2024 WNBA Discussion Thread

[Lucy]

This is a great move for her. Growing up a bit. Not playing the bad guy roll. I bet she was glad to get away from college/SEC so she could start over.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

The Sparks next game is at 10:00ET on Friday night, free on ION. ION may be other places, but if you have Roku, it is channel 523 on Live TV, or also on ROKU Channel, both on main page, (you do not need to add an app).

 

[DarkPhoenix]

This is a great move for her. Growing up a bit. Not playing the bad guy roll. I bet she was glad to get away from college/SEC so she could start over.

I agree but she didn’t play the bad guy role, they made her the bad guy and she made the best out of it. And we all know why they labeled her the villain and the other one the hero.

 

[gule]

Yes, because she behaved like a spoiled selfish b word, especially early in her career in college. NOT because of skin color.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Yes, because she behaved like a spoiled selfish b word, especially early in her career in college. NOT because of skin color.

Nobody mentioned skin color, and show me where she was selfish and spoiled, I can show u plenty of videos going back to high school where she praised her teammates and said it’s not about her, can u do that for your favorite spoiled player? Oh and who acts like a spoiled brat while on court, I can show videos of that as well.

 

[Lucy]

I agree but she didn’t play the bad guy role, they made her the bad guy and she made the best out of it. And we all know why they labeled her the villain and the other one the hero.

Good correction. I agree 100%.

 

[Raebo]

I agree but she didn’t play the bad guy role, they made her the bad guy and she made the best out of it. And we all know why they labeled her the villain and the other one the hero.

Since you specifically said you didn’t mention skin color and if she didn’t act spoiled or selfish, then please tell me why some labeled her the villain and ”the other one” (not me!) the hero.

 

[glv98]

Good correction. I agree 100%.

But it's just not true. AR and the whole LSU team of two years ago chose, sought out, and fully embraced the villian role. No one unfairly hung it on them. Total rewrite of history to say that. They licked fingers, they did full twirly dances in opponents faces, didn't go back on D in order to threaten, stare and taunt. They racked up record technicals for all this, loved every minute of it and said so. Told the world to F off if they didn't like it. Culminated in that very disturbing display of chasing CC (who was also loathsome) around the floor for the ultimate taunt after the final. Had a coach with the ethics of a snail darter who enabled it all.

The good ending to the story is everyone realized how ugly all of it (including CC's behavior) was and grew the hell up. NCAA this past year announced taunting as a point of emphasis and handed out quick Ts. Both AR and CC (after profitting greatly from it) grew past the tiresomeness and juvenile behavior. Both now try to use their fame for better purposes. Both paid a personal price for letting things get out of hand when they were so very, very young and lacking in adult guidance.

AR is a wonderful example of persistence both on and off the court. Not the best player, not the best looking, but always the most publicity conscious (the quintessential famous for being famous) and most clickable, esp among those who aren't really bball fans. It's been quite a journey for both AR and CC. But neither got unfairly labeled. It was never that simple.

 

[glv98]

Great game for Jordy while only scoring 4 pts. But had 4 blocks, 4 steals, great assists and outjumped Boston on a crucial jump ball at the end of the game to keep posession for the Storm. Swiss Army Knife to the max. Big win for the Storm.

CC had another game where she scored well but very inefficently after a miserable first half. Also had a messy turnover to kill the Fever's last gasp chance to tie the game. Also, Boston had another rough game and spent most of the second half on the bench. Fever still winless and with a ton to try to figure out.

 

[Lucy]

But it's just not true. AR and the whole LSU team of two years ago chose, sought out, and fully embraced the villian role. No one unfairly hung it on them. Total rewrite of history to say that. They licked fingers, they did full twirly dances in opponents faces, didn't go back on D in order to threaten, stare and taunt. They racked up record technicals for all this, loved every minute of it and said so. Told the world to F off if they didn't like it. Culminated in that very disturbing display of chasing CC (who was also loathsome) around the floor for the ultimate taunt after the final. Had a coach with the ethics of a snail darter who enabled it all.

The good ending to the story is everyone realized how ugly all of it (including CC's behavior) was and grew the hell up. NCAA this past year announced taunting as a point of emphasis and handed out quick Ts. Both AR and CC (after profitting greatly from it) grew past the tiresomeness and juvenile behavior. Both now try to use their fame for better purposes. Both paid a personal price for letting things get out of hand when they were so very, very young and lacking in adult guidance.

AR is a wonderful example of persistence both on and off the court. Not the best player, not the best looking, but always the most publicity conscious (the quintessential famous for being famous) and most clickable, esp among those who aren't really bball fans. It's been quite a journey for both AR and CC. But neither got unfairly labeled. It was never that simple.

Going to disagree. I found CC and AR to both be jerks. They both taunted, they both were poor winners. They both talked back, rolled eyes, whined about fouls etc. AR may have been more physically aggressive but CC was a master flopper. Take a look at the infamous fan “collision” and see if you don’t think it was Oscar worthy.
And yet, CC was America’s sweetheart and AR was the corresponding anti-hero. How come?
Regarding embracing a role. I think we’ve all seen teenagers embrace a label as in”fine, if that is what you think of me, I’ll be that.” You are correct that AR did not have a coach that would straighten that mess out. On the flip side I did not see the Iowa coach get on her star for bad behavior. Shame on both coaches.
The good news, as you have pointed out, is that they are maturing. Hopefully they will both make the most of their fresh starts.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

She’s just a winner, nothing else to say.

 

[Jr_Vol#]

Was reading about Caitlin Clark and the losing streak they're on and when I saw that Clark had the ball stolen from her by Jordan Horston with 2.1 seconds left it brought back some memories. I don't watch any pro sports so haven't kept up with how Jordan's playing but saw some of her past highlights and she seems to be playing great.

 

[VolBall09]

Was reading about Caitlin Clark and the losing streak they're on and when I saw that Clark had the ball stolen from her by Jordan Horston with 2.1 seconds left it brought back some memories. I don't watch any pro sports so haven't kept up with how Jordan's playing but saw some of her past highlights and she seems to be playing great.

She does all the intangibles out there, she has really made herself valuable to her organization. I think she’ll be a key player for the Storm for years to come and probably take on a larger role.

Would still love to see her develop a little more of an outside game. She would be unstoppable if she does. A menace on defense and triple threat on offense. Plus she pounds the glass.

We have really been privileged to have some super talented young women play for the Lady Vols the last few years, even if we haven’t been the brand we were. It still commands attention and if you can play you’ll get looks from the W.

 

[glv98]

She does all the intangibles out there, she has really made herself valuable to her organization. I think she’ll be a key player for the Storm for years to come and probably take on a larger role.

Would still love to see her develop a little more of an outside game. She would be unstoppable if she does. A menace on defense and triple threat on offense. Plus she pounds the glass.

We have really been privileged to have some super talented young women play for the Lady Vols the last few years, even if we haven’t been the brand we were. It still commands attention and if you can play you’ll get looks from the W.

Her coach said an outside game is exactly what they're working on with Jordy. She's so valuable to them just in the role she's in already though. Now that they have Diggins, Loyd, and Nekka there aren't really that many shots left to get,

Mercedes Russell seens settled into a nice role for the Storm as well.

 

[glv98]

Bonus content for the Fever/Sparks game on ION tonight is a feature on Catch.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Bonus content for the Fever/Sparks game on ION tonight is a feature on Catch.

10:00 ET start! Fantastic! Not a huge fan of late starts but serves our fanbase with the BaseVols playing in prime time.

 

[madtownvol]

Great game for Jordy while only scoring 4 pts. But had 4 blocks, 4 steals, great assists and outjumped Boston on a crucial jump ball at the end of the game to keep posession for the Storm. Swiss Army Knife to the max. Big win for the Storm.

CC had another game where she scored well but very inefficently after a miserable first half. Also had a messy turnover to kill the Fever's last gasp chance to tie the game. Also, Boston had another rough game and spent most of the second half on the bench. Fever still winless and with a ton to try to figure out.

CC's stat looked pretty good except for the 2 for 8 from 3. She was not shooting that well from beyond the arc during the NCAA tournament and the slump seems to be continuing. Her normal 40% might have won a title and gotten a win or two for the Fever.

 

[ShortyMac10]

1.i like kea and cam together they really root for each other
2.why rae and Zia don’t get minutes?
3.Lexie is a 2 not a 1
4.im sorry not a fan of lay Clarendon
5.i hope ppl get off AB back after this game

 

[glv98]

What a stupid, unneccessary loss by the Sparks. Very poorly coached game. Dismal offense the second half - except when Rickea could manage to pry the ball away from her teammates and the idiotic scheme and get an actual shot. This was a really bad loss for them.

I'll say it again and take the heat - the best rookie offensive player in the W is Rickea Jackson. By far the most versatile scorer. Both halves she was instant offense and if not for her 7 third qtr pts, the Sparks would have been out of the game way sooner. RJ ended with 16 pts on 5-7 shooting, 2-2 fm 3 and 4-4 fts. This on a night when she mostly forced to play the 4 due to Brink's foul trouble. Offensively challenged LA must find a way to get Rickea more shots, esp when Hamby is off as she was the second half. RJ continues to get better every game

3.Lexie is a 2 not a 1
4.im sorry not a fan of lay Clarendon

#4 is the answer to #3. Brown is at 1 out of desperation. The Sparks obviously very badly need a point guard. Clarendon did do a very good job on CC though.

 

[ShortyMac10]

What a stupid, unneccessary loss by the Sparks. Very poorly coached game. Dismal offense the second half - except when Rickea could manage to pry the ball away from her teammates and the idiotic scheme and get an actual shot. This was a really bad loss for them.

I'll say it again and take the heat - the best rookie offensive player in the W is Rickea Jackson. By far the most versitile scorer. Both halves she was instant offense and if not for her 7 third qtr pts, the Sparks would have been out of the game way sooner. RJ ended with 16 pts on 5-7 shooting, 2-2 fm 3 and 4-4 fts. This on a night when she mostly forced to play the 4 due to Brink's foul trouble. Offensively challenged LA must find a way to get Rickea more shots, esp when Hamby is off as she was the second half. RJ continues to get better every game


#4 is the answer to #3. Brown is at 1 out of desperation. The Sparks obviously very badly need a point guard. Clarendon did do a very good job on CC though.

Curt should’ve went and got sky digg or O or something

 

[glv98]

Efficiency is what sets her apart

 

[Volfaninfl2]

What a stupid, unneccessary loss by the Sparks. Very poorly coached game. Dismal offense the second half - except when Rickea could manage to pry the ball away from her teammates and the idiotic scheme and get an actual shot. This was a really bad loss for them.

I'll say it again and take the heat - the best rookie offensive player in the W is Rickea Jackson. By far the most versitile scorer. Both halves she was instant offense and if not for her 7 third qtr pts, the Sparks would have been out of the game way sooner. RJ ended with 16 pts on 5-7 shooting, 2-2 fm 3 and 4-4 fts. This on a night when she mostly forced to play the 4 due to Brink's foul trouble. Offensively challenged LA must find a way to get Rickea more shots, esp when Hamby is off as she was the second half. RJ continues to get better every game


#4 is the answer to #3. Brown is at 1 out of desperation. The Sparks obviously very badly need a point guard. Clarendon did do a very good job on CC though.

Agree. With 22 seconds left, Nurse shot from 3 and missed (she was 0 for 7 on 3s for the night). Rickea was 2 for 2 on 3s. Maybe give it to the player who hit both her 3 point shots. It looks like they must have told Rickea to kick the ball out to another player, whenever she gets close to the basket. Hopefully they’ll figure out that’s where Rickea really shines. I just kept saying to the Sparks players (through my tv), “give the ball to Rickea,” and when she had the ball, I was saying “take the shot”.

The announcer said at one point, ‘if the Sparks want a bucket, they should get the ball to Rickea.’

I’m glad she and Brink support each other, and I like to see them on the floor together. They’re going to get better and better. Oh, btw, Rickea was 2nd high scorer tonight for the Sparks, Hamby 18, Rickea 16, and Brink 15. Rickea should take more shots.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

 

[madtownvol]

What a stupid, unneccessary loss by the Sparks. Very poorly coached game. Dismal offense the second half - except when Rickea could manage to pry the ball away from her teammates and the idiotic scheme and get an actual shot. This was a really bad loss for them.

I'll say it again and take the heat - the best rookie offensive player in the W is Rickea Jackson. By far the most versatile scorer. Both halves she was instant offense and if not for her 7 third qtr pts, the Sparks would have been out of the game way sooner. RJ ended with 16 pts on 5-7 shooting, 2-2 fm 3 and 4-4 fts. This on a night when she mostly forced to play the 4 due to Brink's foul trouble. Offensively challenged LA must find a way to get Rickea more shots, esp when Hamby is off as she was the second half. RJ continues to get better every game


#4 is the answer to #3. Brown is at 1 out of desperation. The Sparks obviously very badly need a point guard. Clarendon did do a very good job on CC though.

I sure hope you don't get too much heat for giving Rickea her props. This game was her best one so far right?

Seems like she is starting to play too well not to be a starter unless the Sparks' coach has a death wish.

I am not sure Clark would be getting the monster minutes based on her play alone. It seems like there is almost a contractual obligation to keep her on the court.

 

[glv98]

I sure hope you don't get too much heat for giving Rickea her props. This game was her best one so far right?

Seems like she is starting to play too well not to be a starter unless the Sparks' coach has a death wish.

I am not sure Clark would be getting the monster minutes based on her play alone. It seems like there is almost a contractual obligation to keep her on the court.

Calling anyone other than CC the best rookie on offense is dicey, thus my apprehension. But IMO, RJs efficency and versatility make her a better scorer than CC, even if CC avgs more points. Rickea needs to rebound more.

Among the high profile rookies Brink is the best defender (when not fouling) Angel is the best rebounder, CC is best passer, and RIckea is the best scorer.

The monster minutes are catching up with CC. Saw a clip of her from yesterday pregame and she looks absolutely exhausted, understandably. The Fever's schedule is insane. They play in Vegas tonight. Back to back games?

The Fever would be better if CC shot less and passed more and if they went thru Boston more.

No minutes for Rae again. I'm afraid she's on thin ice. Even w guaranteed contract, they'd waive her in a second for a decent point guard. Cooke seems to be ahead of Rae, but she's not very effective either.