Candace Parker is leaving LA

#26
#26
Willtalk said:
That would be someone who has followed and seen most of the Sparks game for years. LA is now in rebuilding mode. They lost two of their BIG THREE. They would have traded Parker sooner but the GM was told she was not allowed to trade her. The problem was that she had entirely too much pull on the team and could decide when to give an effort and when not. Watching the games it was obvious between the games she decided to play and which ones she just went through the motions.--- mostly on defense. Many relatively savey basketball people watching the Sparks were not even aware that he defensive capabilities. She also had developed a reputation of never having good back to back second game.

If you study her history, it becomes evident that she is a player who always needs someone to push her or she sluffs off. Growing up it was her father who would make her walk home from practice if she didn't give her best effort and in college it was obviously Pat. With the Sparks she had so much pull no one could motivate her if she didn't want them too.

Talent or not, in order for a team to move forward it is better that they know what they will have every night. Fisher sat her down in some games to make a point about her effort. She is better off in Chicago and the Sparks are better off not now , but long term.
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So you've followed her for years and seen most of her games, but don't even know how to spell her name? I'll just say you don't win 2 MVPs and make 6 All-WNBA First Teams without giving effort consistently.
 
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#27
#27
BMvol27 said:
So you've followed her for years and seen most of her games, but don't even know how to spell her name? I'll just say you don't win 2 MVPs and make 6 All-WNBA First Teams without giving effort consistently.
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If that poster is who I'm think it is (the posts they have made about Oregon somewhat give it away), they're nothing more than a wannabe sportswriter who lives out west and casually follows UT, has been consistently wrong about many things in the past, from preseason predictions to coaching changes to recruiting.

What's hilarious to me is that they are talking about Candace's effort while playing for the Sparks, when she has carried that franchise on her back during most of her time there, through horrible franchise management, bad coaches, inadequate rosters and injuries. They've had only one decent coach in her time there, and they just happened to win a championship when he was there. Otherwise, the rest have all been average to bad. I'm not even disagreeing that Candace can loaf at times (she did so at UT, as well), but they act like she's some horribly lazy player that has hurt the Sparks franchise, not helped it, like they won in spite of her, not because of her.
 
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#31
#31
BMvol27 said:
So you've followed her for years and seen most of her games, but don't even know how to spell her name? I'll just say you don't win 2 MVPs and make 6 All-WNBA First Teams without giving effort consistently.
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You certainly can if you are as talented as CP. Even at a lesser effort she is still better than most players playing at their best. I never said she was not talented. This last "Bubble" season she showed what she is and was always capable of producing for an entire season. When I initially began to follow the Sparks via League Pass I was a real fan of CP and stuck up for her aganst her detractors. Excluding the last year, however, I came to see that her effort was not consistant to the point where that lack of effort was beginning to effect other members of the team. Especially, Lavender.. I have my own theory on the reason for her inconsistent effort and it is not because she is lazy, but rather a pattern she picked up early in her basketball carreer.

I believe my perspective is objective unlike yours which is percieved through fan colored glasses. It also matches the belief of a large number of Sparks fans. They noticed her lack of consistent effoert long before I even started to follow the team..
 
#32
#32
volman128 said:
If that poster is who I'm think it is (the posts they have made about Oregon somewhat give it away), they're nothing more than a wannabe sportswriter who lives out west and casually follows UT, has been consistently wrong about many things in the past, from preseason predictions to coaching changes to recruiting.

What's hilarious to me is that they are talking about Candace's effort while playing for the Sparks, when she has carried that franchise on her back during most of her time there, through horrible franchise management, bad coaches, inadequate rosters and injuries. They've had only one decent coach in her time there, and they just happened to win a championship when he was there. Otherwise, the rest have all been average to bad. I'm not even disagreeing that Candace can loaf at times (she did so at UT, as well), but they act like she's some horribly lazy player that has hurt the Sparks franchise, not helped it, like they won in spite of her, not because of her.
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First let me assure you that I am not the person you think I am. I have never posted under a different moniker. It has been the same for my entire time on line. I also have no aspirations to be a sports writere. Frankly i do not have the talent to express my self verbally consistantly. I also never make or have made any predictions about recruiting or coaching changes. I will and have made evaluaitons about individual players ceilings and I must say I am usually right. Not because I am more knowledgable in that area, but because I notice things that usually go unknoticed and use that to predict how a player will do at the next level.

I have not followed the Sparks for the entire time CP was there rather only for the duration starting with the season before they won their championship. It is acknowledged by long time Sparks fans that she did indeed carry the team for a long time. However, the accusation that she did not give consistent effort was never-the-less promoted by her detractors. I will not comment on that because I did not watch enough games of that era. The first two years I did not observe that pattern either., Not withstanding her last season, where she certainly did carry the team, the years preceeding that it was not her, but Neka and Chelsea who carried the team. It was during that time that my perspective of CP changed and I began to understand what her detractors were referring too.

My statement that it was to the Sparks and also CP best interests that she left was not because she had no value, but because of circumstances. She will do much better in Chicago. In fact I think she will repeat her last seasons performance. She needs a new challenge to motivate herself. It is also best for the Sparks because, losing 2 of the Big Three, puts them in a rebuilding mode. That was going to happen sooner or later anyway. Better now so the can begin to plan there future. I sort of suspect that she and Chelsea confided to each other as early as last season that they were leaving as free agents this season. They could not keep all three and that is what their present team was based on. They probably could have won at least another championship but were hindered by untimely injuries to key players at the worst time.

In respect to CP not showing what she was capable of, I was in a discussion on that topic with an actual sports writer a couple season ago. He felt that Parker was hindered defensively because of her past injuries. I told him that he had no idea how good of a defender she potentially was. This last season proved it to him and others who had not seen her play to her potential. It was primarily on defense that she often coasted.

I can understand why her old fans would jump to her defense, but we should not let our personal feelings interfer with objectivity. I find her to be an interesting character study, which is partially why I followed her so closely. As I stated in my response to a previous post, I think I understand her lack of effort sometimes. I don't think it is lazyness, but rather something else which I wont get into at this point. Often an athlete is limited not by their abilities but by subliminal choice.
 
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#33
#33
Willtalk said:
You certainly can if you are as talented as CP. Even at a lesser effort she is still better than most players playing at their best. I never said she was not talented. This last "Bubble" season she showed what she is and was always capable of producing for an entire season. When I initially began to follow the Sparks via League Pass I was a real fan of CP and stuck up for her aganst her detractors. Excluding the last year, however, I came to see that her effort was not consistant to the point where that lack of effort was beginning to effect other members of the team. Especially, Lavender.. I have my own theory on the reason for her inconsistent effort and it is not because she is lazy, but rather a pattern she picked up early in her basketball carreer.

I believe my perspective is objective unlike yours which is percieved through fan colored glasses. It also matches the belief of a large number of Sparks fans. They noticed her lack of consistent effoert long before I even started to follow the team..
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Just quit while you’re behind, dude.
 
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#34
#34
Willtalk said:
This is a real plus for LA. Candice is an amazing player when she gives the effort, but excluding the last season when she had her daughter in camp she seldom gave effort. In Chicago because it is a new team, she will try to prove herself. In LA she would have resorted back to her previous pattern. It was not just her lack of effort on most days, but the effect it had on the rest of the team. Candice Parker as a player is like a box of chocolates. You never know what your are going to get.
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So how's that working out for you? At least the Sparks have a lottery pick to show for their failure this season. Oh, wait. They don't. Because Fisher's dumb ass traded it. Meanwhile Candace is going to the WNBA Finals.
 
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#45
#45
I'm a CP fan but she didn't play with all out determination and aggressiveness in big games especially against the Lynx if she had she would have multiple rings already
 
#46
#46
LUVMESUMVOL said:
I'm a CP fan but she didn't play with all out determination and aggressiveness in big games especially against the Lynx if she had she would have multiple rings already
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If those LA teams didn’t have mostly trash coaches in her time there she would have multiple rings, too.

Y’all understand basketball is a team sport, right? This isn’t tennis. Candace’s performance was rarely the reason LA ever didn’t win rings, that and the fact that Minnesota had like 18 Olympians for several years. Her stats were better in the playoffs than they were in the regular season in the majority of the seasons where the Sparks made it to the playoffs.
 
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#47
#47
volman128 said:
If those LA teams didn’t have mostly trash coaches in her time there she would have multiple rings, too.

Y’all understand basketball is a team sport, right? This isn’t tennis. Candace’s performance was rarely the reason LA ever didn’t win rings, that and the fact that Minnesota had like 18 Olympians for several years. Her stats were better in the playoffs than they were in the regular season in the majority of the seasons where the Sparks made it to the playoffs.
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The ones trashing her play in the play-offs or even regular season are biased. There's no question. I watched the games and here are some facts - Look at her career totals as of 2019. lol Those numbers are only improving when you add in this season. A lazy player doesn't accumulate those stats across the board. I only included the years she went up against MN since that was mentioned. If you look at her regular season stats you'll find more of the same.

2015
  • Averaged 23.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks during the playoffs
  • Tallied a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds for her ninth career playoff double-double on Sept. 20 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals against Minnesota
  • Recorded a double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds for her 10th career playoff double-double on Sept. 22 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals against Minnesota
2016

  • Averaged 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game to help the Sparks win the WNBA title
  • Poured in 28 points and 12 rebounds in the Game 5 win 76-75 against Minnesota on Sept. 28
  • Named the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player
2017

  • Awarded 2017 ESPY for Best WNBA Player
  • Averaged 16.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists during the playoffs, helping the Sparks reach back-to-back WNBA Finals
2019

  • Recorded her 18th career playoff double-double in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals
  • Earned second all-time in playoff blocks (84), fifth all-time in playoff rebounds (426), tied for 13th all-time in playoff assists (165), seventh all-time in points (871) and 3rd in WNBA history for playoff steals (75) FA26F1F5-3B99-49B0-BB57-0CC96E71CBA5_1_201_a.jpegFA26F1F5-3B99-49B0-BB57-0CC96E71CBA5_1_201_a.jpegFA26F1F5-3B99-49B0-BB57-0CC96E71CBA5_1_201_a.jpeg
 
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#48
#48
LUVMESUMVOL said:
I'm a CP fan but she didn't play with all out determination and aggressiveness in big games especially against the Lynx if she had she would have multiple rings already
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Minnesota had Sylvia Fowles,Maya Moore,Rebekka Brunson (monster rebounder),Seimone Augustus,& Lindsey Whalen that was hardly fair lol what is suprising is that the GOAT Tamika Catchings played on Fever team with no superstars around her and managed to beat this exact team
 
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#49
#49
LadyVols_WBK said:
Minnesota had Sylvia Fowles,Maya Moore,Rebekka Brunson (monster rebounder),Seimone Augustus,& Lindsey Whalen that was hardly fair lol what is suprising is that the GOAT Tamika Catchings played on Fever team with no superstars around her and managed to beat this exact team
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Those Fever teams were scrappy and true defensive juggernauts though. You had January in her prime, a useful Erlana Larkins, DOUGLAS who’s extremely underrated as a player and as tough as nails, Phillips underrated as a guard and defensive player, Pohlen who had a promising future had she never torn her acl… remember that UConn game where she went OFF and broke the streak? A useful BIG big in Davenport, TSB with veteran presence and usefulness for the post players, and young energetic and good Zellous… then the ALL WORLD TAMIKA CATCHINGS… The deserved to win it that next year as well if only all were healthy. Defensively that team was able to hold Minny which is what it would take for any team because you weren’t going to “out offense” that team.
 
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#50
#50
dapeak said:
Those Fever teams were scrappy and true defensive juggernauts though. You had January in her prime, a useful Erlana Larkins, DOUGLAS who’s extremely underrated as a player and as tough as nails, Phillips underrated as a guard and defensive player, Pohlen who had a promising future had she never torn her acl… remember that UConn game where she went OFF and broke the streak? A useful BIG big in Davenport, TSB with veteran presence and usefulness for the post players, and young energetic and good Zellous… then the ALL WORLD TAMIKA CATCHINGS… The deserved to win it that next year as well if only all were healthy. Defensively that team was able to hold Minny which is what it would take for any team because you weren’t going to “out offense” that team.
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your memory is sharp.
 
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