Thanks for talking me off the ledge. I guess it makes me more impressed with 5'8" or shorter guards that consistently finish in traffic such as Kelsey Plum and Ta'Niya Latson at the collegiate level.
It's only 4 games, but the pieces in Chicago seem to be coming together thus far.
Obviously no argument here. Their frontcourt went from who is going to fill the shoes of Parker, Stevens, Meesseman/Dolson over the last couple years to who will sit once Bertsch and Izzy Harrison return from injuries. An interesting thing that I noticed about Coach Wade is that he let Parker & Sloot talk strategy during timeouts throughout their championship run 2 years ago and yesterday it was the same with Courtney & KFC in the huddle.
There are very few guards in offense mode that cut it as close to the screener or pick as Marina Mabrey, particularly when she's coming around for a handoff. There is not enough room for a cat, let alone a player to go over the top. And if that screen happens to be at the top of the key, you know she's going into the pull-up jumper, which - next to the step-back three -- is her most lethal shot. By the time the defense decides on a strategy, she'll hone in on that: look for the roll(er) or the player where the help is coming from. She hit Alanna Smith in the 4th quarter with just such a move and pass.
Cough... Candice Wiggins had a pretty successful run in the WNBA. I can think of a few more Stanford players who had successful trips in the WNBA; Jamila Wideman, Vanessa Nygaard, Erica Mcall, just to name a few. With Haley, like a lot of rookies, it is just a matter of finding your groove, being confident, and giving your max effort out there, which Haley is doing. She will settle in and figure things out. Same with Hull. You are correct, Hull did struggle in a game this year. However, there is plently of games left and she will adjust to her role with the team.
It’s too soon to tell about Hull, but she’s carried the reputation of a shooter. She’s shot 29/120 for her wnba career, 8/51 for 3. Those numbers will need to improve in this second season if she is to stick in the league.
I still think that Laney & Copper are much better examples (especially compared to Sabally). I know that ppg is only one stat, but I don't want to further convolute (and none of the below are point guards or posts with huge apg, rpg, or bpg):
Good points. Plus, she was dealing with ankle & leg injuries in that rookie season, which cut into her playing time. Also, she was putting a lot of pressure on herself to live up to her college status and being a #1 pick. After that first part of the season, she found her groove and wasn't thinking as much, she just played and it showed. Her confidence was there again. That is how I feel about some of the rookies this year, like the Haley Jones of the world. They just have to play. Don't think about a missed shot, bad pass, missed rebound, blah, blah, blah. Just play. Know that they have the skills and confidence to play at this level. And if they are only getting 5-15 minutes a game, make the most of those minutes.
Laney was in fact waived by Indiana right before the Wubble season, before Atlanta and Coach Nikki Collen picked her up to help with perimeter defense because Tiffany Hayes wasn't going to FL. They thought they were getting a defensive stopper, but Collen saw Laney in practice keep hitting shots, and basically gave her the green light to keep taking them until she missed.
That's the kind of interesting story for which I was looking. Thanks.
Agreed. She might have a mistake-laden rookie year (she's only 20), but she is a can't miss player.
Griner is fractionaly under on the FT percentage, at 89.5%. She has one 3 pointer that she made so she has room to miss one 3 pt shot for the rest of the season.
www.beyondwomenssports.com
Like many, I would welcome expanded rosters and teams, but understand that the current CBA impacts the former and there are many factors that need to be investigated, impacting the latter.The immediate need for WNBA expansion
A record-low number of draft picks coupled with a slew of veterans not making rosters raises the alarm for expansion in the WNBA.
100%. She was misused in Indy (shocking) and was becoming a difference maker for Dallas. Her moves down low are so efficient and it would have been (will be?) fun to see her, DeShields, Ogunbowale, Howard, & Sabally play together.
