WNBA 2025

Sophie

IMG_1071.jpeg


This is gonna be real bad for @Dudley’s health.
 
Hotrod said:
Next Fever game : Tuesday at 8pm EDT. vs a 3-18 Conn. Sun
Click to expand...

If I'm Indiana, I'd sit Caitlin out this one since they have New York on Wednesday. Especially given Connecticut's history.

The Sun are a terrible team, and we don't need Marina Mabrey, Tina Charles and Jacy Sheldon out there taking cheap shots all game.

Also, I hope Aliyah and Sophie are ready to throw down when Mabrey, Sheldon and Charles act a fool.
 
HoneyBadger said:
Today was also a bad day for the “Caitlin doesn’t play defense” narrative.
Click to expand...
Debbie Antonelli pointed out the other day that CC actually leads Indiana in steals right now, so I think every day is a bad day for that narrative. She might not be an elite lockdown guard, but that's not her job, and she's perfectly capable of getting stops. I've watched her do it and have been impressed.
 
I'm glad that I stayed disciplined and didn't look at the score for the Indy/Dallas game or peek at this thread beforehand. If I had done that, I might not have bothered to watch it, and that would have been a mistake.

Logo 3s are cool and all, but offensively, I just enjoy seeing good ball movement and teamwork. I saw plenty of that from CC and from others like Boston, who has a really high basketball IQ. Sharing is both caring and contagious. Indy looked totally in sync, and it was beautiful to watch.

I loved seeing the emotion from CC, too. She's not super flamboyant/over the top with it like my man Russ, but she's got some competitive fire in her, and I love when it comes out.

Dallas obviously isn't a great team and has been bitten by the injury bug again, but Paige had a strong individual game. Also, shout-out to my girl Li Yueru, who scored 16 points and has earned herself a spot on my All-Hustle Team. ❤️
 
Mr. Gregory said:
Debbie Antonelli pointed out the other day that CC actually leads Indiana in steals right now, so I think every day is a bad day for that narrative. She might not be an elite lockdown guard, but that's not her job, and she's perfectly capable of getting stops. I've watched her do it and have been impressed.
Click to expand...

Getting Caitlin involved more defensively was a goal for Stephanie White.

She never had to play defense at Iowa.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
I'm glad that I stayed disciplined and didn't look at the score for the Indy/Dallas game or peek at this thread beforehand. If I had done that, I might not have bothered to watch it, and that would have been a mistake.

Logo 3s are cool and all, but offensively, I just enjoy seeing good ball movement and teamwork. I saw plenty of that from CC and from others like Boston, who has a really high basketball IQ. Sharing is both caring and contagious. Indy looked totally in sync, and it was beautiful to watch.

I loved seeing the emotion from CC, too. She's not super flamboyant/over the top with it like my man Russ, but she's got some competitive fire in her, and I love when it comes out.

Dallas obviously isn't a great team and has been bitten by the injury bug again, but Paige had a strong individual game. Also, shout-out to my girl Li Yueru, who scored 16 points and has earned herself a spot on my All-Hustle Team. ❤️
Click to expand...

The way Caitlin Clark elevates everyone around her is what makes her special. She's not just chucking threes, she's the ultimate floor general. When she's on the court, the speed of the game is unreal.

Paige is the most talented shooter possibly ever. But she doesn't make everyone around her better the way Caitlin does.

If you take Paige and Caitlin off their respective rookie year rosters, the 2025 Dallas Wings would probably beat the 2024 Indiana Fever by double digits every time.
 
HoneyBadger said:
The way Caitlin Clark elevates everyone around her is what makes her special. She's not just chucking threes, she's the ultimate floor general. When she's on the court, the speed of the game is unreal.
Click to expand...
Exactly. I've enjoyed watching CC play this year (and enjoyed it some last year even while I was going through it with some of you) because I'm a sucker for a true point guard. CC has fully embraced the facilitator side of her hybrid guard talents, and I'm here for it.

HoneyBadger said:
Paige is the most talented shooter possibly ever. But she doesn't make everyone around her better the way Caitlin does.
Click to expand...
Both CC and Paige are hybrid guards (like most guards these days, it seems) who can both score and pass. Between the two of them right now, this season, I think Paige is more of the scorer, and CC is more of the passer. Granted, they're both doing what their respective teams need right now.
 
Watching Minnesota-Chicago right now.

If Chicago makes the playoffs, they'll be dangerous. They're firing on all cylinders right now. Angel Reese is continuing to look like an elite, top-five player.
 
HoneyBadger said:
ABC doing a play by play on what fouls aren’t called when Caitlin has the ball is dirty work man. 😭

Click to expand...

Okay, my turn to eat some crow.

After watching the last couple of games and actually looking for it, I finally get what you guys have been complaining about all this time with the lack of foul calls with CC. I was dumbfounded watching that sequence unfold in real time, before the replay, as well as another sequence later with Arike. I was just like "I get it now." If I can see it on my little tablet, I don't understand how the refs can't see it in person, right in front of them.

You can thank Debbie Antonelli for showing me the light. As that stuff was happening, I heard her voice in my head from that clip I posted the other day. "If we're gonna be allowed to clutch and grab, and push and shove...freedom of movement is a real thing, and jumping to the ball on defense is also a skill."

I'm not a fan of slowing the game down, but rules are rules. The whistle needs to blow there, immediately, every time.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
Okay, my turn to eat some crow.

After watching the last couple of games and actually looking for it, I finally get what you guys have been complaining about all this time with the lack of foul calls with CC. I was dumbfounded watching that sequence unfold in real time, before the replay, as well as another sequence later with Arike. I was just like "I get it now." If I can see it on my little tablet, I don't understand how the refs can't see it in person, right in front of them.

You can thank Debbie Antonelli for showing me the light. As that stuff was happening, I heard her voice in my head from that clip I posted the other day. "If we're gonna be allowed to clutch and grab, and push and shove...freedom of movement is a real thing, and jumping to the ball on defense is also a skill."

I'm not a fan of slowing the game down, but rules are rules. The whistle needs to blow there, immediately, every time.
Click to expand...

Like I said the other night, the bad officiating the other 12 teams are subject to would be an immense upgrade for the Indiana Fever.
 
HoneyBadger said:
Like I said the other night, the bad officiating the other 12 teams are subject to would be an immense upgrade for the Indiana Fever.
Click to expand...
On a kinda related note, I've noticed that CC isn't involuntarily flailing like crazy anymore when she gets hit, like she did last season. Probably a combination of her getting used to all the contact and putting on some muscle this past offseason. 💪

I have to say, as a lover of good, clean defense, Paige's comments regarding the physicality and playing defense in college vs. the W, as relayed by Rebecca Lobo on commentary, made me a little sad. I don't watch college hoops, but UConn is apparently not known for not fouling, and Paige learned how to play defense in that system, without fouling. Now, in the W, she has had to learn how to play defense with fouling. 🤦‍♂️
 
Just when I was giving Angel props…

The turnovers are a HUGE problem right now. I didn’t even know she was leading the league in turnovers.

And then keeping her in, down double digits, so she could get her double-double. 🙄

No matter how hard I try, Angel Reese just continues to be one of the most unlikeable people in sports.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
On a kinda related note, I've noticed that CC isn't involuntarily flailing like crazy anymore when she gets hit, like she did last season. Probably a combination of her getting used to all the contact and putting on some muscle this past offseason. 💪
Click to expand...

She’s really stopped that since coming back from injury. Seems like she only goes down now when she actually gets hurt like yesterday when she landed on her bad leg.

I imagine it’s something Stephanie White is working on. Getting her to play through the contact, likely with the realization that Caitlin probably isn’t gonna get the call.

I’m sure she’s also more comfortable now knowing Aliyah Boston and Spicy Sophie have her back.

Still think they need to sit her tomorrow. There’s no point in risking it.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
I don't watch college hoops, but UConn is apparently not known for not fouling, and Paige learned how to play defense in that system, without fouling. Now, in the W, she has had to learn how to play defense with fouling. 🤦‍♂️
Click to expand...
Y'all knew what I meant. I was so sad, I couldn't even type it out correctly. :( :lol2:
 
HoneyBadger said:
Still think they need to sit her tomorrow. There’s no point in risking it.
Click to expand...
Nah, that was just one game, man. Emotions were high on both sides, and players on both teams got carried away. I'm not here for that, but it can unfortunately happen when the refs get too lax with the whistle. Hopefully they'll actually enforce the rules and keep everybody on a tighter leash this time.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
Nah, it was just one game, man. Emotions were high on both sides, and players on both teams got carried away. I'm not here for that, but it can unfortunately happen when the refs get too lax with the whistle. Hopefully they'll actually enforce the rules and keep everybody on a tighter leash this time.
Click to expand...

Jacy Sheldon has a serious chip on her shoulder, likely because she’s 0-12 against Caitlin.

I know she’s your boo but Marina Mabrey is dirty asf.

And Tina Charles was casually laughing it up about that incident on Sue Bird’s podcast.

It’s a very real concern.
 
HoneyBadger said:
Jacy Sheldon has a serious chip on her shoulder, likely because she’s 0-12 against Caitlin.

I know she’s your boo but Marina Mabrey is dirty asf.

And Tina Charles was casually laughing it up about that incident on Sue Bird’s podcast.

It’s a very real concern.
Click to expand...
You're gonna lose me every single time with the us vs. them talk, man. I'm not that invested.

I know what I say will likely fall on deaf ears, but Marina is every bit the rabble-rouser that Sophie is, and from what I've seen, both of them normally just jump into the mix and talk some trash when things get heated. They're both on my favorites list - I liked Sophie before it was cool - and I refuse to dislike either one of them for highly uncharacteristic and excessive physical contact in one game. They're competitors, period.

Not sure why Tina Charles is somehow being lumped into this unless it's for something beyond the confrontation and podcast. I saw and heard them, respectively, and didn't see or hear anything malicious. It looked to me like she was purely an observer of the confrontation.

She and Sue were laughing on the podcast because Sue and/or others jokingly tried to frame her and say that she punched Caitlin in the back and knocked her down. TC just laughed and was like "no, it wasn't me." She's one of the all-time greats and has seen it all in this league. You'll never hear me say a negative word about her.
 
HoneyBadger said:
Difference is Sophie plays for Indiana 😉
Click to expand...
So, in other words, there is no difference, as I said and you predictably ignored. Good talk. 👍

CC should and surely absolutely will play in the game against Connecticut. As with all the other players, she's a grown woman who doesn't need our coddling or protection. It's up to the refs to keep the game under control and stop the players from feeling the compulsion to lash out physically. Hopefully they will, as I have seen them do in the past whenever there's a known history.
 
There’s an odd pattern where once you gain notoriety for being a transcendent jump shooter you don’t get any calls on your drives. It’s been the same thing for years with Steph Curry. Part of me wonders if it’s just the idea that they would “break the game” if they also managed to draw as many fouls as they should on top of being so dynamic as a shooter.
 
I guess I'll watch the replay of the Indy/Connecticut game tomorrow, even though there shouldn't be much reason to. I couldn't care less about any potential drama between the players, and Connecticut's obviously just gonna get clobbered. I've only watched them a time or two this year.

I'm gonna watch the Minnesota/Chicago game that Chicago won first (Minnesota avenged that loss last night). It's been a while since I last checked in on Angel Reese.
 
Do WNBA players think Caitlin Clark will be the league’s face in five years? - The Athletic

Do WNBA players think Caitlin Clark will be the league’s face in five years?

There is not one defining feature that makes up the face of a sport. A player’s success on the floor is important, but so is her social omnipresence, her brand prominence and her desire to be a voice on topics that not only involve her but her peers. The WNBA’s face of the league does not have to be its best player, or even its most decorated. The WNBA currently has stars from various generations competing. A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier highlight a group that entered the league in the mid- to late-2010s, while Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are among a recent crop of stars.

So who do WNBA players think will be the face of the league in five years? And what do they think about a host of issues facing the league, including expansion, salaries and collective bargaining negotiations? On Monday, players weighed in on who is the league’s best player and the best trash-talker.

Read on to see who they voted for.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
I guess I'll watch the replay of the Indy/Connecticut game tomorrow, even though there shouldn't be much reason to. I couldn't care less about any potential drama between the players, and Connecticut's obviously just gonna get clobbered. I've only watched them a time or two this year.

I'm gonna watch the Minnesota/Chicago game that Chicago won first (Minnesota avenged that loss last night). It's been a while since I last checked in on Angel Reese.
Click to expand...

I sure hope Jacy Sheldon is on her best behavior tonight.

Would hate to see The Enforcer lay the beatdown on her again.

😇
 
No Marina.

Dudley said:
Stunning. But still second to Livvy Dunne.
Click to expand...

I'll be honest, I put Livvy Dunne in the "model" and "influencer" category. She competes when she wants to. She's more focused on her social media brand than anything.

Seems to be a common trait for LSU athletes.
 
HoneyBadger said:
No Marina.



I'll be honest, I put Livvy Dunne in the "model" and "influencer" category. She competes when she wants to. She's more focused on her social media brand than anything.

Seems to be a common trait for LSU athletes.
Click to expand...
We each get to make our own rules but she is a national champion gymnast.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom