Candace Parker/Olympic team thread (merged threads)

[LadyVols9]

i think her main point was that not selecting Parker is just bad for basketball and sends a horrible message to young girls that even if you work hard to become one of the world's best players, favoritism will defeat you. ALL of them should have put whatever differences behind them and did the right thing for USA basketball. now, the whole team has a dark cloud hanging over them, especially the new players. this story will not go away.

 

[LadyVols9]

There is one big difference between diva Parker and diva Taurasi. Taurasi is the ultimate team player, while Parker is the poster child for a "me" player.

disagree completely. parker has always been TOO MUCH of a team player. her main criticism is that she doesn't take over enough on her own.

 

[housekeys]

Word out in twitter world the vote was 3-2 to keep Parker off the team. I'm presuming that's what Thompson is saying when one person kept Parker off team.

Why of all the great players, is CP even an issue? If you are so good, as she is, what would drive, not one, not two, but three people to vote against you? Think about that for a minute. There really must have been a major issue to keep someone so good off the team.

Why are we blaming anyone? Have we played and lost the gold medal already? We can start blaming people after the fact, not before.

Too bad that CP and her talents will not be on display. She would have certainly helped (probably an understatement), but the show must go on.

 

[HuskyNan]

There is one big difference between diva Parker and diva Taurasi. Taurasi is the ultimate team player, while Parker is the poster child for a "me" player.

Candace Parker led the National Team in assists in the 2015 European Tour.

 

[meyers7]

"you don't use a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time WNBA MVP to promote and market ... and then cut her."

I think most people agree with that.

 

[meyers7]

i think her main point was that not selecting Parker is just bad for basketball and sends a horrible message to young girls that even if you work hard to become one of the world's best players, favoritism will defeat you.

I think that's probably a good message for everyone to know. It happens in every walk of life. Life isn't fair, never has been, never will be.

 

[CocoHusky]

Why of all the great players, is CP even an issue?

Because she is one of top 3 players in the world & and we want the best players representing the US.

If you are so good, as she is, what would drive, not one, not two, but three people to vote against you?

Personality, politics, a grudge, a past indiscretion- all of which are the wrong (not basketball ability related) reasons.

Why are we blaming anyone?

Some of us are trying very hard not to blame anyone . But you can't have it both ways: If someone(s) voted based on in your words "There really must have been a major issue to keep someone so good off the team" then an explanation might be required.

Have we played and lost the gold medal already?

No, and we won't. So not the issue here though!

We can start blaming people after the fact, not before.

Some of us are trying very hard not to blame anyone. The fact is CP is not on the team.

Too bad that CP and her talents will not be on display. She would have certainly helped (probably an understatement), but the show must go on.

The show will go on but absent an explanation the issue remains until the next time personality, politics, a grudge, a past indiscretion keeps one of the most talented players off the National Team.

 

[meyers7]

Why of all the great players, is CP even an issue? If you are so good, as she is, what would drive, not one, not two, but three people to vote against you? Think about that for a minute. There really must have been a major issue to keep someone so good off the team.

Agreed. And with all the this has stirred up, they must have known that would be coming, they still chose to take the hits and keep her off the team. Might be time for Parker to do a self examination.

 

[CocoHusky]

Agreed. And with all the this has stirred up, they must have known that would be coming, they still chose to take the hits and keep her off the team. Might be time for Parker to do a self examination.

Sounds like what Pat said on UCONN allegedly recruiting violations - "They know what they did". It doesn't sound to me like CP knows why she was left off the team especially when they had her shooting commercials and photo shoots to promote the even.

 

[meyers7]

Sounds like what Pat said on UCONN allegedly recruiting violations - "They know what they did". It doesn't sound to me like CP knows why she was left off the team especially when they had her shooting commercials and photo shoots to promote the even.

I agree, dumb to have her shooting commercials then cut her.

But my point is, from Parker's perspective, "geez, they'd rather deal with all this crap about leaving me off, than deal with me on the team, hmmm?" Gotta give ya pause for reflection.

 

[CL82]

i think her main point was that not selecting Parker is just bad for basketball and sends a horrible message to young girls that even if you work hard to become one of the world's best players, favoritism will defeat you.

Why do you believe that? What evidence do you think they have that the decision was based on favoritism? Do you really believe a lot of young girls are paying close attention to the Olympic team selection process? Based on the Bone quote, couldn't the message "the young girls" receive be no matter how talented you are it is important to get along with others?

 

[Fightin Choke]

Why of all the great players, is CP even an issue? If you are so good, as she is, what would drive, not one, not two, but three people to vote against you? Think about that for a minute. There really must have been a major issue to keep someone so good off the team.

Why are we blaming anyone? Have we played and lost the gold medal already? We can start blaming people after the fact, not before.

Too bad that CP and her talents will not be on display. She would have certainly helped (probably an understatement), but the show must go on.

Let's change the situation a bit to see why people are upset. If there were a different head coach of the National Team, and Maya was left off the team without being a reason being provided, wouldn't you be upset even if the team were to later win the gold? There is more to this than whether or not this omission hurts the team's immediate goal. The USA would be overwhelming favorites to win the gold with any one player being omitted from the roster, no matter how skilled and important.

 

[CL82]

Because she is one of top 3 players in the world & and we want the best players representing the US.

.

Nah, we want the best team representing us. People with more info that either of us made the decision as to what constituted the best team.

 

[LadyVols9]

Why do you believe that? What evidence do you think they have that the decision was based on favoritism? Do you really believe a lot of young girls are paying close attention to the Olympic team selection process? Based on the Bone quote, couldn't the message "the young girls" receive be no matter how talented you are it is important to get along with others?

I was just saying that appears to be what Bone meant in her remarks. I don't personally have any evidence of favoritism.

 

[CL82]

Let's change the situation a bit to see why people are upset. If there were a different head coach of the National Team, and Maya was left off the team without being a reason being provided, wouldn't you be upset ...

Yep, and I'd suggest that it was likely motivated by a grudge as well, but it would be, at best, speculation.

 

[EricLA]

I think this is a completely false narrative. From what I've heard Parker and Whalen were buddies and spent a lot of time together and Candace also had a lot of her off time spent with her child. Parker constantly gets labeled as a diva and I have yet to hear strong evidence to support that. Diana and Parker have very similar personalities and both of them seem to get the same labels from opposing fan views. The one thing they also have in common... their teammates always come to their defense and always speak of them being the most talented yet still the most driven and hardest workers.

And yet now we are hearing that teammates on the US National team complained about her. Definitely not an example of her teammates coming to her defense.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Sun's Kelsey Bone uses the floor to speak about Olympic 'slight' of Candace Parker

Kelsey Bone speaking as an ADULT--misses the concept that makes the world go around: Personalities. If your personality clashes with management--you lose. If you don't know how to "get along" it is to "go along"
No coach or manager has the time or energy to deal with "personalities" when there is a time crunch to get the job done (in this case Olympic medal).
If ms Bone thinks Parker has the fan following or the "pull" to be on the USA team\
--in the REAL world personalities matter unless you own the company are a president or dictator (then you can have your own way) Grow up Bone!1

 

[BroadwayVa]

I think that's probably a good message for everyone to know. It happens in every walk of life. Life isn't fair, never has been, never will be.

That is the truth that many who "B-witch' about it's unfair. Life is unfair even for some very rich, the president, that guy who run russia or ho chi min---
But UN fair is a perception: what is fair to you may be unfair to me. Live with it.
Bone spoke about "personalities" clashes---he/she who is charge always wins the personality clash--real adults know that and --work to get along.
Heck I even try to get along with Meyers 7!!!!!!

 

[BroadwayVa]

The most important quote in that article was not from Kelsey Bone (who is easy to malign)
but by Brian Agler who despite having a predisposition (as her coach) to be something less than evenhanded
has nevertheless been quite respected on this board and throughout the community. His comment as recounted in this piece:

"you don't use a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time WNBA MVP to promote and market ... and then cut her."

You do if the personality clash impacts the team or what the coaches are trying to accomplish--uconn kids know that no one is above the TEAM...In my opinion Parker was NOT used to promote the USA team any more than others on the team . Too, it was/is an honor to just be considered to be on the team...

 

[CocoHusky]

Nah, we want the best team representing us. People with more info that either of us made the decision as to what constituted the best team.

The only information that should matter is CP basketball ability now-TODAY!, anything else (including team chemistry) is highly speculative and should be ignored. We are not talking about a newbie to the national team here-CP has been on or around the national team since 2006 and USA basketball since 2004. That is a full decade of being mostly a starter on the National team.

 

[HuskyNan]

Let's change the situation a bit to see why people are upset. If there were a different head coach of the National Team, and Maya was left off the team without being a reason being provided, wouldn't you be upset even if the team were to later win the gold? There is more to this than whether or not this omission hurts the team's immediate goal. The USA would be overwhelming favorites to win the gold with any one player being omitted from the roster, no matter how skilled and important.

We get why Tennessee fans are upset. We get it. I just don't know what people expect the Boneyard to do about it.

 

[Jmpenn]

Where are you hearing that teammates have complained about her? I have never heard anything about that. This seems like harmful speculation to me.

And yet now we are hearing that teammates on the US National team complained about her. Definitely not an example of her teammates coming to her defense.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

What an absurd diatribe. She's alleging that the most successful coach in women's basketball, fresh off his eleventh national championship (in eleven tries) picks players on "who they know"? Seriously? And it sends a negative message to young girls? Let me get this straight: the winningest coach in women's basketball chose his national team on the basis of who those players knew? Well, five of the twelve are from UConn, while half of the twelve four years ago were from UConn. But that UConn coach and his twelve players went undefeated in international play- again.

So the 411 for Ms Bone is that she can criticize all she wants- if the team loses. Not before.

 

[bschwartz]

You know what the saddest part of all this is...that only off the court issues get all the big attention...Isiah Thomas, Adam Silver, BG and child support etc. I hope people get this riled up about the games. Too many great storylines to even count.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I thought her comments about making assumptions seemed pretty straightforward.

Tina Thompson ‏@IamTinaThompson 5h5 hours ago
@swishappeal it would have been nice for you all to have contacted me and use my own words before you assumed what they actually mean. Smh

Still she had the opportunity to say::: It was Geno OR No it wasn't Geno. All she did was keep the lie alive--or assumptions flying.
Her statement (paraphrasing) about not making assumptions (while true) did not stop the assumption she meant Geno...is that what she wanted?? Bone's comments about personality clashes --even if true, he who wields the sword makes the cuts.