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Message: [QUOTE="bballnut90, post: 5317310, member: 2117"] I like your thoughtful response, though I think you underestimate how good Arike is. Arike was a 19 ppg scorer from day 1 as a rookie at Dallas and has been their franchise player the past 6 years. James is good but I don't see her as a player like Arike who can consistently put up 20 per night with defenses designed to stop her. I think James is perfect as a spark plug off the bench, or someone who spaces the floor well and can provide instant offense, but she's not a franchise player like Arike. From games I've watched this year, I completely disagree with any takes of how Arike needs to be the alpha or has tension with Paige. The narrative seems to be mostly made up by fans who dislike Arike rather than based in reality. During games the body language between the two of them is great. Arike in particular has much better body language and on court demeanor than she's had in years past. I think she's been a perfect backcourt mate to help Paige thrive in the league. She has mentioned encouraging Paige to take more shots and as a result, Paige leads the Wings in shots per game and is taking more attempts per game than she did at UCONN last season. Last night down the stretch Paige took the majority of the shots late where in years past Arike would go into hero ball mode. It's clear they get along and like and support each other. Between the rookies and Arike they have a strong foundation to build off of. Give them a couple of years, an elite post player and a better coach and Dallas will be a major force. [MEDIA=twitter]1950227789275414978[/MEDIA] [MEDIA=twitter]1950030734217138428[/MEDIA] [/QUOTE]

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