JoePgh
Cranky pants and wise acre
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Did everyone notice the following quotation from Bill Laimbeer, former famous "bad boy" of Notre Dame and the Detroit Pistons and now coach of the New York Liberty, about Kim Mulkey and Brittney Griner?
Mulkey, he says, "... whined and cried after the [Louisville] game ... about how physical [they were] with Griner. But that's just everyday business in the WNBA. They are competitive, big, and strong, and they will hit you. Brittney will discover this. She will need to get stronger or they will push her off the block."
Although less so than in past years, the referees in the WNBA are to a degree the same individuals who do elite college games in the winter. I wonder if their tolerance for physical play in the summer is greater. Personally, I am a season ticketholder for both the CT Sun and UConn, and I do not notice a significant difference in physical play between (say) UConn or Maryland and what occurs in the W, but of course the athletes are better. I found it surprising that Tina Charles was the WNBA's leading rebounder in her rookie year with the Sun, despite never having been at that level in college to my recollection.
Another factor that may be problematic for Griner is that the WNBA is introducing the defensive 3-second rule this summer. It says that a defender may not remain in the lane for more than 3 consecutive seconds unless she is actively guarding someone. If the late Margo Dydek (the 7-2 center that the Sun had about 5 years ago) were still around, that would basically kill her defensive game, which was based on standing under the basket and functioning like a goaltender -- blocking or altering every layup and short jump shot. Griner's defensive game at Baylor was quite similar, and was the reason why Baylor could play tight perimeter defensive without having to worry about getting beat on drives or backdoor plays. If she can't do that because of this rule, it will mean a significant adjustment to her defensive game.
Mulkey, he says, "... whined and cried after the [Louisville] game ... about how physical [they were] with Griner. But that's just everyday business in the WNBA. They are competitive, big, and strong, and they will hit you. Brittney will discover this. She will need to get stronger or they will push her off the block."
Although less so than in past years, the referees in the WNBA are to a degree the same individuals who do elite college games in the winter. I wonder if their tolerance for physical play in the summer is greater. Personally, I am a season ticketholder for both the CT Sun and UConn, and I do not notice a significant difference in physical play between (say) UConn or Maryland and what occurs in the W, but of course the athletes are better. I found it surprising that Tina Charles was the WNBA's leading rebounder in her rookie year with the Sun, despite never having been at that level in college to my recollection.
Another factor that may be problematic for Griner is that the WNBA is introducing the defensive 3-second rule this summer. It says that a defender may not remain in the lane for more than 3 consecutive seconds unless she is actively guarding someone. If the late Margo Dydek (the 7-2 center that the Sun had about 5 years ago) were still around, that would basically kill her defensive game, which was based on standing under the basket and functioning like a goaltender -- blocking or altering every layup and short jump shot. Griner's defensive game at Baylor was quite similar, and was the reason why Baylor could play tight perimeter defensive without having to worry about getting beat on drives or backdoor plays. If she can't do that because of this rule, it will mean a significant adjustment to her defensive game.
