Who would Geno pick #1?

[shizam]

lets say Geno is a GM in the WNBA and has the first pick. Does he pick Gabby or A’ja? All needs at player positions being equal.

 

[j66kicker]

He would pick Gabby. Geno is very loyal. Gabby picked him and A'ja didn't.

 

[Kaizen]

Gabby, since she is not protected by refs so I will protect her.

 

[BostonCanuck]

Geno has a special fondness for Gabby. She's gotten to him in a way that most of his player's don't. As a fan, it's fun to watch (to the extent we get to see it).

 

[HumblePie]

Gabby! A'ja is overrated and only shines against smaller less talented players.

 

[DEpup]

Don't just forget Kia!

 

[HuskylnSC]

He would pick the best one for the current situation of the team. If the team is athletic with good 2s and 3s, its Aja. If he has a dominate post it's Gabby.

 

[cbraarj]

Gabby has a greater upside than Aja.

 

[Reypl21]

Wilson was surrounded by an extremely daunting defense this past Thursday. So many posters were saying weeks before the game, "idk what type of pro Gabby will be.... Wilson is the for sure pick." Something along those lines. It A'ja and Gabby switched places, A'ja would be able to play one-on-one and be a beast. She just doesn't play for UConn so she doesn't get the luxury of having four other offensive and defensive talented players on the court at the same time. A'ja will be good in the pros because there will be less double/triple teams, and she'll learn to pass better considering the guards on the team.

 

[Reypl21]

But in terms of who Geno would pick, that's difficult. Obviously, the best player available is normally most coaches' first pick. But some ppl believe that he would keep his "culture." GA clearly has the winning ingredient. ( I wonder what it is?) ( Getting top recruits every test that)

 

[SCGamecock]

Wilson was surrounded by an extremely daunting defense this past Thursday. So many posters were saying weeks before the game, "idk what type of pro Gabby will be.... Wilson is the for sure pick." Something along those lines. It A'ja and Gabby switched places, A'ja would be able to play one-on-one and be a beast. She just doesn't play for UConn so she doesn't get the luxury of having four other offensive and defensive talented players on the court at the same time. A'ja will be good in the pros because there will be less double/triple teams, and she'll learn to pass better considering the guards on the team.

Bingo.

One plays in a starting lineup with 4 other All-American caliber players. The other plays in a lineup with possibly 1 other All-American caliber player. Wilson does what she does facing double teams (and the occasional triple team) every game, which is a shame... her team around her needs to do better.

I hate to lose Wilson after this season, but I’m also very excited for her to get on a team surrounded with other high caliber players that allows her to really show her skill set and quiet the naysayers. I’ve seen Wilson do things in games that a 6’5” forward shouldn’t be able to do. Things that we unfortunately don’t get to see enough because she’s covered with a blanket 90% of the time.

 

[Charliebball]

Wilson was surrounded by an extremely daunting defense this past Thursday. So many posters were saying weeks before the game, "idk what type of pro Gabby will be.... Wilson is the for sure pick." Something along those lines. It A'ja and Gabby switched places, A'ja would be able to play one-on-one and be a beast. She just doesn't play for UConn so she doesn't get the luxury of having four other offensive and defensive talented players on the court at the same time. A'ja will be good in the pros because there will be less double/triple teams, and she'll learn to pass better considering the guards on the team.

I'm still hung up on the fact that she can only drive in one direction.........that would never fly at UConn

 

[Wbbfan1]

Geno might surprise everyone and pick who might be the best basketball player available. With the #1 Pick in the WNBA Draft, Geno Shocks the world by picking Diamond DeShields. Geno might believe that with his and the head coach will be able to get Diamond to realize her talents on and off the court. If not, Diamond why not Kelsey Mitchell who will be able to score points at the next level.

Gabby would be the best teammate and team player available, but will she have the same level of success at the next level. Her hip injury might also be a concern to some WNBA teams.

 

[SVCBeercats]

lets say Geno is a GM in the WNBA and has the first pick. Does he pick Gabby or A’ja? All needs at player positions being equal.

Geno is, if anything, a pragmatic person. He would pick A'ja, an underachiever with tremendous upside, versus Gabby, an undersized, overachiever. Then again it does matter what his team would need and if he believes he can motivate A'ja to reach her full potential. If his team has Stewart? Maybe A'ja is not a priority. The one area in which Gabby does not overachieve is 3pt. shots and medium jumpers. If one could believe she would improve her jump shot and 3pt. percentages significantly, this would be a tougher decision. As it is I say A'ja with no resevations. In the WNBA as Sue Bird said; Gabby is a tweener without a strong jump shot or 3pter. She would be more of a project than A'ja. I know calling A'ja an underachiever is a bit harsh and bewildering, but I think of her as being more capable than she is. He may have had an off game against UCONN, but I saw a greatly improved A'ja relative to even last year. She moves so much better and much more fluidly. Yet, I believe there is room for significant improvement. She has very high potential. Think Maya Moore. She was POY 2-3 times. What happened when she became a pro? She got better!

 

[Huskie78]

Geno might surprise everyone and pick who might be the best basketball player available. With the #1 Pick in the WNBA Draft, Geno Shocks the world by picking Diamond DeShields. Geno might believe that with his and the head coach will be able to get Diamond to realize her talents on and off the court. If not, Diamond why not Kelsey Mitchell who will be able to score points at the next level.

Gabby would be the best teammate and team player available, but will she have the same level of success at the next level. Her hip injury might also be a concern to some WNBA teams.

Haha! You must be talking about Bizzaro Geno.

 

[bags27]

Geno is, if anything, a pragmatic person. He would pick A'ja, an underachiever with tremendous upside, versus Gabby, an undersized, overachiever. Then again it does matter what his team would need and if he believes he can motivate A'ja to reach her full potential. She does seem to have an attitude. If his team has Stewart? Maybe A'ja is not a priority. The one area in which Gabby does not overachieve is 3pt. shots and medium jumpers. If one could believe she would improve her jump shot and 3pt. percentages significantly, this would be a tougher decision. As it is I lean towards A'ja. In the WNBA as Sue Bird said; Gabby is a tweener without a strong jump shot or 3pter. She would be more of a project than A'ja.

Agree with most of what you say, SVCBeercats, except that Wilson isn't an underachiever. She's a near-lock for player of the year, and it's hard to call that an underachievement. She just didn't have a strong group around her this year, and it was easier for UConn to collapse on her.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in this A'ja vs. Gabby is health issues. A'ja had an ankle injury last year that healed much more quickly than we anticipated, but Gabby has had a number of injuries, going back to high school. She plays a far more intensive game, and thus is more injury-prone. Despite A'ja carrying far more weight on her frame, I'm betting that she has a longer career.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Agree with most of what you say, SVCBeercats, except that Wilson isn't an underachiever. She's a near-lock for player of the year, and it's hard to call that an underachievement. She just didn't have a strong group around her this year, and it was easier for UConn to collapse on her.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in this A'ja vs. Gabby is health issues. A'ja had an ankle injury last year that healed much more quickly than we anticipated, but Gabby has had a number of injuries, going back to high school. She plays a far more intensive game, and thus is more injury-prone. Despite A'ja carrying far more weight on her frame, I'm betting that she has a longer career.

I say underachiever despite her preordained player of the year status. Perhaps she should consult with Tom Brady regarding an acceptance speech. I believe she still has a tremendous upside way above and beyond her current high level of play which makes her very appealing to the WNBA GMs and coaches. I am not disrespecting her play at all. I just think she will be even better in the pros. (Reread my original post which I modified to make this clear.) Relative to Gabby, in addition to her injuries, like Geno I like high confidence. Gabby has a tendency to get down on herself and doubt herself. In the WNBA this won't do. You cannot doubt yourself. You cannot fret about a problem. You dispassionately see it as a problem to be corrected and "make it so" (thank you Jean-Luc). This self-doubt may concern some GMs and coaches. In the WNBA I don't believe a player's support group is as good as it is in college.

 

[Ron and Vida]

Bingo.

One plays in a starting lineup with 4 other All-American caliber players. The other plays in a lineup with possibly 1 other All-American caliber player. Wilson does what she does facing double teams (and the occasional triple team) every game, which is a shame... her team around her needs to do better.

I hate to lose Wilson after this season, but I’m also very excited for her to get on a team surrounded with other high caliber players that allows her to really show her skill set and quiet the naysayers. I’ve seen Wilson do things in games that a 6’5” forward shouldn’t be able to do. Things that we unfortunately don’t get to see enough because she’s covered like a blanket 90% of the time.

Sounds right. Thanks for the input.

 

[SCGamecock]

Agree with most of what you say, SVCBeercats, except that Wilson isn't an underachiever. She's a near-lock for player of the year, and it's hard to call that an underachievement. She just didn't have a strong group around her this year, and it was easier for UConn to collapse on her.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in this A'ja vs. Gabby is health issues. A'ja had an ankle injury last year that healed much more quickly than we anticipated, but Gabby has had a number of injuries, going back to high school. She plays a far more intensive game, and thus is more injury-prone. Despite A'ja carrying far more weight on her frame, I'm betting that she has a longer career.

I can’t wait to see Wilson on a team with capable scorers at every position. I know there’s a learning curve but I really think Wilson is going to BLOSSOM eventually at the pro level. At this WCBB level, We don’t see enough of what she’s really capable of... but we will soon.

 

[GoCardinal]

Wilson has so many “naysayers” because it’s warranted. She’s primarily one handed, hasn’t shown a consistent ability to go right, has improved but still has limited range. In the pros she’s not going to be able to go over people’s backs for rebounds. And the whole “the defense is always over her” is a fair excuse, but one could also argue that it’s not. Megan Gustafson of Iowa for example gets double and triple teamed every game, but still manages to shoot high percentages and make better decisions. No matter the conference, that’s hard to do. So, in that aspect Wilson will have to get better. Gabby is a tweener, and her success will depend on where she goes. Chicago and Vegas look like good fits, and she probably would guard mostly on the perimeter. She might get away with guarding undersized 4s. She would also have to get a consistent jumper, which is possible but it would probably take a while. So she needs time too.

With all this being said, Wilson should go first but Geno would probably still pick Williams.

 

[CL82]

I think Wilson will have a great career as a pro. She has so many tools. It will be interesting to see how she'll do when she is not the center of attention, but it will also be interesting see how she'll do when she cannot rely on her size and athleticism as much.

Who would Geno pick? I guess that depends on his needs. Gabby is just an amazing athlete, and truly a pleasure to watch, but, as Sue Bird says, she is a tweener without a natural position. Perhaps it is better to say that she is a guard with the heart and athleticism to allow her to play in the post.

What position does Gabby play in the WNBA? She has the court vision and passing abilities to be a point but not the handle. She is a great a slashing to the basket but her outside shooting limits hers at the 2 or the 3. She tough as nails, gifted with great leaping ability and certainly strong enough to play in the paint but she too short to play at the 4 or the 5. So where does she play? I no idea, but I'm sure she'll figure it out. My guess, is probably the 3 or the 4 depending how much work she does on her shooting. I wouldn't bet against her. She is just too good an athlete to keep off the floor.

 

[Ctpaul0825]

Wilson, good post players are far and few.

 

[MD#12Fan]

From the beginning of time until the end of time it is about Bigs. Go to Wiki and track all the championships, men, women, college, and pros and it's about Bigs. Simple geometry- angles.
Once I went to a Georgetown game and sat in the nose bleeds at one of the ends and you could see the impact that Roy Hibbert had on the game. (like from 30,000 feet) And he was a marginal big man at best. He absolutely controlled the game. Would not have seen the domination at ground level.
So, you have to take A'ja every time. All the blips in my theory are match up problems. IMO none of the other seniors coming out are match up problems. Magic (had Kareem), Bird (had Parrish and McHale), Jordan (a strong, physical 2-guard that no one matched up with), Kobe (had Shaq and Pao and like Jordan), Maya (like Bird- too big for guards, too quick, with too much handle for bigs to cover), Diana (just too good).

 

[DefenseBB]

Agree with most of what you say, SVCBeercats, except that Wilson isn't an underachiever.

Absolutely 100% spot on-she’s had a great college career

She's a near-lock for player of the year, and it's hard to call that an underachievement

Woe woe wo..hold on there my fine colleague. I think KLS has put herself into that dialogue. Let’s see how the remaining big games play out.

She just didn't have a strong group around her this year, and it was easier for UConn to collapse on her.

Umm, I hear ya but not quite 100% with you. Harris is AA Honorable Mention worthy, Jennings is growing and Jackson/ Spann have talent. Don’t confuse last phenomenal talent to this years. Virtually everyone not named UConn is down from last year.

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See in box comments. Respectfully submitted...

 

[JordyG]

A'ja of course. Good post players are harder to find than hens teeth. She does rare things for a 6'5" player. But. Gabby does 3 or 4 things every game that is rare for any player. She's the type of player that makes a good team a championship team, and veryvery exciting one at that.