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Message: [QUOTE="PacoSwede, post: 4207546, member: 120"] first off, we don't know if paige, when she gets back this year, will be approximating the paige of last year. i suppose it's possible, considering it's paige, but that's a [B]big[/B] ask. i'd encourage lowering expectations for now. second, it will entirely change the dynamics of the team. maybe it will provide the tremendous lift we seem to assume ... but in the short haul, maybe not. it was obvious paige was the heart of the team all last year and into this. now, the team has learned to operate at a high level without her, to everyone's benefit. the problem. i fear, is that some of the team's dependence on paige will re-emerge. it seems like caroline, due to her apparent self-confidence, and nika, because she's clearly accepted her role and her play was never dependent on paige, may be immune. but will azzi become even less aggressive? already she's shown reluctance to be as assertive as she should be. with paige there to carry the load, will she defer even more, to the team's detriment? how about evina and christyn? will they increase their tendency to go into a shell offensively, as they have done at times in the past -- but are overcoming now, it seems. we just don't know how adding a dominant, superior player of the year with so little time to adjust will affect things. paige is plainly a plus. i hope her shadow on the court does not cause others to lose their edge. [/QUOTE]