So what does Plum to San Antonio mean to Moriah?

[OldAlum]

Speaking of Moriah: She had 24 pts in her last game. Now averaging 18.5 ppg and 4.9 apg Not too shabby!
Looks like one more game - I hope there are no playoffs as she needs to get back here soon! Turkey has a loooooong season.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Moriah Jefferson, Superstar!

 

[Orangutan]

Disagree with them trading anyone....would be a mistake if they did that. Keep those 3 and build around them. Everything else you said is spot on. McBride isn't a 3 and there's no way in hell Plum takes Moriah's starting position. Ever in her life.

Co-signed. Those 3 (if McBride can stay healthy) are a great core to build around. McBride can play the 3. And realistically, just because they start together, they won't play together all game. The fact that Plum can play 1 or 2 and McBride can play 2 or 3 makes it easier to keep 2 of 3 on the floor at all times.

My concern would be whether Plum can defend WNBA 2s. On the other hand, it's not like SA's going to be able to defend anyway given their lack of post presence. You might as well just run and gun and try to win shootouts.

 

[Carnac]

What it means to MoJo is she has someone in the periphery to dish to when required. Moriah is he best when she has people to orchestrate with. Plum was in a unique positon in the PAC. I suspect she'll be eaten alive in the WNBA for a season or two, and then she'll be a pretty fine player who will join the Olympic team in 2020.

You might be right, but I'm hoping as is the Stars organization that her maturation into the league won't take quite that long. Don't forget, Plum can create her own shot. She does not need picks or screens to do her business. She's a shooter with a shooter's mentality. She didn't break Stiles' records being timid. I'm sure she'll use them (screens) should they manifest themselves, but she's use to creating her own shot. Based on the "eye test", I'd be surprised if she doesn't make a seamless transition into the W. She has a high BB IQ, and a work ethic that has and will serve her well. She wants to be great, and has no doubt just lapped up all of the attention she's received the last few weeks. We won't have to wait long to find out. I'm wondering if she will start or not. You know they are going to throw in the fray right away to see exactly what they've got. Since I'm still following Jefferson, I'll follow her progress as well.

 

[Carnac]

Disagree with them trading anyone....would be a mistake if they did that. Keep those 3 and build around them. Everything else you said is spot on. McBride isn't a 3 and there's no way in hell Plum takes Moriah's starting position. Ever in her life.

Indeed!!! If they were going to make a trade, they would have done so by now. I haven't heard of any trade rumors. My guess is Plum stays for the immediate future (long term if she can score like she did at Washington), unless a GM makes them an offer they can't refuse.

 

[Orangutan]

Indeed!!! If they were going to make a trade, they would have done so by now. I haven't heard of any trade rumors. My guess is Plum stays for the immediate future (long term if she can score like she did at Washington), unless a GM makes them an offer they can't refuse.

My friend, you are not looking in the right places. This from Howard Megdal (full article here - Kelsey Plum Went First in the WNBA Draft, And Now She's Stuck in Limbo | VICE Sports)

That sound you heard was my head hitting my desk repeatedly.

 

[Orangutan]

The latest is that Plum will sign for SA but her agent is not happy with SA management - BREAKING: Kelsey Plum to Sign with Stars; Agent Criticizes Team

 

[Wbbfan1]

I think Moriah has proven herself that she should be the Starting PG by helping win 4 Straight National Championships and her 1st year in the WNBA as a Starting PG.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kelsey is really a scoring point guard or a combo guard. She is not going to bump Moriah. That's not realistic. Moriah is the future USA point guard.

 

[Carnac]

My friend, you are not looking in the right places. This from Howard Megdal (full article here - Kelsey Plum Went First in the WNBA Draft, And Now She's Stuck in Limbo | VICE Sports)

View attachment 21829

That sound you heard was my head hitting my desk repeatedly.

Thank you very much for sharing that article. It filled in a lot of gaps. I never thought Plum would be a good fit in San Antonio, and was surprised when they took her. When they did, my first thought was trade bait. The Stars are set in the back court for years to come. I thought Riley knew what she was doing (stupid me). I also thought that if a trade(s) where in the works, a deal would have been done by now. THAT was my thought when I posed that comment, Four days AFTER the draft.

I'm thinking all parties involved would have known that evening, the logistics of any and all possible trades. Tomorrow will be 1 week since the draft, and still no deal. If Riley is scared to pull the trigger on a trade, in fear that she's not getting equal value, perhaps she should consult her mentor and former boss, Dan Hughes for assistance. I know he could help. I think an old saying applies here: "Crap or get off the pot". The Stars play their first game a week from Saturday. They host Dallas. They really need to figure out something, and quick!!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kelsey wasn't the best fit in San Antonio, but she was too good to pass up, and the second-best player wasn't good enough. I have no idea what their trade options were, but there wasn't mutual agreement. It looks as if Kelsey may stay there, and we'll see how the lineup works.

 

[VAMike23]

Kelsey wasn't the best fit in San Antonio, but she was too good to pass up, and the second-best player wasn't good enough. I have no idea what their trade options were, but there wasn't mutual agreement. It looks as if Kelsey may stay there, and we'll see how the lineup works.

I. For Ruth to walk away from the trade and keep Plum, she must have at least some confidence that KMac can play the 3 and that also she can adjust to playing a little more without the ball, a la Maya, which I think she does well. Question becomes can she defend the other starting 3's out there in the league? Hard to say for sure but we'll see. The Stars may try to bring more of an aggressive pressure/trapping defense on the perimeter to mask their lack of size at the 1-2-3 spots. I trust Mo and KMac in this scenario, but is Plum up to that task? If so, or if eventually so, it could work out.

II. OTOH, Ruth and the coaches may just want to see how Plum looks in the first year. ( I assume she could also be part of a trade next year? Or is there some restriction in rookie contracts that doesn't allow for that?) If she shows out this year, the trade could be worked next year.

III. It may just be that they walked away simply because they couldn't get the value they wanted and there is no particular plan for what comes next! In that case, maybe it will just be "Score, baby! Score!" and see where the defensive chips fall.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I. For Ruth to walk away from the trade and keep Plum, she must have at least some confidence that KMac can play the 3 and that also she can adjust to playing a little more without the ball, a la Maya, which I think she does well. Question becomes can she defend the other starting 3's out there in the league? Hard to say for sure but we'll see. The Stars may try to bring more of an aggressive pressure/trapping defense on the perimeter to mask their lack of size at the 1-2-3 spots. I trust Mo and KMac in this scenario, but is Plum up to that task? If so, or if eventually so, it could work out.

II. OTOH, Ruth and the coaches may just want to see how Plum looks in the first year. ( I assume she could also be part of a trade next year? Or is there some restriction in rookie contracts that doesn't allow for that?) If she shows out this year, the trade could be worked next year.

III. It may just be that they walked away simply because they couldn't get the value they wanted and there is no particular plan for what comes next! In that case, maybe it will just be "Score, baby! Score!" and see where the defensive chips fall.

SA was scoring challenged in the extreme last year, especially after KMac got hurt. A player with 3,500 points remedies that nicely. They were painful to watch at times last year. I expect their scoring to increase by 10 ppg this year. Even if Kelsey isn't a perfect fit, the scoring punch was much needed.

 

[CL82]

I. For Ruth to walk away from the trade and keep Plum, she must have at least some confidence that KMac can play the 3 and that also she can adjust to playing a little more without the ball, a la Maya, which I think she does well. Question becomes can she defend the other starting 3's out there in the league? Hard to say for sure but we'll see. The Stars may try to bring more of an aggressive pressure/trapping defense on the perimeter to mask their lack of size at the 1-2-3 spots. I trust Mo and KMac in this scenario, but is Plum up to that task? If so, or if eventually so, it could work out.

II. OTOH, Ruth and the coaches may just want to see how Plum looks in the first year. ( I assume she could also be part of a trade next year? Or is there some restriction in rookie contracts that doesn't allow for that?) If she shows out this year, the trade could be worked next year.

III. It may just be that they walked away simply because they couldn't get the value they wanted and there is no particular plan for what comes next! In that case, maybe it will just be "Score, baby! Score!" and see where the defensive chips fall.

#III is my guess, FWIW.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

#III is my guess, FWIW.

I agree. Truly useful/productive bigs aren't getting traded for Plum, much as I like her dimples, tats and pizzaz. Whomever is left holding Coates is going to be a loser. 5es -read lumbering big people- are disappearing in basketball of either gender, and obviously there are fewer of them in the women's game who are truly bigs+. They took the "safe" route and now thye are stuck with it if the hat doesn't have a rabbit in it. But, the notion of use her for a year and get more down the line has a big potential down side. Not to mention who is coming out next year in the tallish guard department.

 

[UcMiami]

I don't see a problem playing all three or rotating among the three and Mo is capable of playing off the ball as well - on OFFENSE. The problem I see is defensively with Mo and Plum both 'undersized' - the college scene is full of short guards and between playing full zone and not playing many tall back-courts you can get away with it, but the WNBA is full of good 6'+ guards, they do lots of scouting and exploiting of opponent's weaknesses, and playing two guards under 5'8" and a wing at 5'11" will be a nightmare. And not just straight up, but covering and rotating on screens.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I don't see a problem playing all three or rotating among the three and Mo is capable of playing off the ball as well - on OFFENSE. The problem I see is defensively with Mo and Plum both 'undersized' - the college scene is full of short guards and between playing full zone and not playing many tall back-courts you can get away with it, but the WNBA is full of good 6'+ guards, they do lots of scouting and exploiting of opponent's weaknesses, and playing two guards under 5'8" and a wing at 5'11" will be a nightmare. And not just straight up, but covering and rotating on screens.

I agree about the lack of size on defense, but ...

Mo is not a typical 5'7" defender.

Rotating the players so that only 2 of the 3 are on the floor simultaneously for half the game could work.

If SA plays uptempo, they can try to outscore the opponent.

In a future year, they could make a roster change.

 

[baggerbob]

I. For Ruth to walk away from the trade and keep Plum, she must have at least some confidence that KMac can play the 3 and that also she can adjust to playing a little more without the ball, a la Maya, which I think she does well. Question becomes can she defend the other starting 3's out there in the league? Hard to say for sure but we'll see. The Stars may try to bring more of an aggressive pressure/trapping defense on the perimeter to mask their lack of size at the 1-2-3 spots. I trust Mo and KMac in this scenario, but is Plum up to that task? If so, or if eventually so, it could work out.

II. OTOH, Ruth and the coaches may just want to see how Plum looks in the first year. ( I assume she could also be part of a trade next year? Or is there some restriction in rookie contracts that doesn't allow for that?) If she shows out this year, the trade could be worked next year.

III. It may just be that they walked away simply because they couldn't get the value they wanted and there is no particular plan for what comes next! In that case, maybe it will just be "Score, baby! Score!" and see where the defensive chips fall.

After they play Seattle, and Washington, with Stewie, and EDD at the 3 they will realize that they need size at the 3.

 

[MilfordHusky]

After they play Seattle, and Washington, with Stewie, and EDD at the 3 they will realize that they need size at the 3.

Are Stewie and EDD playing the 3 or 4?

 

[baggerbob]

Are Stewie and EDD playing the 3 or 4?

Seattle picked up the liberty center Carolyn Swords to play center, Crystal Langhorne should start at 1 forward, and Stewie at the other. Alysha Clark will go to the bench. Seattle was one of the worst rebounding teams, even with Stewie.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Seattle picked up the liberty center Carolyn Swords to play center, Crystal Langhorne should start at 1 forward, and Stewie at the other. Alysha Clark will go to the bench. Seattle was one of the worst rebounding teams, even with Stewie.

Right. I think Stewie played the 4, with Clark at the 3 and Langhorne at the 5 last year. This year may be different.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Is Swords a starter?

 

[UcMiami]

Right. I think Stewie played the 4, with Clark at the 3 and Langhorne at the 5 last year. This year may be different.

I thought Stewart spent a lot of time as the 5 especially on defense - not ideal.

Is Swords a starter?

Hopefully!
She started all 34 games last year even though she only played 17.5 mpg. Seattle needs another center, but Swords is an improvement.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Hopefully!
She started all 34 games last year even though she only played 17.5 mpg. Seattle needs another center, but Swords is an improvement.

Sounds like a token starter. She probably doesn't finish many games. I know here stats were, uh, pretty modest when I saw an announcement about the Storm acquiring her.

 

[bizarro aj]

Just because she scored a lot of points against nobodies how does that make her a great player? I could see if she was scoring against top rated teams but how do you know she can play great at the next level? Geno gets his players ready for the next level better then any coach in any sport which is why uconn players are sought after in the early rounds of the draft.