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Parker off Olympic team?

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This group has much international game experience. That might be one very good reason that some of the veterans were again slated ahead of the youngsters. No?
 
I dunno. It does seem strange that Parker would be just left off. It is NOT Geno's decision; he plays the team that they give him. But the committee want to win, so they listen to the coach; we know that. I wonder if there is something that we don't know about, going on. Maybe she's thinking back to last season and how good the Sparks were when she joined them...who knows?

That said, who do you take off to put Parker on?
  • Moore, Taurasi, and EDD are untouchable. Currently the three best players in the world (IMNSHO).
  • Everyone will look at Stewie, but she is a Headliner, and Women's sports needs headliners. That and she can competently play 5 positions on the floor at a high level, which seals the deal. The rook stays.
  • Griner and Fowles are 5s, period. No flexibility there at all, but...you can't teach tall. They stay.
  • Charles is a 4-5, easily the strongest 4 on the team, and more athletic than the two 5s, which is important in international ball, and she can RUN the court. She's as good at the 4 as Parker and can play the 5, which is a premium. She stays.
  • Whalen could be a target, but the team needs guards...badly, and she is competent and experienced; she eats minutes. She stays.
  • Selfish players do not fit into a Geno led team. Sims, Diggins, McCoughtry...we've all seen it from them. Geno needs a selfless, supportive PG, so Sims is out. One makes it, and it is the healthier of the remaining two.
  • Catchings, Augustus, and Bird are getting long in the tooth, but they know the system, have succeeded in it, and that has to be a consideration. They stay...
    • I would have to put Catchings at the top of my cut list, as I think her game is impacted more by her mileage than the others. Parker or Catchings...
If I have to make the call, I drop Catchings for Parker. But...what do I know?

The strength of this team is the 3-4. Moore, EDD, Stewie, Taurasi, Charles (I LOVE her at her natural 4), Catchings in her twilight. Lineups of one guard, 3 of that group, and then Fowles or Griner in the middle...throw in Angel or Seimone to spice things up and this could be the next coming of Showtime. It's a nice team...I just would like to see one more PG.
 
chocher said:
The front court is stacked.. Britney, Sylvia and Tina.. Fowards in Catchings, EDD and Stewie.. Guards are fairly young in Angel and Whalen who can go for another Olympics barring injury.. EDD can play the guard position as well.. I think it's a balanced offensive and defensive team.. In my opinion Parker was not always a good defensive player..
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Yeah, that front court is some type of talented! I can hardly wait to see all of that talent playing together.
 
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HardHatGuy#2 said:
I dunno. It does seem strange that Parker would be just left off. It is NOT Geno's decision; he plays the team that they give him. But the committee want to win, so they listen to the coach; we know that. I wonder if there is something that we don't know about, going on. Maybe she's thinking back to last season and how good the Sparks were when she joined them...who knows?

That said, who do you take off to put Parker on?
  • Moore, Taurasi, and EDD are untouchable. Currently the three best players in the world (IMNSHO).
  • Everyone will look at Stewie, but she is a Headliner, and Women's sports needs headliners. That and she can competently play 5 positions on the floor at a high level, which seals the deal. The rook stays.
  • Griner and Fowles are 5s, period. No flexibility there at all, but...you can't teach tall. They stay.
  • Charles is a 4-5, easily the strongest 4 on the team, and more athletic than the two 5s, which is important in international ball, and she can RUN the court. She's as good at the 4 as Parker and can play the 5, which is a premium. She stays.
  • Whalen could be a target, but the team needs guards...badly, and she is competent and experienced; she eats minutes. She stays.
  • Selfish players do not fit into a Geno led team. Sims, Diggins, McCoughtry...we've all seen it from them. Geno needs a selfless, supportive PG, so Sims is out. One makes it, and it is the healthier of the remaining two.
  • Catchings, Augustus, and Bird are getting long in the tooth, but they know the system, have succeeded in it, and that has to be a consideration. They stay...
    • I would have to put Catchings at the top of my cut list, as I think her game is impacted more by her mileage than the others. Parker or Catchings...
If I have to make the call, I drop Catchings for Parker. But...what do I know?

The strength of this team is the 3-4. Moore, EDD, Stewie, Taurasi, Charles (I LOVE her at her natural 4), Catchings in her twilight. Lineups of one guard, 3 of that group, and then Fowles or Griner in the middle...throw in Angel or Seimone to spice things up and this could be the next coming of Showtime. It's a nice team...I just would like to see one more PG.
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Are you sure about that? I cant see her playing the PG at a high level in the olympics or in the WNBA... but then again, what do I know
 
FWIW I would have left off Angel in favor of Candace. I will be very curious to hear Parker's comments. I find it mystifying that she'd be left off the team so I hope someone gets comments from her as well as the head of the committee who made the decisions. I couldn't care less about politics or who's feathers are ruffled.

Stewie was always going to make the team and honestly would have made it ahead of Augustus and McCaughtry, who IMHO are the "last 2 in". But bottom line, until we get quotes from Parker and the US Olympic committee chair, we won't know any more.
 
I really hope there is something more to this decision. For me, Parker is easily a top-three player in the world and has beyond paid her dues. If it was my decision I cut Delle Donne for Parker in a heartbeat. She's fragile and hasn't paid her dues. I also love me some Stewie but would not take her over Parker at this point, and not probably for years to come.
 
HardHatGuy#2 said:
I dunno. It does seem strange that Parker would be just left off. It is NOT Geno's decision; he plays the team that they give him. But the committee want to win, so they listen to the coach; we know that. I wonder if there is something that we don't know about, going on. Maybe she's thinking back to last season and how good the Sparks were when she joined them...who knows?

That said, who do you take off to put Parker on?
  • Moore, Taurasi, and EDD are untouchable. Currently the three best players in the world (IMNSHO).
  • Everyone will look at Stewie, but she is a Headliner, and Women's sports needs headliners. That and she can competently play 5 positions on the floor at a high level, which seals the deal. The rook stays.
  • Griner and Fowles are 5s, period. No flexibility there at all, but...you can't teach tall. They stay.
  • Charles is a 4-5, easily the strongest 4 on the team, and more athletic than the two 5s, which is important in international ball, and she can RUN the court. She's as good at the 4 as Parker and can play the 5, which is a premium. She stays.
  • Whalen could be a target, but the team needs guards...badly, and she is competent and experienced; she eats minutes. She stays.
  • Selfish players do not fit into a Geno led team. Sims, Diggins, McCoughtry...we've all seen it from them. Geno needs a selfless, supportive PG, so Sims is out. One makes it, and it is the healthier of the remaining two.
  • Catchings, Augustus, and Bird are getting long in the tooth, but they know the system, have succeeded in it, and that has to be a consideration. They stay...
    • I would have to put Catchings at the top of my cut list, as I think her game is impacted more by her mileage than the others. Parker or Catchings...
If I have to make the call, I drop Catchings for Parker. But...what do I know?

The strength of this team is the 3-4. Moore, EDD, Stewie, Taurasi, Charles (I LOVE her at her natural 4), Catchings in her twilight. Lineups of one guard, 3 of that group, and then Fowles or Griner in the middle...throw in Angel or Seimone to spice things up and this could be the next coming of Showtime. It's a nice team...I just would like to see one more PG.
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Sorry I cannot buy any logic that says "Moore, Taurasi, and EDD are untouchable" and Parker is not.
 
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Zorro said:
Well, can't afford the Summitt, but the VolNation is certainly stirred up! And some very words. Their recent disappointments do not seem to have mellowed them.
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we need to start a "GoFundMe" acct. to get on that site
 
Zorro said:
Well, can't afford the Summitt, but the VolNation is certainly stirred up! And some very words. Their recent disappointments do not seem to have mellowed them.
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Aside from the surprising nature of Candace's exclusion, I hate that this news is being reported by itself before the actual team is known. The Geno-haters are having a field day with this.
 
Plebe said:
Aside from the surprising nature of Candace's exclusion, I hate that this news is being reported by itself before the actual team is known. The Geno-haters are having a field day with this.
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No doubt the intent of the person(s) who leaked the information to ESPN.

Whatever USA BB's reasons, they sure knew the decision would be controversial and made it anyway.
 
Zika is definitely an issue and I wonder if any possible team members removed their name from consideration because of it. For females it is a more serious consideration than males, but it is scary for either.

It would seem to me that Catchings and Augustus are the two players most in the discussion with Parker - Angel is more of a guard/wing than a wing/forward which is where Parker slots into the team. If I were picking the best team I would replace Catchings with Parker because I think at this time in their careers Parkers offense is more better than Catchings defense, but I can understand that USA basketball wants to remain loyal to Catchings. And I can see that Augustus might be considered a better fit with the team than Parker, but ...

If this team is in fact correct, then I think it clearly indicates that USA basketball rates the Olympics way ahead of the WC. This is clearly the last hurrah for Bird and Catchings and could well be for a few other players as well. The 2018 WC team will likely be significantly different and USA seems to be saying its OK that we will be bringing a lot of fresh blood for that competition.
 
RPM101370 said:
I really hope there is something more to this decision. For me, Parker is easily a top-three player in the world and has beyond paid her dues. If it was my decision I cut Delle Donne for Parker in a heartbeat. She's fragile and hasn't paid her dues. I also love me some Stewie but would not take her over Parker at this point, and not probably for years to come.
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I do hate that this puts such extra pressure on Stewart to perform in the WNBA, not that she was not going to have a lot of pressure anyway. But she is now going to have her performance compared to both Parker and Ogwumike and they are seasoned veterans who are capable of putting up big numbers, which could make the decision to leave them off the team appear to be less about ability. I hope Stewart takes the WNBA by "storm" and puts all doubts to rest with her play.
 
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HardHatGuy#2 said:
  • Griner and Fowles are 5s, period. No flexibility there at all, but...you can't teach tall. .
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I think that both Griner and Fowles bring more to the table that just being tall. And you will have to talk a long time to convince me that Charles is more athletic than Fowles.
 
tennparker3 said:
Whether she is starting or not, every time she suits up for USA Basketball she leads in multiple categories. She delivers at an elite level. One of the 3 best players on the planet with plenty of familiarity playing with other veterans, especially Diana. I don't get it. She missed the Feb. training camp while she played in China. Sylvia and Tina missed too. Geno said Candace and Maya were at another level at the previous camp. So, no, I don't think this was Geno's call.
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Everyone assumes that this was entirely the decision of USA basketball. I realize that the Olympics are promoted in the US as an expression of national pride but in reality it is a business. Parker may not be able (or willing) to commit to the practice schedule. It's not out of the question that Parker was the one who said no thanks. As a dedicated mother she would have to choose between leaving her daughter for 2 weeks or so or bringing her. Brazil is not exactly the safest environment right now, either crime-wise or health-wise. The No 1 ranked golfer has declined an opportunity to compete. There could be any number of reasons for her to be off the team.
 
Alydar said:
Everyone assumes that this was entirely the decision of USA basketball. I realize that the Olympics are promoted in the US as an expression of national pride but in reality it is a business. Parker may not be able (or willing) to commit to the practice schedule. It's not out of the question that Parker was the one who said no thanks. As a dedicated mother she would have to choose between leaving her daughter for 2 weeks or so or bringing her. Brazil is not exactly the safest environment right now, either crime-wise or health-wise. The No 1 ranked golfer has declined an opportunity to compete. There could be any number of reasons for her to be off the team.
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It would be mighty weird for her to remove herself from contention given that she's been actively promoting the Rio Olympics and just 3 days ago she tweeted with the hashtag "#roadtorio":

 
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Alydar said:
Everyone assumes that this was entirely the decision of USA basketball. I realize that the Olympics are promoted in the US as an expression of national pride but in reality it is a business. Parker may not be able (or willing) to commit to the practice schedule. It's not out of the question that Parker was the one who said no thanks. As a dedicated mother she would have to choose between leaving her daughter for 2 weeks or so or bringing her. Brazil is not exactly the safest environment right now, either crime-wise or health-wise. The No 1 ranked golfer has declined an opportunity to compete. There could be any number of reasons for her to be off the team.
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I am hopeful that it is something of that nature. If so, Mechelle Voepel is going to have egg all over her face for that article on ESPN.com. I can't imagine her writing that article without some inside information about this not being Parker's decision.
 
If this is not Parker's decision I would considered this one of the biggest snubs in recent memory. This would be like leaving LeBron James off of the men's team and is far greater than the questionable decisions made concerning the 2012 team.
 
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UConnCat said:
No doubt the intent of the person(s) who leaked the information to ESPN.

Whatever USA BB's reasons, they sure knew the decision would be controversial and made it anyway.
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I think the obvious intent was to call attention to the injustice of leaving someone who is widely considered one of the top three WBB players in the world off of the team. After that the cards will fall as they may, but I don't see the leak as an attack on Geno or the selection committee, though some fans may take it that way.

You call the leaked list a "rumoured" list in a previous post, but now claim above that it is a done decision. I think we will have to wait and see.

I was hoping that this would be a time to celebrate Stewie's selection to the Olympic team, but instead we have more controversy.
I trust we can celebrate when USA BB makes their announcement on Wednesday; hopefully without any added controversy.
 
USA rewards those who stay committed to the program. I remember the 2012 games. Parker's fans were outraged that she didn't start and didn't play much till the final game, in which she starred. They put it all on Auriemma. They forgot that the team was short at the 5 and that she refused to play there. She wasn't going to start over Moore at the 3 so the only spot for her was to replace Catchings. The LV fans ignored that one. They also forget that once the games were over and Parker returned to LA she soon took the rest of the year off, claiming injury. I don't remember anyone suggesting that was why she sat so much during the Olympics. In 2012 she wasn't on the team. I don't remember if she was injured or not but maybe her commitment to USA Basketball is the issue.
 
Plebe said:
It would be mighty weird for her to remove herself from contention given that she's been actively promoting the Rio Olympics and just 3 days ago she tweeted with the hashtag "#roadtorio":

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also notice the advertisement logo in the corner. She got paid. There may be a conflict with those who own the rights to the Olympic logo. This is a $ billion business. Just speculating but there's a lot more involved than just the athletics.
 
shinobimono said:
I think the obvious intent was to call attention to the injustice of leaving someone who is widely considered one of the top three WBB players in the world off of the team. After that the cards will fall as they may, but I don't see the leak as an attack on Geno or the selection committee, though some fans may take it that way.

You call the leaked list a "rumoured" list in a previous post, but now claim above that it is a done decision. I think we will have to wait and see.

I was hoping that this would be a time to celebrate Stewie's selection to the Olympic team, but instead we have more controversy.
I trust we can celebrate when USA BB makes their announcement on Wednesday; hopefully without any added controversy.
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I don't see the leak as an attack on Geno or the selection committee and didn't say as much. I see the leak as an effort to attract attention and the spotlight on Parker's omission separate and apart from the team announcement and those who've made the team. The leaker obviously wanted this information out now rather than Wednesday.

I did not claim the list is a done deal. I referred to it in one post as "rumored" and subsequently assumed it's true. Sloppy writing on my part.

I agree with you on a controversy-free announcement but that's not happening. I look forward to hearing from Carol Callan and Geno about the makeup of the team.
 
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