Donovan is reprehensible

[Waquoit]

To cover her own sorry butt she comes out and says that Tina Charles wasn't "committed to winning." That's what hacks do. They shift blame. They smear. I saw the same thing with the Whalers and Ron Francis. The traded him and smeared him on the way out the door. The Whale never recovered while Francis won 2 titles and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

 

[jdubct]

To cover her own sorry butt she comes out and says that Tina Charles wasn't "committed to winning." That's what hacks do. They shift blame. They smear. I saw the same thing with the Whalers and Ron Francis. The traded him and smeared him on the way out the door. The Whale never recovered while Francis won 2 titles and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

I will be very surprised if the Sun go beyond the first round of the playoffs for the next few years. The Sun let Thibault go. Donovan will follow and hopefully so will the gm out the door.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

The Courant says that Charles' agent told them that she wanted a trade or she would sit out. I don't know anything about Donovan and it seems obvious that her and Charles aren't getting along, but to me there's no excuse for a player making those kinds of demands. That's the main reason I HATE Eli Manning. I can't do it in my work place and she shouldn't be able to do it there. You can ask for a trade, but you play your best until it happens.

 

[Blakeon18]

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...-jacobs-column-0415-20140414,0,7967586.column

Jeff Jacobs has a lengthy opinion piece on this topic in the Courant this morning.

 

[meyers7]

The Courant says that Charles' agent told them that she wanted a trade or she would sit out. I don't know anything about Donovan and it seems obvious that her and Charles aren't getting along, but to me there's no excuse for a player making those kinds of demands. That's the main reason I HATE Eli Manning. I can't do it in my work place and she shouldn't be able to do it there. You can ask for a trade, but you play your best until it happens.

You can't quit your job????

 

[Icebear]

Absolutely right, Meyers, I have, also, seen managers fired because lead sales reps were unhappy and administrative changes in a hospital because lead surgeons were unhappy.

 

[Ctpaul0825]

The day the Sun announced Donovan as the new head coach I thought oh great Seton Hall part deux.

 

[meyers7]

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...-jacobs-column-0415-20140414,0,7967586.column

Jeff Jacobs has a lengthy opinion piece on this topic in the Courant this morning.

general manager Chris Sienko said. "We went to visit her in Russia in the winter. We talked to her after when free agency started. We talked to her agent. All the things that were important to her were on our radar. We made those happen and at the end of the day they changed their minds. She wanted to go to New York. Winning wasn't important to her, in their words. She just wanted a change of scenery. We were shell-shocked, quite honestly."

Really? They should read the BY. There were a few posters on here saying Charles didn't want to play for the Sun this year and was going to want a trade. I was more surprised it didn't happen sooner.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

You can't quit your job????

I could quit, but I can't just sit out. And who among us can afford to just not work for any extended period? Not me.

 

[Icebear]

I could quit, but I can't just sit out. And who among us can afford to just not work for any extended period? Not me.

That is quitting. It is refusing to play. What is that other than quitting. She would receive no compensation just like you.

 

[meyers7]

I could quit, but I can't just sit out.

Same thing. Either way, you don't work and you don't get paid.

But more importantly, whew. I thought maybe you were caught up in some kind of slave trade or indentured servitude.

 

[UcMiami]

This is a divorce and divorces are not always pretty and from the outside it is hard to know exactly what went down. But reading the stories it sounds like:
1. Tina was very unhappy last year
2. At the end of the year the Sun 'team' and Tina's 'team' sat down and talked and Tina said I am not happy about A, B, and C and at this point I want out.
3. It sounds like the Sun then said, well if we address A, B, C would you be happy and Tina said maybe
4. The Sun then worked on A, B, C whatever they were.
5. Tina looked at what the Sun did and said ... I see the moves you made, but it just isn't enough. I still want out and I am prepared to rest this summer rather than play.
6. The Sun made a pretty good trade.

I can understand why Tina would still want out, and ... for these athletes who play 12 months a year, taking a summer off really is 1) not a bad idea, and 2) not financially devastating. I think most of the women pros would be much better off physically if they took a vacation once every three or four years, but the PR disaster for the W and the players would be really bad if they did that. I think the Chinese league is a great alternative because the players there have a shorter season and get at least a month off before the W training camps start. They may make a little less money but I think it will prolong their careers and lead to fewer fatigue injuries/better performance in both leagues.

I can understand why the Sun 'team' feels a bit bitter - they thought they had a road map for making Tina happy, and went down that road with at least some success, and were told that what they had down was not enough.

 

[ochoopsfan]

To cover her own sorry butt she comes out and says that Tina Charles wasn't "committed to winning." That's what hacks do. They shift blame. They smear. I saw the same thing with the Whalers and Ron Francis. The traded him and smeared him on the way out the door. The Whale never recovered while Francis won 2 titles and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Didnt the Whalers win the Stanley Cup? I thought the move to North Carolina was only for a short time.

ochoopsfan is a big fan of Chuck Kaiton

 

[Icebear]

I really like Chiney and hope Dovovan doesn't screw up her game, too, or waste her talents. I see Donovan as a coach whom the game has passed by. Someone who is fine when she has the majority of talent that she can send out on the court as at Seattle or the Olympic team but who really doesn't have real answers in a world where competition is tough.

 

[Ctpaul0825]

Lot's of info on Tina's story, why did Kara leave ?

 

[DishNSwish]

To blame this all on Anne Donovan is as ridiculous as blaming it all on Tina Charles.

 

[UcMiami]

Lot's of info on Tina's story, why did Kara leave ?

Probably the same issues, but while Kara is a great player she has not been a MVP in the league and is on the back end of her career so it is just not that big a story or as traumatic for the team. There has been a bit of an exodus this off season and there will probably be more players cut in training camp.

 

[Icebear]

The Sun's front office didn't help either. They better win quickly or they will lose a lot of support among their fanbase.

 

[DishNSwish]

What I like about the Sun's moves is they have jettisoned anyone that didn't want to be there, including Gruda, Lawson, and Charles.

Considering the fact most everyone around the league knew that these players all wanted to go elsewhere, to turn them into Kelsey Bone, Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray, Alex Bentley and next year's NY Liberty number one isn't too bad.

They're young, but they will be fun to watch and have dynamic personalities.

Reminds me of the year Mike T. cut loose a bunch and the Sun had players like Le'Coe Willingham, Jen Derevjanik, Candice Futrell and some point guard named Whalen.

I think a rotation of Bone, Thomas, Chiney, and Griffin up front with Douglas, Montgomery, Hightower, Bentley and Faris in the backcourt could be a REALLY fun team to watch.

 

[doggydaddy]

What I like about the Sun's moves is they have jettisoned anyone that didn't want to be there, including Gruda, Lawson, and Charles.

Considering the fact most everyone around the league knew that these players all wanted to go elsewhere, to turn them into Kelsey Bone, Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray, Alex Bentley and next year's NY Liberty number one isn't too bad.

They're young, but they will be fun to watch and have dynamic personalities.

Reminds me of the year Mike T. cut loose a bunch and the Sun had players like Le'Coe Willingham, Jen Derevjanik, Candice Futrell and some point guard named Whalen.

I think a rotation of Bone, Thomas, Chiney, and Griffin up front with Douglas, Montgomery, Hightower, Bentley and Faris in the backcourt could be a REALLY fun team to watch.

David, thanks for leaving emotion out of it and posting a reasoned description of the situation.

 

[Icebear]

What I like about the Sun's moves is they have jettisoned anyone that didn't want to be there, including Gruda, Lawson, and Charles.

Considering the fact most everyone around the league knew that these players all wanted to go elsewhere, to turn them into Kelsey Bone, Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray, Alex Bentley and next year's NY Liberty number one isn't too bad.

They're young, but they will be fun to watch and have dynamic personalities.

Reminds me of the year Mike T. cut loose a bunch and the Sun had players like Le'Coe Willingham, Jen Derevjanik, Candice Futrell and some point guard named Whalen.

I think a rotation of Bone, Thomas, Chiney, and Griffin up front with Douglas, Montgomery, Hightower, Bentley and Faris in the backcourt could be a REALLY fun team to watch.

And in a year if there are another batch who don't want to be there.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I really like Chiney and hope Dovovan doesn't screw up her game, too, or waste her talents. I see Donovan as a coach whom the game has passed by. Someone who is fine when she has the majority of talent that she can send out on the court as at Seattle or the Olympic team but who really doesn't have real answers in a world where competition is tough.

Icebear- - - I agree with you 100%! I have not been a Donovan fan since she screwed Barbara Turner several years ago in Seattle! Maybe so many players were unhappy were not that they didn't care enough about winning but they found out how lousy a coach, Donovan is and saw no future in the CT SUN anymore!

 

[xHunt3r]

And in a year if there are another batch who don't want to be there.

trade for more draft picks!!

 

[DishNSwish]

And in a year if there are another batch who don't want to be there.

At that point a big enough sample will exist that other options need to be explored.

 

[PacoSwede]

Does anyone have the story behind that loss a few years ago in the postseason to Indianapolis when the Sun had the best or near-best record in the league and were a true power? A favorite to win a title, finally. Then they were annihilated in that decisive (first-round?) game.

That single loss seemed to be the pivot to mediocrity. How did it happen?

What struck me at the time was the Sun didn't simply lose in that big game -- it seemed like they entirely failed to compete. There was a complete loss of pride, it seemed. Resignation. There must be something behind the scenes that caused that. Did any of that ever come out? Was it even noted at the time? Does it play a role in the current situation?