Nika Muhl at Seattle | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Nika Muhl at Seattle

Majic Hands said:
There are some that just can’t seem to let go of their hate. Head bang

There was some guy that posted a YouTube video something about 10 reasons UConn was going to be really good this year. Somehow Nika and her fouling being gone was a reason the team was going to be really good this year. :eek:

Really? Causes me to remember an old saying, something to the effect of “you can help someone who’s ignorant but you can’t fix stupid”.
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That guy has some of the worst takes I’ve ever seen. We’re gonna be missing a key part of defense and somehow he thinks it’s better for us?

I only watch his player analysis, because they’re semi-accurate. Anything else is a skip.
 
Hedge said:
I'm trying to stay optimistic about Nika's prospect but am worried. It looks like this guy has the same perspective
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A little too much inference about second round draft picks without qualifying context:
  • Indiana (Celeste Taylor) had three successive abysmal seasons, and two #1 and one #2 draft picks and a newish coach (hired in 2023) later, still finds itself one of the four worst teams this season; the roster change (Dantas for Taylor) augurs for Indiana not purposefully tanking to join the Bueckers lottery;
  • Las Vegas (Dyaisha Fair) was dealing with Gray’s injury and Parker’s retirement, made several roster moves: drafting and keeping Martin, drafting and waiving 5’5” Fair, signing Tiffany Hayes, waiving Cannon and signing NY’s waived 2nd round draft pick 6’5 Jessika Carter;
  • Seattle made big offseason personnel changes and while the changes are seemingly paying off (they had the 2nd-worst record last year), revamped rosters like NY last year take time to fully click; Nika is the only rookie on the 12-player roster, a popular inexpensive insurance and seemingly valuable player that Seattle chose to keep while grappling mightily with its salary cap.
Nika is more talented than some drafted UConn guards who played in the WNBA. But only Nika has quite a dedicated set of tiresome detractors (obviously not you), quite possibly wishing Geno never recruited Nika despite Geno’s and the team’s endorsement of Nika.
 
Eagle4 said:
Unfortunately, she will be out of the WNBA and playing in Europe next year. I always thought that was her ultimate landing spot. She’s just not quite good enough to be a WNBA player she has strengths but not enough to be a long-term WNBA player.
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I personally think Muhl will be in both; she will play in Turkey (I believe she is already under contract to do so), and after that commitment she absolutely will be back playing in the WNBA. This is not a Dooms-Day scenario for her to be part of the Storm, gaining experience as a Rookie, even while not receiving a ton of playing time. Same goes with Lou Lopez-Senechal down in Dallas. Those two are in the League, earning a paycheck, while gaining experience and notoriety; a much, much better position than what Chrystyn Williams and/or Evina Westbrook are in.

Let's also remember, next summer the WNBA will have an additional team. With that additional team, there will be an equivalent number of players as an entire Draft Round added to the WNBA numbers. In essence, all of those who have previously not made a team being drafted out of the Second Round and/or cut from a team (Zia Cooke, Abby Meyers, Celeste Taylor, Dyaisha Fair, Esmery Martinez, Taiyanna Jackson, ...) that type of equivalent talent, will be making a team next season as well as two or three out of the Third Round.
 
Dugway said:
I personally think Muhl will be in both; she will play in Turkey (I believe she is already under contract to do so), and after that commitment she absolutely will be back playing in the WNBA. This is not a Dooms-Day scenario for her to be part of the Storm, gaining experience as a Rookie, even while not receiving a ton of playing time. Same goes with Lou Lopez-Senechal down in Dallas. Those two are in the League, earning a paycheck, while gaining experience and notoriety; a much, much better position than what Chrystyn Williams and/or Evina Westbrook are in.

Let's also remember, next summer the WNBA will have an additional team. With that additional team, there will be an equivalent number of players as an entire Draft Round added to the WNBA numbers. In essence, all of those who have previously not made a team being drafted out of the Second Round and/or cut from a team (Zia Cooke, Abby Meyers, Celeste Taylor, Dyaisha Fair, Esmery Martinez, Taiyanna Jackson, ...) that type of equivalent talent, will be making a team next season as well as two or three out of the Third Round.
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One correction. Zia Cooke is still on the Sparks roster. She's an another example to support your point regarding Nika and Lou.
 
They are winning without her, and she’s still got a ways to be a good fill in on a wnba roster. I’m not really sure where she has earned more minutes. I think she’s just learning right now and we will see how it goes over the next couple years. Her future might not even be with the storm going forward. Sometimes it takes the right situation for a player to flourish. I wish her all the best and want to see her do well, but I think this forum hypes her abilities a little more than what is reality. She’s gonna get her time, it’s just not right now
 
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So Muhl and Melbourne are a sliding doors moment which will forever link them?

How about Morgan Bertsch and Alanna Smith. Bertsch won the starting spot last season in Sky's training camp, then when she got injured Smith shined. Fast forward to Free Agency this past off season and Smith signs 2 year deal with Lynx at $150k per, while Bertsch signs for the minimum and has already been waived twice this season (Mercury & Wings).

There are so many stories of players persevering (Smith herself was glued to the bench her first 3 years, playing for her National coach no less). Nika is amazing but she is no more deserving of rotation minutes than countless other players.
 
Williams wasn't playing much either, so I hope Nika can get some PT. 0 points in her pro career so far. UGH. I hate that.
 
Hedge said:
Storm waive Kiana Williams. It looks like good news for Nika
www.seattletimes.com

Storm waive backup guard Kiana Williams

The Storm waived backup guard Kiana Williams. The second-year veteran appeared in 12 games and scored 11 points this season.
www.seattletimes.com www.seattletimes.com
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For sure, they were both rarely used and if someone was going to be cut it was likely one of the two since they are different players but at the same position.
 
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https://www./wnba/seattle-storm/nika-muhl-doesnt-want-undeserved-minutes/

Enjoyed reading this article. Think it provides a fair perspective on the situation.
 
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pvdoggy said:
I have no idea why some Uconn fans are up in arms about Nika not playing. I would have thought they should know what it is like seeing players glued to the bench watching the Uconn team.
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Fans want to see Nika succeed. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes it's hard to see a fan favourite not succeeding as quickly as one would hope. I think it's just a matter of time. With all of the veterans around her to learn from, she's in a great situation.
 
I watched the Seattle vs Chicago game last night. I think Seattle made a big mistake not playing Nika at least for a few minutes. Guard Chennedy Carter was scoring at will. No one could stop her All game. I couldn’t help but think that Nika would have been able to affect her game and prevent some of her points, which could have made a difference to win the game. Paige was at the game, and not that Nika needs a motivator, but Nika would have been so psyched to have the opportunity to shut Carter down with Paige watching. Yes, Seattle is loaded with veterans, but with the grueling schedule of the WNBA, it’s obvious they are getting worn down. Fresh legs and defensive tenacity could have helped Seattle pull off the win. When Nika got a few minutes defending Arike the other night, she was smothering her like the pesky gnat she can be, and made Arike pass rather than shoot. That is saying something.

And on another subject, Angel Reese is quickly becoming a rising star. She is going to challenge Clark for rookie of the year! Check out one of her games and stats.. Although controversial at times, she is playing at a record setting level!
 
Audi1954 said:
I watched the Seattle vs Chicago game last night. I think Seattle made a big mistake not playing Nika at least for a few minutes. Guard Chennedy Carter was scoring at will. No one could stop her All game. I couldn’t help but think that Nika would have been able to affect her game and prevent some of her points, which could have made a difference to win the game. Paige was at the game, and not that Nika needs a motivator, but Nika would have been so psyched to have the opportunity to shut Carter down with Paige watching. Yes, Seattle is loaded with veterans, but with the grueling schedule of the WNBA, it’s obvious they are getting worn down. Fresh legs and defensive tenacity could have helped Seattle pull off the win. When Nika got a few minutes defending Arike the other night, she was smothering her like the pesky gnat she can be, and made Arike pass rather than shoot. That is saying something.

And on another subject, Angel Reese is quickly becoming a rising star. She is going to challenge Clark for rookie of the year! Check out one of her games and stats.. Although controversial at times, she is playing at a record setting level!
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Yeah I don’t want to sound like a Nika cultist, but they really should’ve given her a chance to see if she could make a dent in Carter’s game. Like OP said, she was a menace to Arike for the 2 minutes she was out there, at the very least she could’ve given a tired Seattle player a break for a minute or two.
 
cancontent said:
Fans want to see Nika succeed. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes it's hard to see a fan favourite not succeeding as quickly as one would hope. I think it's just a matter of time. With all of the veterans around her to learn from, she's in a great situation.
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My take is Nika has succeeded beautifully, and in my mind exceeded all expressions that I had of this kid from Croatia coming to UConn.

I typically don’t watch the WNBA other than to check on how the UConn grads are doing for 2-3 partial games. I don’t follow the grads that start their careers in medical or legal or research or industry fields. I simply no longer see them as kids/young adults, their adults now, having their life.
 
Audi1954 said:
I watched the Seattle vs Chicago game last night. I think Seattle made a big mistake not playing Nika at least for a few minutes. Guard Chennedy Carter was scoring at will. No one could stop her All game. I couldn’t help but think that Nika would have been able to affect her game and prevent some of her points, which could have made a difference to win the game. Paige was at the game, and not that Nika needs a motivator, but Nika would have been so psyched to have the opportunity to shut Carter down with Paige watching. Yes, Seattle is loaded with veterans, but with the grueling schedule of the WNBA, it’s obvious they are getting worn down. Fresh legs and defensive tenacity could have helped Seattle pull off the win. When Nika got a few minutes defending Arike the other night, she was smothering her like the pesky gnat she can be, and made Arike pass rather than shoot. That is saying something.

And on another subject, Angel Reese is quickly becoming a rising star. She is going to challenge Clark for rookie of the year! Check out one of her games and stats.. Although controversial at times, she is playing at a record setting level!
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:(
Goodness I was thinking this is post was getting a thumbs up an then the last paragraph that was “really” off topic.
 
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Majic Hands said:
:(
Goodness I was thinking this is post was getting a thumbs up a then the last paragraph that was “really” off topic.
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Just threw that in because I was so impressed last night with this young player. You are correct though. I shouldn’t have put that in with this subject. My bad. Sorry.
 
yhun89 said:
Yeah I don’t want to sound like a Nika cultist, but they really should’ve given her a chance to see if she could make a dent in Carter’s game. Like OP said, she was a menace to Arike for the 2 minutes she was out there, at the very least she could’ve given a tired Seattle player a break for a minute or two.
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I thought the same thing. She made a few rookie mistakes in her 7 minutes against Dallas, but once she got comfortable, she did well against Arike and went for rebounds against players with at least 4 inches on her. In this game Sami, wasn't giving Seattle anying offensive wise, so I don't know why Noelle didn't put Nika in at the end of the third as a spark. Honestly, I think it's a lack of trust and foresight in using the bench and a rookie when Noelle knows she has elite starters. It seems she rather lose with the starters than risk it with something new.
 
From an article about Nika in The Next ( didn’t post link because of paywall to access).

"I see a lot of people questioning my coach's decisions and I know it might seem like it's coming from a good spirit, but I love my coach and I think her decisions are amazing and I respect them.
"I gotta earn my spot, simple as that. And while I'm earning my spot, I'm having fun and I'm growing and I'm learning — so getting those minutes today is huge. And I'm just waiting for my opportunity and I love waiting for it too."

Jewell Lloyd: "She's been a really good teammate," Loyd said. "She's been really locked in and she works her butt off. I don't think people see that side — we always see what happens in the game but she's always the first one in the gym and always doing what she needs to do — so she's a really good pro.”

Noelle Quinn:
"If you look at the makeup of our team [this season], it's just difficult," Storm head coach Noelle Quinn told The Next. "You have multiple people in front of [Nika] — we have vets, we have experience, talent, and all of those things that come into play when we're trying to get wins in a tough league."
 
AJay11 said:
I thought the same thing. She made a few rookie mistakes in her 7 minutes against Dallas, but once she got comfortable, she did well against Arike and went for rebounds against players with at least 4 inches on her. In this game Sami, wasn't giving Seattle anying offensive wise, so I don't know why Noelle didn't put Nika in at the end of the third as a spark. Honestly, I think it's a lack of trust and foresight in using the bench and a rookie when Noelle knows she has elite starters. It seems she rather lose with the starters than risk it with something new.
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:)

Watched a lot of the first game to see if she got to play. Watched a bit of the second or third game now I just checked the stats.
 
yhun89 said:
Yeah I don’t want to sound like a Nika cultist, but they really should’ve given her a chance to see if she could make a dent in Carter’s game. Like OP said, she was a menace to Arike for the 2 minutes she was out there, at the very least she could’ve given a tired Seattle player a break for a minute or two.
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It comes as no surprise that Nika herself seems to have a sane and mature way of looking at the current situation. But there are far worse things to be in this world than a Nika cultist. :-) So, of course I want to see her play more. Preferably soon.
 
pvdoggy said:
I have no idea why some Uconn fans are up in arms about Nika not playing. I would have thought they should know what it is like seeing players glued to the bench watching the Uconn team.
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I know, right? I don't know why they just don't give all the kids equal playing time? I mean that's how they do it in five-year-old rec soccer and it seems fair to me! Isn't making sure every player gets their chance on the court more important than, you know, actually trying to win?

And another thing, why don't they let the players at UConn eat orange slices on the bench? My kids used to love those orange slices. I mean, sure the basketball will get a little sticky, but that seems more than worth it to see their little smiles light up on their faces when they are eating those orange slices!

That's the problem with high-level college sports and pro sports these days in my opinion there's too much focus on winning and not enough focus on randomly equal playing time and orange slices. My motto is:

"If you had fun, you won!" Or maybe "If the playing time is the same, it's a fun game!" I think both of those should be painted in the locker rooms at Connecticut.

Time for me to send another email to the athletic director! I really think he loves my suggestions!
 
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