WNBA -- 2023 Season

[UConnCat]

Last-place Mercury fire coach Nygaard amid skid

The Mercury have fired head coach Vanessa Nygaard after posting a league-worst 2-10 start to the season and on the heels of a five-game losing streak.

www.espn.com

While this is long overdue and may anticipate the return of the diva from Notre Dame, handling of this shows how dysfunctional and disorganized the Mercury organization is.

This should have happened at the end of last season.

From The Athletic

"However, Nygaard struggled with some of the interpersonal aspects of being a head coach, as prized free-agent signee Tina Charles asked to leave midway through the year, and Diggins-Smith called her coach a clown on Twitter. It’s unclear if Nygaard and Diggins-Smith even have a relationship with the star point guard on maternity leave. Her absence, and the lack of clarity on her return, have been a cloud over Phoenix’s season. — Merchant"

Phoenix Mercury fire coach Vanessa Nygaard after 2-10 start to season: What went wrong?

Mercury lead assistant coach Nikki Blue has been elevated to the role of interim head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season.

theathletic.com

Remember the ESPN story from May in which Josh Weinfuss buried this nugget: "Diggins-Smith didn't get along with, well, anyone on the team."

A mess.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Unless/until NY can find some consistency, Connecticut is the second best team in the league. A Thomas had another triple double today and they crushed the floundering Sky.

 

[Iluvacc2]

Not a bad list, although I wish AT could’ve been been selected as a starter, but she will be named as a reserve.

I’m sure Niele Ivey will be promoting the heck outta this

 

[nwhoopfan]

Dallas about to lose to LA and drop to 6-8. Don't they have too much talent to still be messing around with mediocrity like this?

Huge game for Nneka. Canada and Henderson is a nifty PG combo. I think this was Karlie's best game since getting cut and then re-signed.

 

[UConnCat]

I guess if one player calls the coach a clown on twitter there's no reason not to pile on after the coach is fired. Clearly the firing itself wasn't enough for Diamond.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Not a bad list, although I wish AT could’ve been been selected as a starter, but she will be named as a reserve.

I’m sure Niele Ivey will be promoting the heck outta this

I'm really curious to see who the reserves are. Some big names not among the starters.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Probably the rest of the league should be letting out a huge sigh of relief that Chelsea Gray was selected this time, so they don't have to worry about her going on a rampage after the all star break like she did last season.

 

[cancontent]

I’m not sure it should have even been a flagrant 1. Not only was a it a normal basketball move, if you watch the video closely Amihere leans in leans in after the first elbow passes in front of her and that’s how she gets caught by the second elbow. It’s rates for the second elbow to be the contact elbow so I watched it a few times to figure out why.

That being said, in regards to Sabrina, Atlanta fans specially have been harassing her on social media since before the season even started. With her team up 30 salute her for silencing that crowd, especially when they are booing about a call already made in their favor down 30.

It's still contact above the head which is why the call got upgraded, regardless if it's a basketball move. The refs were consistent with the call. We've seen similar calls made this year in NCAA play.

Disagree on the interpretation of the booing based on the situation. The fans were booing two things; the call not being a flagrant 2 and the fact their coach got called for a tech. Yes, the flagrant call was in their favour but the fans disagreed which is their right. Again, seeing one of their players on the floor with a bloody nose, fearing it could have been broken, it's understandable why they felt that way.

Had Ionescu done it at a different point of the game, I could see your point. In this case, the timing was wrong from my point of view.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

It's still contact above the head which is why the call got upgraded, regardless if it's a basketball move. The refs were consistent with the call. We've seen similar calls made this year in NCAA play.

Disagree on the interpretation of the booing based on the situation. The fans were booing two things; the call not being a flagrant 2 and the fact their coach got called for a tech. Yes, the flagrant call was in their favour but the fans disagreed which is their right. Again, seeing one of their players on the floor with a bloody nose, fearing it could have been broken, it's understandable why they felt that way.

Had Ionescu done it at a different point of the game, I could see your point. In this case, the timing was wrong from my point of view.

We seem to agree on why they were booing. I just don’t have an issue with Sabrina Ionesco shhhing them for any reason after they’ve spent all season on social media harassing her.

As for flagrant foul rule, I haven’t seen anything in the rule book that any contact with the head is a flagrant foul. I believe the rule is just that it’s “unnecessary” for it be be a flagrant, which I don’t think it was.

 

[Iluvacc2]

Interesting breakdown. Surprising to see such a well known player is not exactly popular with her peers

 

[UConnCat]

Interesting breakdown. Surprising to see such a well known player is not exactly popular with her peers

For peers Is this a popularity contest or is this about who is deserving to make the All-Star team? Two different things it seems to me. For fans it's popularity; for peers it shouldn't be. Do you see it differently?

 

[Waquoit]

Unless/until NY can find some consistency, Connecticut is the second best team in the league. A Thomas had another triple double today and they crushed the floundering Sky.

League record 4 triple-doubles, leader of one of the top teams in the league yet gets snubbed for the All-Star game.

 

[Iluvacc2]

For peers Is this a popularity contest or is this about who is deserving to make the All-Star team? Two different things it seems to me. For fans it's popularity; for peers it shouldn't be. Do you see it differently?

In a sense, it’s a combination of both. I just found it interesting to see the disparity among the fan, media, and player ranking of Ionescu especially in comparison to Jackie, Jewell, Arike, and Chelsea. Their average ranks were pretty consistent across the board. Ionescu is popular with the fans and media, but it looks like she isn’t winning Miss Congeniality amongst her peers.

 

[baggerbob]

Kelsey Mitchell should never be near an All Star team, and it shows this year, she still is an out of control gunner.
She is not a point guard, and not a consistent enough shooter to be an off guard.

 

[bbsamjj]

ESPN.com says the MVP race is basically tied between A'ja and Stewie. I may be biased, but I don't see it.

Stewie leads in the following:

PPG 22.9 to 18.6

RPG 10.8 to 9.3

APG 4.2 to 2.0

3-point shooting 39.7% to 0.0%

FT shooting 83.3% to 75.0%

A'ja leads in these:

BPG 2.2 to 1.9

FG shooting 53.5% to 49.4%

Stewie leads by a wide margin in 5 categories; A'ja leads by a narrow margin in 2.

Wilson is really, really good, but I like Stewie's play this year better.

I'm not convinced Wilson is having the best season on her team...because Jackie Young is going bananas.

20.2ppg; 3.8rpg, 3.4apg, 1.5spg, 58.8%FG (!!), 50% 3-pt FG (!!!), 81.8%FT.

The only categories Wilson beats Young in are rebounds and blocks.

Also, FWIW, Nneka is currently averaging more ppg, rpg, and apg than in her MVP Season in 2016.

And if CT Sun finish in top 2 WITHOUT B. Jones, Alyssa Thomas needs serious consideration. 1st in league in rebounding right now, second in assists. She's unbelievable.

 

[bbsamjj]

Kelsey Mitchell should never be near an All Star team, and it shows this year, she still is an out of control gunner.
She is not a point guard, and not a consistent enough shooter to be an off guard.

She is shooting 42.4% from FG, 41% from 3, and 85.7% from FT line through 13 games. She's 4th in the league in 3-pt FG made.

 

[UConnCat]

In a sense, it’s a combination of both. I just found it interesting to see the disparity among the fan, media, and player ranking of Ionescu especially in comparison to Jackie, Jewell, Arike, and Chelsea. Their average ranks were pretty consistent across the board. Ionescu is popular with the fans and media, but it looks like she isn’t winning Miss Congeniality amongst her peers.

Interesting. I wouldn't want to win Miss Congeniality if I were her. I don't have strong feelings one way or another about Ionescu but she does play with a bit of an edge and if her peers don't like it so be it. She was something else today.

 

[nwhoopfan]

League record 4 triple-doubles, leader of one of the top teams in the league yet gets snubbed for the All-Star game.

Had to make way for the new kid on the block. I think Boston is deserving of being in the All Star game, but probably shouldn't have been voted a starter just yet. I believe Thomas is still an All Star, just not a starter.

 

[cancontent]

We seem to agree on why they were booing. I just don’t have an issue with Sabrina Ionesco shhhing them for any reason after they’ve spent all season on social media harassing her.

As for flagrant foul rule, I haven’t seen anything in the rule book that any contact with the head is a flagrant foul. I believe the rule is just that it’s “unnecessary” for it be be a flagrant, which I don’t think it was.

There is a rule with respect to contact above the shoulders. It was referred to many times during the review by the commentators. They both also said it was a basketball move but because of where the contact occurred, it fell in the category where it could be upgraded.

 

[ochoopsfan]

 

[Dillon77]

Not a bad list, although I wish AT could’ve been been selected as a starter, but she will be named as a reserve.

I’m sure Niele Ivey will be promoting the heck outta this

As per Niele Ivey/Notre Dame seizing on this, yes, this was out on the school's site ASAP:

 

[Dillon77]

Interesting breakdown. Surprising to see such a well known player is not exactly popular with her peers

- @UConnCat asked "For peers Is this a popularity contest or is this about who is deserving to make the All-Star team?"
I'm guessing/hoping it's the latter.

• As such, I always find these breakdowns interesting and wish they'd actually dig a little further. In the guards, #7 and #10 of the peers' vote didn't make the overall top 10. Who are they?
• Overall, the top 4 guard voting totals (for all three categories) were consistent. The media and players think/know more about Allisha Gray than the fans.
• The "Bigs" total sure show that Stewie and A'ja are at the top of everything and Brittany's peers don't think she's all that far behind where she was/is, with a #3 count. And Satou Sabally's marks are very consistent across the board.

Wonder if the reserves will be "follow chalk" on the votes?

 

[cancontent]

Interesting breakdown. Surprising to see such a well known player is not exactly popular with her peers

The players' vote percentages for both Ionescu and Taurasi definitely caught my eye. Interesting to see how they're viewed by their peers when it comes to the guard position.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

League record 4 triple-doubles, leader of one of the top teams in the league yet gets snubbed for the All-Star game.

She did not get snubbed for the All Star Game. She was just not voted by the fans as a starter for the All Star game.
She will be named as an All Star reserve when they are announced.

 

[azfan]

Reading GM Jim Pitman's comments on her keeping the ship going last year, it's obvious he felt compelled to give Coach Nygaard a reset opportunity after what the entire organization went through in 2022. However, this team just looks ill-prepared and she's just not putting them into positions to succeed. For instance, Brianna Turner -- long Griner's wing man -- went from an all-defensive team member to looking lost coming off the bench.

Skylar Diggins-Smith has been spotted working out recently. Keep an eye to see if she makes her way back now with this specific change in leadership.

Clearly in a 22 month period of existential failure Pittman deserves a significant slice of the responsibility.

It didn't take a rocket scientist or MA Vopel to know that the move from Bordello to a high school coach was not an upgrade. The downside risk was close to 100% and events confirmed Pittman and company's disastrous decision making and judgment on this important move.

Beginning with the release of Sandy Bordello, a questionable move in my mind and certainly one that contributed to the road to perdition, the organization's failure to react, extremely questionable moves, and long time history of building through trade route has caused this Titan like drop and implosion.