Faris to Sun...Marketing Pick or fills a Need

[OneTrickPony]

But Maya would have liked it, I bet!

My exact thoughts...

 

[VAMike23]

Kelly was the best player on the board so I can see the Sun taking her even if she wasn't exactly what they needed. Really wanted Kelly to get to Minnesota or somehow drop to Phoenix in the 2nd round, but I was happy to see Moore go to Minnesota if Kelly couldn't.

Lawson, Montgomery, Hightower, White, Greene, and Faris give the Sun their 6 perimeter players for this season, and the one thing Kelly has over of all of those players is that she is the best passer out of all of them. Kelly's ability to actually make post entry passes into Tina will be something important she potentially brings to the Sun. There is just going to be much more pressure on Kelly to be an offensive threat out of the gate with the Sun than if she had a gone to a team with 2 true perimeter scorers like a Minnesota.

I think we will see Kelly's entry passing improve, as far as consistency, when she plays with Tina again. Tina gives the passer such a huge target--much bigger than Stef (not in height but in target size). Kelly had some lapses this year making entry passes and it was not a consistently strong suit for her. Tina gets lots of attention but in most games there will be enough spacing for Kelly to find her. Kelly really knows how to get you the ball even with a tight window but you have to be able to make the play on your end, Maya and Tina being great examples. And she is outstanding at hitting cutters IMO.

 

[VAMike23]

The battle for the roster spot, should there be one, would be between Kalana and McCray. Kelly fills the same roles but brings more than either of those two do. This is the second major injury to McCray in 3 years.

Not to mention that Kelly is guaranteed a spot on this year's roster as a 1st-round pick

 

[Forty_four]

Did you watch her this year? She shot threes better than KML did last year.

I thought KML lead the nation in 3 point shooting?

 

[rocky rococo]

I thought KML lead the nation in 3 point shooting?

This year she did. Reread the post you responded to

 

[cohenzone]

Kelly comes in never having taken a play off in her life. That won't stop now. She may never make an all-star team, but her teammates will love having her on their side. She fills a need a lot of teams don't get with a top pick - she loves playing D - and she is used to guarding the best player on the other team. One might say, yeah, but these are pros, not college kids. But she has been guarding the caliber of kid who becomes the pro whenever UConn has faced such kids. Stopping the other team from scoring is important, I'm pretty sure, and besides, I doubt any player improved her shot so much as she in one year after 3 years of not shooting so well. Pretty reliable in every which way.

 

[jplotinus]

The battle for the roster spot, should there be one, would be between Kalana and McCray. Kelly fills the same roles but brings more than either of those two do. This is the second major injury to McCray in 3 years.

Battle for roster spot? With Asjha Jones out, I don't see a lot of roster pressure. The Sun only have 10 players. I doubt the 2nd and 3rd round draft choices would cause the departure of a proven veteran.

 

[Jackalope]

I am delighted that the Sun drafted Kelly! I do think the Sun had no choice but to draft her. Imagine the negative backlash they would have gotten if she was available and they didn't draft her!

 

[JoePgh]

Asjha's roster spot would have to be maintained, I believe, so the Sun's player roster will be only 10 players. I don't think that they will also carry McCray if she is injured for the season, so I expect that she will be cut. (There is no real "IR" in the WNBA.) Johanna Leedham will probably make the team, taking one spot from a current player, and Kelly will take one spot. So some current player besides McCray will have to go. Greene, White, or Hightower, I would think. Hightower would be my guess.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I thought KML lead the nation in 3 point shooting?

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

In 2011-12, KML shot .432 overall and .384 from the arc.

In 2012-3, Kelly shot .530 and .415, respectively. Those are very good numbers. She was at .438 and .315 the prior year, so she became a much better shooter, basically by a whopping .100.

In 2012-13, KML was spectacular at .528 and .492.

Hmm, Kelly shot .530 overall, and Kaleena shot .528. Our latest first round pick has bragging rights--she outshot the best shooter in the country!

 

[jplotinus]

Asjha's roster spot would have to be maintained, I believe, so the Sun's player roster will be only 10 players. I don't think that they will also carry McCray if she is injured for the season, so I expect that she will be cut. (There is no real "IR" in the WNBA.) Johanna Leedham will probably make the team, taking one spot from a current player, and Kelly will take one spot. So some current player besides McCray will have to go. Greene, White, or Hightower, I would think. Hightower would be my guess.

If Asjha's spot has to be maintained, there would be some roster pressure. However, roster size in WNBA calls for 11 active players and no inactive players. Thus, I doubt Asjha counts as she has said she isn't playing this year.

Kelly will not only make the team, she will make it better. Whether her addition outweighs loss of Asjha enough to propel team to the championship is an open, sporting proposition, of course.

I don't think the 2nd or 3rd round picks are good enough to unseat a veteran Sun player, unless the ones mentioned are injured or unenthusiastic about playing in the wnba this year.

I think the Sun will be better than last year and last year they reached the finals. So...

 

[Forty_four]

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

In 2011-12, KML shot .432 overall and .384 from the arc.

In 2012-3, Kelly shot .530 and .415, respectively. Those are very good numbers. She was at .438 and .315 the prior year, so she became a much better shooter, basically by a whopping .100.

In 2012-13, KML was spectacular at .528 and .492.

Hmm, Kelly shot .530 overall, and Kaleena shot .528. Our latest first round pick has bragging rights--she outshot the best shooter in the country!

Correct me if I am not seeing this but your original thread was strictly about shooting three's with KML hitting .384 and .492 while Kelly shot .315 and .415. Overall, for all FG attempts Kelly hit .530 vs KML at .528.
Am I reading your info correctly?

 

[Icebear]

44, note the "last year" in Milford's original statement. Kelly's figure this year was better than KML's last year.

 

[Scotter]

I think we will see Kelly's entry passing improve, as far as consistency, when she plays with Tina again. Tina gives the passer such a huge target--much bigger than Stef (not in height but in target size). Kelly had some lapses this year making entry passes and it was not a consistently strong suit for her. Tina gets lots of attention but in most games there will be enough spacing for Kelly to find her. Kelly really knows how to get you the ball even with a tight window but you have to be able to make the play on your end, Maya and Tina being great examples. And she is outstanding at hitting cutters IMO.

Stef wasn't a problem as far as catching passes. Stef and Kallena were the only reliable targets. Most of the other players were struggling to be in the right spot and catch passes. Kelly struggled to make the adjustment to his year's roster largely being made up of players that struggled to be where they were supposed to be. Kelly tried to make the passes to Breanna for example that she made to Maya and Tiffany as well as Tina and more often than not a perfect pass was fumbled away or went out of bounds because the player never made the cut, or didn't make it hard enough.

 

[Icebear]

Stef wasn't a problem as far as catching passes. Stef and Kallena were the only reliable targets. Most of the other players were struggling to be in the right spot and catch passes. Kelly struggled to make the adjustment to his year's roster largely being made up of players that struggled to be where they were supposed to be. Kelly tried to make the passes to Breanna for example that she made to Maya and Tiffany as well as Tina and more often than not a perfect pass was fumbled away or went out of bounds because the player never made the cut, or didn't make it hard enough.

Scotter I have this many times. Timing and placement consistency is very important.

 

[Forty_four]

44, note the "last year" in Milford's original statement. Kelly's figure this year was better than KML's last year.

thanks for the clarification, but that is comparing apples to oranges. A total manipulation of statistics.

 

[Icebear]

thanks for the clarification, but that is comparing apples to oranges. A total manipulation of statistics.

Not my problem. I was only clarifying what you failed to understand.

 

[rocky rococo]

I believe there's a "suspended" list that teams can place a player on so as not to give up their rights, but once on it, that player cannot play that entire season. I imagine Asjha will be put on that for this season.

Hightower isn't going anywhere, she moved to the front of the line among the 2/3 wing players with her performance on both sides of the ball last year. If the Sun's need in the post seems dire enough, they might use their one tradeable item, Renee, to get a usable reserve post,and Hightower could pick up some backup PG as well. I would have to guess McCray is gone, she really didn't seem productive in any phase of the game last year. If yet another wing has to go, for instance if the choice is made to keep Leedham, it will be a decision between keeping Kalana for her defense or Tan White for her offense. Given that both Hightower and Kelly have excellent defensive skills, that wouldn't bode well for Kalana. I'm sure there are other teams that could use her, Washington, Tulsa, and even Seattle come to mind.