Yeah, Smith didn’t have a great game today. I thought this was a poorly coached game. It seemed that when a lineup was clicking, the coach pulled key components and put in players who weren’t playing all that well. Berger and Egbo really seemed to have good chemistry today.
Laney needs to figure it out too, imo. She was really good on Friday (carrying them on offense when no one else could score), but I didn't like her shot selection today [she tried to create too much 1-on-1].
They didn’t. My bad.
And it's a 40-game season, so Brondello has games to figure it out. Chicago/LV present challenges that not all teams have: three very aggressive guards, all of whom can take it to the basket effectively. The good news for the Liberty is they have the resources to mix and match, while Wade keeps losing parts of his equation. (Gardner being the latest).
A few issues for me with the liberty so far.
And I think you need to watch her in person to appreciate her total contribution. Imagine how good she'd be if she had healthy shoulders.
Very poor decision making over the last two and a half minutes. Emphasizes that most young players really do struggle. She looked like a rookie at the end of the game.
Now it's Anigwe
I wouldn't have any issue whatsoever in calling her the best player in the league, but I just don't think 2023 Stewie is "far and away" better than 2023 A'ja.
This is so good. All the subtle details. I'm kinda listening to this with Frank Caliendo doing a Stephen A impersonation.
Now it's Anigwe.
She was giving them a high energy 10 min/game and like you said they have a depleted frontcourt bench with Harrison and Bertsch still out, E Williams & A Smith might slightly regress to their mean, and Koné is very raw at this point. Anigwe definitely is playing in the EC ... Wade keeps on finding replacement players -- like the Miami Heat of the WNBA.
My understanding is that a player on a hardship contract must be released once the player who was out returns. I believe both Azura and Thomas are both due back very soon, probably this week. Although, I was at the Sparks game on Saturday night and Stevens was sitting on a cushion on her seat all game. Perhaps just to keep her comfortable.
None. Joyner Holmes is playing better than she did in NY & CT., but c'mon Curt. I suppose that they thought Stevens and Hamby were also finesse frontcourt players with outside touch and wanted to keep a bigger body. Indy & LA really show that coaches are extremely loyal to players that played for their former team. Doesn't make any sense to me.
That's precisely -- per our earlier conversation -- who I was thinking of, with Gardner out for who knows how long. Karlie is a great distributor (master of the "hockey assist") and sees the big picture. Maybe she could join her fellow Farm alum, Alanna Smith, making our own @TheFarmFan happy. You know, I could see her working well with Mabrey on the perimeter, as well.
To see Karlie Samuelson playing well only to hear that the LA Sparks have waived her, just kicks the wind out of me.
In the case of the Liberty, I just think they need to have a players only meeting, if they haven't already, to figure out and define their roles on the team. Watching the Liberty, with their talent level, just reminds me of the Heatles (Lebron, D-Wade, Bosh, & Ray Allen) in their first year together. The one where (if you follow the NBA) LeBron James thought, like we all did, that the Heat would win not one, not two, not three, but multiple titles. The Liberty are in that similar situation. They need to figure out their roles on the team.
