2024 WNBA Discussion Thread

#626
#626
Mafiaboss said:
Strongly disagree. There is pushing as part of a basketball move and there is deliberately trying to injure someone. A. Thomas is notorious for it and should be kicked out of the league. She threw one on Candace Parker a few years ago and messed up Parker’s knee. When a player consistently endangers the health and therefore livelihood of another player, there should be severe consequences.
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That’s fine🤷🏽‍♀️..what consequences would you want to see?
 
#627
#627
Voltopia said:
Throwing a hip check into a player facing away from you, who isn't even in possession of the ball, is not a "hey chill out" move. And besides, she wasn't saying "hey, chill out." She was saying "let's go, b*tch," as shown in the replay.

I swear, the contortions people go through on here to explain away anything that happens to Clark as either justified or just not a big deal ...
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that’s why I said in my eyes😅 and I never said that’s what was said I was saying she was checking her letting cc know she not going for none of that…and cc is a rookie and all rookies go thru it nobody is special she’ll be ok need to hit the weight room in off season and that goes for all the rookies
 
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#631
#631
glv98 said:
This is a better look at how CC flopped on the Angel hit. This is part of the problem. Refs have no idea what's real.
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Not so sure it was a a total flop. Clarke ways 150 pounds with a higher center of gravity, since she has combo of long legs and a shorter waist -- much like our baby foal Rae. It might not take that much to knock her off balance. I think she does embellish contact with the arm flailing etc, but I do believe she is really getting knocked off balance (pretty easily).

It all has the same effect, though. The refs see Clarke going down with contact that does not look that excessive and basically think, "get stronger, kid."

Steph Curry went through this initiation process his first few seasons until he really developed his core and lower body strength.

As for Carter, that hit was a cheap shot retaliation move and I am glad it upgraded to a flagrant post hoc but, again, 150 pound weakling players, are best advised not to trash talk (unless the team has a goon assigned to be her protector)
 
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#632
#632
madtownvol said:
Not so sure it was a a total flop. Clarke ways 150 pounds with a higher center of gravity, since she has combo of long legs and a shorter waist -- much like our baby foal Rae. It might not take that much to knock her off balance. I think she does embellish contact with the arm flailing etc, but I do believe she is really getting knocked off balance (pretty easily).

It all has the same effect, though. The refs see Clarke going down with contact that does not look that excessive and basically think, "get stronger, kid."

Steph Curry went through this initiation process his first few seasons until he really developed his core and lower body strength.

As for Carter, that hit was a cheap shot retaliation move and I am glad it upgraded to a flagrant post hoc but, again, 150 pound weakling players, are best advised not to trash talk (unless the team has a goon assigned to be her protector)
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#633
#633
madtownvol said:
The refs see Clarke going down with contact that does not look that excessive and basically think, "get stronger, kid."
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IMO it's more like "how much of that is real and how much is fake". It makes the refs already hard job even harder because of the extreme dramatics. Which is why they had to wait until today to upgrade the foul to F1. Clark is the player who flopped WOLF. Yes she's skinny and easily knocked off balance but she acts like she's been shot out a cannon and it's laughable. And hurting her in the long run.

That said, the Carter move was both cheap and dumb. Also sadly typical of her; she got invited off the team in Atlanta a couple of years ago for similar stuff w her own teammates. I hope TSpoon addressed the fact that beyond even human decency, this foul in effect cost them the gane in a one point game. Carter put her own ego and retaliation ahead of the team. Zero surprise there.

That may be the best 1000$ AR ever spent and for the first time, she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut and stay out of it. Lucky for us we didn't have to hear her say again how much she loves and respects CC. Would have been hard to hear when played beside the video of her celebrating Carter's cheap shot.

So many things are true at once. CC is whiney, mouthy, flopping and super annoying on court. She also says all the right things and handles herself really well off court. The vets are understandably annoyed with CC being single handedly credited with saving the league, yet she's obviously the one selling the tickets, along w Angel to a certain degree. Also true that the Fever's schedule has been completely insane. The league is about to ride their show pony right into the ground but they have to strike while the iron is hot.

I wish more players were like Boston. She reacts, but always appropriately and is a class act and peacemaker. That's the role model IMO.
 
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#636
#636
glv98 said:
Meanwhile, out West, Clarendon is still on concussion protocol and so Rickea will start for the Sparks against the Mercury. Curt Miller is spared a hard decision another day. Maybe he'll decide this is the day to stop hero ball and run stuff for Rickea and Cam as well as Hamby.
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Or not.

I don't see where (or if) this game is televised so I'm not watching. Is Kea getting many touches?
 
#637
#637
It's awful. The Sparks are at their absolute worst. Rickea has 5 pts but not shooting well. No one is. She does have 5 rebounds and an assist. But this is not anything you'd want to make an effort to watch. The Sparks don't look like there's any plan or coaching at all.

And I'm being forcced to watch my least favorite players in the world - DT, Sophie, Cloud just killing it. This is going to be the first time the Sparks just get blown away.

Can't get anything going for Brink - 4 pts on only 4 shots.
 
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#639
#639
Whew. Thank goodness the Mystics and Fever exist. That Sparks Mercury mess was just painful. Overload of DT and Sophie Smug Mugs, homer commentary, and total dsarray on the part of Curt Miller. When he does coach, it's baffling. They finally made a run in the 4th and he kept Brink on the bench until the run, and the game, was over.

They need practice. They need organization. And the rookies need development. They aren't progressing at this point. Brink had a career high several games ago and has been stuck in the mud since. She ended w 6 pts, 5 reb and an assist and 2 t.o.s. Rickea had 9 pts but only shot 3-10, did have team high 7 reb and an assist and no t.o.s. Both Rickea and Brink are out there just making it up, trying to make something happen. Feels like they're being completely wasted, cannot get forward momentum.
 
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#640
#640
volnationnj said:
Not sure which team looks worse today, the Sparks or the Fever.
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Fever are totally exhausted. They're going to lose by 30. Their schedule is just nuts. CC is struggling mightily, 1-10, 1-7 fm 3 just 3 pts. Halfway thru the 4th she may get some stat padding against the Liberty subs but its been a nightmare for both she and Boston today.

Seems like all the rookies are really struggling for development and consistency. Bad luck for them to come in on an Olympic year when the schedule is so compressed.
 
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#641
#641
glv98 said:
IMO it's more like "how much of that is real and how much is fake". It makes the refs already hard job even harder because of the extreme dramatics. Which is why they had to wait until today to upgrade the foul to F1. Clark is the player who flopped WOLF. Yes she's skinny and easily knocked off balance but she acts like she's been shot out a cannon and it's laughable. And hurting her in the long run.

That said, the Carter move was both cheap and dumb. Also sadly typical of her; she got invited off the team in Atlanta a couple of years ago for similar stuff w her own teammates. I hope TSpoon addressed the fact that beyond even human decency, this foul in effect cost them the gane in a one point game. Carter put her own ego and retaliation ahead of the team. Zero surprise there.

That may be the best 1000$ AR ever spent and for the first time, she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut and stay out of it. Lucky for us we didn't have to hear her say again how much she loves and respects CC. Would have been hard to hear when played beside the video of her celebrating Carter's cheap shot.

So many things are true at once. CC is whiney, mouthy, flopping and super annoying on court. She also says all the right things and handles herself really well off court. The vets are understandably annoyed with CC being single handedly credited with saving the league, yet she's obviously the one selling the tickets, along w Angel to a certain degree. Also true that the Fever's schedule has been completely insane. The league is about to ride their show pony right into the ground but they have to strike while the iron is hot.

I wish more players were like Boston. She reacts, but always appropriately and is a class act and peacemaker. That's the role model IMO.
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Not disagreeing but on the flagrant foul, the refs reviewed the play and saw exactly what the league office saw. Not calling one that blatant a flagrant suggest that the refs have decided that are not going to be accused of protecting Clarke.

As for Angel, it may not have been her worst moment but giving Carter a big victory hug and joyous smile after she clocked Clark is not a great look.

Having said that, Clark's biggest problem is shooting like garbage. 1 for 10 (and 1-7 from the 3) against the Liberty and some of those shots were pretty wide open.
 
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#642
#642
It's tough to get any development in the middle of a season, especially one with a condensed schedule due to the Olympics. Add that to the fact that none of the rookies have had a proper offseason of rest and workouts after the NCAA Tournament ended and you get the tired legs and tired minds that Clark, Reese, Brink, Jackson, et al. are going through. We should have a better idea what these players can do in the league after the month-long Olympic break.

As far as Clark, she regularly uses her elbows and pushes off to create space on drives and to rebound the ball. Regardless, for better or for worse, her fouls are pretty much all basketball moves. Chennedy Carter's cheap shot was clearly nothing of the sort. And, in lionizing Carter and then shoving Clark to the floor Angel Reese illustrated that she still has a ways to go in the maturity department. For her own and the league's benefit one can only hope she gets that. If so maybe her rivalry with Clark can develop into the W's version of Bird vs. Magic.
 
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#643
#643
Was unable to watch the Sparks’ game live, so just finished watching the replay. Figured I paid for the season pass to watch Rickea, so I’m going to watch her, no matter what the end score was. I’m glad I did.

The end of the first quarter was a one point game, much closer than I expected. Got sick of seeing Cloud, Taurasi, and Cunningham throughout the game, but in the fourth quarter, the Mercury team was up 22 points (it was 24) at 7 and a half minutes left in the game. With four and a half minutes left, the Sparks had cut their lead to 11 points. Rae was in the game and had a lousy foul called on her, which gave SC 3 foul shots, and Cloud slammed Hamby‘s arm and the ball while she was going up for her shot under the basket, and instead of calling a foul, the refs called a jump ball. The Sparks never quit.

What I noticed about Rickea, and the stats showed it, is she is now going for rebounds, glad to see it. In her earlier games, she often had her back to the basket. No more, I hope. Still think she needs to look to shoot more often, and she hit a 3 and a quick layup in the fourth quarter which looked really good. So, bit by bit, her game is expanding. 🙂
 
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#644
#644
The Commissioner of WNBA needs to have a Zoom call with every Head Coach of WNBA teams and explain to them the BS stops now. This league is trying to build a great product and only thing I'm seeing is petty jealousy.

Maybe start slapping suspensions and big fines. Hitting someone in the billfold gets their attention real quick.

Both ways slap fines on CC for flopping around if that's what people believes is the problem. Which I don't believe that's is the issue.
 
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#645
#645
knoxvol52 said:
The Commissioner of WNBA needs to have a Zoom call with every Head Coach of WNBA teams and explain to them the BS stops now. This league is trying to build a great product and only thing I'm seeing is petty jealousy.

Maybe start slapping suspensions and big fines. Hitting someone in the billfold gets their attention real quick.

Both ways slap fines on CC for flopping around if that's what people believes is the problem. Which I don't believe that's is the issue.
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Yeah, top brass need to put a stop to it. This is the most visibility the league has ever had and they are all acting trashy. It’s not just about Clark either. It’s happening across the board.

I was mortified by Natasha Cloud’s post game interview yesterday. Just a string of cuss words and sounds like she has zero education.

Over 25% of their viewers are children and teens. And that is a market they are heavily advertising to trying to build longterm viewership. Parents are going to be clicking that off if stuff like that continues. Have a little class.

I’m no saint and lord knows I love a curse word, but there is a time and a place. Your postgame interview on live television with a bunch of kids watching isn’t it.
 
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#647
#647
Max Roguespierre said:
It's tough to get any development in the middle of a season, especially one with a condensed schedule due to the Olympics. Add that to the fact that none of the rookies have had a proper offseason of rest and workouts after the NCAA Tournament ended and you get the tired legs and tired minds that Clark, Reese, Brink, Jackson, et al. are going through. We should have a better idea what these players can do in the league after the month-long Olympic break.

As far as Clark, she regularly uses her elbows and pushes off to create space on drives and to rebound the ball. Regardless, for better or for worse, her fouls are pretty much all basketball moves. Chennedy Carter's cheap shot was clearly nothing of the sort. And, in lionizing Carter and then shoving Clark to the floor Angel Reese illustrated that she still has a ways to go in the maturity department. For her own and the league's benefit one can only hope she gets that. If so maybe her rivalry with Clark can develop into the W's version of Bird vs. Magic.
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Clark’s elbows may be common fouls or the refs just letting them play, but that’s not the same as what Carter did to her or what Alyssa Thomas did to Reese the other night, deliberately hooking her arm around Reese’s neck and slamming her to the floor.
 
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#648
#648
Terrific discussion on First Take about WNBA.

Stephen A. Smith stated the females that have layed the foundation are resentful of Caitlin and should be. Although he also said that Caitlin can take the WNBA to greater heights than ever before by being the face of the league. Revenue would skyrocket and all players would reap the benefits.

Interestingly the highest rated WNBA games that have been televised are with Caitlin and the Fever. Sparks attendance for game vs Fever at home was biggest all season for Sparks.
 
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#649
#649
knoxvol52 said:
Terrific discussion on First Take about WNBA.

Stephen A. Smith stated the females that have layed the foundation are resentful of Caitlin and should be. Although he also said that Caitlin can take the WNBA to greater heights than ever before by being the face of the league. Revenue would skyrocket and all players would reap the benefits.

Interestingly the highest rated WNBA games that have been televised are with Caitlin and the Fever. Sparks attendance for game vs Fever at home was biggest all season for Sparks.
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High ratings and attendance are tied to the only team the media promotes all of their games, they promotes on every sports show for weeks and made all of them easily accessible. If they did it the normal way and wasn’t given constant promotion I doubt the ratings and attendance would have been anywhere near what it has been.
 
#650
#650
DarkPhoenix said:
High ratings and attendance are tied to the only team the media promotes all of their games, they promotes on every sports show for weeks and made all of them easily accessible. If they did it the normal way and wasn’t given constant promotion I doubt the ratings and attendance would have been anywhere near what it has been.
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Come'on man. You would rather die than concede that Caitlin Clark is a fan draw. That takes nothing away from Angel. But you can track ticket sales (Home and away), jersey sales and there is a definite CC effect. ESPN is promoting those games because they know who is bringing in the audience.

Will this effect last as the Fever and Clark struggle? That is an interesting question but to this point, there has been a CC effect. I think Reese is bringing some attention as well but it is more supplemental.
 
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