Kelly Officially Invited to WNBA Draft

[ChicagoGG]

I read on ESPN that Kelly is on the offical list of invitees to be in studio for the WNBA draft.
Indiana is out there at #9...Minny drafts last in the first round, I think.

So happy for her that she's "going to the draft room."

(Best pic I've seen in a long time was Kelly with that net around her neck and a huge smile on her face....)

Where do you think she will land?

 

[DishNSwish]

The Phoenix Mercury asked me to give them a mock draft. Here it is.

http://post original url/L8eT7gdwjv

She will be gone before Indy drafts.

 

[pap49cba]

She could go as high as 4th, though 5th or 6th probably is more likely.

 

[Phil]

Thanks Dave.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Just remember, if your team passes on her, she may be guarding you...!

 

[vtcwbuff]

Here's the list - Copied from the WNBA draft site

2013 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm Invitees
Player College Position Height
Alex Bentley Penn State Guard 5'7"
Kelsey Bone Texas A&M Center 6'4"
Layshia Clarendon California Guard 5'9"
Elena Delle Donne Delaware Guard/Forward 6'5"
Skylar Diggins Notre Dame Guard 5'9"
Kelly Faris Connecticut Guard 5'11"
Brittney Griner Baylor Center 6'8"
Tianna Hawkins Maryland Forward 6'3"
Tayler Hill Ohio State Guard 6'0"
Lindsey Moore Nebraska Guard 5'9".
Sugar Rodgers Georgetown Guard 5'11"
Toni Young Oklahoma State Forward

And here's the order of selection -

2013 WNBA DRAFT ORDER
First Round
1) Phoenix (7-27)
2) Chicago (14-20)
3) Tulsa (9-25)
4) Washington (5-29)
5) New York (15-19)
6) Seattle (16-18)
7) New York from Atlanta (19-15) via Washington (J. Thomas, 2/15/13) (K. Vaughn, 2/2713)
8) San Antonio (21-13)
9) Indiana (22-12)
10) Los Angeles (24-10)
11) Connecticut (25-9)
12) Minnesota (27-7)
Second Round
1) Atlanta from Washington (5-29) (J. Thomas 2/15/13)
2) Minnesota from Phoenix (7-27) (A. Hornbuckle, 2/2/12)
3) New York from Tulsa (9-25) (N. Powell, C. Wiggins, J. McCarville, D. Nolan, 3/1/13)
4) San Antonio from Chicago (14-20) (J. Petrovic, 3/13/12)
5) Washington from New York (15-19) (K. Vaughn, 2/27/13)
6) Seattle (16-18)
7) Washington from Atlanta (19-15) (J. Thomas 2/15/13)
8) San Antonio (21-13)
9) Indiana (22-12)
10) Los Angeles (24-10)
11) Connecticut (25-9)
12) Minnesota (27-7)
Third Round
1) Washington (5-29)
2) Phoenix (7-27)
3) New York from Tulsa (9-25) (N. Powell, C. Wiggins, J. McCarville, D. Nolan, 3/1/13)
4) Chicago (14-20)
5) Tulsa from New York (15-19) (N. Powell, C. Wiggins, J. McCarville, D. Nolan, 3/1/13)
6) Seattle (16-18)
7) Atlanta (19-15)
8) San Antonio (21-13)
9) Indiana (22-12)
10) Los Angeles (24-10)
11) Connecticut (25-9)
12) Minnesota (27-7)

 

[EricLA]

I haven't seen any speculation for draft boards, and of course the teams will draft based on need after the big 3 are taken. There are only a small number of kids I could see going ahead of Kelly depending on what each team needs. Frankly, I'd expect her to go in the top 10. But maybe I overestimate the value she brings to the table for the WNBA. Frankly, I love Kalana Greene a ton, but I expect Kelly to be a better pro as I think Kelly's more athletic, a better defender, and has more offensive pop.

Kalana went 13th (1st pick in 2nd round) but went behind players like Bianca Thomas, Jene Morris, Allison Lacey and Chanel Makongo. Thomas is out of the WNBA, Morris barely got any PT last year in Tulsa, Lacey is gone, and I am not sure if Makongo ever made a team. Greene, on the other hand, is still a starter for the Sun starting 31-34 games last year.

I am no expert but depending on need I could also see maybe Bone, Alexander (Syracuse) and Deluzio (FSU) maybe going ahead of Kelly. Maybe Mathias (Kentucky), Hawkins (Maryland), Clarendon (Cal) or Hill (OSU) too. But even if all of them went ahead of Kelly that still puts her at #11, more or less. It will be interesting for sure.

 

[Suebird10fan]

The Phoenix Mercury asked me to give them a mock draft. Here it is.

http://post original url/L8eT7gdwjv

She will be gone before Indy drafts.

Thanks for posting this.

There was a big debate early in the year about how high Kelly could go. Someone said she could go as high as X and got a lot of pushback. Anyone remember what X was? I know it wasn't 3. But I'm wondering whether it was 4 or 5 or maybe top half.

 

[WNBARookFan]

I'm thinking New York takes a post at #5, meaning Seattle would more than likely take her at #6. I don't see her falling past #7 to New York.

 

[jplotinus]

Only 12 teams in the WNBA? I thought there were more. League contraction is a bit of a worry. Why don't we all go to more Sun games.

 

[EricLA]

Thanks for posting this.

There was a big debate early in the year about how high Kelly could go. Someone said she could go as high as X and got a lot of pushback. Anyone remember what X was? I know it wasn't 3. But I'm wondering whether it was 4 or 5 or maybe top half.

There was a time a certain Duke poster, who I like a lot, was saying she would go undrafted period, and wouldn't be successful in the WNBA. I'm quite sure he changed his mind as time went on. I know I was one of those who felt she'd go in the top 10 (preseason), but even I had to concede with her limited offensive game (before the start of this year), she may drop to the 2nd round.

Given her really solid offensive game, evidenced by 10.2 PPG, 42% from 3-point land, and 4.0 APG (highest on the team) to 1.9 TO/G (best assist/turnover ratio on the team), I'd say her offensive stock rose dramatically, which is why I think so many fans, myself included, feel she's a lock for the top 10 in the draft and why she was invited. I'm excited for her...

 

[vtcwbuff]

Only 12 teams in the WNBA? I thought there were more. League contraction is a bit of a worry. Why don't we all go to more Sun games.

The WNBA continues to hang on by its fiscal fingertips. Attendance fell off rather significantly last year, but then so did NBA attendance. To my knowledge the Sun is still the only team in the black.

I don't know if its the same for all the teams, but the next time you are at a Sun game look around and see who the fans are. It will look a lot like the fans in Gampel. Majority male, majority grey haired. That's the problem the WNBA needs to solve.

 

[vtcwbuff]

There was a time a certain Duke poster, who I like a lot, was saying she would go undrafted period, and wouldn't be successful in the WNBA. I'm quite sure he changed his mind as time went on. I know I was one of those who felt she'd go in the top 10 (preseason), but even I had to concede with her limited offensive game (before the start of this year), she may drop to the 2nd round.

Given her really solid offensive game, evidenced by 10.2 PPG, 42% from 3-point land, and 4.0 APG (highest on the team) to 1.9 TO/G (best assist/turnover ratio on the team), I'd say her offensive stock rose dramatically, which is why I think so many fans, myself included, feel she's a lock for the top 10 in the draft and why she was invited. I'm excited for her...

I'm going to assume that most coaches/GMs are smart enough to recognize that she was playing on a team that seldom needed her to score. I think she'll go 5-10. There is a silver lining if she goes later than that. She could end up with a better team.

 

[ChicagoGG]

The Phoenix Mercury asked me to give them a mock draft. Here it is.

http://post original url/L8eT7gdwjv

She will be gone before Indy drafts.

Thank you, Dave! Excellent read. I do, however, hope that she goes to Seattle. I wouldn't want anyone I cared for, even as tough as Kelly is, to go play for Bill Lambeer.

 

[RadyLady]

Hurray for Kelly!!

 

[svetbird]

so glad for her. heart of the team this year. though Dolson is a close 2nd

 

[intlzncster]

The WNBA continues to hang on by its fiscal fingertips. Attendance fell off rather significantly last year, but then so did NBA attendance. To my knowledge the Sun is still the only team in the black.

I don't know if its the same for all the teams, but the next time you are at a Sun game look around and see who the fans are. It will look a lot like the fans in Gampel. Majority male, majority grey haired. That's the problem the WNBA needs to solve.

The WNBA exists (not entirely) at the whim of David Stern. If Stern wants it, it will be so. The question is, what would make Stern NOT want to back it anymore? He's not doing it for revenue (although he'd like to make money of course).

 

[JoePgh]

The mock draft had the NY Liberty (i.e., coach Bill Laimbeer) drafting Kelly. I wonder about that. If it happens, I wonder how it will work out. Granted, there are some similarities between Laimbeer and Geno -- they are both abrasive and sometimes cross lines in what they say publicly about their players. But there are also major differences, which is highlighted by the fact that Swin Cash (who enjoyed playing for Geno and continues to be very loyal to him and to the program) had major problems playing on Laimbeer's Detroit team which resulted in her being traded away.

I'm sure that Kelly will recognize that Laimbeer has a lot to offer in basketball knowledge, and that he is a fierce competitor and looks for that in his players, and she will not have a problem with that. But I don't think she will find him to be the paternal figure that she obviously found in Geno. She may not like what she does find instead.

 

[DaddyChoc]

The mock draft had the NY Liberty (i.e., coach Bill Laimbeer) drafting Kelly. I wonder about that. If it happens, I wonder how it will work out. Granted, there are some similarities between Laimbeer and Geno -- they are both abrasive and sometimes cross lines in what they say publicly about their players. But there are also major differences, which is highlighted by the fact that Swin Cash (who enjoyed playing for Geno and continues to be very loyal to him and to the program) had major problems playing on Laimbeer's Detroit team which resulted in her being traded away.

I'm sure that Kelly will recognize that Laimbeer has a lot to offer in basketball knowledge, and that he is a fierce competitor and looks for that in his players, and she will not have a problem with that. But I don't think she will find him to be the paternal figure that she obviously found in Geno. She may not like what she does find instead.

maybe it was Cash... and not Laimbeer

 

[rocky rococo]

The WNBA exists (not entirely) at the whim of David Stern. If Stern wants it, it will be so. The question is, what would make Stern NOT want to back it anymore? He's not doing it for revenue (although he'd like to make money of course).

Women who have played basketball tend to be big NBA fans. There is value to the NBA then in getting more girls and women to play basketball. Holding out the WNBA as an opportunity is one way to get more girls playing, building the pool of future female NBA fans.

 

[DaddyChoc]

and Stern is on his way out... so what happens to the W now

 

[bruinbball]

They just reupped with Espn.

 

[DaddyChoc]

thats fine for television... but if the league decided to fold tomorrow we'd be watching poker all summer

 

[bruinbball]

thats fine for television... but if the league decided to fold tomorrow we'd be watching poker all summer

If it's Daniel Negreanu or Phil Ivey, I am good with that. Just not too much Helmuth. Not really, I want to see the WNBA thrive. I will have to buy more tickets and help out a little more this year. With my little girl, the late games are out, I am stuck with day games and luckily the WNBA does have a few more of them.

 

[bruinbball]

Thank you, Dave! Excellent read. I do, however, hope that she goes to Seattle. I wouldn't want anyone I cared for, even as tough as Kelly is, to go play for Bill Lambeer.

I understand your concern, but I would disagree. My ex played for that Detroit team in 2002 when he took over. He was probably a better coach than any of them expected and while tough he earned some respect. They were not very good. He took over they made a few moves and won 3 of the next 6 titles. The guy did a good job.