Connecticut Sun Trades Kelsey Bone To Phoenix For Courtney WIlliams

[Carnac]

Per article by Doug Feinberg today :
"It had been discussed. I had asked a couple of times (to be traded). It didn't catch me off guard. It didn't catch me by surprise," Bone said. "I'm excited about it. I'm about being comfortable."

"When things don't work, you have to be comfortable enough to say it's not for me. That was a situation that wasn't for me, and I'm ok with that. I played there for 2.5 years. It's been hard. We've been doing a lot of losing. That's a franchise that's going to get it together and figure it out. I'm happy to have been a part of them."

Ha!!! I was right.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Ha!!! I was right.

As usual

 

[cabbie191]

I havent been in a Krispy Kreme in years.

But, my friend, isn't the real issue whether or not the Krispy Kreme is in you?

 

[Carnac]

But, my friend, isn't the real issue whether or not the Krispy Kreme is in you?

Touche' cabbie!!

 

[BroadwayVa]

Maybe Seattle with Sue and Lauren?

Are you saying Sue Bird isn't/wasn't tough?? Pound for pound among the toughest.
(I know you know, no reply necessary).

 

[BroadwayVa]

GREAT post psconn. As a fan of the game, but one who has never seen a WNBA game live, there is MUCH more that goes on behind the scenes that we don't see. It sounds like not only was Bone a chemistry problem, but a poor teammate with a poor attitude and a less than idea work ethic. She has a JOB in the WNBA. It pays for her rent, food, etc etc. I hope the HC in PHX whips her into shape, or "fires" her. That would be a bad trade for PHX, but they have to know what they got when they traded for her, right?

Nailed it again!.
In college I never got the impression Bone was giving 67 percent--with her size and apparent abilities--in college--I would have expected more.
I don't remember seeing her in the WNBA--but I doubt attitude and energy does change much--why give 110 percent when 8 percent will do and the pay won't change much? In the right hands even I could change (if the money is right)?

 

[BroadwayVa]

I would be totally on board with this if we hadn't given away Elizabeth Williams. That may be the biggest mistake of this "administration" and it just got magnified 10-fold. Can Jonquel Jones and Henry-Morello fill this gap? Not this year for sure and unless JJ starts hitting the weight room and playing a stronger game, not in the next couple years either.

It is not my intent to beat Kelsey up headed out the door. I was a big supporter of hers and think she has the talent to be an elite true center in the W. Her mid range game and low post size was something the Sun really need from the post. She should be a guaranteed double-double every night. But...

Because chemistry has been such an issue here, and because Coach Miller puts such a big emphasis on UConn-like team behaviors, I watch players and their interactions very closely during shoot-arounds, warm-ups and on the bench. Kelsey does not conform to what the team does during warm-ups. She lays on her stomach on the court watching the rest of the team in lay-up lines and then at some point joins in. This does not appear to be special stretching or back exercises. She hangs back when the team goes to the bench to start the game and then sprints in with hand-slaps down the line. She does not greet the opposing team at center court like the rest of her team. She hangs back underneath the basket removing and stowing her necklace and then striding to the circle to jump at the last minute. I am not an X's and O's guy, but I don't think Miller likes the ball to move around well on offense and then stick in Kelsey's hands and she maneuvers, back to the basket, one-on-one (not denying she's pretty good at this when she can finish, but it seems to stall everything). All of this (and there's more) comes off as an air of self-importance and not a team-first attitude. It's "I've got to be me", rather than "We've got to be us".

Sad to say, our other All-Star, Alex Bentley may be heading down the same road. Another extremely talented player who, when things are going well has a great personality and positive demeanor, but when the going gets tough can become Alex on he bench with a towel over her head. Getting Courtney Williams may be the first step on Alex's road out of Uncasville.

I actually feel bad for both Kelsey and Alex because they don't get how important this kind of thing is. Great teams know, and they cultivate, the winning team-first culture. I feel most sad for the long time season ticket holders who, in seemingly diminishing numbers, come to the Arena and watch the Sun push the reset button over and over again.

All I could think of when reading your posting is: Uconn practices, Uconn methodology, Uconn stressing the importance of team play, and chemistry. The bad seeds seem to die on the vine away from Uconn--they are recognized and sit more.
The only thing to feel badly for Kelsey and Alex is that they didn't have the opportunity to process through a system that stresses these points. Maybe then they'd be stressing Stewie a bit more . Will Mike T be recycled??

 

[ed4ourgirls]

I always liked Jullian Alleyne at Oregon. (She played effectively against UConn when we
played against Oregon a few years ago.) Of course it remains to be seen how her game
will translate to the pros and what effect, if any, her ACL injury may have long term, but
at the very least I would expect her to be a strong rebounder for the Sun. Unfortunately
we'll have to wait until next year to find out.

 

[huskeynut]

I am not surprised by any of this. Some of the players brought in by AD do not fit the mold of the new coach.

Do not be surprised by a few more moves/ trades before the season is over. The Sun need to be rebuilt and we are seeing the process unfold.

 

[mdakota]

I wish I had a Krispy Cream in my area, but it's for the best... I don't think my diabetes would fair too well ;P

 

[reno tony]

JAVAMAN, i personally think its good for Kelly and Morgan. I saw alot of selfish saturday-at-the-park play especially in the beginning of the seaon. My only concern is Courtney being a team player. She wont dominate as she did in college, and there were some personal issues evident, as her college coach sat her at times. Hoping she learned while with Phoenix sitting the pine. Sometimes thats what it takes. All in all, regardless of Bone's talent being gone, this will bone well for the Conn and Phoenix.

How did you come to a conclusion that if a coach sits a player means that it is a personal issue? Is there something else that you know that we don't?

 

[JoePgh]

Given where the Sun are this season, this trade makes perfect sense to me, for many of the reasons elaborated by psconn in his excellent post above. I would add that Kelsey Bone's consistent rebounding and very inconsistent scoring were (IMHO) outweighed by her tendency to make mistakes -- missed layups, missed defensive assignments, obviously not being where the coach wanted her.

I remember one game a few weeks ago where the Sun's starting 5 were down by about 15 when Kelly and a few other benchwarmers came in the game. Although less talented than the starters, they played by the book per the coach's instructions and got the game tied in about 10 or 12 minutes.

A few years ago when the the Sun acquired Bone from the Liberty in the forced trade for Tina Charles, I wondered why Laimbeer would part with a good young player to obtain Tina when he could just have waited for one summer and signed Tina as a free agent. Lately, it is becoming more clear what he probably had in mind -- it was an opportunity to get rid of a player whom he had decided he did not want on the team.

Bone has not been the most coachable of players -- remember that she played for Dawn Staley and then transferred to A&M. Despite a good coach there and some talent around her, the team was never as good as one might have expected, and I now think it had to do with her attitude. That was manifested in one game against UConn in 2012 which I re-watched recently. Early in that game, Stef Dolson got between Bone and the basket while Bone was watching the ball move, and Caroline Doty hit Dolson with a perfect pass. Bone turned around and roughly shoved Stef out of bounds when she realized she had been played. The refs (in College Station) gave her an intentional foul on that play. UConn went on to win by over 30 points, Stef had a big game, and Bone scored in single digits.

Geno would probably say that he was never as lucky as he was the day that Kelsey Bone turned down his scholarship offer. If she had accepted it, there would have been a hurricane in Storrs.

One other point about the trade: Unlike some naysayers here, I can't fault the GM's or coach's judgment about this particular transaction. Despite the Sun's record, I think their moves have been rational and well-considered, with one MAJOR exception: I think their faith in Rachel Banham is thoroughly misplaced, and that they should have taken Jonquel Jones with the 4th pick so that they wouldn't have to part with Chelsea Gray and their #1 pick next year to get her. Now their roster is more balanced between front court and back court, and they have another fast guard who can score (Courtney Williams). Coach Miller has gotten all three of the players that he targeted in this year's rookie class, although I think he should have passed on the one from Minnesota.

I think the next player to go may be Camille Little. She hasn't been very productive in the substantial minute she has played. If the roster is similar next year (and it probably will be), Jillian Alleyne will probably take her roster spot.

 

[psconn]

From Sunday's Bulletin. As an invested Sun fan, this 4 year stretch is all just very sad. It appears there may be more unhappiness to come and no savior on the horizon. To paraphrase Rick Pitino "Taj, Nykesha, KT, Margo, Asjha and Lindsey are not walking through that door".

http://www.norwichbulletin.com/article/20160626/SPORTS/160629561/0/SEARCH

 

[DaddyChoc]

A few years ago when the the Sun acquired Bone from the Liberty in the forced trade for Tina Charles, I wondered why Laimbeer would part with a good young player to obtain Tina when he could just have waited for one summer and signed Tina as a free agent. Lately, it is becoming more clear what he probably had in mind -- it was an opportunity to get rid of a player whom he had decided he did not want on the team.

Tina for Bone... only a fool wouldn't make that trade. I think Tina wanted out of Connecticut more than Bill wanted to get rid of Bone

 

[DaddyChoc]

Bone has not been the most coachable of players -- remember that she played for Dawn Staley and then transferred to A&M. Despite a good coach there and some talent around her, the team was never as good as one might have expected, and I now think it had to do with her attitude.

did they win the SEC title for the 1st time that year?

 

[triaddukefan]

did they win the SEC title for the 1st time that year?

No.... that was before they started to get good.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Touche' cabbie!!

I'm touchy too --so hands off.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I wish I had a Krispy Cream in my area, but it's for the best... I don't think my diabetes would fair too well ;P

Please watch your diet and weight. Dialysis is not fun, debilitating, and time consuming. My wife and I (yes me) just lost her sister after battling both kidney and diabetes--her heart gave out.
I know you are kidding about Krispy--
I thought diabetes was a lark--stupid me--then Annette was diagnosed --too late.
Please put yourself first and take care of your body.

 

[Shades]

MoJeff for Bone? I can't think of a worst trade. That would be a blunder of epic proportions for SA.

Bone for DRob? Bone's gonna be a RFA next season so might as well swap players for what's needed.