WNBA -- 2023 Season

[Geew1992]

Watching Dorka vs Liv… like old times in practice

 

[Audi1954]

Watching Dorka vs Liv… like old times in practice

Dorka is playing really well. Started the game. 7 points 9 rebounds, 2 blocks!

 

[JellyBean]

Man. I was rooting for Lauren. Hopefully another team can sign her.

 

[Iluvacc2]

The wheels have completely fallen off for the Lynx

Damn, I really wanted AT to get that triple dub.

16 assists is crazy work for a forward

 

[MilfordHusky]

Phee had a career high of 30. With Miller out, Phee was playing the SF position. Dorka started at center, Jess played PF.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Will the Lynx win a game this year? Okay, obviously they will. How many losses will they accrue first? 0-6 start to the season. Will they boost the Fever out of their accustomed spot in the cellar?

 

[JellyBean]

It was great to see Dorka getting legit minutes. I mean she got some minutes! My Lynx are one game from reaching their worst start to their season since we got Coach Reeves in Minnesota. Well I guess we will see what happens with this team over the next few games. Up next, Washington.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The Lynx don't look terrible, but their guard play may be. They are the worst team in the league, at 0-6. Coach Reeve, over her Lynx career, is 2 games under .500 without Maya on the roster and 128 games over .500 with Maya. They need more talent, especially at the guard spot.

 

[TheFarmFan]

The Lynx don't look terrible, but their guard play may be. They are the worst team in the league, at 0-6. Coach Reeve, over her Lynx career, is 2 games under .500 without Maya on the roster and 128 games over .500 with Maya. They need more talent, especially at the guard spot.

The petty part of me feels like this is karma for waiving Dangerfield, a decision that made little sense at the time and only grows worse in retrospect...

 

[baggerbob]

The Lynx don't look terrible, but their guard play may be. They are the worst team in the league, at 0-6. Coach Reeve, over her Lynx career, is 2 games under .500 without Maya on the roster and 128 games over .500 with Maya. They need more talent, especially at the guard spot.

The Lynx need someone who can play defense, that team can't stop anyone.

 

[cancontent]

I feel horribly for her and it doesn't seem to be wise, but she has had multiple opportunities in different environments. I'm sure the coaches know her college and overseas attributes as well as her personality -- we are not at practice is the only thing that I can say with a lot of these???

Amazing how there is only 1 starter from the '19 championship team still in the league and she (Kalani) is hanging on by a thread after being waived multiple times.

I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw the announcement on both points.

 

[Dillon77]

The petty part of me feels like this is karma for waiving Dangerfield, a decision that made little sense at the time and only grows worse in retrospect...

I hear/read you, but Coach Reeve is just blowing through point guards like Lysol Wipes during the early part of the pandemic.

Not everyone is Lindsey Whelan or a player trying out for the U.S. Olympic team and not every off-ball guard can switch over to PG (see Banham, Mitchell). What was the point of keeping Allen if you're not playing her?
Right now, Jess Shepard is the most dependable passer on the team and she's the center/power forward (no issues with 'Phee, Dorka and Jess...at least offensively).

My advice: find a PG (or play Allen) and go with them for at least 20 mpg. (I'd hate to think our U.S. National Team coach is already preparing to dig that tank even deeper for next year's draft.) Just think, I haven't even had my weekend refreshing adult beverage yet....semi-rant over.

 

[bbsamjj]

Very early days, but Alyssa Thomas putting in quite a candidacy for MVP: 14.7ppg; 11.8rpg, 7apg.

Stewart and Wilson are obviously amazing, but they are surrounded by so much talent that if CT continues to perform this well, I would have no issue with Alyssa taking home a top prize.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

The petty part of me feels like this is karma for waiving Dangerfield, a decision that made little sense at the time and only grows worse in retrospect...

As @Dillon77 posted yesterday, Richard Cohen delineated the problems the Lynx have had with the PG position -- including eyebrow-raising transactions (i.e., releases or refusal to re-sign) -- in recent years:
This chaos for the Lynx at the point guard spot is nothing new. Since Lindsay Whalen's retirement after the 2018 season they've cycled through an array of options, often only finding their way to a choice weeks into the regular season. The chosen player has often gone on to impress - Odyssey Sims made an all-star team in 2019, Crystal Dangerfield won Rookie of the Year in 2020, Layshia Clarendon and Moriah Jefferson had good seasons after being picked up in 2021 and 2022 respectively - but never with any sense that there was a long-term plan. Then again, maybe the plan is to hand the spot over to someone like Caitlin Clark or Paige Bueckers, but that isn't going to help them this season.

 

[Tangential]

I hear/read you, but Coach Reeve is just blowing through point guards like Lysol Wipes during the early part of the pandemic.

Not everyone is Lindsey Whelan or a player trying out for the U.S. Olympic team and not every off-ball guard can switch over to PG (see Banham, Mitchell). What was the point of keeping Allen if you're not playing her?
Right now, Jess Shepard is the most dependable passer on the team and she's the center/power forward (no issues with 'Phee, Dorka and Jess...at least offensively).

My advice: find a PG (or play Allen) and go with them for at least 20 mpg. (I'd hate to think our U.S. National Team coach is already preparing to dig that tank even deeper for next year's draft.) Just think, I haven't even had my weekend refreshing adult beverage yet....semi-rant over.

Just be careful with rants after those weekend refreshing adult beverages. Somebody had too many during a Memorial Day cookout and posted a completely off the topic, full of nonsense rant about Chennedy Carter. How's that saying go? A sober person's thoughts are a drunk person's Boneyard Forum rant?

 

[Geew1992]

I hear/read you, but Coach Reeve is just blowing through point guards like Lysol Wipes during the early part of the pandemic.

Not everyone is Lindsey Whelan or a player trying out for the U.S. Olympic team and not every off-ball guard can switch over to PG (see Banham, Mitchell). What was the point of keeping Allen if you're not playing her?
Right now, Jess Shepard is the most dependable passer on the team and she's the center/power forward (no issues with 'Phee, Dorka and Jess...at least offensively).

My advice: find a PG (or play Allen) and go with them for at least 20 mpg. (I'd hate to think our U.S. National Team coach is already preparing to dig that tank even deeper for next year's draft.) Just think, I haven't even had my weekend refreshing adult beverage yet....semi-rant over.

Allen was originally cut and brought back for hardship. I think this is one of the greatest tank jobs.

 

[Tangential]

Very early days, but Alyssa Thomas putting in quite a candidacy for MVP: 14.7ppg; 11.8rpg, 7apg.

Stewart and Wilson are obviously amazing, but they are surrounded by so much talent that if CT continues to perform this well, I would have no issue with Alyssa taking hope a top prize.

I think you and I both thought that she was the best player (over the reigning MVP) for the Sun last year. In addition to her stats, her disruptive defense is so valuable.

Still way too early for me to discuss MVP, 50/40/90 club, etc.

 

[Tangential]

If I read you correctly:
Arike (Notre Dame) and Big T (Miss. State) played against each other in the 2018 Finals.
Arike (ND) and Kalani Brown (Baylor) played against each other in the 2019 Finals.

I can think of a few semi-final matchups (Lynx: Jess Shepard of ND and Napheesa Collier of UConn), but you're after the NC pairings.

Almost as if they read your post (only a few hours later).

Btw, I just read on the official WNBA site that Big T was temporarily suspended. Given the misleading nature of some of their transaction terminology, I'm not exactly sure what length of time she will not/cannot be on their active roster.

 

[Dillon77]

Almost as if they read your post (only a few hours later).

Btw, I just read on the official WNBA site that Big T was temporarily suspended. Given the misleading nature of some of their transaction terminology, I'm not exactly sure what length of time she will not/cannot be on their active roster.

Well played, Kalani!

 

[bbsamjj]

I think you and I both thought that she was the best player (over the reigning MVP) for the Sun last year. In addition to her stats, her disruptive defense is so valuable.

Still way too early for me to discuss MVP, 50/40/90 club, etc.

She was also really, really good with the USA National team at the World Cup last fall. Barring injury, I'd think she's a lock for the Olympics.

 

[Bigboote]

The petty part of me feels like this is karma for waiving Dangerfield, a decision that made little sense at the time and only grows worse in retrospect...

Not petty at all. She was rookie of the year, her minutes were cut by a third and most of her numbers didn't go down the next year (except for scoring), and she doesn't even make the team in her third year? She was still on her rookie contract, makes no sense to me. My feelings/thoughts are not petty, they're mega.

 

[Geew1992]

Stewie for the win

 

[nwhoopfan]

Shout out to Alanna Smith--18 points on only 7 FGA (and no FTs). That's pretty hard to do. 7-7 overall and 4-4 behind the arc.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Both of the first 2 games tonight were 1-pointers. Then Vegas won by a small margin for them (5).

 

[JellyBean]

The wheels have completely fallen off for the Lynx

Damn, I really wanted AT to get that triple dub.

16 assists is crazy work for a forward

Yeah. Not really sure what the Lynx are doing anymore.