Top 3 or 4 players in Next Years WNBA Draft

[doggydaddy]

I wouldn't say worst pick. But dumbest? Close to it.

And it's a little tiring that many players from many teams are discussed here but it's only Tennessee fans that get so nuts about it and feel the need to post in sme kind of defense of some perceived slight.

 

[EricLA]

I wouldn't say worst pick. But dumbest? Close to it.

And it's a little tiring that many players from many teams are discussed here but it's only Tennessee fans that get so nuts about it and feel the need to post in sme kind of defense of some perceived slight.

You are right and I am wrong. Dumbest top 7 pick ever.

Bottom line it's only my opinion. I've never liked Tennessee. Not ever. I root for them to lose a lot all the time. I don't root for their alums unless they are on the Olympic team (Catch and Lawson excepted) and it has zero to do with them being nice kids or terrific people as i'm sure most of their players are. I just can't stand Tennessee lol... And maybe that colors my opinion, but it's not a stretch to say drafting Cain #7 was one of the all time dumbest draft decisions ever.

 

[Vowelguy]

Almost any pick below the top 5 is a crapshoot. The player stands a good chance of not surviving, so i think many teams take a shot on a wildcard.

Given
Player A: 60% chance of being the 12th best player on team; 40% getting cut
Player B: 1% chance of being a starter; 99% chance of getting cut

...I'd probably go with player B.

 

[meyers7]

Look, you can argue semantics if you like (5 vs 7),

Well that's not really semantics. It's more like, eh math. 1,2,3,4,5 are top 5. 6,7,8,9,10, etc. are not. It's pretty straight forward.

And as hard as it is to say, tnvolfan65 makes some pretty good points. I think you pretty much lost this argument.

 

[Kibitzer]

I have posted this before, more often than some would like (sorry), but there is nothing more important or more difficult than the evaluation of talent. Applies to recruiting and drafting and to assessing what is available.

Consider, for example, how much time, energy, priority, and expense NFL teams place on selecting and drafting players, especially quarterbacks. Then count how many college hotshots were picked before names like Brady or Montana or even Marino were announced. Most egregious case: Ryan Leaf. And Johnny Unitas was cut. And so on.

It's easy to hammer GMs or coaches who err, because they all do, even those named Auerbach, Noll, Lombardi, Smith or Auriemma.

But the guys I just named did better over the long haul and that's why they are enshrined in Canton or Springfield, despite occasional misjudgments.

Evaluation of talent (and potential) was vital and they did it very well. Most of the time.

 

[EricLA]

Well that's not really semantics. It's more like, eh math. 1,2,3,4,5 are top 5. 6,7,8,9,10, etc. are not. It's pretty straight forward.

And as hard as it is to say, tnvolfan65 makes some pretty good points. I think you pretty much lost this argument.

Yes the 5 vs. 7 is pretty much black and white. But to compare Cain with other poor draft picks who had college numbers that were miles better than Cain does zero to change my opinion that she was one of the dumbest/worst top 7 draft picks ever. When you compare Cain, who averaged 8 and 6, to Phillips who averaged 14+ and 11+, and say the picks were equal, then there is no logical discussing with that person. All the other players mentioned by tn had outstanding college careers, while Cain's was merely average.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

"Worst pick" or "dumbest pick" are relative terms.

For example, Kelly Miller played 12 years in the league, including being the starting point guard on the 2007 WNBA Championship Team. She also was one of the league leaders in three-point percentage. But Charlotte selected her with the 2nd pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft. She was taken one spot ahead of Tamika Catchings, who has turned out to be a pretty good player (in the biggest understatement ever).

But she is not the worst #2 pick, which would likely go to Tausha Mills (2000) or Chantelle Anderson (2003), just off the top of my head.

 

[doggydaddy]

Maybe not dumbest. That is too insulting to the player.

You can't teach size and Cain has it.

I would say she had the worst statistical college career compared to any other number 7 pick in the history of the WNBA.

 

[Vowelguy]

When you compare Cain, who averaged 8 and 6, to Phillips who averaged 14+ and 11+, and say the picks were equal, then there is no logical discussing with that person.

But neither lasted a year, so what's the difference?

Yes, Phillips was the better college player. But a WNBA scout's job is to evaluate players' ability to play in the pros.

I think you can only say player X was a bad pick if the team passed on player Y who ended up being successful. I don't follow the W close enough to know if that was the case with Cain. Was she a bust? Yes. A bad pick? That depends on who else was available.

 

[Kibitzer]

You can teach size.

That's great news. Now Geno can teach about 5" of height to Courtney Ekmark and we can all cease worrying about A'Ja Wilson matriculating somewhere down south.

 

[meyers7]

Yes the 5 vs. 7 is pretty much black and white. But to compare Cain with other poor draft picks who had college numbers that were miles better than Cain does zero to change my opinion that she was one of the dumbest/worst top 7 draft picks ever. When you compare Cain, who averaged 8 and 6, to Phillips who averaged 14+ and 11+, and say the picks were equal, then there is no logical discussing with that person. All the other players mentioned by tn had outstanding college careers, while Cain's was merely average.

On the other hand, considering most of them barely had a chance to stay in the league very long anyway. So if you are going to be taking a chance anyway, I'd probably go with a 6-6 player. Can't teach height.

 

[doggydaddy]

But neither lasted a year, so what's the difference?

Yes, Phillips was the better college player. But a WNBA scout's job is to evaluate players' ability to play in the pros.

I think you can only say player X was a bad pick if the team passed on player Y who ended up being successful. I don't follow the W close enough to know if that was the case with Cain. Was she a bust? Yes. A bad pick? That depends on who else was available.

Tiffany Hayes.

 

[triaddukefan]

"Worst pick" or "dumbest pick" are relative terms.

For example, Kelly Miller played 12 years in the league, including being the starting point guard on the 2007 WNBA Championship Team. She also was one of the league leaders in three-point percentage. But Charlotte selected her with the 2nd pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft. She was taken one spot ahead of Tamika Catchings, who has turned out to be a pretty good player (in the biggest understatement ever).

d.

As a former Sting fan.... when I saw that I was like




But as upset as I was over that pick.... I was equally elated over the second round pick that year...... Tammy Sutton Brown (Be still my beating heart)

 

[UConnCat]

Tiffany Hayes.

NY used the #7 pick on an injury-plagued, out-of-shape center who put up mediocre numbers in college and passed on playing a redshirt season at Tennessee citing health problems (hip, I believe). I understand she was playing overseas so maybe the Liberty thought her health problems were behind her. Also, NY didn't have a 2nd round pick and had the last pick in the 3rd round. Perhaps Whisenant feared Cain would be off the board at the end of the 3rd round and none of the other available players interested him. Other players who were still available and are currently on WNBA rosters:

Hayes (Atlanta)
Sasha Goodlet (Indiana)
Lynetta Kizer (Phoenix)
Briana Gilbreath (Phoenix)

 

[bballnut90]

Look, you can argue semantics if you like (5 vs 7), but Cain was simply a flat out awful pick. Nothing you said made me reconsider that she was one of the worst high draft picks in the history of the league. the minute NYL made the announcement i was on here asking if they had lost their collective minds. But tennessee fans were saying what a bold and aggressive choice it was and how Cain had been tearing up the Euro league that past season (or wherever she played - must have been high school calibur competition if she put up the kinds of numbers that really made people take notice).

Novasel was taken after Cain. She had WAY better numbers in college. There were at least reasons to believe she might succeed in the WNBA. Not so much for Cain. Phillips put up great numbers for Xavier - she averaged well over a double double her entire career (over 14 PPG and 11 RPG). Monroe averaged over 13 PPG in her career at FSU. I have no idea what Thornburn's stats were at Utah, but i'm guessing they were pretty substantial. Cain averaged just over 8 PPG at Tennessee 6 RPG, decided to forgo her senior year (after redshirting her freshman year), and I don't believe she ever really got over her injuries, but I have zero proof of that.

Not only was Cain a total bust in the WNBA, but what made it even more mystifying was her very average college career really gave no indication she had any talent for the league. At least you could make some kind of argument for the other players you mentioned that were chosen.

So yeah, I think Cain was the worst top 7 pick in WNBA draft history. And she contributed zero for a terrible NYL team last year.

Saying Cain was one of the worst/dumbest picks in WNBA history is a bit of a stretch....Cain was injured most of her final season at Tennessee, hence why her numbers were poor. Her sophomore year, however, she averaged 10.5 points, 8 rebound and over 3 blocks per game while shooting 61% from the floor for one of the best teams in the country. She was a true 6-6 with a big frame and moved well for someone her size. 1st-Team All-SEC, one of the best shot blockers in the country and a strong offensive player that season. If NYL assumed her knee issues had cleared up and she would play more similarly to the 2009-10 Kelley Cain rather than the 2010-11 Kelley Cain, it still isn't necessarily the most logical/intelligent pick, but considering how weak the 2012 draft was it isn't one of the worst/dumbest picks in WNBA draft history.

In 2005 Kara Braxton was drafted after not playing for 1.5 years, had regressed throughout her college career, was kicked off her team, had a child and did not pan out to be the stud everyone thought she'd be after her freshman campaign. Detroit took a chance on a player who had some strong assets despite many 'red flags' and it paid off quite well for them. This situation reminds me of Cain's because they took a gamble, but in this case it didn't pay off. Also look at Ashley Shields--same risk.


Also, look at how the other recent #7 overall picks have done in the W:
2011-Kayla Pederson
2010-Danielle McCray
2009-Courtney Paris
2008-Essence Carson
2007-Katie Gearlds
2006-Shona Thorburn

Outside of Carson, none of those players did much/are doing much in the WNBA.....the 7th pick in the WNBA draft is nowhere near as significant as the #7 pick in the NBA draft. Was it a smart pick to pick Cain? Probably not. One of the worst picks ever? Far from it.

 

[UCONNfan1]

Saying Cain was one of the worst/dumbest picks in WNBA history is a bit of a stretch....Cain was injured most of her final season at Tennessee, hence why her numbers were poor. Her sophomore year, however, she averaged 10.5 points, 8 rebound and over 3 blocks per game while shooting 61% from the floor for one of the best teams in the country. She was a true 6-6 with a big frame and moved well for someone her size. 1st-Team All-SEC, one of the best shot blockers in the country and a strong offensive player that season. If NYL assumed her knee issues had cleared up and she would play more similarly to the 2009-10 Kelley Cain rather than the 2010-11 Kelley Cain, it still isn't necessarily the most logical/intelligent pick, but considering how weak the 2012 draft was it isn't one of the worst/dumbest picks in WNBA draft history.

In 2005 Kara Braxton was drafted after not playing for 1.5 years, had regressed throughout her college career, was kicked off her team, had a child and did not pan out to be the stud everyone thought she'd be after her freshman campaign. Detroit took a chance on a player who had some strong assets despite many 'red flags' and it paid off quite well for them. This situation reminds me of Cain's because they took a gamble, but in this case it didn't pay off. Also look at Ashley Shields--same risk.


Also, look at how the other recent #7 overall picks have done in the W:
2011-Kayla Pederson
2010-Danielle McCray
2009-Courtney Paris
2008-Essence Carson
2007-Katie Gearlds
2006-Shona Thorburn

Outside of Carson, none of those players did much/are doing much in the WNBA.....the 7th pick in the WNBA draft is nowhere near as significant as the #7 pick in the NBA draft. Was it a smart pick to pick Cain? Probably not. One of the worst picks ever? Far from it.

It's an opinion. A stretch? Maybe maybe not, but given the 4 players listed by UConnCat, 2 of which are starters, and all who had far less question marks than Cain indicate what a poor decision it was.

Pederson was a stud for Stanford and is averaging over 18 MPG for Tulsa
McCray averaged 14+ MPG and almost 5 PPG over 2 years in the WNBA. Not sure where she is now. Cut maybe?
Paris lasted 5 years in the league averaging 11 MPG and 4 PPG duringi that span
Geralds lasted 3 years averaging 14 MPG and 4.5 PPG
Thornburn lasted about as long in the league as Cain did
Carson has been a star

So it looks like from the list you gave, Cain and Thornburn are far and away the worst #7 picks in WNBA history. Any other stats you got for us?

 

[bballnut90]

All those stats prove is that very few players who were picked 7th overall have made a tremendous impact on the league. Besides the really strong draft classes (1999, 2001, 2004, 2008) and Braxton/Reid, none of those players have panned out to have big WNBA careers, so even though the pick didn't pan out, I don't see how it can be considered "one of the worst/dumbest picks in WNBA history" when little is expected of the #7 overall pick.

The worst/dumbest picks in my book would be picks like Chantelle Anderson, Tausha Mills, Kelly Miller (considering that they passed up on Catchings/Nolan/Douglas/Taylor), Sandora Irvin, etc. because stars were passed up in favor of these players.