The New Yorker: Taurasi vs. Clark (it's not what you think)

[BRS24]

I'm posting this article, as it has a decent and balanced viewpoint of the realities in the WNBA. A good history of now vs back then.

Caitlin Clark’s New Reality

Clark isn’t yet the best player the W.N.B.A. has ever seen. What can she learn from the player who is?

www.newyorker.com

On Saturday, multiple outlets reported that U.S.A. Basketball had left Clark off the Olympic team, leading to a new round of outrage. Taurasi, meanwhile, made the team—her sixth time being selected for it. She turns forty-two on Tuesday, and is averaging just under seventeen points a game this season—the same as Clark. Even now, after all these years, she is as pure a competitor as there has ever been, in any sport. The funny thing is, Clark seems a lot like Taurasi: cold-blooded, cutthroat, cocky. If Clark is going to become the greatest player ever, she’s going to have to wrestle the title from Taurasi. Taurasi’s never going to give it to her. What makes me think that Clark has a chance is that she clearly wouldn’t want her to. ​

 

[azfan]

I'm posting this article, as it has a decent and balanced viewpoint of the realities in the WNBA. A good history of now vs back then.

Caitlin Clark’s New Reality

Clark isn’t yet the best player the W.N.B.A. has ever seen. What can she learn from the player who is?

www.newyorker.com

On Saturday, multiple outlets reported that U.S.A. Basketball had left Clark off the Olympic team, leading to a new round of outrage. Taurasi, meanwhile, made the team—her sixth time being selected for it. She turns forty-two on Tuesday, and is averaging just under seventeen points a game this season—the same as Clark. Even now, after all these years, she is as pure a competitor as there has ever been, in any sport. The funny thing is, Clark seems a lot like Taurasi: cold-blooded, cutthroat, cocky. If Clark is going to become the greatest player ever, she’s going to have to wrestle the title from Taurasi. Taurasi’s never going to give it to her. What makes me think that Clark has a chance is that she clearly wouldn’t want her to. ​

GREAT ARTICLE!

Will CC play 20 years? Will CC avoid injury?

She and the DT have similar temperament. With expanded schedules if she can avoid injury and play 20 years she has a chance greater than 0% but less than 30% of surpassing the GOAT.

 

[UConnCat]

Very sensible. That's why I subscribe to the New Yorker.

 

[JellyBean]

That was a pretty decent article. If all goes well, Caitlin should have a long career. She is made for this moment.

 

[psconn]

I don't think the author has been a WNBA follower for very long, if at all. One of the wave of journalists looking at the W for the first time, I suspect. Better first effort than most, I guess.

She says the CBA allows a maximum SALARY of $500k? Really? Less than 265k as of 2027 according to the CBA (pg37).

 

[JoePgh]

I thought that the author's name (Louisa Thomas) sounded familiar, so I Googled her and found out that I was right. She is the great grand-daughter of Norman Thomas, the famous socialist and Presidential candidate of the early 20th century, and she wrote a book about conscientious objectors during World War I, which I read some time ago. She also wrote a biography of the wife of John Quincy Adams, which she appropriately entitled "Louisa".

So she is a serious writer about subjects other than women's sports, although I was surprised to learn that she has made a partial career recently out of writing about sports. From the article, it's pretty clear that she is quite familiar with the WNBA beyond just its recent history, and she recounts it accurately (whatever factual errors she may have made about the salary cap -- I doubt whether The New Yorker does detailed fact-checking about items like that).

I think she is right to say that Caitlin Clark and Diana Taurasi have similar temperaments, and that neither would expect the other to concede anything in the GOAT race. It will be 2044 before we know whether CC has surpassed Diana in that race, and many of us will be unlikely to be following the contest closely at that point.

 

[mhshuskies]

DT: 3 NCAA championships, 3 WNBA championships, 5 Olympic golds,
That says it all!

 

[cferraro04]

DT is the GOAT! Adding to the legend that is DT is certainly her longevity in the game. It should be stated that her longevity in the game is directly proportional to her obvious joy in playing the game. These intangibles: longevity, and joy for the game make it uniquely difficult for someone even with Caitlin's skill for shooting long threes and her unique flair for the game to catch and surpass DT. We also in this discussion haven't mentioned current stars such as Breanna Stewart who has the potential to wrestle the G.O.A.T. from DT. And, finally, this discussion is also not taking into consideration future stars such as Paige Bueckers, Ju Ju Watkins, and what their impact will be on the game. I think Caitlin certainly has the skill set to become one of the best all-time players in women's basketball but there can only be one G.O.A.T..

 

[hoophuskee]

DT is the GOAT! Adding to the legend that is DT is certainly her longevity in the game. It should be stated that her longevity in the game is directly proportional to her obvious joy in playing the game. These intangibles: longevity, and joy for the game make it uniquely difficult for someone even with Caitlin's skill for shooting long threes and her unique flair for the game to catch and surpass DT. We also in this discussion haven't mentioned current stars such as Breanna Stewart who has the potential to wrestle the G.O.A.T. from DT. And, finally, this discussion is also not taking into consideration future stars such as Paige Bueckers, Ju Ju Watkins, and what their impact will be on the game. I think Caitlin certainly has the skill set to become one of the best all-time players in women's basketball but there can only be one G.O.A.T..

Wilson is a beast too.

 

[The deacon]

DT: 3 NCAA championships, 3 WNBA championships, 5 Olympic golds,
That says it all!

Why not Sue then? Two NCAAs, four WNBAs and the same five Olympic golds.