WNBA Draft Lottery

[darrell]

 

[darrell]

 

[Stagnant]

Congratulations Paige! You are a Dallas wing!

 

[TheFarmFan]

Congratulations Paige! You are a Dallas wing!

Booo. Here's praying they bring in a good coach because until the deck clearing this Off-Season, I'd say Dallas was about the worst place Paige could land, and I'm still not convinced the ownership understands how to manage a roster.

 

[nwhoopfan]

So much for the conspiracy theories that were guaranteeing the #1 pick to LA.

 

[darrell]

I’m soooo eager to see what LA does with #2. Paige was a given, but do you still go with a PG like Olivia Miles (if she leaves) or do you take the best player available in Kiki?

 

[Stagnant]

So much for the conspiracy theories that were guaranteeing the #1 pick to LA.

i thought for sure the temptation to rig would be too great.

but tbh. dallas needs paige more than LA does. LA has Brink and Rickea as exciting building blocks. Dallas really doesn't have anything like that.

 

[Rb335]

Disappointed. I really detest the wings but love Paige.

Really intrigued to see how Arike and Paige play together. Can Paige be the person to finally reel in Arike?

 

[nwhoopfan]

i thought for sure the temptation to rig would be too great.

but tbh. dallas needs paige more than LA does. LA has Brink and Rickea as exciting building blocks. Dallas really doesn't have anything like that.

If they can keep Satou, she and Ogunbowale are better at this point than the young duo from LA.

 

[Stagnant]

Dallas is more set up to win right now. I agree with that. They were a semifinalist a year ago.

 

[nickp91]

Sparks really thought they had Paige after Curt did all that tanking for her?? Curt said "Now watch this!"

 

[baggerbob]

Congratulations Paige! You are a Dallas wing!

She should stay in school, or tell Dallas she won't play there.

 

[Dillon77]

Well, one Wing is really happy!

 

[WBBTakeover]

I’m soooo eager to see what LA does with #2. Paige was a given, but do you still go with a PG like Olivia Miles (if she leaves) or do you take the best player available in Kiki?

If Flau'jae enters the draft, then they draft her, grab a vet PG, and go with it.

 

[packwrap]

So much for the conspiracy theories that were guaranteeing the #1 pick to LA.

Now we will get new conspiracy theories on a trade.

With picks #4 and #6, Mystics have a nice opportunity.

 

[Dillon77]

Booo. Here's praying they bring in a good coach because until the deck clearing this Off-Season, I'd say Dallas was about the worst place Paige could land, and I'm still not convinced the ownership understands how to manage a roster.

Well, as you probably know since you've been reading my frequent barrages of Greg Bibb, I didn't/don't think highly of Dallas ownership because of Greg Bibb's general managership - or lack thereof - over the years. And for all that mediocrity (at best), he's allowed to escape by kicking himself upstairs. Great career move if you can pull it off, no?

That said, he did hire Curt Miller to take over the GM controls. And while Miller was canned by the LA Sparks, his primary checkbox was with the Connecticut Sun. While he never put them on top, his coaching and GM performance had them in the running consistently.

So, I've got to think he's fully not going to mess up writing Paige's name on the piece of paper that is run up to the commish.
Hell, even Bibb chose the right person from time to time. The questions are:

• What does he do with the rest of the roster?
• When they all arrive, who is kept or discarded? (See many Wings doing well elsewhere).
• And, will Bibb let Miller do what he was hired to do?

Stay tuned.

 

[cancontent]

She should stay in school, or tell Dallas she won't play there.

Come on. Are we really doing this? Who in professional sports gets to do this nowadays?

 

[JellyBean]

So much for the conspiracy theories that were guaranteeing the #1 pick to LA.

But they were so close though.

 

[BRS24]

ESPN's Mock Draft - Nov 17

1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers
2. Los Angeles Sparks: Kiki Iriafen
3. Chicago Sky: Azzi Fudd
4. Washington Mystics: Olivia Miles
5. Golden State Valkyries: Lauren Betts
6. Washington Mystics (from Atlanta): Sedona Prince
7. New York Liberty (from Phoenix): Dominique Malonga
8. Indiana Fever: Aneesah Morrow
9. Seattle Storm: Te-Hina Paopao
10. Chicago Sky (from Connecticut): Rori Harmon
11. Minnesota Lynx: Janiah Barker
12. Phoenix Mercury (from New York): Sonia Citron

 

[GamecockFam]

ESPN's Mock Draft - Nov 17

1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers
2. Los Angeles Sparks: Kiki Iriafen
3. Chicago Sky: Azzi Fudd
4. Washington Mystics: Olivia Miles
5. Golden State Valkyries: Lauren Betts
6. Washington Mystics (from Atlanta): Sedona Prince
7. New York Liberty (from Phoenix): Dominique Malonga
8. Indiana Fever: Aneesah Morrow
9. Seattle Storm: Te-Hina Paopao
10. Chicago Sky (from Connecticut): Rori Harmon
11. Minnesota Lynx: Janiah Barker
12. Phoenix Mercury (from New York): Sonia Citron

I question some of those choices, specifically Azzi Fudd, Sedona Prince and Janiah Barker.

Azzi still has a lot to prove at the college level. Can she stay healthy? Can she maintain her performance level through an entire season? Will she be a step slower after all these injuries?

Sedona and Janiah have had inconsistent careers at the college level and I don't see that getting any better in the W. But I understand the reason to draft them early -- the hope that they blossom in the league and players of their size don't come around that often. I just don't see that happening. Sedona, while tall, is a step slow and has had effort/injury issues to boot. Barker while known for her effort is very inefficient and foul prone. Same as Sedona, I don't see that changing.

Kiki to the Sparks is intriguing -- reuniting her with her old teammate. A 3-4-5 lineup of Jackson, Iriafen, and Brink is a solid foundation to build on but they'll need the guards to get to balance the play on the court and I don't know who that would be.

 

[Rb335]

ESPN's Mock Draft - Nov 17

1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers
2. Los Angeles Sparks: Kiki Iriafen
3. Chicago Sky: Azzi Fudd
4. Washington Mystics: Olivia Miles
5. Golden State Valkyries: Lauren Betts
6. Washington Mystics (from Atlanta): Sedona Prince
7. New York Liberty (from Phoenix): Dominique Malonga
8. Indiana Fever: Aneesah Morrow
9. Seattle Storm: Te-Hina Paopao
10. Chicago Sky (from Connecticut): Rori Harmon
11. Minnesota Lynx: Janiah Barker
12. Phoenix Mercury (from New York): Sonia Citron

I personally don’t see any world in which Lauren Betts is in this draft. Her sister will be a freshman at UCLA next year and I’d assume they are really looking forward to playing together.

 

[BRS24]

I agree with some posters that this list is interesting. I think that Fudd, Miles, Betts, Harmon (got waiver for 25-26), Barker, and Citron could all come back next year.

 

[cancontent]

I agree with some posters that this list is interesting. I think that Fudd, Miles, Betts, Harmon (got waiver for 25-26), Barker, and Citron could all come back next year.

Isn't Citron part of the 2021 class? I don't think she has any eligibility after this season.

 

[BRS24]

Isn't Citron part of the 2021 class? I don't think she has any eligibility after this season.

The ND website classifies her as a junior so I thought she might be in the covid extra year, but perhaps not.

 

[cancontent]

The ND website classifies her as a junior so I thought she might be in the covid extra year, but perhaps not.

Sonia Citron

fightingirish.com

Yes they do, but they also list her accomplishments during her career. It has 2023-2024 listed as her junior season. I can understand why there's confusion.