Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi open door for Team USA return

[UConnCat]

The National Team's roster has included players still in college (Parker, Moore and Stewart) and players who just graduated (Taurasi, Bird, Sims) so it will be interesting to see what happens with Wilson and the World Cup roster next year. At this point in her college career Wilson has not dominated the way Parker, Moore, Charles and Stewart did. Earlier this week Staley tried to make the case that Wilson should have won at least one major player of the year award last season but I think that was more about positioning her to win the awards next year. As good as Wilson was in the Final Four there were 2-3 players who had better regular seasons than she did. She'll be the favorite for the POY awards next year and if she wins most of them she'll have a certain stature and momentum and lobbyist (Staley) that could land her a spot on the World Cup roster. I tend to think, however, that 2020 will be her chance to crack the roster.

 

[UConnCat]

I have this theory that Sims was added to the 2014 team in a fairly desperate ploy to help lure Griner into Team USA camp. If you remember, Griner passed on the 2012 camp for personal reasons and didn't show up in 2014 until the last possible moment. Geno has a ton of respect for Griner. Lavender rightfully earned a place on the 2014 team through performances in camp, but Griner was automatic if she showed up.

Was Sims better than Diggins? No way.... and Diggins proceeded to have her best year in the WNBA.

Nope. There was no desperate ploy to lure Griner in to Team USA's camp. Griner participated in Team USA's training camp in Colorado in October 2013. She showed up late for the September 2014 camp in Annapolis because she was playing in the WNBA playoffs. Her Mercury teammate Taurasi was also late, as was EDD who was with the Sky. There was never a question that she wanted to play for Team USA in Istanbul.

Griner was more important to Team USA than Lavender and deserved to be on the team ahead of Lavender. Team USA was looking for a strong presence in the lane and that is not Lavender's game. Griner, Charles and Nneka were terrific.

There was much discussion here about Diggins vs Sims in 2014. Neither guard is suited for the point guard spot on Team USA but I thought Sims would be chosen because of her superior defensive skills.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Neither guard is suited for the point guard spot on Team USA

Is that because both are more scorers than pass first PG? If that's the case, who is the heir apparent? Sloot apparently is not an option anymore. Jefferson is kind of a scoring PG too. Bird and Whalen can't play til their mid 40's, somebody else has to take over eventually.

 

[UConnCat]

Is that because both are more scorers than pass first PG? If that's the case, who is the heir apparent? Sloot apparently is not an option anymore. Jefferson is kind of a scoring PG too. Bird and Whalen can't play til their mid 40's, somebody else has to take over eventually.

Yes, I don't think Diggins or Sims have much experience being the 5th scoring option on the floor. Jefferson would be quite comfortable in that role given her experience at UConn.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Yes, I don't think Diggins or Sims have much experience being the 5th scoring option on the floor. Jefferson would be quite comfortable in that role given her experience at UConn.

When was Jefferson the 5th option? Her freshman year yeah, but not after that.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Moriah is definitely a pass-first point guard. Many of her points were on breakaways after steals. She drove through the defense when there were openings and took open jumpers, but she wanted to find Stef, Kaleena, Stewie, and Morgan for high percentage shots. Moriah set the career record for assists at UConn. She shoots when it's appropriate but doesn't force shots. San Antonio does not have great finishers other than KMac, so Mo needs to shoot to give her team a chance of winning.

 

[MilfordHusky]

If they don't start to look to the future in '20, what is '24 gonna look like? Anyway that's still 3 years away. How Bird, Taurasi, Whalen, Augustus etc. are playing right now is completely irrelevant.

I strongly disagree. If they are showing signs of decreased performance, it's reasonable to attribute it to age and view it as irreversible. Lindsay looked a little old and tired in 2015, but took last winter off. Seimone may have lost a little, but looks brilliant at times. Some of their decreased output reflects the Lynx's increased focus on getting the ball to Sylvia.

If they are still playing great ball now, it's perfectly reasonable to think that they can continue it into 2018. Though some think the Olympics are the big prize, Team USA still wants to field the best possible team in 2018. As of the moment, that would include Sue and Diana.

 

[Orangutan]

This really is the issue, I think. No coach wants to be that coach. Geno wanted to head in to the world championships and olympics with guards he could trust and I'm sure Dawn will feel the same way. USA BB gave Sims a shot as the 3rd point guard at the 2014 world championships but she barely played (and didn't look so hot in the minutes she did get). USA BB went in to the 2016 Olympics with Taurasi as the 3rd point guard which tells you something. We'll see next year who USA BB thinks is worthy of taking the reins from Sue Bird and Lindsay Whalen.

Yep, it comes down to the fact that the transition is going from Bird/Whalen/Taurasi to whoever is next is going to be bumpy. So do you want to bite the bullet now and start phasing in some new blood? Or do you ride those three until they can't go anymore and then risk having to go to a major tournament with no experienced point guards? I prefer for the former strategy but I can see why some would want to kick the can down the road and wait for the problem to solve itself.

Ideally, someone would establish herself as a no-doubt selection (the way EDD did with her WNBA play) but the closest we got to that was one good pre-injury season from Diggins.

 

[Orangutan]

I don't understand the idea that a star-laden team must have a pass-first point guard.

Doesn't the dominance of Steph Curry's Warriors sort of disprove that notion?

 

[CocoHusky]

When was Jefferson the 5th option? Her freshman year yeah, but not after that.

In her Sophomore year Moriah was 5th on the team in shot attempts=5th option.
It was not until her Junior year that she moved out of the 5th position into 4 behind Kia Nurse.
Her senior year she moved into the 3rd position behind Stewie and Morgan.

 

[MilfordHusky]

In her Sophomore year Moriah was 5th on the team in shot attempts=5th option.
It was not until her Junior year that she moved out of the 5th position into 4 behind Kia Nurse.
Her senior year she moved into the 3rd position behind Stewie and Morgan.

And many of her shot attempts were on breakaways.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I don't understand the idea that a star-laden team must have a pass-first point guard.

Doesn't the dominance of Steph Curry's Warriors sort of disprove that notion?

Rightly or wrongly, a pass-first PG seems be what USA BB prefers.

Steph is an exception, probably the best shooter in the world. No one, including Skylar or Odyssey, is close to Steph on the women side. Diana would be the closest comparison.

 

[Orangutan]

Rightly or wrongly, a pass-first PG seems be what USA BB prefers.

Steph is an exception, probably the best shooter in the world. No one, including Skylar or Odyssey, is close to Steph on the women side. Diana would be the closest comparison.

Steph's not that much of an outlier given that the 2nd best team also featured a scoring PG in Kyrie Irving.

 

[triaddukefan]

Steph's not that much of an outlier given that the 2nd best team also featured a scoring PG in Kyrie Irving.

Who was the last pass first PG for the men's team? John Stockton?

 

[Blueballer]

When was Jefferson the 5th option? Her freshman year yeah, but not after that.

The point is she has the personal make-up and mentality that would gladly accept that role for the good of the team.

 

[CocoHusky]

Who was the last pass first PG for the men's team? John Stockton?

Chris Paul

 

[Orangutan]

Who was the last pass first PG for the men's team? John Stockton?

The 2008 men's team had Chris Paul and Jason Kidd, who would probably both qualify.

 

[triaddukefan]

The point is she has the personal make-up and mentality that would gladly accept that role for the good of the team.

So would Chelsea Gray... But no one besides Sparks and Duke fans woukd know that

 

[CocoHusky]

The point is she has the personal make-up and mentality that would gladly accept that role for the good of the team.

The role a player is willing to "accept" should be the very last tie breaking criteria and probably best if not considered at all. The best player should be selected PERIOD! This is the pinnacle of the profession and an opportunity that only comes around every 4 years. Player are also invited to tryout, and that would be a good time for any player to individually decide what role they are willing to accept.
For those that are suggesting that Wilson get's an advantage because Dawn will be the coach, does that also mean Moriah will get less consideration because Geno is not?

 

[UcMiami]

I don't understand the idea that a star-laden team must have a pass-first point guard.

Doesn't the dominance of Steph Curry's Warriors sort of disprove that notion?

Because while NBA/WNBA teams are designed around a few stars and a bunch of support players, USA NTs are designed around 10 stars and maybe 2 trainees/insurance policies. And the women's game still depends on players taking good shots more than offensive players doing there own thing. Whalen has certainly been more of an offensive minded PG than Sue on the NT, but remains a pass first player. DT on the NT team alternates between facilitator and scorer. What has distinguished the USA NT has been the willingness of all of the players to sublimate their personal skills to team goals - the 'selfish' players and first options have been post players, with forwards and wings as well as guards generally being pass first players. It was why Geno was such a good match for team USA as it is how his Uconn teams play as well. And I suspect Dawn will follow along the same lines - it is how she played for USA, Her SC teams have been more star oriented but that is mostly because she hasn't had the balance of talent she will have coaching the NT.

 

[Trappa]

I don't understand the idea that a star-laden team must have a pass-first point guard.

Doesn't the dominance of Steph Curry's Warriors sort of disprove that notion?

I was young and don't remember this clearly: Was Dawn Staley a pass-first PG?

 

[CocoHusky]

I was young and don't remember this clearly: Was Dawn Staley a pass-first PG?

In HS? No
In College? No
On the national team? Yes

 

[UcMiami]

The role a player is willing to "accept" should be the very last tie breaking criteria and probably best if not considered at all. The best player should be selected PERIOD! This is the pinnacle of the profession and an opportunity that only comes around every 4 years. Player are also invited to tryout, and that would be a good time for any player to individually decide what role they are willing to accept.
For those that are suggesting that Wilson get's an advantage because Dawn will be the coach, does that also mean Moriah will get less consideration because Geno is not?

I think Moriah might get slightly less consideration with Geno not being coach, but more because she will be less in sync with another coach than she would be with her former college coach.
I understand what you are saying about 'the role a player is willing to accept' but I think that is still a very important consideration with building any team and especially a NT. The ability of a player who has started every game she has played since she was 10 through college and her professional career, to 'accept' and thrive as a bench player on the NT is not a given. A player who is used to taking 30% of her team's shots to recognize that her normal shots are not the best shots for the team and to pass when she normally would force a shot is not a given.
Angel who appears to have been a difficult teammate on many of the teams she has played on while being the dominant scorer on every one of them, actually thrived on most of her USA teams when given a very different role as a change of pace bench player - she found/was given a defined niche that suited her strengths and that she was willing to accept and appeared to really enjoy. Other players might not be so happy or so willing.

On a lot of under performing teams you can see at the end of a game the 'I am going to be the hero' mentality of certain players - who then more often than not lose the game for their team because they have forgotten their teammates. Not talking about the player willing to take the last shot, but the one who forces the last shot while ignoring their wide open teammate standing under the rim.

 

[Orangutan]

Because while NBA/WNBA teams are designed around a few stars and a bunch of support players, USA NTs are designed around 10 stars and maybe 2 trainees/insurance policies. And the women's game still depends on players taking good shots more than offensive players doing there own thing.

As has been alluded to, the men's US basketball team features point guards that are known as scorers. The 2016 gold medal team's point guards were Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry who averaged 19.6 ppg and 21.2 ppg, respectively in the season before the Olympics.

I agree that the women's game requires teamwork. Playing a scoring point guard does not mean that the offensive players are "doing their own thing". Again, the Warriors play great team basketball with a scoring point guard.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think Moriah might get slightly less consideration with Geno not being coach, but more because she will be less in sync with another coach than she would be with her former college coach.
I understand what you are saying about 'the role a player is willing to accept' but I think that is still a very important consideration with building any team and especially a NT. The ability of a player who has started every game she has played since she was 10 through college and her professional career, to 'accept' and thrive as a bench player on the NT is not a given. A player who is used to taking 30% of her team's shots to recognize that her normal shots are not the best shots for the team and to pass when she normally would force a shot is not a given.
Angel who appears to have been a difficult teammate on many of the teams she has played on while being the dominant scorer on every one of them, actually thrived on most of her USA teams when given a very different role as a change of pace bench player - she found/was given a defined niche that suited her strengths and that she was willing to accept and appeared to really enjoy. Other players might not be so happy or so willing.

On a lot of under performing teams you can see at the end of a game the 'I am going to be the hero' mentality of certain players - who then more often than not lose the game for their team because they have forgotten their teammates. Not talking about the player willing to take the last shot, but the one who forces the last shot while ignoring their wide open teammate standing under the rim.

Angel being given a role is precisely opposite of what I'm concerned about in the selection of the team but it still provides an excellent example. My concern is that Angel would not be selected for the team because in the judgment of someone, Angel would not be willing to accept a certain role. These are once in a life time opportunity, you would be surprised what roles players would be willing to accept to be part of these teams. Similar to UCONN's approach to recruiting, you should pick the best player available for the basketball things your team is trying to accomplish. Remarkably enough some pretty good "role" players end up at UCONN and work in perfect harmony with super recruits to win NC. There will always be roles to fill because this is a team sport, if you eliminate people from consideration for a certain role they will never get an opportunity to surprise you ( in a good way) like Angel did.