bringing a team back to Houston is intriguing, your idea about the team being sold to new owners in Chicago may make more sense.

The team's investment in the practice facility opening next year, could be an attractive item because it's necessary to compete with other teams. Moving the team to Houston would likely require a new practice facility which could be seen as a prohibitive cost in addition to relocating the entire organization.

 

[Geew1992]

Actually the league would be smart to move the franchise to Houston. It's a bad franchise and the ownership needs to change. Unless someone else steps in to buy the franchise the league needs to do something.

If they sell it to the buyers in Houston that want to buy the suns, they’re going to have the same problem that happened in Atlanta

 

[azfan]

Sky announced during the game she is ruled out with back injury. But she was not on any pre-game injury report and the Sky coach said before the game he expected her to play. 10-1 she’s refusing to play. Don’t even see her on the bench.

Drama queen

 

[azfan]

said, that drama that would come with Reese wouldn't be worth it for me. Team unity has always got to come first, and that requires more humility than I think Reese is capable of at this stage.

Ahhhh ... The saga continues with Bayou Barbie. Outsized talent with a larger ego...... I think the real assessment would be would any real coach wanr her on the roster? I'm specifically thinking of Becky coaching a team that would certainly benefit from the type of play Bayou Barbie brings. I would think that it would be a hard pass for Becky but often potential overrides, common sense in sports and in life

 

[azfan]

Some of the cultural issues within the team stems from their decisions (or lack of decisions) has to fall at their feet.

t wouldn't surprise me that team morale internally being low.

This is the only known example of Reese being a problem in the locker room that we are aware of, in my opinion. If there was a history, say similar to Liz Cambage when she was in the league, then it may be a different situation.

I'm not sure Angel has ever been in a program in which she's had a strong coach and support system to help understand and internalize the type of culture necessary I think to be successful, be a good teammate, and representative for the W.

While it's easy to do it's instructive to compare Angel with Paige, Boston, or Lexi Hall who all came out of programs in which there was an emphasis on these important elements of culture and character