US Women's BB Olympic Team Balance

[BlueSkyGLW]

Qs from the WNBA All-Star Game:

Does the guard-heavy (7) USWBB Olympic Team badly need Napheesa to be ready to improve the balance of the team?

Was A. Thomas underused in this game?

What happened to the perimeter defense that allowed Ogunbowale to go off? Sure, she has a chip on her shoulder against the US Selection Committee, but those 7 guards are supposed to be good, some of them should have been able to slow her down.

Hmmm....Lloyd and Young just had a bad night, right? Right?

If Napheesa can't go, who would they bring in from the alternates. Will the alternates be practicing with the team? Were they with the team at the AS Event?

I do hope Napheesa gets healthy in the very short time left before the Olympics. 3 minutes running around during the game is not encouraging.

 

[fomalhaut]

I know those all-star games are a joke (you can tell, because Caitlin Clark only had two turnovers), but Team USA better start learning to play defense when they play real games.

 

[JellyBean]

1). It was an All-Star game. The level of competition was high but not too overly competitive.

2). Team USA will be fine in the Olympic games. For every flaw we have, other teams will have more. It is like boxing. We have counters for other teams counters. Other nations just have not figured out our counters yet and that is to our favor.

3). Arike is a wonderful player but we all know that she is streaky. When she is on. She is ON. When she is off. She is off. Team USA will be fine. Years ago when Team Australia was at its peak. Folks were going on and on about how Australia was going to take down Team USA. We all know how that turned out. Like I said every team has a weakness. We are just lucky that nobody has figured out ours yet.

4). A. Thomas. It was an all-star game moment. I think she was played properly and I am not going to overreact just because she played X amount of minutes or only did a few things out there on the floor. I have zero problem how she was utilized out there.

5). Jewell and Jackie are like Arike. They will give you X when it matters. You might get a lot or you might get very little but both are valuable players and will help when it matters.

6). Napheesa is the X factor. I would rather her stay here in Minnesota and get healthy for the final phase of the season. I am not Napheesa or a member of the coaching staff, so they want her on the team and she feels like she can help the team, that is all that matters. Will she get minutes out there? We will find out. If she plays, she is a huge plus because of her versatility. A lot just depends on the coaching staff and how they view the rotations and how things develop in game situations.

We got Brittney Griner and A'ja. We are good.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

1). It was an All-Star game. The level of competition was high but not too overly competitive.

2). Team USA will be fine in the Olympic games. For every flaw we have, other teams will have more. It is like boxing. We have counters for other teams counters. Other nations just have not figured out our counters yet and that is to our favor.

3). Arike is a wonderful player but we all know that she is streaky. When she is on. She is ON. When she is off. She is off. Team USA will be fine. Years ago when Team Australia was at its peak. Folks were going on and on about how Australia was going to take down Team USA. We all know how that turned out. Like I said every team has a weakness. We are just lucky that nobody has figured out ours yet.

4). A. Thomas. It was an all-star game moment. I think she was played properly and I am not going to overreact just because she played X amount of minutes or only did a few things out there on the floor. I have zero problem how she was utilized out there.

5). Jewell and Jackie are like Arike. They will give you X when it matters. You might get a lot or you might get very little but both are valuable players and will help when it matters.

6). Napheesa is the X factor. I would rather her stay here in Minnesota and get healthy for the final phase of the season. I am not Napheesa or a member of the coaching staff, so they want her on the team and she feels like she can help the team, that is all that matters. Will she get minutes out there? We will find out. If she plays, she is a huge plus because of her versatility. A lot just depends on the coaching staff and how they view the rotations and how things develop in game situations.

We got Brittney Griner and A'ja. We are good

No problem with the All-Star context of the game but key puzzles remain. In that context, why play Breanna and Aja as many minutes as they did?.....and risk possible injury in a meaningless (?), showpiece game. In the same context, spreading the minutes should have been easy....with more given to Brittney and Alyssa. Choosing Wilson, Gray, Plum and Young for their qualities and chemistry - especially on defense - was purposeful but I guess this was a meaningless exhibition, not an opportunity for coming together as a team......

And, I guess Lloyd and Young gave the fellow Notre Dame alum, Ogunbowale, her day in the sun???

Fine, it was a show.....how many days do they have to train together before their first game? It's OK to feel confident but I hope they heed Diana's uneasiness expressed well before this game. She ain't beating up her body for a medal other than gold.

 

[EricLA]

Fine, it was a show.....how many days do they have to train together before their first game? It's OK to feel confident but I hope they heed Diana's uneasiness expressed well before this game. She ain't beating up her body for a medal other than gold.

I missed this... What did she say?

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

I missed this... What did she say?

It's about the short time to develop chemistry and cohesiveness:

"The Olympic summer is tricky to navigate," Taurasi said. "Everybody's on their own WNBA team, trying to get better, trying to win a championship, trying to win games.

"And then all of a sudden, you have to switch gears and you're all, you know, on this team and you have to find a way to work together cohesively in a short amount of time, and try to go and beat the world.

"And that's something that we're always taking great pride in to be able to do that as quickly as possible, you know, this team's going to be no different."

That's why they select teammates: 4 Aces, 3 Mercury, 2 Liberty, 2 UConn and 2 UND teammates, and a mix of teammates in overseas teams. The theory is that it is a shorter path to cohesive team building.....but we will have to see if it works with this team despite the well-intentioned selection. The noise about some popular players being excluded overlooks this big challenge for the team - it is not just an all-star team - it has to be a cohesive team very quickly. That's a contrast to the other countries that give their teams a lot of time to practice and play together in preparation for all International competition, including the Olympics.

 

[Skeets]

A couple of things:

1. don't read too much into this, no one is taking this as a must win game.
2. there's a lot of talent in the WNBA. They all can't be on the team.
3. Shame we can't field and "A" team and a "B" team and take silver and gold.

 

[Aluminny69]

Pay attention to "nagging" injuries. Most significant is Collier. But BG, DT and Chelsea Gray have missed playing time due to injuries. I doubt any of them will be 100%.

 

[JellyBean]

No problem with the All-Star context of the game but key puzzles remain. In that context, why play Breanna and Aja as many minutes as they did?.....and risk possible injury in a meaningless (?), showpiece game. In the same context, spreading the minutes should have been easy....with more given to Brittney and Alyssa. Choosing Wilson, Gray, Plum and Young for their qualities and chemistry - especially on defense - was purposeful but I guess this was a meaningless exhibition, not an opportunity for coming together as a team......

And, I guess Lloyd and Young gave the fellow Notre Dame alum, Ogunbowale, her day in the sun???

Fine, it was a show.....how many days do they have to train together before their first game? It's OK to feel confident but I hope they heed Diana's uneasiness expressed well before this game. She ain't beating up her body for a medal other than gold.

Who knows why coaches play players X amount of minutes in these types of games. That is on them and I just sit back and watch the game. Then after a loss or win, watch folks overreact. Team USA will be fine in the long run. Players will step up when it matters. As for Diana and her comments after the game. She was right to express those thoughts. She has skin in the game. Did you listen to A'ja and Stewie's post-game comments? Pretty much like they said, it's not time to hit the panic button after one game.

Arike had a great game and we all have seen where Arike has had those games where she goes cold. It happens. Not much more you can do. You salute her and move on. As for the Wilson, Gray, Plum, and Young comment, the team was put together by whatever measurements. You embrace it and move on. It is now Team USA. Not whatever WNBA team. You are playing for Team USA. The squad will be okay.