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Mercury sign 2021 WNBA leading scorer Charles

The Phoenix Mercury have signed former WNBA MVP Tina Charles. Charles is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Olympic gold medalist and nine-time All-WNBA selection. In 2021, she led the WNBA in scoring with a career-high 23.4 points per game.
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Phoenix going all-in, recognizing that the inability to score from the PF position will not win a championship.

Tina and Griner know how to play together from USA Basketball.
 
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From Phoenix Press Release:

Mercury General Manager Jim Pitman: “Tina is an elite talent in our league and adding a player of her caliber is another example of our commitment to our fans and players to pursue a championship every year. Tina has made it clear that she wants to win and wants to do so in Phoenix. For us, this move is about adding absolute top-end talent into our frontcourt which already features what we consider the most dominant player in the game in BG and the league’s best defender in Brianna Turner. We expect to be able to play all three fewer minutes which should benefit us in the playoffs.”

With Charles, Phoenix now has:

– The league’s top two scorers from 2021 joining the top scoring backcourt duo in the league – Charles (23.4, 1st), Griner (20.5, 2nd), Diggins-Smith (17.7, 9th), Taurasi (15.2, 16th)

– Three of the league’s top seven rebounders from 2021 – Charles (9.6, T-3rd), Griner (9.5, 6th), Turner (9.4, 7th), and also three of the top six offensive rebounders

One of the league’s best scorers around the basket and in the midrange, Charles had the best season of her career from deep in 2021, making a career-high 50 three-pointers on career-best 36.5 percent shooting. The Mercury (Diggins-Smith, Nurse) joined Seattle (Loyd, Bird) and Dallas (Ogunbowale, Mabrey) as the only teams in the league with two players who made 50 or more threes a season ago, and with the addition of Charles, Phoenix now features three such players.
 
Dillon77 said:
From Phoenix Press Release:

Mercury General Manager Jim Pitman: “Tina is an elite talent in our league and adding a player of her caliber is another example of our commitment to our fans and players to pursue a championship every year. Tina has made it clear that she wants to win and wants to do so in Phoenix. For us, this move is about adding absolute top-end talent into our frontcourt which already features what we consider the most dominant player in the game in BG and the league’s best defender in Brianna Turner. We expect to be able to play all three fewer minutes which should benefit us in the playoffs.”

With Charles, Phoenix now has:

– The league’s top two scorers from 2021 joining the top scoring backcourt duo in the league – Charles (23.4, 1st), Griner (20.5, 2nd), Diggins-Smith (17.7, 9th), Taurasi (15.2, 16th)

– Three of the league’s top seven rebounders from 2021 – Charles (9.6, T-3rd), Griner (9.5, 6th), Turner (9.4, 7th), and also three of the top six offensive rebounders

One of the league’s best scorers around the basket and in the midrange, Charles had the best season of her career from deep in 2021, making a career-high 50 three-pointers on career-best 36.5 percent shooting. The Mercury (Diggins-Smith, Nurse) joined Seattle (Loyd, Bird) and Dallas (Ogunbowale, Mabrey) as the only teams in the league with two players who made 50 or more threes a season ago, and with the addition of Charles, Phoenix now features three such players.
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Phoenix is going to be absolutely stacked this year. 4 Olympians plus DeShields (who was All-WNBA a couple of seasons ago), plus one of the league's best defenders in Brianna Turner. They should be the title favorite, but getting that much talent to gel is always a question mark. Worth noting:

-Charles will be playing a very different role, as she wont be the go to player for the first time in over a decade. Charles can hit from the perimeter but often falls in love with midrange/perimeter shots when she is more effective banging inside. At Phoenix I'm guessing she'll be on the high post more, so shot selection is something to keep an eye on for her.

-DeShields hasn't been the same player she was since 2019...can she get back to her old form? She looked lost during the playoffs and was very streaky last season. The talent is there.

-DT is 40 year this and showed signs of decline last year. She was much streakier than normal and shot only 36.6% from the floor. She has the smarts and savviness but how well she physically holds up is a question.

-Griner had probably the best season of her career last year. She just looked more focused and like she was on a mission compared to any other year. Can she bring that same mentality this season and carry it through the playoffs?

-How well does the team take to Vanessa Nygaard and can she get players to buy in? She has a lot of star power to manage.


I think they'll be the top team to watch this year. Them, Aces, Sun and Storm look like early title favorites.
 
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bballnut90 said:
Phoenix is going to be absolutely stacked this year. 4 Olympians plus DeShields (who was All-WNBA a couple of seasons ago), plus one of the league's best defenders in Brianna Turner. They should be the title favorite, but getting that much talent to gel is always a question mark. Worth noting:

-Charles will be playing a very different role, as she wont be the go to player for the first time in over a decade. Charles can hit from the perimeter but often falls in love with midrange/perimeter shots when she is more effective banging inside. At Phoenix I'm guessing she'll be on the high post more, so shot selection is something to keep an eye on for her.

-DeShields hasn't been the same player she was since 2019...can she get back to her old form? She looked lost during the playoffs and was very streaky last season. The talent is there.

-DT is 40 year this and showed signs of decline last year. She was much streakier than normal and shot only 36.6% from the floor. She has the smarts and savviness but how well she physically holds up is a question.

-Griner had probably the best season of her career last year. She just looked more focused and like she was on a mission compared to any other year. Can she bring that same mentality this season and carry it through the playoffs?

-How well does the team take to Vanessa Nygaard and can she get players to buy in? She has a lot of star power to manage.


I think they'll be the top team to watch this year. Them, Aces, Sun and Storm look like early title favorites.
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If Griner, Turner, and Charles play together, you are going to have defensive problems. The Sun will habe a problem with their all big lineup of Jones, Thomas, and Breland.
 
Obviously not the big news of the day, but Becca Allen staying w/ NY and Stephanie Talbot staying w/ Seattle. Indiana acquired a couple free agents who probably won't help them even slightly, can't even remember who.



Kinda looks like Phoenix and Seattle are in a now or never battle for this coming season.
 
UConnCat said:
Phoenix going all-in, recognizing that the inability to score from the PF position will not win a championship.

Tina and Griner know how to play together from USA Basketball.
Expand ...
I think this works great for Tina so she can play the PF which suits her best as a pro. Griner, Charles, and DT in the front court is impressive.
 
DEpup said:
I think this works great for Tina so she can play the PF which suits her best as a pro. Griner, Charles, and DT in the front court is impressive.
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Thought DT was a guard
 
bballnut90 said:
I think they'll be the top team to watch this year. Them, Aces, Sun and Storm look like early title favorites.
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Washington will be formidable IF (big if) EDD is healthy and can stay healthy.

Chicago is in flux and hasn't sealed any of their reported deals (Bradford, Meesseman, Copper resigning) yet. Meanwhile, the latest reporting has Vandersloot and Quigley likely to return.

If they get all of those deals done and figure out a way to get it all under the cap, they will be a contender.
 
The thing about all the "superteam" talk is that DeShields wasn't very good last year and Taurasi was mostly bad in the Finals.

I know DT was dealing with injuries and the birth of a new baby but she's not getting any younger. Can she stay healthy in her age 40 season?
 
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Orangutan said:
The thing about all the "superteam" talk is that DeShields wasn't very good last year and Taurasi was mostly bad in the Finals.

I know DT was dealing with injuries and the birth of a new baby but she's not getting any younger. Can she stay healthy in her age 40 season?
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My thought on that is you've got a lot of scorers pencilled in the starting line-up: BG, DT, Tina C, Diamond and Skylar. Until Bri Turner checks in, there are no plan B's. Yes, I know they're all professionals and many of them have played on the U.S.A. Team together, but there's a difference between an Olympic/World Cup tourney and a regular season. And a head coach who is new to HCing in the professional ranks.

I'm movin' to Missouri on this one: show me.
 
Orangutan said:
The thing about all the "superteam" talk is that DeShields wasn't very good last year and Taurasi was mostly bad in the Finals.

I know DT was dealing with injuries and the birth of a new baby but she's not getting any younger. Can she stay healthy in her age 40 season?
Expand ...
Taurasi missed 5 weeks of the season with a fractured sternum and played the Finals with a sprained ankle and fractured bone in her foot. Tough season for her. At 40 she can not carry a team but she shouldn't have to with the team Phoenix has put together.
 
Dillon77 said:
My thought on that is you've got a lot of scorers pencilled in the starting line-up: BG, DT, Tina C, Diamond and Skylar. Until Bri Turner checks in, there are no plan B's. Yes, I know they're all professionals and many of them have played on the U.S.A. Team together, but there's a difference between an Olympic/World Cup tourney and a regular season. And a head coach who is new to HCing in the professional ranks.

I'm movin' to Missouri on this one: show me.
Expand ...
Hmmm. "Show me" will be true of a lot of teams in the league. Phoenix was not going to win a championship without changes to their roster. They decided to make those changes and go for it. I'm not sure why that seems to be a problem for some. What am I missing?

Diana doesn't have to score if it's not necessary for her to score. That's been true of her since her college days and more so at this stage of her career. She doesn't care about scoring; she cares about winning.

The playoffs last year showed that Phoenix could not get consistent scoring from the PF position. Neither Turner nor Vaughn could hit a wide open jump shot 10 feet from the basket. Teams are not going to win a WNBA championship with little offense from the PF position. That's just a fact. Tina and Griner have shared the court together playing for USA Basketball and did quite well. It'll be up to the new Phoenix coach to make sure they run an offense that allows them to play off each other.

DD is a big question mark.
 
garddog said:
Lot of head scratching on this. No idea what Catchings is thinking. More picks for the perpetual rebuild I guess.
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I think they are looking ahead to the 23 and 24 draft that should be loaded.
 
The Mercury have gone all in to put a super team around D for her final year. If the new coach can mesh these pieces together it could truly be one of the strongest teams the W's had.
 
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Chennedy Carter traded to LA for Erica Wheeler. That could be interesting.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Chennedy Carter traded to LA for Erica Wheeler. That could be interesting.
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LA could have a good team if Nneka, and Chiney are healthy. There is talent there now which they didn't have last year.
Looks like the West again has the strongest teams.
 
baggerbob said:
Looks like they are trying to beat out Indiana for worst run organization.
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But they've been patting themselves on the back so hard for removing the former owner. Maybe she wasn't actually the problem. Still a gigantic mess.
 
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nwhoopfan said:
But they've been patting themselves on the back so hard for removing the former owner. Maybe she wasn't actually the problem. Still a gigantic mess.
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Weird comment. The issues with previous ownership had nothing to with basketball acumen or lack thereof and everything to do with Kelly Loeffler's politics.

The new ownership/GM appears to be trying to make a clean break and clean up the locker room issues that Atlanta had last year. Remember that Carter got suspended last year after trying to fight Courtney Williams in the locker room because Williams called her out on her bad attitude. How Chennedy Carter earned a suspension from the Atlanta Dream - The Next

"Most teams would not suspend a player if this was an isolated incident, and sources tell The Next it is not the first time Carter has snapped at her teammates or made noises about fighting a teammate, which extends back to last season when she squared up with a player during a practice.

Several sources familiar with the team said that she does not make the same effort as other leaders to encourage her teammates. Though it is not uncommon for players to disagree and hold each other accountable, Carter has a reputation for taking it further than her teammates."

They also let Crystal Bradford and Courtney Williams go, who were both involved in the fight video that went viral.

I actually hope the Sparks do sign Cambage as people are speculating. The combination of Liz and Chennedy seems like the beginnings of a beautiful trainwreck.
 
nwhoopfan said:
But they've been patting themselves on the back so hard for removing the former owner. Maybe she wasn't actually the problem. Still a gigantic mess.
Expand ...
Eh, that former owner being a problem and the team's current state are not mutually exclusive
over it bitch please GIF by VH1
 
UConnCat said:
Hmmm. "Show me" will be true of a lot of teams in the league. Phoenix was not going to win a championship without changes to their roster. They decided to make those changes and go for it. I'm not sure why that seems to be a problem for some. What am I missing?

Diana doesn't have to score if it's not necessary for her to score. That's been true of her since her college days and more so at this stage of her career. She doesn't care about scoring; she cares about winning.

The playoffs last year showed that Phoenix could not get consistent scoring from the PF position. Neither Turner nor Vaughn could hit a wide open jump shot 10 feet from the basket. Teams are not going to win a WNBA championship with little offense from the PF position. That's just a fact. Tina and Griner have shared the court together playing for USA Basketball and did quite well. It'll be up to the new Phoenix coach to make sure they run an offense that allows them to play off each other.

DD is a big question mark.
Expand ...
Swapping out Vaughn for Tina Charles is an upgrade anyway you look at it. The W's compact season can be physically taxing, the presence of Charles will lighten the load for Griner and Turner neither one of whom have ever struck me as being selfish players.

DD is definitely the biggest question mark for the team. I know she's been dealing with some injuries the past couple years and that's not conducive for consistency so perhaps a scenery change is just what the doctor ordered.
 
RE: Atlanta, last year's chaos was all on the new management's watch. Went thru a whole season without a GM, had two different lame duck head coaches, the fight among players on the team, the fight with players and the general public. They may be trying to clean house now, but they can't absolve themselves of having been in charge while all of this was going on. Not a good track record so far. Oh yeah, that fight w/ the public? Kinda looks like they tried to bury that when it happened, but then when it got out on social media they were forced to deal with it. Like I said, not a good track record.
 
baggerbob said:
Looks like they are trying to beat out Indiana for worst run organization.
Expand ...

They have a ways to go to get into that conversation. Got to draft high then give them away for nothing or just straight cut them to join.
 
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