WBNA Playoffs - here we go! | Page 5 | The Boneyard
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WBNA Playoffs - here we go!

Most Valuable! Looking at these teams playing without their mvp candidate: hard for me to see Indiana winning many games at all without Kelsey Mitchell. I mean, really, very, very few wins.. Caitlin Clark not being around has really allowed her to show what an outstanding player she has become. Offensively, close to unstoppable.
Of course, no Wilson, no Thomas, their teams would not win many either. Not so much Atlanta or the Lynx.
 
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boontonbomber said:
Most Valuable! Looking at these teams playing without their mvp candidate: hard for me to see Indiana winning many games at all without Kelsey Mitchell. I mean, really, very, very few wins..
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Do not disagree, but the same is true of Aliyah Boston. Her performance has been even better by every advanced metric, yet Mitchell is garnering the individual accolades. It really shows both the much greater difficulty and the higher standard for a post to capture everyone’s attention versus a perimeter player.

This is not about Aliyah Boston.
 
nwhoopfan said:
I'm pretty sure nobody with as much talent as NY has ever lost in the first round of the WNBA playoffs before, right?

Congrats to Phoenix. AT doing AT things, yet another triple double.
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It is definitely a head scratcher. After the game finished, I kept on thinking about the seasonal plots for the Liberty and Aces – exact opposite trajectories.The Liberty had it going at the beginning of the season but just fell apart when the injuries started piling up and it seems like they could never find that groove when the band was all back on the court together.
 
nwhoopfan said:
I'm pretty sure nobody with as much talent as NY has ever lost in the first round of the WNBA playoffs before, right?

Congrats to Phoenix. AT doing AT things, yet another triple double.
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The problem is that the talent wasn't evident. Jones was a negative factor, and Cloud and Fiebich were non-factors. I almost felt bad for Stewie. She's grinding on and MCL sprain and half her teammates are giving the effort rec basketball deserves.
 
GoChips20 said:
I get they had injuries but the Liberty massively underperformed this year and honestly it wasn’t even really the storyline it might’ve been in a different season.
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Brondello skates by on underachieving all the time. 2 Titles, but a whole bunch of other seasons significantly lesser than they should be given the talent she had.

Lately I've been wondering why she's the Australian National Team coach. Surely they can find someone better. Wow, I just looked it up, she was appointed in 2017 and apparently will hold the position thru the 2028 Olympics. A whole decade?
 
TheFarmFan said:
The problem is that the talent wasn't evident. Jones was a negative factor, and Cloud and Fiebich were non-factors. I almost felt bad for Stewie. She's grinding on and MCL sprain and half her teammates are giving the effort rec basketball deserves.
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Meesseeman didn't play much in the 3rd game. Seems like she never really got fully on track with them.

So...blow up the team and start over? If nothing else, this serves to underscore a little bit that it was impressive the Aces won back to back.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Meesseeman didn't play much in the 3rd game. Seems like she never really got fully on track with them.

So...blow up the team and start over? If nothing else, this serves to underscore a little bit that it was impressive the Aces won back to back.
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Hard to join a team mid year as a big time player and find your way when you're not really needed. Libs were already set IMO with a clear starting 5 of Cloud/Sabrina/Fiebich/Stewart/Jonquel.

I'm still of the belief that Sandy isn't the best fit. She's won a couple of titles with loaded rosters but too often has underachieved. Should be able to get more out of a team that has Sabrina/Stewart/Jonquel Jones in the lineup.
 
I believe basketball is the wierdest sport in respect to consistency. Even the best players will have off nights. The thing is with the lIberty, it seems the majority of the team had off nights together. The off nights will often apply to entire parts of a season. Look at how much the Aces dropped off last season and suddenly they have it together again. Its a sport where an average player can have a lights out game and a star end up throwing up bricks. This is why team balence is important. Other teammates need to be able to fill in for sub performing stars on their off nights. When everything lines up even bad teams can knock off the best. That is not possible with many other sports.
 
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TheFarmFan said:
The problem is that the talent wasn't evident. Jones was a negative factor, and Cloud and Fiebich were non-factors. I almost felt bad for Stewie. She's grinding on and MCL sprain and half her teammates are giving the effort rec basketball deserves.
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Jones' performance this play-offs series was definitely perplexing, to put it mildly. Last season she was the MVP of the finals. The difference is glaring.

Another thing I wonder is whether having Laney-Hamilton this season would have made a difference. She was a key piece last season and not having her this year definitely threw something off with this roster.
 
cancontent said:
Jones' performance this play-offs series was definitely perplexing, to put it mildly. Last season she was the MVP of the finals. The difference is glaring.

Another thing I wonder is whether having Laney-Hamilton this season would have made a difference. She was a key piece last season and not having her this year definitely threw something off with this roster.
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Some reactions and other things to ponder between now and next training camp.
  • Yes, Jonquel Jones' up-and-down play is noticeable and would be a tad concerning for GM's who might be interested in her services next season (do the due diligence).
  • Laney-Hamilton was missed this year, for everything from her 11.8 ppg and 4.2 rpg to her defensive prowess and all-round moxie.You can also add Kayla Thornton to the "minus" category. She contributed 5.5 ppg in some 20 minutes per game and not an iota of intensity drop-off when she was in the game. Kennedy Burke improved a lot this year, but Laney-Hamilton and Thornton are still at other levels for now.
  • There were goings and comings throughout the season and one that many thought was a layup -- Emma Meesseman joining up with her buddies Stewie and Jonquel, would be a no-brainer. Nyet! Unlike the Kathyrn Westbelds, say, of the world, Emma M, Jonquel and Stewie are used to being the "A" team on the front line. In fact, Coach Sandy only played Emma M. 8 -- that's right, eight -- minutes in the final game.

Looking at next year, these are the UFA's from the NY Liberty (from top salary down....):
- Meesseman; Stewart; Ionescu; Cloud; Jones; Laney-Hamilton; Talbot; Harrison; and, Burke.
Wow, just wow. The top 4 are all over $200K and the next two are just a bit under, so a lot is vested in the top six players.
Will be really interesting to see how Jonathan Kolb -- with Brondello's input, I'm sure -- restructures for the next go-round.
 
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Wow, every deciding game of the first round of the playoffs was a nail biter. You certainly saw the parity in the league this year. Really great series.

RE: NY--they just never seemed to "have it" this year. Kind of similar to how Vegas backslid after their 2023 title--just never looked like real contenders. I do think Laney-Hamilton is a glue player for them, and having her out all year, even with pretty incredible additions, was a bigger loss than folks anticipated.

RE: Phoenix. Games 2 and 3 really seemed like the new big 3 in Phoenix (AT, Sabally, Kah) was gelling and all performing at high levels--perhaps for one of the first times all year. And the thee of them having pretty good games was enough to top a NY team that had Stewart and Sab show up but not Jonquel. Interesting that their next series in Minnesota, and the big 3 never played together in all 4 previous matches with Minnesota this year.

RE: Atlanta. Not sure I'm ready to completely tear down. This seems like a series that will sting for a while, and potentially motivate them to come back with a vengeance next year. It's a really good core that should win a lot more games together.

RE: Seattle. Agree they underachieved this year, but they showed in game 2 and 3 of the series that they were just as dangerous as any other team when they gelled. Malonga is going to be scary good (and she's under contract).

RE: Indiana: Kudos to Steph White and the full team. Kelsey Mitchell is maybe the best pure scorer in the league (especially at guard). Boston does most everything well. Howard is comfortable in her role. I don't know why Sims is always cut from teams because she is obviously a WNBA talent. Kind of scary to think what they would be like at full strength.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Brondello skates by on underachieving all the time. 2 Titles, but a whole bunch of other seasons significantly lesser than they should be given the talent she had.

Lately I've been wondering why she's the Australian National Team coach. Surely they can find someone better. Wow, I just looked it up, she was appointed in 2017 and apparently will hold the position thru the 2028 Olympics. A whole decade?
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I have said that before, she had DT, Griner, and other all stars with one title. Stewie needs to get out of there. Still say if she can get Miller to become the Coach in Dallas, go there and take Meeseman and join Paige.
 
The difference between the Aces and Liberty parallels in small measure the difference between 2018 ND and UConn post covid up until last year. There is a difference between most injuries occurring at the start, a la ND, but still having the core of talent needed to mesh throughout the year, vs injuries occurring throughout the year and the impact that has on the parts coming together, even if they happen to be elite parts. I’m not going out on a limb to say that is THE major difference, but it mitigates the coaching and underperforming talent argument somewhat.
 
Dillon77 said:
Looking at next year, these are the UFA's from the NY Liberty (from top salary down....):
- Meesseman; Stewart; Ionescu; Cloud; Jones; Laney-Hamilton; Talbot; Harrison; and, Burke.
Wow, just wow. The top 4 are all over $200K and the next two are just a bit under, so a lot is vested in the top six players.
Will be really interesting to see how Jonathan Kolb -- with Brondello's input, I'm sure -- restructures for the next go-round.
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This just occurred to me seeing your post: Will they be able to protect their remaining player or two in the expansion draft? If so, they (and probably a few other teams) won't have anyone available for the new teams. If teams have to have players available, some might have to start building from just draft picks.
 
Bigboote said:
This just occurred to me seeing your post: Will they be able to protect their remaining player or two in the expansion draft? If so, they (and probably a few other teams) won't have anyone available for the new teams. If teams have to have players available, some might have to start building from just draft picks.
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It's a good question. Last year, in late September 2024 the WNBA announced that the expansion draft was held on December 6th of the same year. Free agent negotiating began in mid-January 2025 with the actual signings starting on Feb. 1. And the WNBA draft was held just after the NCAA championship in April '25.

Now, how do UFA's fit in with this process? I've cobbled together a few points from various articles and/or searches:
  • The expansion draft allows for the team(s) to select one unrestricted free agent (UFA) from each team. Still, I guess a GM would have to protect players regardless of their contractual status.
  • If Portland or Toronto selects a UFA, that player can be designated a Core Player by the team, which means they'll be signed to a one-year, super-max contract.
  • New teams can also trade players selected from selected teams to other teams.

Now, of course, the elephant in the War Room is the new collective bargaining agreement. What will come of that and how will it affect the entire process that I wrote about above? Will teams still have to make UFA's available or will it result in a scenario in which the coffers are bare for expansion teams? I've got to think the whole process is on the back burner until the CBA is signed, sealed, delivered.
 
darrell said:
I’m eager to see NY’s offseason. Stewie said she isn’t going anywhere, but everything else is a mystery right now.
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Excluding Clark on a rookie contract, there are probably only three players in the league (Stewie, Collier, Wilson) who could say with certainty they’ll be where they are now next season. Whatever happens with the CBA and free agency, their teams will pay whatever price to keep them if they want to stay.
 
GoChips20 said:
Excluding Clark on a rookie contract, there are probably only three players in the league (Stewie, Collier, Wilson) who could say with certainty they’ll be where they are now next season. Whatever happens with the CBA and free agency, their teams will pay whatever price to keep them if they want to stay.
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Stewart is on record confirming she's coming back to the Liberty next season, per this Sports Illustrated article.

www.si.com

Breanna Stewart Makes Commitment to Liberty, Sandy Brondello

One Breanna Stewart quote from the aftermath of the New York Liberty's season-ender was no doubt uttered by the legions of seafoam at some point during the thre
www.si.com www.si.com
 

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