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Very poor shooting day for Paige, 4-15. This team has absolutely no flow at all. Transition does not exist, ball movement does not exist, in other words, if Paige wants to get an open shot, she has to do it herself. Many of her shots were off the front of the rim, and I mean the 8-10 footers. She will get there, but it's obvious that she needs a running mate, maybe the new girl that just joined the team. I am encouraged though that she has been able to get her shot off, just isn't dropping now.
 
In a post-game press conference she was so frustrated she outright said I can't do it alone, I need help. This was what everyone in the basketball universe knew about Dallas and so many of us hoped for a last minute reprieve for her.
 
Bald Husky said:
Very poor shooting day for Paige, 4-15. This team has absolutely no flow at all. Transition does not exist, ball movement does not exist, in other words, if Paige wants to get an open shot, she has to do it herself. Many of her shots were off the front of the rim, and I mean the 8-10 footers. She will get there, but it's obvious that she needs a running mate, maybe the new girl that just joined the team. I am encouraged though that she has been able to get her shot off, just isn't dropping now.
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Paige is still adjusting to the speed and athleticism of the W, which is why she’s missing some shots she would usually make. CC did the same thing when she entered the W last year. I have no doubt that Paige will get comfortable in the league and start knocking down more shots.

I agree with you on the flow or lack thereof. The Wings are hard to watch. It’s going to be a long season in Dallas.
 
oldude said:
Paige is still adjusting to the speed and athleticism of the W, which is why she’s missing some shots she would usually make. CC did the same thing when she entered the W last year. I have no doubt that Paige will get comfortable in the league and start knocking down more shots.

I agree with you on the flow or lack thereof. The Wings are hard to watch. It’s going to be a long season in Dallas.
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Something else I thought was interesting. At the end of the game, Ryne Howard, who got in a tussle with CC, laughed and hugged Paige after the game. At the end, Howard was bent over the ball while time ran out and Paige put both arms around her so she couldn't move.
It seems Paige is being better received than CC was last year. Good to see.
 
The WNBA season is already shaping up after only four games. The Lynx and Liberty, last year's Finalists, have risen to the top. The Ace should also be there, it might be a battle for the fourth best team.

OTOH, the bottom four teams are a combined 1 and 12.
 
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Bald Husky said:
Something else I thought was interesting. At the end of the game, Ryne Howard, who got in a tussle with CC, laughed and hugged Paige after the game. At the end, Howard was bent over the ball while time ran out and Paige put both arms around her so she couldn't move.
It seems Paige is being better received than CC was last year. Good to see.
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There’s a number of reasons for that. I think every player in the W is aware of Paige’s gracious remarks at the Espy’s after her freshman season.
 
oldude said:
Paige is still adjusting to the speed and athleticism of the W, which is why she’s missing some shots she would usually make. CC did the same thing when she entered the W last year. I have no doubt that Paige will get comfortable in the league and start knocking down more shots.

I agree with you on the flow or lack thereof. The Wings are hard to watch. It’s going to be a long season in Dallas.
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That's why I said pre-draft that she should have skipped the draft, the restrictive 4 year chump change contract, and that Dallas dumpster fire. Rest and work on her core strength this summer, play the Unrivaled league in the winter, and then go to another team next spring for much better money. Now she may wind up wasting a few prime years of her career with those stiffs.
 
BobbyJ said:
That's why I said pre-draft that she should have skipped the draft, the restrictive 4 year chump change contract, and that Dallas dumpster fire. Rest and work on her core strength this summer, play the Unrivaled league in the winter, and then go to another team next spring for much better money. Now she may wind up wasting a few prime years of her career with those stiffs.
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I was right with you. But Paige is a baller at heart, and ballers want to play ball.

The good news is that just about everyone in the W who isn’t on a rookie contract is on a one year contract. So the Wings can hopefully bring in some complementary pieces around Paige next season in the same way that the Fever stocked the pantry around CC.
 
The Wings are a pathetic "team". The offense is one pass and shoot and on defense they can't stop anyone...poor Paige....she'll lose more games tis season than she lost in all her UConn and HS career...
 
The Wings certainly seem totally disjointed. Alike isn't taking (or making) a lot of shots, but she isn't often making plays that help her teammates succeed. She seemed totally uninvolved until the latter stages of the game.
Paige, on the other hand, though shooting very poorly (oddly including her free throws), is being efficient with the other aspects of her game: her assist to turnover ratio just rose above 3 to 1, she's averaging over 6 assists, 4 rebounds and about 2 steals per game. As painful as it is to see her shooting like this, she hasn't been taking many ill-advised shots and her history tells us that her percentages will soon rise near or up to her normal levels as she settles in.
To me, the question is whether or not (beyond their built-in front court inadequacies) the team as a whole will begin to truly play together on both the offensive and defensive ends...
 
oldude said:
Paige is still adjusting to the speed and athleticism of the W, which is why she’s missing some shots she would usually make. CC did the same thing when she entered the W last year. I have no doubt that Paige will get comfortable in the league and start knocking down more shots.

I agree with you on the flow or lack thereof. The Wings are hard to watch. It’s going to be a long season in Dallas.
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She may be adjusting to the speed and athleticism and that may be sapping some energy, but to my eye she is being too careful on her mid-rang release, kinda wishing and finessing her shot instead of snapping it off with her usual wrist energy. It wasn't helpful when she had one of her early made 3s waved off by a foul away from the ball, as that would have pumped her up - she looked deflated by the call. Dallas coach has a lot to figure out, Arike has seemingly lost her mojo with the arrival of Paige and, by contrast, Ty Harris is looking increasingly good
 
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oldude said:
That’s a point I made sometime back, and last night during the postgame presser Koclanes was asked about Arike’s “tough game.” He gave a very Geno-esque answer saying that, “Arike needs to do other things when her shot is not falling.”

That’s all well and good, but Arike’s greatest achievement in basketball was going 1 on 1, with MM’s blessing, in both the national semifinal vs UConn and the championship game vs MS St, knocking down the game winning shots, leading ND to a national championship. It’s who she is as a player, and that’s not easy to change.

I am reminded of a Doug Collins comment about the great Carmelo Anthony a number of years ago. Collins was then working as an announcer when he described Anthony as, “A ball movement killer” as he was critical of Anthony’s tendency to dribble out the shot clock and shoot the basketball while everyone else stood around.

So yes, the coach has to try to change the way Arike plays. But if he can not, the Wings have two choices: get rid of Arike or lose Paige as soon as she becomes a free agent.
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The only coach who can change Arike at this stage of her career is Bill Laimbeer.
He would bench her unless she played his way.
 
CL82 said:
Like all data, it's a tool and like all data it's easy to misuse it or over interpret it. I agree with you that it has very little usefulness over a single game, but as the sample size grows, it does become relevant and helpful information.

There are some players that don't always fill up the stat sheet but contribute greatly to the team success. Nika has been like that over much of her career. For those types of players plus/minus stats help to reveal their contribution.

Think about a player who plays great defense, which forces the other team to play at a pace they're not used to. She might not score many points, or get a steel or a block, but the value of her play is more than the sum of her stat line.
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The stat is useless, because a player like Stewie most always has a close to 0.
And not because she is a bad player, but because she is normally on the floor with the 2nd unit.
The coach trusts her to keep the game in hand.
 
Today’s game was really tough to watch. It’s only 4 games in but the lack of offensive flow and lack of team defense will make it a challenge to pull out W’s in this league. I feel bad for Paige but she’ll learn and grow as the season moves on.
 
Bald Husky said:
Very poor shooting day for Paige, 4-15. This team has absolutely no flow at all. Transition does not exist, ball movement does not exist, in other words, if Paige wants to get an open shot, she has to do it herself.
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I considered getting the WNBA All-Access Pass this season just to watch Paige. After watching a few the Wings (free games), I decided against. The Wings are just plain lousy at team basketball (offense and defense). I was frustrated just watching; I can’t imagine how Paige feels.

We are spoiled wbb fans at UConn being able to watch a sophisticated and flowing offense throughout the season. The Wings, on the other hand, are the opposite of UConn basketball.
 
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I think it is obvious that the Wings cannot win with this line-up. Arike, Carrington, and Smith have strong personalities and they all, especially Smith, are trying to show how good they are. This situation and these players aren't conducive to the way Paige plays. With total free agency next year (except rookies like Paige), Paige has to be aggressive, show what kind of player she is, show how she can lead a team, show how she can take a game over this year to possibly attract some new players to the team next year. If management is dedicated to have Paige run the team, they have to get players in there that play the same game as her. This year, it looks like Paige will have to go it alone if she wants to make a good impression to the fans and other players that may want to play with her. Once Paige passes it for the first time it is rare that she ever sees the ball again until the next possession. Watching last game, I think she realizes that, and although her shots weren't falling, she has to continue to do that and force the issue. Take over Paige, because they are not team players. Also, I question the coach, seems too nice. Needs to rip the team a new one if they continue to play like they have.
 
Wondering if Paige is giving it some time before exerting some quiet leadership either via the coach, or with other players. She knows what needs to happen, knows what teammates need to do, however it's only 4 games in, so she'll have to be patient.
 
I will get to see her in action on Tuesday 5/27 at Mohegan Sun, will report back with my observations.

Both teams are winless so I'm not expecting an instant classic.

I will be looking at things like offensive movement or lack thereof, defensive help or lack thereof, body language.
 
Just a reminder. Last season the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark lost their first 5 regular season games and 8 of their first 9. CC heard a lot of “overrated” chants as she struggled to adjust to the W.

By the end of the season, the Fever were 20-20, earning a playoff berth. CC earned 1st team All League recognition, an All-Star game berth and ROY honors.

Patience grasshoppers……
 
oldude said:
Just a reminder. Last season the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark lost their first 5 regular season games and 8 of their first 9. CC heard a lot of “overrated” chants as she struggled to adjust to the W.

By the end of the season, the Fever were 20-20, earning a playoff berth. CC earned 1st team All League recognition, an All-Star game berth and ROY honors.

Patience grasshoppers……
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Not a comparison and you are a great poster, but when playing with the biggest gunner in history it's hard to win games and be positive.
Paige should have stayed in school and waited for the new players contract.
 
Apologies to CT Sun fans, as I know we have a bunch on here, but that team has not looked good at all this season (most especially yesterday). The Wings are also winless but have been more competitive by comparison.
While the Wings have looked a smidge better the game will be on the road. Yet it should be a lot like Paige's MN homecoming with a lot of Paige supporters in the house so it shouldn't have the feel of a true road game as a result.
Great opportunity for both teams to get their first w and I expect them both to go after it hard so should be an entertaining game.
 
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baggerbob said:
Not a comparison and you are a great poster, but when playing with the biggest gunner in history it's hard to win games and be positive.
Paige should have stayed in school and waited for the new players contract.
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Fortunately, Paige does not consult the BY before making major life decisions. I think Paige is the best judge of what’s best for Paige.
 
oldude said:
Fortunately, Paige does not consult the BY before making major life decisions. I think Paige is the best judge of what’s best for Paige.
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baggerbob said:
Not a comparison and you are a great poster, but when playing with the biggest gunner in history it's hard to win games and be positive.
Paige should have stayed in school and waited for the new players contract.
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Paige turns 23 in October..would she really want to play with and against 18-21 year olds
 
www.courant.com

How ex-Connecticut Sun stars are guiding UConn’s Paige Bueckers in rookie season with Dallas Wings

DiJonai Carrington and Ty Harris were the CT Sun’s youngest starters in 2024. Now they’re veterans to Paige Bueckers with the Dallas Wings.
www.courant.com www.courant.com

Barely two weeks into her professional career, Dallas coach Chris Koclanes said Bueckers’ dedication to building relationships with her teammates early already stands out as one of the most impressive things about her. Some of those connections have also translated quickly to on-court success, at least at the individual level: Bueckers has her best offensive rating when paired with Harris in the lineup and her second-best defensive rating when playing alongside Carrington.​
​
“She wants to really be a great leader and is committing time into developing those skills to help this culture and her teammates as a rookie,” Koclanes said. “(You see) the time that she’s putting in to really figure out investing in her teammates and how everyone is different and how she can connect with everyone and find her ways to lead. Right now it’s not where she’s the vocal, rah-rah leader in front of everyone, but off to the side, one-on-one, I’m just impressed with how she’s been really intentional about developing those relationships with all 11 other players.”​
 
BRS24 said:
www.courant.com

How ex-Connecticut Sun stars are guiding UConn’s Paige Bueckers in rookie season with Dallas Wings

DiJonai Carrington and Ty Harris were the CT Sun’s youngest starters in 2024. Now they’re veterans to Paige Bueckers with the Dallas Wings.
www.courant.com www.courant.com

Barely two weeks into her professional career, Dallas coach Chris Koclanes said Bueckers’ dedication to building relationships with her teammates early already stands out as one of the most impressive things about her. Some of those connections have also translated quickly to on-court success, at least at the individual level: Bueckers has her best offensive rating when paired with Harris in the lineup and her second-best defensive rating when playing alongside Carrington.​
​
“She wants to really be a great leader and is committing time into developing those skills to help this culture and her teammates as a rookie,” Koclanes said. “(You see) the time that she’s putting in to really figure out investing in her teammates and how everyone is different and how she can connect with everyone and find her ways to lead. Right now it’s not where she’s the vocal, rah-rah leader in front of everyone, but off to the side, one-on-one, I’m just impressed with how she’s been really intentional about developing those relationships with all 11 other players.”​
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While I appreciate Koclanes for pointing out Paige’s ability to build relationships with her teammates, I would take issue with his characterization that it’s due to “dedication” or “committing time” to the effort.

Paige’s ability to build relationships is just who she is as a person. It comes easily to her. She doesn’t have to put in an extra effort. That’s exactly why she is an outstanding leader.
 
oldude said:
While I appreciate Koclanes for pointing out Paige’s ability to build relationships with her teammates, I would take issue with his characterization that it’s due to “dedication” or “committing time” to the effort.

Paige’s ability to build relationships is just who she is as a person. It comes easily to her. She doesn’t have to put in an extra effort. That’s exactly why she is an outstanding leader.
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I can see both Coach Koclanes and your statements being true. There are those who are naturals but don't make the effort and coast. In Paige's case, it's an internal drive that makes it seem natural to us where with others, it's not so obvious.
 
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