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Message: [QUOTE="CamrnCrz1974, post: 2690661, member: 1052"] The NBA has 30 teams; is the talent spread out evenly? [USER=7492]@DefenseBB[/USER] , I have to vehemently, but respectfully, disagree with you here. First, Sandy Brondello was a member of the Opals (the Australian National Team) for [U][I]18 years[/I][/U], playing in four Olympic Games and four World Championships. She won two silver medals as a member of the Opals (2000, 2004), plus a bronze medal (1996), at the Olympics, plus two bronze medals (1998, 2002) at the World Championships. She played a total of 302 games for her country in international competition. Brondello also made the 1999 All Star Team in the WNBA. But she also played for 10 seasons in the WNBL in Australia, wining league MVP in 1995. More importantly, Sandy Brondello is a [B][U]LEGEND[/U][/B] in Australia. She and Michele Timms are credited as the "foremothers" of Australia's rise to prominence in international basketball. She was part of the team that claimed Australia's first-ever medal in Olympic basketball. Without Brondello and Timms, there is no Lauren Jackson or Penny Taylor (and this comment came straight from the mouth of both Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor). Brondello is beloved in Australia, so much so that she was just named the head coach of the Australian National Team last year and already led the Opals to qualify for the 2018 World Cup (formerly World Championships) by winning a silver medal at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup (which Australia had not done in recent years). Having so many teams that make the playoffs is also an example of the dilution of the pool. But even in the women's NCAA Tournament, it is single elimination. Does that make it "sad?" Having single-elimination games in the WNBA playoffs also makes it more exciting, as teams have to "bring it" every game. In baseball, the wild card game is single elimination. Is that considered "sad?" Having more teams qualifying for the playoffs do not make the playoffs more special, if the talent pool is not all that good. Furthermore, 8 teams make the WNBA playoffs out of 12 - already at 66.7 percent. What would be the point of having more teams make the playoffs? Finally, having 12 WNBA franchises that are settled and that mostly have independent owners (only Phoenix, Minnesota, Indiana, and New York have NBA owners). Yes, the league is 20 years old, but in this sports marketplace, having stability is more important than having more teams. Look at how long it took MLS to successfully expand. And the WNBA learned the lesson of expanding too quickly. Furthermore, the WNBA has done something brilliant -- finding franchise owners among casino ownership groups, in the CT Sun and Las Vegas Aces. The arenas are already built into the facilities, including accommodations, food, etc. There is not facility rental fee, and the costs associated with the franchises are significantly lower. That is the type of creativity that will help the WNBA in the long run. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach