Sun sets [and then rises] for KG

[bschwartz]

She seems like a cool cat. Hopin' for good things.

Tweet via Dishy and Swishy

 

[Sonny44]

what?

 

[pap49cba]

what?

Dishin' & Swishin' ‏@DishNSwish 52m
Connecticut Sun has released Kalana Greene

 

[psconn]

I did not really expect that. Similar player to Kelly Faris but a little better "O". We will miss her.

One to go...

 

[MilfordHusky]

Too bad for KG. Generally, I thought she was not aggressive enough on the offensive end. She may get picked up. I wonder if Mike T. is interested. This might bode well for Kelly's chances of making the team.

 

[JoePgh]

The other cut will probably be in the front court -- either Kelly Cain or Kayla Peterson. Neither one will be a crucial loss, IMHO.

I guess the thinking was that Kalana had enough time in the WNBA to show her true potential, and thus it was safe to conclude that she would never be more than what she has been to date. Kelly, however, still has some probable upside.

Still I am surprised that a starter from last year would be cut. I thought the cut would be Danielle McCray, about whom the same statement can be made as about KG.

 

[psconn]

Too bad for KG. Generally, I thought she was not aggressive enough on the offensive end. She may get picked up. I wonder if Mike T. is interested. This might bode well for Kelly's chances of making the team.

I think this helps Kelly a lot, but she's not home free yet.

 

[bruinbball]

With other teams dropping players like flies I thought it was suspect that the Sun had not made their final moves considering their last preseason game was Thursday. I had the suspicion that this was because it would not bode well for one of the UConn players. I am still hesitant to believe Kelly is in the clear. Being selfish, I really hope she uses next year to focus on staying home and working on improving her offensive game.

 

[Striper69]

Just read the headline

 

[JoePgh]

Without checking comparative stats, I think most of us would agree that Kelly had a more impactful career at UConn than Kalana had. I don't recall that Kalana had any games (or halves) comparable to Kelly's performance against Duke as a senior. Nor did she become as good a 3-point shooter by her senior year. She didn't singlehandedly keep UConn in games that they seemed destined to lose, as Kelly did against Notre Dame in one of the National semifinal games where she scored about 6 points in the last minute to tie the game and send it to overtime (where UConn lost on those 3's by Brittany Mallory).

I would like to think that the Sun coaches saw that upside and decided that Kelly had more to offer in the long run than Kalana. But they are very similar players. Kelly certainly did nothing in the two exhibition games this year to lock in a roster spot for herself, nor did Kalana or (for that matter) Danielle McCray.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Joe... Kelly never sat out due to a major injury as well

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kalana averaged 4.9 ppg over 4 seasons. That's rather low.

She was an important cog at UConn, though she lost much of her explosiveness due to her knee injury. She may not have had the impact that Kelly did, but Kalana played with two All-World players. I recall the game when UNC beat us by about 25 in Connecticut. It was embarassing. UNC was very athletic. The only player we had who could match up in that regard was Kalana. I recall watching her nail some pretty jump shots against SJU at the Garden, and she had a career game at Virginia--the first basketball game played at John Paul Jones. She was a big part of the 78-0.

 

[lanieer]

That's a shame. She was a starter for most of her WNBA career. I'm wondering if there was some part of "wiping the slate clean" mindset. No faris does not have a clean ride now. She still has to prove she can score in this league.

 

[FairView]

I enjoyed watching Kalana at UConn. She was one of those players who played bigger than her size. She also hid her athleticism until you saw her play. I hope she's happy wherever she goes next in life.

 

[JellyBean]

Though break for KG. Hopefully she will land with another team. Dang. I went to check her stats on the WNBA site and her name wasn't anywhere. Unless there is another way to spell "Greene". There is a "Nikki Greene" though. Anyway, I always feel bad for players who get cut/released/traded what have you, when you know that they can play. It is just a matter of getting the minutes or plays that go your way. I just hope that she is able to land with another team. She has improved her mid-range game a lot since college. Her defense is pretty decent, I just hope that another coach/team gives her a call. KG is a great talent.

 

[Striper69]

Though break for KG. Hopefully she will land with another team. Dang. I went to check her stats on the WNBA site and her name wasn't anywhere. Unless there is another way to spell "Greene". There is a "Nikki Greene" though. Anyway, I always feel bad for players who get cut/released/traded what have you, when you know that they can play. It is just a matter of getting the minutes or plays that go your way. I just hope that she is able to land with another team. She has improved her mid-range game a lot since college. Her defense is pretty decent, I just hope that another coach/team gives her a call. KG is a great talent.

I think the story said she was the only one who played every game last year.

Guess that shows how far "loyalty" goes these days.

BTW- I thought this thread was about Kevin Garnett which is why I started the other one.

 

[zonetrapper]

Though break for KG. Hopefully she will land with another team. Dang. I went to check her stats on the WNBA site and her name wasn't anywhere. Unless there is another way to spell "Greene". There is a "Nikki Greene" though. Anyway, I always feel bad for players who get cut/released/traded what have you, when you know that they can play. It is just a matter of getting the minutes or plays that go your way. I just hope that she is able to land with another team. She has improved her mid-range game a lot since college. Her defense is pretty decent, I just hope that another coach/team gives her a call. KG is a great talent.

FYI, for former WNBA players or players not currently on a roster, you can go directly to the page by typing in the player's name, even if it is not listed anymore. The links use a common format:

http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/kalana_greene/index.html

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

I think the story said she was the only one who played every game last year.

Guess that shows how far "loyalty" goes these days.

BTW- I thought this thread was about Kevin Garnett which is why I started the other one.

Striper, I mean no disrespect, but this is professional basketball. We do not reward people for showing up to work every day; it is their job to do that. Yes, she played in every game last year (the Sun did have a lot of injured players who missed time). But if there are more talented players on the roster, why would the Sun keep Kalana simply because she played in every game last year?

As an aside, I also saw "KG" and thought of Kevin Garnett.

 

[Striper69]

No disrespect taken but it helps if you know you can count on someone. That goes a long way IMO.

 

[UConnCat]

Mike DiMauro ‏@BCgenius 50s
Congrats @theladykg who just signed with the Mystics #wnba #uconn

 

[Striper69]

Wow!

 

[MilfordHusky]

I am not surprised at all. Coach Mike likes her.

 

[UConnCat]

I didn't think she'd have a long shelf-life.

Mystics = UConn South

 

[MilfordHusky]

I didn't think she'd have a long shelf-life.

Mystics = UConn South

My thought, exactly. It's about damn time, too. Getting ACC players who play no defense and accept losing is not the way to go.

 

[JoePgh]

I wonder if she will be unusually motivated when the Mystics play the Sun. Probably she will. If she and Kelly guard each other, that could be interesting (and quite an athletic contest).

Haven't seen any information about further WNBA roster cuts. Shouldn't teams be making their final cuts today or tomorrow? Will probably see some rather significant names on the list.