KLS's Mom Calls out Sky Management

[DaBball]

She’s also an Agler worshipper.

 

[Trappa]

I've been watching this play out all summer. I just checked her replies on Twitter, and she has even been arguing with the journalist who wrote the article. It's a very bad look, to say the least.

 

[ochoopsfan]

 

[Plebe]

By the way, many of you might think this is about PT on the court. Nope, much more than that is involved.

Please enlighten us. I'm not sure how we would know any different.

 

[Orangutan]

So now Gabby is mad at the reporter for writing the story.

She's a news reporter, not your propagandist. Sorry.

 

[tomcat]

Just best to ignore this embarrassment. I have to believe the player is humiliated. There's just nothing more to say.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

This was Wades comment about KLS on Draft night.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Katie Lou to the Chicago Sky family,” said Sky General Manager and Head Coach James Wade. “She is a winner – that goes unquestioned – and an incredibly smart, tough player. Katie Lou is someone who can not only play with everyone on our roster but will make everyone on our roster better.”

This is from the Friday Chicago Sun Times article linked above, posted by Rocky MTblue

When the Sky drafted Katie Lou Samuelson with the fourth overall pick in April, coach and general manager James Wade wasn’t necessarily looking for her to make an impact this season. Instead, he was looking for a “long-term solution” to a future problem. “She’s going to be a staple of how we want to play for a long time, and she allows us to do that for whenever Quigley slows down or whenever she’s ready to pass the torch,” he said.

So which is it?

By the way, many of you might think this is about PT on the court. Nope, much more than that is involved.

So, yeah @ochoopsfan , you get it. Great post.

 

[Orangutan]

Lou probably needs 20+ minutes a night to adjust to the league. She hasn't had that luxury.

Chicago has been in a lot of tight games and every game counts for playoff positioning. She hasn't played well enough in her limited minutes to earn substantially more playing time.

That said, it can be hard to impress in such a limited role. I thought Astou Ndour was terrible when she was playing a few minutes a game as a backup. She's been great since entering the starting lineup when Jantel Lavender went down with an injury. So it's definitely possible that Lou could thrive if she did get substantial minutes consistently.

Any chance she had of earning consistent minutes was wiped out by her midseason injury. That really set her back to square one.

I think you have to say that either GM Wade or Coach Wade made a mistake here. Either he made a good pick and is making a mistake by not playing her. Or he just made a bad pick.

It would have been hard for any rookie to get a lot of PT for Chicago, though. What Chicago really needed was a 4 but there wasn't anybody that fit the bill. So instead he took Lou and has been trying to shoehorn her into that role.

The Sky shoot 3s from all 5 positions. So I definitely understand why he was intrigued by an elite shooter like Lou and why he didn't go to players like Brown or Anigwe. Honestly, it feels like he just drafted her without a real plan and said to himself "We'll figure out how she fits in the rotation eventually." And then he just never did.

 

[pvdoggy]

Lou probably needs 20+ minutes a night to adjust to the league. She hasn't had that luxury.

Chicago has been in a lot of tight games and every game counts for playoff positioning. She hasn't played well enough in her limited minutes to earn substantially more playing time.

That said, it can be hard to impress in such a limited role. I thought Astou Ndour was terrible when she was playing a few minutes a game as a backup. She's been great since entering the starting lineup when Jantel Lavender went down with an injury. So it's definitely possible that Lou could thrive if she did get substantial minutes consistently.

Any chance she had of earning consistent minutes was wiped out by her midseason injury. That really set her back to square one.

I think you have to say that either GM Wade or Coach Wade made a mistake here. Either he made a good pick and is making a mistake by not playing her. Or he just made a bad pick.

It would have been hard for any rookie to get a lot of PT for Chicago, though. What Chicago really needed was a 4 but there wasn't anybody that fit the bill. So instead he took Lou and has been trying to shoehorn her into that role.

The Sky shoot 3s from all 5 positions. So I definitely understand why he was intrigued by an elite shooter like Lou and why he didn't go to players like Brown or Anigwe. Honestly, it feels like he just drafted her without a real plan and said to himself "We'll figure out how she fits in the rotation eventually." And then he just never did.

I think you just outline the case that both GM Wade and Coach Wade made a mistake, not just one or the other.

 

[Bigboote]

Just best to ignore this embarrassment. I have to believe the player is humiliated. There's just nothing more to say.

Yeah — I’m wondering if motherjones doesn’t realize Lou is an adult and a professional athlete; if Lou has expressed frustration and mj is a proxy; or something else I won’t say but has probably occurred to others.

 

[soxfan23]

Not a good look for Mama Samuelson. Wade is the likely COY and has completely turned around the Sky with virtually the same roster, going from a 13-21 record to a 20-13 record. Stop complaining about your daughters lack of PT when what Wade is doing is working well. Plus, KLS hasn't been productive during the minutes she has received.


KLS being picked at 4 was a major headscratcher IMO and just didn't make a lot of sense with Collier/Brown on the table. They already had Quigley/Deshields on the wing and could've used front court help.

Her lack of athleticism, and inability to create for herself, were 2 of the reasons why I thought KLS would struggle in the WNBA. She is going to need to play in the right system in order to be successful at this level.

 

[ochoopsfan]

On a Lighter note Lou got a new puppy. His name is Malibu

 

[hjoerring]

(In the end, this might turned-out to be about nothing then privilege! Thus say I)

I feel as if I have been in a long sleep which began earlier this summer about KLS, Mother, coach and draft position. Same questions same answers. When are WE going to take sports seriously- as a vocation? I could not dream of calling or messaging my daughter's job/employer about hours worked, pay or responsibilities. My daughter would murder me- she hasn't played the kid/girl role since public school, bot even then. What clarity of vision we have that allows us (some here) to say that Chicago/Wade made a mistake? They must be really dumb given all the players at their finger tips. Were they confused with the choices available? Maybe Geno should send Wade a message (if he hasn't already) about how to handle the pressure of not playing the bench. (How are they going to develop if you don't play them/give them meaningful minutes?) Given the revolving door of coaches winning is everything. Wade's team is winning and they are playing well. (I have only seen highlights, but am less convinced that they have room to do a lot more then let the current rotation/chemistry works its magic). Lastly, comparing KLS to Arike and Collier cannot be taken seriously. Both Colier and Arike were needed at their respected positions with opened minutes (my thinking). Both could easily be sitting on the bench had things been different with their teams. Sometimes we get lucky. And even then we must take the ball and run. And I ask again, where would people like to see KLS? On the bench in her hometown- LA- With her friend in Minn or friends in Seattle. Perhaps in Conn. My regret in this is about the PRESSURE we have placed on this young woman that was completely unnecessary.

 

[soxfan23]

(In the end, this might turned-out to be about nothing then privilege! Thus say I)

I feel as if I have been in a long sleep which began earlier this summer about KLS, Mother, coach and draft position. Same questions same answers. When are WE going to take sports seriously- as a vocation? I could not dream of calling or messaging my daughter's job/employer about hours worked, pay or responsibilities. My daughter would murder me- she hasn't played the kid/girl role since public school, bot even then. What clarity of vision we have that allows us (some here) to say that Chicago/Wade made a mistake? They must be really dumb given all the players at their finger tips. Were they confused with the choices available? Maybe Geno should send Wade a message (if he hasn't already) about how to handle the pressure of not playing the bench. (How are they going to develop if you don't play them/give them meaningful minutes?) Given the revolving door of coaches winning is everything. Wade's team is winning and they are playing well. (I have only seen highlights, but am less convinced that they have room to do a lot more then let the current rotation/chemistry works its magic). Lastly, comparing KLS to Arike and Collier cannot be taken seriously. Both Colier and Arike were needed at their respected positions with opened minutes (my thinking). Both could easily be sitting on the bench had things been different with their teams. Sometimes we get lucky. And even then we must take the ball and run. And I ask again, where would people like to see KLS? On the bench in her hometown- LA- With her friend in Minn or friends in Seattle. Perhaps in Conn. My regret in this is about the PRESSURE we have placed on this young woman that was completely unnecessary.

Samuelson is paid(rather well mind you) to deal with "pressure", that is her job! Pro sports are stressful and cut throat, but the ability to handle that pressure is what differentiates a pro athlete from 99.99% of the population.

 

[snlMINAJ]

i don't follow anything outside of reading this thread, but i cannot believe the arike ROY tweet.. that is really low and mean-spirited... given the uconn 'family' point of view.
i think with USA basketball phee/lou/arike all played together but i would think uconn trumps use in this aspect.


i have however had the feeling that there is some animosity between Lou and Phee - i would just expect to see more interaction on social media between the 2, and there is barely any. like lots of uconn players (past/present) haven congratulated phee on her various achievements this season, but i cant really recall any coming from lou.. i guess i am boiling this down to like jealousy, unfortunately.

 

[pvdoggy]

i don't follow anything outside of reading this thread, but i cannot believe the arike ROY tweet.. that is really low and mean-spirited... given the uconn 'family' point of view.
i think with USA basketball phee/lou/arike all played together but i would think uconn trumps use in this aspect.


i have however had the feeling that there is some animosity between Lou and Phee - i would just expect to see more interaction on social media between the 2, and there is barely any. like lots of uconn players (past/present) haven congratulated phee on her various achievements this season, but i cant really recall any coming from lou.. i guess i am boiling this down to like jealousy, unfortunately.

Wow! The thing people can think of when they have too much time on their hands.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Wow! The thing people can think of when they have too much time on their hands.

Agree.
By the way as far as I know Lou and Phee are still great friends.
It is amazing the chatter about the situation.
Lous mom never said a word about play time for Lou when she was a freshman early in the season that year. When Geno looked at her at halftime of one of the early games in her sophomore year and asked if she had the heart to play Lous mom said nothing. When Geno pulled all the starters last season in the USF game, because they weren't hustling, Lous mom said nothing. Even back to high school days when Lou had a chance to break one of KML's records and her coach took her out of the game Lous mom said nothing.
There is a lot more to this than play time.

 

[soxfan23]

Agree.
By the way as far as I know Lou and Phee are still great friends.
It is amazing the chatter about the situation.
Lous mom never said a word about play time for Lou when she was a freshman early in the season that year. When Geno looked at her at halftime of one of the early games in her sophomore year and asked if she had the heart to play Lous mom said nothing. When Geno pulled all the starters last season in the USF game, because they weren't hustling, Lous mom said nothing. Even back to high school days when Lou had a chance to break one of KLM's records and her coach took her out of the game Lous mom said nothing.
There is a lot more to this than play time.

I don't think so, I just think things change when $ is involved.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I don't think so, I just think things change when $ is involved.

Lou is a rookie and makes a rookies salary, maybe a bit more than others as she was a lottery pick. Isnt that about $40K a season? There are no incentive clauses in her contract for points or minutes played.

Read post #28 in this topic.

 

[willtalk]

Lou is a rookie and makes a rookies salary, maybe a bit more than others as she was a lottery pick. Isnt that about $40K a season? There are no incentive clauses in her contract for points or minutes played.

Read post #28 in this topic.

One of the main reasons that players still want to play in the WNBA is that doing so, and that certainly would also include their status and performance, is that it can positively impact their overseas salaries. Overseas is where the real money from women's basketball is made. Especially for those on rookie salaries. Her lack of stats and playing time certainly affect any contract that she might sign with an overseas team. No importance with respect to WNBA salary, but a real difference-maker overseas.

 

[soxfan23]

Lou is a rookie and makes a rookies salary, maybe a bit more than others as she was a lottery pick. Isnt that about $40K a season? There are no incentive clauses in her contract for points or minutes played.

Read post #28 in this topic.

There are marketing deals to be had, sneaker deals to be had, overseas contracts to negotiate, etc. WNBA salaries are a drop in a bucket for these athletes, they make far more away from the WNBA, Taurasi once made a comment regarding the diamond jewelry that the owner of her overseas team gave her saying "that was worth more that I made in the WNBA".

As for post #28,
Obviously Lou's mom is upset with her lack of playing time and Wade's reasons as to why she is not playing more.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

On a Lighter note Lou got a new puppy. His name is Malibu

I would not take him to China ...

 

[DeeHusky]

Her lack of athleticism, and inability to create for herself, were 2 of the reasons why I thought KLS would struggle in the WNBA. She is going to need to play in the right system in order to be successful at this level.

Perfectly worded. The Chicago pick did not make sense. She’s in the same position as Mosqueda-Lewis. They both can shoot, but they have weak areas in every other facet of their game.

 

[Sifaka]

I would not take him to China ...

If you're implying....what I'm inferring...then the assumption that Three Dog Night
is musical rather than culinary may need to be re-examined. Egads!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

If you're implying....what I'm inferring...then the assumption that Three Dog Night
is musical rather than culinary may need to be re-examined. Egads!

Don't want him in Korea either ... Chinese say that is all in the past, but I wouldn't trust that. Koreans make no bones about it, but it's an older generation treat only ... mostly ... these days.