WNBA -- 2023 Season | Page 9 | The Boneyard

WNBA -- 2023 Season

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Tangential said:
Now that the final rosters are set, who does everyone think will be the top 5 teams (in order) this year? I had LV, NY, WSH, CT, & DAL in that order, but I am probably replacing the Wings with either PHX, MN, or ATL after hearing about the DeShields injury (in addition to all of the players lost in the off-season).
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Has the final roster for Phoenix been announced
 
Geew1992 said:
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SD-S is out indefinitely (maternity leave) -- which explains the reason why she missed the end of the year last year.
I dunno if I can place them 5th. DT had some great games last year, but had too many games of hoisting 3's, many TOs, playing little D, and giving the Rasheed Wallace stare to refs & younger teammates. Also, another year older increases the likelihood of more injuries for arguably the greatest ever. Who knows how good BG will be this year? SD-S was their best player for most of the year and I can't see her playing for them. Ironically, they played some of their best ball without DT, SD-S, & Charles with Cunningham, DeShields, Turner, Gustafson, Peddy, etc. stepping up, but no Diamond and I'm not sure how the rest (except Turner) will mesh.
 
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Tangential said:
SD-S is out indefinitely (maternity leave) -- which explains the reason why she missed the end of the year last year.
I dunno if I can place them 5th. DT had some great games last year, but had too many games of hoisting 3's, many TOs, playing little D, and giving the Rasheed Wallace stare to refs & younger teammates. Also, another year older increases the likelihood of more injuries for arguably the greatest ever. Who knows how good BG will be this year? SD-S was their best player for most of the year and I can't see her playing for them. Ironically, they played some of their best ball without DT, SD-S, & Charles with Cunningham, DeShields, Turner, Gustafson, Peddy, etc. stepping up, but no Diamond and I'm not sure how the rest (except Turner) will mesh.
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TheFarmFan said:
The Sparks have signed and waived the middle Samuelson more times than Taylor Swift signs (autographs) and waves (to fans) at her Eras tour. That said, as long as they sign her one more number of timea than they waive her, I'm here for it.

(And I love the idea of two sister acts on this team.)
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Karlie Samuelson Yes GIF by CB PERFUMERIAS AVENIDA
Excited Taylor Swift GIF by Billboard Music Awards
 



Here are the 3 "injuries" that made them eligible for the hardship. Also explains another reason why they acquired Clouden. Missing Azurá will be big. Of course Hamby will be playing a couple months after giving birth. After all, she was walking around 15 minutes after delivering her daughter.
 
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TheFarmFan said:
The Sparks have signed and waived the middle Samuelson more times than Taylor Swift signs (autographs) and waves (to fans) at her Eras tour. That said, as long as they sign her one more number of timea than they waive her, I'm here for it.

(And I love the idea of two sister acts on this team.)
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I'm only laughing because of the Taylor Swift analogy. Almost spit up my coffee. Good one!
 
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Really good game tonight at the ESA, where I think a stable Washington squad has a good chance to beat a superteam incorporating many new pieces. I also think MN will win easily against Chicago. Phee was selected 1st team by many ESPNers. Is this the year that she takes her game to that level?
 
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Tangential said:
Really good game tonight at the Cap 1, where I think a stable Washington squad has a good chance to beat a superteam incorporating many new pieces. I also think MN will win easily against Chicago. Phee was selected 1st team by many ESPNers. Is this the year that she takes her game to that level?
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Minnesota vs Chicago will be interesting after their pre-season match up in Toronto. Chicago pretty much had control of that game but Collier didn't play and Carleton was getting back from Spain. Will be interesting to see the team now that they've had more time to gel.
 
cancontent said:
Minnesota vs Chicago will be interesting after their pre-season match up in Toronto. Chicago pretty much had control of that game but Collier didn't play and Carleton was getting back from Spain. Will be interesting to see the team now that they've had more time to gel.
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I believe Shepard also didn’t play so not a completely Lynx team by any means in that preseason matchup. Either way, should be a fun game.
 
cancontent said:
Minnesota vs Chicago will be interesting after their pre-season match up in Toronto. Chicago pretty much had control of that game but Collier didn't play and Carleton was getting back from Spain. Will be interesting to see the team now that they've had more time to gel.
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Is Phee playing today. Was there a reason why she didn't play in Toronto?
 
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I really enjoyed Shepard and Napheesa together their rookie year. They haven't really played together at their best yet. They're gonna be so good
 
Solid win out of the gate for Washington over New York. Ugly box score for New York in their first game as a super team. Lots of missed shots and TOs. They'll figure out their stuff within due time, all of the players in the starting 5 are unselfish but used to handling the ball more than they will on this team. From the box score looks like Jonquel Jones was the odd woman out for getting shots (just 2-6 from the field) and the team settled for almost 50% of their shots from deep, where they only went 7-31. Mystics had balanced scoring across the board.

Connecticut also picked up a win over Indiana. Aliyah Boston with 15/9 in her first showing, though she fouled out in 24 minutes.
 
bballnut90 said:
Solid win out of the gate for Washington over New York. Ugly box score for New York in their first game as a super team. Lots of missed shots and TOs. They'll figure out their stuff within due time, all of the players in the starting 5 are unselfish but used to handling the ball more than they will on this team. From the box score looks like Jonquel Jones was the odd woman out for getting shots (just 2-6 from the field) and the team settled for almost 50% of their shots from deep, where they only went 7-31. Mystics had balanced scoring across the board.

Connecticut also picked up a win over Indiana. Aliyah Boston with 15/9 in her first showing, though she fouled out in 24 minutes.
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Watched the Wash/NY game. Not surprising that it's going to take the Liberty a while to gel since they are incorporating so many new players. The Mystics play frenetically on both sides of the ball. Many good shots weren't falling, but they look like they have a solid game plan (great motion offense running their sets on the fly) and there is a lot of communication starting with Sykes and Cloud.

There might be a larger gap between #4 (CT) & #5 (???) than #2 (NY) & #3 (Wash) for the 1st part of the season. Not too many would have predicted that.

I would guess Boston will encounter foul trouble often in the 1st half of this season (at least).
 
Tangential said:
Watched the Wash/NY game. Not surprising that it's going to take the Liberty a while to gel since they are incorporating so many new players. The Mystics play frenetically on both sides of the ball. Many good shots weren't falling, but they look like they have a solid game plan (great motion offense running their sets on the fly) and there is a lot of communication starting with Sykes and Cloud.

I would guess Boston will encounter foul trouble often in the 1st half of this season (at least).
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I hope not, I thought she did well. She held her own against Bri Jones, who is probably her most comparable adversary in the league as it relates to size and play style. She even got her to foul out first.

I do partially believe the officials are signaling her out a little. The 1st and 3rd foul was highly questionable. The first foul she didn't even touch the opponent, Nalyssa did but still got the call on her and the 3rd foul she was set as can be and got all ball but they awarded DB the foul despite her initiating the contact. Similar with other physical bigs in the league, I think officials are anticipating calls before they happen.
 
Tangential said:
Watched the Wash/NY game. Not surprising that it's going to take the Liberty a while to gel since they are incorporating so many new players. The Mystics play frenetically on both sides of the ball. Many good shots weren't falling, but they look like they have a solid game plan (great motion offense running their sets on the fly) and there is a lot of communication starting with Sykes and Cloud.

There might be a larger gap between #4 (CT) & #5 (???) than #2 (NY) & #3 (Wash) for the 1st part of the season. Not too many would have predicted that.

I would guess Boston will encounter foul trouble often in the 1st half of this season (at least).
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This season feels like a crapshoot to me. 3 of the 5 squads last year all look markedly different:
Connecticut-loses best player Jonquel Jones
Chicago-lost most of their stars
Seattle-lost Stewart/Bird
Aces-similar, gained Parker
Washington-similar roster

There was a massive drop off from those 5 a year ago. Looking at the rest of the teams, I see them as:

Dallas-finished 18-18 last year, but as long as Arike is taking lots of shots I don't see them elevating to the top tier.
Liberty-super team, should be in the top tier once they find their rhythm
Phoenix-intriguing with Griner back. I don't think they have the fire power to compete though without Diggins-Smith.
Minnesota-lost Fowles but gain Collier. I think they have potential to be decent.
Atlanta-another intriguing team with great athletes, but I think they're still a little young/raw to get a winning record
Los Angeles-not enough support for Nneka to get them in the top 5
Indiana-they've been awful since Catchings left. Boston is a great addition but wont elevate them to be a winning team.

I predict the season will have more of a wild wild west feel to it early on with a lot of inconsistent performances as teams figure out their rhythm. Box scores for opening day are really ugly. I'd look for Vegas to come out strong along with Washington/Connecticut to start the year as they have a lot of similar pieces in place. By mid season I think New York will establish themselves as a major title threat. For a dark horse pick, I wouldn't count out one of Minnesota/Dallas/Atlanta to sneak into the top 5-6.
 
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GCKSFN4L said:
I hope not, I thought she did well. She held her own against Bri Jones, who is probably her most comparable adversary in the league as it relates to size and play style. She even got her to foul out first.

I do partially believe the officials are signaling her out a little. The 1st and 3rd foul was highly questionable. The first foul she didn't even touch the opponent, Nalyssa did but still got the call on her and the 3rd foul she was set as can be and got all ball but they awarded DB the foul despite her initiating the contact. Similar with other physical bigs in the league, I think officials are anticipating calls before they happen.
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A few calls with little or no contact down low in Liberty/Mystics game as well.

I didn't see the Indy game, but I should have added that I think Boston will draw quite a few fouls as well. Holding her own vs. Bri Jones is very impressive as I anticipate she will have yet another year of significant improvement. Part of the the reason that I made the comment is that she will get whistled for 50/50 calls as a rookie vs. the stars of the association.

Btw, any reason as to why DiJonai played so little?
 
Tangential said:
A few calls with little or no contact down low in Liberty/Mystics game as well.

I didn't see the Indy game, but I should have added that I think Boston will draw quite a few fouls as well. Holding her own vs. Bri Jones is very impressive as I anticipate she will have yet another year of significant improvement. Part of the the reason that I made the comment is that she will get whistled for 50/50 calls as a rookie vs. the stars of the association.

Btw, any reason as to why DiJonai played so little?
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I totally get you on the rookie bit. Honestly now that you mentioned it I forgot Carrington was still on the team and don't remember her minutes. My only guess is that Connecticut never felt secure with their lead and she got lost in mix. I'm sure the Sun used their starters way more than they anticipated and Fever never let them stay comfortable.
 
I'm often a little skeptical of the +/- stats. Look at Chicago's bench in their win. Anigwe (didn't even realize she made a roster) was +10 in 11 minutes while going scoreless. Evans was +13 in 16 minutes while shooting 1-7 overall, 0-4 behind the arc, 2 points. Looks like Gardner and Alanna Smith (good to see she's still hanging around the league) dragged the other subs along with them. Those 2 combined for 25 points on 8-13 shooting, 5-6 behind the arc.
 
Welp. Just got home from the Lynx game and I know it is only the first game, but Dear Sweet Mother of All Things Holy! Minnesota only put up 3 points in the 2nd quarter. Shooting 30% from the field!? Plus side, it was great to see Napheesa back out there. Dorka is going to be alright at this level. Hopefully she gets more minutes out there as the season moves on.
 
Tangential said:
Watched the Wash/NY game. Not surprising that it's going to take the Liberty a while to gel since they are incorporating so many new players. The Mystics play frenetically on both sides of the ball. Many good shots weren't falling, but they look like they have a solid game plan (great motion offense running their sets on the fly) and there is a lot of communication starting with Sykes and Cloud.

There might be a larger gap between #4 (CT) & #5 (???) than #2 (NY) & #3 (Wash) for the 1st part of the season. Not too many would have predicted that.
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I totally agree. Had the feeling the Liberty might start out like this. An awful lot of players who don't know each other yet.
 
Minnesota’s backcourt is a whole mess. I wonder if they are gunning for one of the star guards in the 2024/2025 draft classes? Can’t think of another reason they built their roster like this.
 
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