Article on Candace Parker and not playing for USA again

[JellyBean]

Man. She still on that horse?

 

[maccca3232]

If Geno was being petty or vindictive how did a player who only lasted a day on campus make the team?

 

[Reypl21]

I hate how people can say "she needs to get over it... get off of that horse." How can any of us ever know if she is or not? How cam we know if she is over it or not (via her coverage of the topic). Why should she not answer questions about it when they are asked? She is not bearing a dead horse, but only answering an asked question.

 

[mbr33ct]

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm surprised you're asking this question. It's like a major corporation offering an executive the opportunity to retire rather than have it announced that he or she has been fired. (For example, the AT&T exec who approved the contract with the president's lawyer announced his retirement the day after news of that contract became public. He's actually an acquaintance of mine; he was told he was done but was given the opportunity to "retire.") It's the same thing with USA BB. Parker didn't have the votes on the committee to make the team. Given her stature in the women's game, USA BB offered her an alternative explanation which they would not contradict. She declined which was her right to do. To quote Candace's father, USA BB "owned" its decision and felt no pressure to explain. USA BB moved on and didn't sweat or regret its decision one bit. The team won gold and played exceptional basketball, perhaps the best any USA team has every played. From all accounts, it was an exceptional experience for all involved.

This team was going to win gold with or without Candace. Two things come to mind one is the adage that often the cover up is worse than the crime. No doubt USA basketball had a tough decision to make and likewise Candace's polarity made that decision harder. The second adage is that the more principled you are in making a tough decision the easier the explanation. USA basketball made this harder than it had to be and hung Geno out to dry in the process. Candace took a bad situation and escalated to whole other level.

 

[cohenzone]

When I was visiting my son in LA 2 months ago,she was sitting across from us at a restaurant. She was smiling and failed to wear an American flag pin. Clearly a sign of trouble.

 

[meyers7]

What "other off the court stuff"?

Unwilling to play in Worlds. Her turn it on, turn it off mentality. Her attitude towards the team. Unwillingness to do whatever was needed.

For example, Cash was cut in 2008. But worked her butt off and made it back for the 2010 Worlds and 2012 Olympics. Parker was cut in 2016 and just says screw you. Not really the mentality you want on the USA team.

 

[meyers7]

This is a version ( Parker refused to play the 5) of events I have never heard before. Please tell me more or at least how you came by this information.

It was discussed quite a bit back in 2012. Jones ended up playing quite a bit against Cambage.

 

[meyers7]

Another poster mentioned it as a reason why she could’ve been snubbed. I was making the point that she’s been loyal to USA basketball over the years and showed her dedication. Not comparing the level of sacrifice she’s made to players without kids, but her dedication and loyalty wasn’t a reason why she was snubbed.

I would disagree with that.

 

[CocoHusky]

It was discussed quite a bit back in 2012. Jones ended up playing quite a bit against Cambage.

Makes sense I was a lurker here back in 2012. It was also mentioned again in 2016.
2012 and 2016 versions of Cambage was a problem for anyone so you definitely would not want someone on USA basketball team that was going to shy away from that matchup.

 

[UConnCat]

The World Cup reason seems to be grasping for straws IMO. Catchings skipped 2014 to rest. Griner skipped 2012 and was suspended from USA basketball less than a year before the Olympics. And in 2010, Parker missed almost the full 2010 WNBA season and World Cup with a shoulder injury...not sure you can hold that one against her.

Actually it was a big part of the decision. Catchings had missed about 1/2 half the WNBA season with a back injury. Parker played the entire WNBA season and playoffs and opted out of the Worlds so she could be ready to play overseas in early November. Big difference. No one has held the 2010 world championships against Parker, including USA BB. She made the Olympic team 2 years later. But they fully expected her to be in Istanbul in 2014 but she chose not to be.

Bringing Griner's choice as a college student in to this discussion is silly.

 

[UConnCat]

This team was going to win gold with or without Candace. Two things come to mind one is the adage that often the cover up is worse than the crime. No doubt USA basketball had a tough decision to make and likewise Candace's polarity made that decision harder. The second adage is that the more principled you are in making a tough decision the easier the explanation. USA basketball made this harder than it had to be and hung Geno out to dry in the process. Candace took a bad situation and escalated to whole other level.

I'm confused. There was no crime, and no cover up. The explanation offered was for Parker's benefit, not USA BB's. USA BB has never fully explained its decision and never will. After the decision was announced, you had a couple of people suggesting that the full story would likely never be told. Doug Feinberg of the AP said "sometimes you can't write what goes on because it's off the record conversation and won't see the light of day." I don't think Geno was hung out to dry really. He's a big boy and he also doesn't care. Honestly, other than on a few message boards, relatively very few people care that a privileged athlete was left off an Olympic team. There are more important things in life.

 

[EricLA]

I'm so glad that so many UCONN posters are taking the approach they are taking. I get tired of Tennessee fans "floating" the supposition that somehow Geno is to blame. Case in point - the recruitment of Maya Moore and Pat's decision to stop playing UCONN. Tennessee fans insisted loudly and frequently that Geno somehow cheated, yet with zero evidence, they went on and on with mass hysteria. ZERO evidence. Yet ask most Tenn fans today if Geno is a cheater and I'd bet they would unequivocally say "yes". Somehow repeating the same lie, or untruth, or rumor with no evidence over and over and over again makes them eventually believe it as fact.

Fast forward to the Parker situation. Several things we know for sure:

1. To quote @UConnCat , "She bagged the World Championships in Istanbul in 2014...(but) was ready to go when her overseas schedule began early November, 2014 "
2. Additionally, "After playing the entire WNBA season and the playoffs without evidence of injury, Parker announced that she would not be able to play for USA Basketball in Istanbul because of some minor, undisclosed knee surgery."
   
3. USA Basketball has ALWAYS valued loyalty, effort, selfless and dedication to Team USA. Always.
   
4. The COMMITTEE decided to leave her off the Olympic team
5. Instead of emulating Swin Cash (left off team in 2008, worked hard to make the 2010 WC team), she opted for the petulant option (left off 2016 team, said "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. #LessonLearned #GroovyBaby #PettyPost #OkayImDone". Petty tweet (her own words - she knew it was petty), then she decided not to participate in any trials for Team USA in 2018.

What we don't know for sure

1. How much of a say did Geno have?
2. How much of a say did her potential Team USA teammates have?
3. Just how displeased was USA basketball with her?
   
4. What was said behind closed doors to Candace as for the reason?

Several posters on here have mentioned teammates on Team USA not being happy with Parker. @UConnCat "USA Basketball was not pleased nor were some of her teammates, the ones who show up and play in the world championships even though they'd probably like to take time off to have some minor surgeries or rest before overseas commitments began". @MilfordHusky "Reliable sources have said that USA Basketball and her potential teammates were not pleased."

I know Cat and I know Milford. I know some of their sources, and I have my own, and I heard the exact same thing. While none of us are going to come on here and divulge our sources, when you have numerous people saying the same thing with different sources, that seems a much more plausible explanation than "it's Geno's fault" with zero proof, no sources, no evidence, with even Candace admitting she was petty...

It's far more logical that she was left off the team due to her own actions, exacerbated by her petty response, and subsequent decision to quit, than to dump the blame on Geno. And Parker still doesn't get it. "I was hurt because I feel like I’ve played through so many injuries, given so many hours to USA Basketball, and then in one fell swoop they can just be like, it doesn’t matter about your play, you’re just not on the team..."

But hey, Geno is has always been an easy whipping boy for some Tennessee fans.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I just finished reading the article and found it to be the exact Candace article I expected, she's perfect and everyone is against her!
“She’s been doing this so good for so long, people kind of underestimate her,” says Seimone Augustus of the rival Minnesota Lynx. “They don’t look at what she’s doing as amazing. We may not see another player like this at her position for another 10 or 20 years.”
We already see another player like this at her position, in fact we have 2 players that are better in all facets of the game than Candace and that's Breanna Stewart as #1 and Elena Della Donne as 1a! And they do all that without being a diva! EDD has her diva moments but 98% of the time she's all in for her team.
Watch Parker dunk or block a shot or do something on court and she'll find the TV camera and mug it up for the viewers. "watch me I'm the greatest!" You'll never see Stewie mug it up for the TV cameras!
She'll chose when and where she'll give 100% effort, taking sections of or whole games off physically and mentally! If Candace had Nneka O's style and heart she'd be going 100% effort all the time as Nneka does game in and game out!

 

[Orangutan]

Elena is seemingly always injured or sitting out for one various reason or another. She’s far from a player I’d consider tough. Her commitment level has been regularly questioned throughout the years. She has never played year round and has never played with much passion. You don’t see that same drive in her to be great even though she’s as skilled as anyone.

This is absolute hogwash. Yes, EDD is injury prone. I've also watched her play through a back injury that was so bad she had to lay down when she wasn't in the game. I've watched her try to play with Lyme symptoms when it was obvious she should be nowhere near a basketball court. She plays with as much passion as anyone does. I had Sky season tickets when she was there. I watched her go out there with a mediocre supporting cast and basically be expected to be the whole offense every night. And more often that not she came through. You can't do that if you are going through the motions.

I'm sorry she doesn't constantly argue with referees like Parker. Maybe if she did, then you would think she has "passion".

 

[Rocket009]

Let's also not forget that Pat Summit benched Candace her Junior year because she violated team rules, and Parker then gave up her last year of eligibility and left TN. It took many years for the Summit/Parker relationship to recover from that. I think you could draw some parallels between that event and the USA basketball issue.

At the time, I was really surprised when they announced that she was dropped from the USA basketball roster for the Olympics, but when you look at the players competing for that spot, there is not a drop off in talent - so if there were other behavioral factors at play, then it would have made it fairly easy decision.

 

[wallman]

I wish she would let it go. IMO, The more she talks about it, the more it buys into what is being said. Just focus on the season without distractions.

 

[bballnut90]

Let's also not forget that Pat Summit benched Candace her Junior year because she violated team rules, and Parker then gave up her last year of eligibility and left TN. It took many years for the Summit/Parker relationship to recover from that. I think you could draw some parallels between that event and the USA basketball issue.

Yeah....this is a very inaccurate picture you painted. Yes, she stayed out past curfew the night before a game so she was benched for half of it. It was well known that Candace was leaving with her graduating class to turn pro, where she became the first overall pick, an Olympian, and was the WNBA MVP as a rookie. Her relationship with Pat was always fantastic. No parallels there.

 

[bballnut90]

This is absolute hogwash. Yes, EDD is injury prone. I've also watched her play through a back injury that was so bad she had to lay down when she wasn't in the game. I've watched her try to play with Lyme symptoms when it was obvious she should be nowhere near a basketball court. She plays with as much passion as anyone does. I had Sky season tickets when she was there. I watched her go out there with a mediocre supporting cast and basically be expected to be the whole offense every night. And more often that not she came through. You can't do that if you are going through the motions.

I'm sorry she doesn't constantly argue with referees like Parker. Maybe if she did, then you would think she has "passion".

Just 2 months ago EDD publicly stated she didn't have passion to play when she was with the Sky:


Article link: Elena Delle Donne says in new book she 'wasn’t fully committed' to the Sky

Quote: "2. Delle Donne herself draws comparisons between the Connecticut situation and her decision to leave the Sky. When the Sky hired Amber Stocks, the new coach called for a championship culture. “They’re looking for players who are truly passionate about this team, I realized. Yet there’s a little voice in my head saying that that’s not me. ... “I knew I wasn’t fully committed. It reminded me of my one day at UConn, when the Huskies captain had told us to play with passion, and I realized I’d had none of it.”

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm confused. There was no crime, and no cover up. The explanation offered was for Parker's benefit, not USA BB's. USA BB has never fully explained its decision and never will. After the decision was announced, you had a couple of people suggesting that the full story would likely never be told. Doug Feinberg of the AP said "sometimes you can't write what goes on because it's off the record conversation and won't see the light of day." I don't think Geno was hung out to dry really. He's a big boy and he also doesn't care. Honestly, other than on a few message boards, relatively very few people care that a privileged athlete was left off an Olympic team. There are more important things in life.

I was speaking allegorically not literally as it relates to crime and I agree that there are much more serious things in life. USA basketball lack of full explanation (notice I'm using your words) made the decision, controversial as it were even more controversial is what I was trying to say. Absent a full explanation by USA basketball people that were not part of the decision like Geno and now Dawn (if you read a few post back) were tainted is what I meant by hung out to dry.

 

[CocoHusky]

Let's also not forget that Pat Summit benched Candace her Junior year because she violated team rules, and Parker then gave up her last year of eligibility and left TN. It took many years for the Summit/Parker relationship to recover from that. I think you could draw some parallels between that event and the USA basketball issue.
At the time, I was really surprised when they announced that she was dropped from the USA basketball roster for the Olympics, but when you look at the players competing for that spot, there is not a drop off in talent - so if there were other behavioral factors at play, then it would have made it fairly easy decision.

It kind of hard to argue EDD's commitment to the game when there is an article (which I believe you posted) with EDD questioning her commitment to the Sky in the same year she was playing on the Olympic team.
Elena Delle Donne says in new book she 'wasn’t fully committed' to the Sky

 

[Orangutan]

Just 2 months ago EDD publicly stated she didn't have passion to play when she was with the Sky:


Article link: Elena Delle Donne says in new book she 'wasn’t fully committed' to the Sky

Quote: "2. Delle Donne herself draws comparisons between the Connecticut situation and her decision to leave the Sky. When the Sky hired Amber Stocks, the new coach called for a championship culture. “They’re looking for players who are truly passionate about this team, I realized. Yet there’s a little voice in my head saying that that’s not me. ... “I knew I wasn’t fully committed. It reminded me of my one day at UConn, when the Huskies captain had told us to play with passion, and I realized I’d had none of it.”

I know she wasn't passionate about the Sky but that's different from not playing with passion. Obviously, I can't speak to how she felt about her time in Chicago. But I know what I saw and what I saw was Elena playing incredibly hard.

If getting a Sky team that had been a lottery team before her arrival to the WNBA finals and following that up with an MVP season was how she plays when she is not passionate, I don't really care if she has passion or not, you know? I saw her out there carrying the offense and then getting back to block shots on defense. I saw her get fired up after making big plays. I don't know about how she felt deep down but does it really matter?

 

[UConnCat]

I was speaking allegorically not literally as it relates to crime and I agree that there are much more serious things in life. USA basketball lack of full explanation (notice I'm using your words) made the decision, controversial as it were even more controversial is what I was trying to say. Absent a full explanation by USA basketball people that were not part of the decision like Geno and now Dawn (if you read a few post back) were tainted is what I meant by hung out to dry.

Understood and I agree with you. By not revealing what transpired behind the scenes and the reasons why the committee members voted as they did surely made it mostly about Geno. To a certain fanbase he's always been the villain and this added to that narrative. USA BB and Geno surely knew that would be the case but weren't concerned about it. All in all, I think USA BB believes it was a positive for the team and program.

 

[CocoHusky]

I know she wasn't passionate about the Sky but that's different from not playing with passion. Obviously, I can't speak to how she felt about her time in Chicago. But I know what I saw and what I saw was Elena playing incredibly hard.
If getting a Sky team that had been a lottery team before her arrival to the WNBA finals and following that up with an MVP season was how she plays when she is not passionate, I don't really care if she has passion or not, you know? I saw her out there carrying the offense and then getting back to block shots on defense. I saw her get fired up after making big plays. I don't know about how she felt deep down but does it really matter?

Well what you saw was distinctly different from what EDD felt and I tend to trust her feeling in this case.
“They’re looking for players who are truly passionate about this team, I realized. Yet there’s a little voice in my head saying that that’s not me. ...UConn, when the Huskies captain had told us to play with passion, and I realized I’d had none of it.”

 

[CocoHusky]

I just finished reading the article and found it to be the exact Candace article I expected, she's perfect and everyone is against her!
“She’s been doing this so good for so long, people kind of underestimate her,” says Seimone Augustus of the rival Minnesota Lynx. “They don’t look at what she’s doing as amazing. We may not see another player like this at her position for another 10 or 20 years.”
We already see another player like this at her position, in fact we have 2 players that are better in all facets of the game than Candace and that's Breanna Stewart as #1 and Elena Della Donne as 1a! And they do all that without being a diva! EDD has her diva moments but 98% of the time she's all in for her team.
Candace has never met a TV camera she didn't know where it was located and liked! Watch her dunk or block a shot or do something on court and she'll find the TV camera and mug it up for the viewers. "watch me I'm the greatest!" You'll never see Stewie mug it up for the TV cameras!
She'll chose when and where she'll give 100% effort, taking sections of or whole games off physically and mentally! If Candace had Nneka O's style and heart she'd be going 100% effort all the time as Nneka does game in and game out!
A couple years ago, Candace head-butted Nneka after Nneka scored a basket opening a 6" gash over Nneka's left eye! Just Candace being Candace I guess!

As far as I'm concerned the more camera time for Candace the better. She is and has been a verified Diva. Notice we have NOT talked basketball skill set yet, which should be primary in picking an Olympic team.