May 2024 WNBA Thread, part II

[WBBTakeover]

I'm sensing a one way street. Boston cannot be criticized because she is a precious angel, but everybody else you can bash as much as you want.

I think you're seeing what you want to see.

Many here, including myself, have extended grace to Caitlin and have placed the bulk of the blame for Indiana's early-season failures elsewhere (e.g. coaching, GM, other players). She isn't blameless by any stretch, but she isn't the main reason why the Fever look the way they do.

And she's received grace from Internetland in general because most sensible people know that the Fever are a rebuilding team. That said, I don't recall seeing her called a (insert racial slur towards people who look like Aliyah), (misogynistic term used against people who look like Aliyah) who needs to perish/be offed because she's been missing lay-ups. But we all know who HAS received that kind of treatment from Internetland.

So yes, Caitlin has received grace from me. But Aliyah is receiving more from me due to the level of vitriolic abuse she's received.

 

[azfan]

Well I mean sure they are doing good now but it's not exactly what you're looking for as a team with championship or busts aspirations. The core 3 are expected to play 35 minutes a game and to score 20 a piece to win games. The bench is shorten and two of the best anticipated bench contributors are now in the starting lineup.

Compared to the league a a whole, Vegas is doing great. Speaking as someone with interest in Vegas winning it all there as definite concerns. In my opinion we lack the defense and depth the Sun has.

Repeats are tough. Suns v Aces in finals? Not a shabby year Remember I am a fan of the dumpster fire that masquerades as a W team in Phoenix. I'd take the Ace's performance (and roster even sans Chelsea) in a heartbeat everyday and twice on Sunday.

It's funny as a Suns and Sun Devils fan I find it sometimes amusing what Husky and Acrs fans find to complain about

 

[Dillon77]

Richard Cohen of HerHoopsStats Examines Coaching Hot Seats So Far

He places the categories ranging from "Part of the Furniture and Going Nowhere" and "Too Soon, Safe for Now" and "Steady Growth, Seats Secure" to "High Expectations, Better Keep Winning" and, of course, "Will They See Through the Rebuild?"

Given the input and discussion on this thread, I'll be the regulars won't have too tough a time guessing what coach goes where.
That said, Cohen offers snippets on one and all categories, teams and coaches.

WNBAnything Rankings 2024: Coaching Hot Seats

This week it's time to rank the comfort of the WNBA's head coaches, from relaxed and safe to those starting to feel the heat

herhoopstats.substack.com

 

[nwhoopfan]

Chelsea Gray is approaching mythical status in her absence.

 

[cancontent]

Richard Cohen of HerHoopsStats Examines Coaching Hot Seats So Far

He places the categories ranging from "Part of the Furniture and Going Nowhere" and "Too Soon, Safe for Now" and "Steady Growth, Seats Secure" to "High Expectations, Better Keep Winning" and, of course, "Will They See Through the Rebuild?"

Given the input and discussion on this thread, I'll be the regulars won't have too tough a time guessing what coach goes where.
That said, Cohen offers snippets on one and all categories, teams and coaches.

WNBAnything Rankings 2024: Coaching Hot Seats

This week it's time to rank the comfort of the WNBA's head coaches, from relaxed and safe to those starting to feel the heat

herhoopstats.substack.com

Glad to see that Thibault was listed where he is. The situation in Washington is a complicated one. Also, after seeing a clip where Cloud talked about why she is in Phoenix, I was a little surprised. Didn't assume the transition would be seamless, but it still was odd seeing how things played out during the off-season.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Nneka is 22 points away from 6000 for her career.

Fagbenle is out for Indiana.

 

[Bigboote]

Nneka is 22 points away from 6000 for her career.

Fagbenle is out for Indiana.

It appears that Wheeler is out, too. I’m hoping that’s not the only reason Berger is playing.

 

[nwhoopfan]

It appears that Wheeler is out, too. I’m hoping that’s not the only reason Berger is playing.

Yeah Wheeler is personal reasons, not an injury.

Fever getting run off the court. Whole team looks very frustrated. Building has been about to explode several times because of officiating. Clark got T'd up, so did Sides.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Is it just me, or is Nneka one of the least hyped, least talked about super stars in league history? I mean she's not top 5 all time, I don't know exactly where I'd rank her, but she's been really really good for a long time. Just doesn't seem to get the attention many other players do. Tonight 17 pts 8-11 shooting 6 reb 6 assists 2 steals and a block.

 

[Blueballer]

Seattle is up almost 30 against Indiana with 5 minutes left and the can't put Nika in the game? Come on!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Reese vs. Brink show down isn't really materializing at the half, neither doing much. Mabrey/Evans/Carter trio have led Chicago to an 18 point lead, 30 points combined for them.

 

[nwhoopfan]

103-88 final, wasn't really that close. Indiana w/ a late push when Seattle emptied the bench.

KLS found the touch from 3, that might be the only positive for the Fever.

Muhl still looking for her first WNBA bucket, but she did pick up 3 fouls in 4 minutes...

 

[nwhoopfan]

I was thinking it but forgot to say, Diggins-Smith is definitely finding her groove with the Storm.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Chicago gonna get the win over LA. Indiana and Washington are clearly in the cellar, not sure how much separation the Sparks have from the bottom 2. Sky got themselves back into the big logjam in the middle.

 

[Dillon77]

Reese vs. Brink show down isn't really materializing at the half, neither doing much. Mabrey/Evans/Carter trio have led Chicago to an 18 point lead, 30 points combined for them.

LA closed the gap in the third, but Chicago kept the margin around 10, finishing at 83-73. Elisabeth Williams finished with a 17 pt./11 rebound double-double, but Chicago's three guard attack kept the pressure on, as noted, finishing with 49 points. Mabrey had 20 points (6-11 from three), as well as 7 rebounds and assists and played 33 minutes, most on Sky. Williams was second with 30+.

Dearica Hamby led the Sparks with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Kia Nurse, had 17, hitting 5-6 from the FT line.

 

[Dillon77]

I was thinking it but forgot to say, Diggins-Smith is definitely finding her groove with the Storm.

Looked pretty smooth for Sky, as well as Jewell Loyd. Maybe the trip to the heartland (close to ND) has relaxed them, because they both had strikingly similar stats in this game: both shot 8-14 from the floor (2-4 from three), while Diggins-Smith had 9 assists and Loyd 6.

 

[WLT1717]

I have watched more WNBA games this year than any other year and I find it almost impossible to enjoy. The interior defense is hold, push and hack and if you are a rookie you get zero calls. If the WNBA is ever to be a viable league they need to move it to more like the college game than the NBA game.

The only way they can slow down CC is to grab her and bump her on every play. I hate to say it be the league needs to meet with the Refs and get it cleaned up and cleaned up fast.

I think the Fever need a Charles Oakley-type to handle some of the chippiness being sent in CC’s direction.

 

[WLT1717]

Richard Cohen of HerHoopsStats Examines Coaching Hot Seats So Far

He places the categories ranging from "Part of the Furniture and Going Nowhere" and "Too Soon, Safe for Now" and "Steady Growth, Seats Secure" to "High Expectations, Better Keep Winning" and, of course, "Will They See Through the Rebuild?"

Given the input and discussion on this thread, I'll be the regulars won't have too tough a time guessing what coach goes where.
That said, Cohen offers snippets on one and all categories, teams and coaches.

WNBAnything Rankings 2024: Coaching Hot Seats

This week it's time to rank the comfort of the WNBA's head coaches, from relaxed and safe to those starting to feel the heat

herhoopstats.substack.com

Sides cannot be fired soon enough, provided they know how to hire a competent replacement - which is no given.

 

[WLT1717]

Glad to see that Thibault was listed where he is. The situation in Washington is a complicated one. Also, after seeing a clip where Cloud talked about why she is in Phoenix, I was a little surprised. Didn't assume the transition would be seamless, but it still was odd seeing how things played out during the off-season.

I’ll-served when diva EDD bailed in her team.

 

[bballnut90]

Marina Mabrey is proving her worth this year putting up Clark/Ionescu-esque numbers. 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game while leading underdog Chicago to a 3-3 record.

Side note: the 2019 WNBA draft had an incredible group of second round draft picks:
Marina Mabrey
Sophie Cunnington
Jessica Shepard
Natisha Hiedeman
Megan Gustafson
Han Xu
Bridget Carleton
Kennedy Burke

 

[bballnut90]

103-88 final, wasn't really that close. Indiana w/ a late push when Seattle emptied the bench.

KLS found the touch from 3, that might be the only positive for the Fever.

Muhl still looking for her first WNBA bucket, but she did pick up 3 fouls in 4 minutes...

Nalyssa Smith played well. Team defense was terrible though, they gave up 103 points and 29 assists. Game was blown open in the 3rd and this was a total blowout (27 point lead with 5 min left) despite Indiana making a surge to narrow the final score. Clark looks like she's having a miserable time out there. I wonder if she regrets going pro this summer. The announcers mentioned something along the lines of she's focused on maintaining her mental health which likely indicates she's having a tough time right now dealing with everything. I can't imagine the pressure she's under and how rough it must be to lose so much with expectations sky high. Not her best game tonight but she was fine (18 points, 9 assists, 7 TOs). The league is really physical on her and she isn't getting a lot of calls and is getting frustrated. Furthermore, the team is lacking veteran leadership and when things don't go well, the wheels seem to fall off and they don't know how to get back on course. The team chemistry is just not good either, but everyone else also had a short training camp so I'm not sure why Indiana looks so much worse than other squads right now. I also have no idea why Sides opted to play Clark 40 minutes tonight, she should've sat her the entire 4th IMO and given subs a chance to prove their worth (Taylor, Hull, Saxton). At the rate they're going, they're going to have the most lottery balls for the Paige sweepstakes next year.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Nalyssa Smith played well. Team defense was terrible though, they gave up 103 points and 29 assists. Game was blown open in the 3rd and this was a total blowout (27 point lead with 5 min left) despite Indiana making a surge to narrow the final score. Clark looks like she's having a miserable time out there. I wonder if she regrets going pro this summer. The announcers mentioned something along the lines of she's focused on maintaining her mental health which likely indicates she's having a tough time right now dealing with everything. I can't imagine the pressure she's under and how rough it must be to lose so much with expectations sky high. Not her best game tonight but she was fine (18 points, 9 assists, 7 TOs). The league is really physical on her and she isn't getting a lot of calls and is getting frustrated. Furthermore, the team is lacking veteran leadership and when things don't go well, the wheels seem to fall off and they don't know how to get back on course. The team chemistry is just not good either, but everyone else also had a short training camp so I'm not sure why Indiana looks so much worse than other squads right now. I also have no idea why Sides opted to play Clark 40 minutes tonight, she should've sat her the entire 4th IMO and given subs a chance to prove their worth (Taylor, Hull, Saxton). At the rate they're going, they're going to have the most lottery balls for the Paige sweepstakes next year.

The league is really physical on EVERYONE. She’s used to an especially soft whistle in college and is adjusting to the physicality allowed in the WNBA. The constant complaining from Clark and her super fans about how unfair everything is for her is tiring.

 

[nwhoopfan]

The league is really physical on her and she isn't getting a lot of calls and is getting frustrated.

She got NO calls tonight. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but my goodness, are the refs trying to prove something? Just because she's a rookie doesn't mean they have to swallow the whistle all game long.


edit--she did have 5 FTA's, but almost all of those were late; she was getting beat up the whole first half and I'm pretty sure she didn't draw a single whistle

 

[nwhoopfan]

Clark looks like she's having a miserable time out there. I wonder if she regrets going pro this summer.

Would it have been any different if she waited a year?

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Are y’all talking about the same Caitlin Clark that shot 15 free throws last game? The same Caitlin Clark that 64% of her shot attempts are 3s? That’s the girl you think the refs are working against?

Clark super fans need to take a breather. She’s a generational talent and excellent for a rookie. Y’all don’t need to be doing all of this extra stuff.