Gulich has a 14/10 double-double half way thru the 4th quarter
94-90 final Las Vegas. Hamby led the way w/ 23, 21 for McBride, 18 and 17 for Cambage and J. Young. Plum sat out most of the 4th quarter but had an efficient game w/ 9 points on 3-4 shooting and 4 assists. It doesn't seem like Laimbeer can ever figure out what his rotation is. He wasn't even playing Colson instead of Plum. From following the box score it looks like it was either T. Young or Rodgers. Those 3 guards/wings off the bench were scoreless in a combined 30 minutes.
For Atlanta Breland had 18 and Sykes and Gulich both scored 15.
For a while, I thought Cambage had turned a corner and decided to play like a competitor and play through contact and not whine after every play but she is back to her smirky self. Bleech.
Plum hit the final 2 pt shot from 15ft to put the game away (92-88). Got to feel good for her with the season she had. That drew a big smile from Lambeer.
For a while, I thought Cambage had turned a corner and decided to play like a competitor and play through contact and not whine after every play but she is back to her smirky self. Bleech.
I find myself rooting for LV because of Plum. If it wasn't for her I probably wouldn't pay them much attention. I've really been impressed with Hamby this year though. Will be interesting to see what happens when Wilson comes back. Hamby is playing too well to not get significant minutes. Will take a bit of time to readjust to having both Cambage and Wilson, they're running out of regular season games.

This is a second cup of coffee thought for the post-season: Swap Plum for Jewell Loyd, in a trade of former #1's who may find a better fit elsewhere.
- Jewell has been having a tough go of it this season, without Bird's steady hand, adjusting to Canada's up-and-down the court style and the nagging ankle injury. Whitcomb's still starting. Now, with Bird, Stewie, et al coming back, Hughes may want to hit "reset" or maybe he wants to consolidate his resources.
Plum will benefit from playing with both Bird and Stewie and is a more athletic version of Whitcomb.
- Loyd, who is really more of a scorer than a shooter, would benefit from being a bit of a jack of all trades within the Aces system. She can find openings due to double teams/cheating on Cambage and Wilson. McBride's relentless three-point shooting and drives to the hoop (love her floaters) would open up one-one-one matchups for Jewell. And Young, with her versatility and athletic ability, would have her back if Loyd attacks the hoop. Lastly, backup PG Lindsay Allen knows Loyd's game to a T, having worked with her at ND.
You could combine your interest in Plum with the Storm...voila![]()
Highway robbery for the Aces. Plum is nowhere near the caliber of player Loyd is. I'd love the trade though since I'm not a Storm fan. Plus for you, Vegas effectively becomes Team ND with Allen, McBride, Young and Loyd all playing together.
! Maybe Trader Bill could get a faux Dome built out there....
(but his players do seem to respond....)I watched a fair amount of this game, as well and a couple of things struck me:
- Liz Cambage, when focused on matters at hand, is a very efficient passer out of the post, whether to cutters or three-point shooters. Luckily for the Aces, both of these positions are ably filled by Kayla McBride. In due time, Jackie Young can work on some give and go's with Cambage, as well. The "inside-out" game was working for them, with Cambage garnering 6 assists and Young 5.
- Dearica Hamby is making some kind of case for Most Improved Player. Or at the very least, a new category: Most Complimentary Player. She does a good job of being where Cambage isn't, both to her and the team's benefit. Really valuable team player.
Like many have said, I don't quite know what happens to this particular chemistry when A'ja Wilson gets back.
- I think Kelsey Plum has become a better player in numerous ways (defense, being a patient teammate), but it's got to be tough when you go from being the leading scorer in college to the fourth option after Wilson, Cambage and McBride. Still, I understand the value in having her: she can still get into a groove and if there's an injury to K-Mac, she can step into that role.
- It will be interesting to see what happens off-season here, particularly up front and with Plum. If things go to plan and rehab, Lindsay Allen should return to back up Young. Does Laimbeer give it another year to mesh Cambage (a late arrival) and Wilson together while keeping Plum at the shooting guard? Or put his Trader Bill hat on? Stay tuned.
A change of scenery might do Plum well. Trader Bill's substitution patterns and allotment of minutes seem inconsistent and a bit haphazard. I'm not sure if Plum knows what her role on the team is supposed to be, I sure don't. Sometimes she's the closer at PG at the end of games, other times he sits her most of the 4th quarter or even the entire 2nd half.Squeezed. Sparks have the opposite problem of UConn: too many bigs.I don't know if Brown is injured or if she's just been squeezed out of the rotation.
Squeezed. Sparks have the opposite problem of UConn: too many bigs.

Los Angeles has completely collapsed in the second half. I swear, Candace Parker sometimes treats defense like a deadbeat dad treats child support.
Sparks led by 10 in the 3rd quarter but now Dallas is up 6 with 2:30 to play. Arike is having an outstanding game, leading all scorers with 28, further shoring up the inevitability of her ROY selection. After all, how can you not vote for a player who leads her team to an 8-17 record?
Yeah but she did have 6 turnovers.Ogunbowale finished w/ 35 on 12-21 shooting, 3-5 behind the arc and 8-9 FTs. Regardless of your opinion of her, that's a strong game.

But she had no assistsOgunbowale finished w/ 35 on 12-21 shooting, 3-5 behind the arc and 8-9 FTs. Regardless of your opinion of her, that's a strong game.
. Haha joking. Her teammates weren't exactly hot aside from Glory. If they can't guard you, they can't guard you. Plus all those free throws. She's going to be a big time scorer in this league.That is one of the things I do not like about Parker. She very often just decides not to play and gives very little effort. That sort of thing becomes contagious and is one of the reasons the Sparks are not focused in certain games as they should be under the circumstances. When you have to include her in the rotation even though her effort is lacking it keeps players like Vadeeva limited to 11 minutes a game.Los Angeles has completely collapsed in the second half. I swear, Candace Parker sometimes treats defense like a deadbeat dad treats child support.