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Message: [QUOTE="YKCornelius, post: 5299125, member: 9864"] Bone Dog, I agree on both assessments that neither Paige or Arike will want to give up on the situation. That said, I believe the decision to stay or leave in Arike's case should not be left to her - even to influence. There is a lot that has to change in her game, and it requires a lot of energy, time and commitment to change from her. And the clock is ticking.... Arike's defense is horrendous. Not surprisingly (??), the Wings TV commentators have noted that Arike led the league last year in steals, and have presented that factoid as proof that she is a good defender. Utter nonsense. I have subscribed to watching WNBA games and replays on TV for the past five three years, and Arike's steals largely occur from trying to swipe at dribblers and passers - that's it. Furthermore, those deflections almost always occur before the opponent sets up their offense. It is evident to me that time and time again - including this year - the opponent is trying to isolate their guard play on Arike, knowing her defense is bad and that Arike (seemingly) doesn't want to risk picking up fouls. If Arike misses at swiping at the ball, her opponent has blown by her. I am convinced, however, she will not be able to change on her own. AND, it will be difficult to change substantially in mid-season. I believe she and at least one dedicated coach need to sit down together and go through game film ad nauseum. She needs to somehow learn [B]exactly what and when[/B] specific offensive and defensive actions need to be taken in order to be part of a successful team concept on both sides of the court. Presuming she learned any defense at ND, she has to be taught how to adjust that knowledge so that it translate at the faster, more talented level in the WNBA. I think the best path for Arike is to hope that either of the expansion teams (Toronto and Portland) will have an interest in her. I can't see any of the current clubs wanting to have to deal with trying to integrate her into a team concept. [/QUOTE]

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