WNBA

[HoneyBadger]

Her offensive game is broken enough that if you just lock her in a gym with a coach she can at least make a lot of progress. It’ll take years of development to get all the way there for sure. But she just needs to make progress towards even being a replacement-level offense since player.

She’s top 5 in DReb%, so even if her offensive boards went down she’d still rack up numbers - just not as inflated as they are now. She does have a level of tenacity you can’t really teach and generally positions herself in the right places to find the ball.

It’s a team sport I know, and having good players around helps everyone. But I would remind everyone that Angel Reese didn’t start going off with double doubles until Kamilla Cardoso entered the chat.

Which makes the whole Co-ROTY talk even more infuriating. Cardoso is arguably much better and much more impactful than Angel Reese, and ESPN is still pushing Reese as ROTY.

Anyway, I’m gonna go back to Twitter and watch fans of every other player in the league go off on Angel Reese fans for being idiots … again.

 

[HoneyBadger]

From yesterday’s action:



I legit don’t know who I hate more, Chennedy Carter or Dijonai Carrington. Anytime I see a Carrington bit, it’s either her playing dirty and showing off, or her trashing the league and making racist comments.

 

[muggle not]

From yesterday’s action:



I legit don’t know who I hate more, Chennedy Carter or Dijonai Carrington. Anytime I see a Carrington bit, it’s either her playing dirty and showing off, or her trashing the league and making racist comments.

She has a problem and the coach needs to straighten her out. There are a lot of good (and decent) players in the league. Dump her to a last place team.

 

[HoneyBadger]

She has a problem and the coach needs to straighten her out. There are a lot of good (and decent) players in the league. Dump her to a last place team.

A’ja Wilson made comments today about the officiating and how badly these players are literally getting beaten up on the court.

I get the W is physical but I don’t see other players acting out with intent like this.

 

[FLRacingFan]

From yesterday’s action:



I legit don’t know who I hate more, Chennedy Carter or Dijonai Carrington. Anytime I see a Carrington bit, it’s either her playing dirty and showing off, or her trashing the league and making racist comments.

Hard for me to get too upset here really. She got whacked in the face at least twice in that sequence and the ref should’ve called a foul earlier.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

I'm being very careful not to look up and start reading too much yet since I'm still behind on games. I watched three today and still have three to catch up on. This past Friday's Lynx/Aces game is next.

I love what I've been seeing from my current favorite teams, the Lynx and Sun. I always enjoy watching the Lynx (great trade for them picking up Myisha Hines-Allen from the Mystics) and absolutely love Courtney Williams and what she had to say after they beat the Aces earlier last week - that their style of play might not be sexy, but it's effective. I, for one, have been enthralled watching them.

Meanwhile, I've enjoyed the Sun more than usual since the Marina Mabrey trade. The energy level and hustle from them has been great to see. The Sparks game in Boston was fun, and the Sky game was an exciting nail-biter. Marina came in off the bench against the Sky (Coach White is tinkering with the starting lineup right now and trying different things) and went off, as I figured she would against her old team. DiJonai Carrington held it down on the defensive end, as always. I'm so glad those two are together.

I haven't worn a basketball jersey since I was in college, but I'm actually debating getting either a Marina or a Courtney Williams jersey (I'd consider a DiJonai jersey if I didn't already have one of her shirts). I would do a jersey-style tee, but ehh, I think that if I'm gonna wear a tee that looks like a jersey, I might as well just get a jersey.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

Hard for me to get too upset here really. She got whacked in the face at least twice in that sequence and the ref should’ve called a foul earlier.

Yo, Honey DiJon was a little bit

I obviously haven't seen that game yet but looked and saw that she and the rook, Jaylyn Sherrod, got double T's for that exchange, and that's exactly what should have happened in my opinion. Just two athletes playing hard until the very end and getting frustrated. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

This is a super competitive, physical league where nothing is given and everything is earned. Shoving, taunting, and trash talking occur on a regular basis. Just enforce the rules accordingly when they swing out too a little far with it, as was done here, and then play on.

 

[Hotrod]

Fever at Dream tonight!!!
7:00 pregame 7:30 tip EST
WPCH or NBA channel, check your listings.
C'mon Fever ! Beat my home team !
Fever games this week: tonight, Wed, Fri, Sun.

 

[HoneyBadger]

League Pass is free tonight.

 

[muggle not]

Idk if that can be fixed in a single offseason.

I’ve said it before, she has long arms and legs … and that’s it. She can’t shoot well, she can’t dribble at all (get away with A LOT of travels), and really just looks like a kid playing against pros out there.

Not to mention, if her shooting was more efficient, she probably would not be a walking double double since her rebound count would plummet.

And ESPN is STILL pushing the Co-ROTY stuff.

Angel Reese's "wide open" gaffes are among the worst in modern WNBA history (msn.com)

Angel Reese's "wide open" gaffes are among the worst in modern WNBA history

En route to matching Charles' record in Sunday's devastating, 77-75 defeat at the buzzer to Las Vegas, Reese shot just 4-16 from the floor, with all but one of her field goal attempts coming outside of four feet. A particularly erratic, and for many emblematic, sequence unfolded in the fourth quarter as Chicago battled back from a 13-point deficit, with Reese missing three consecutive tries at the rim, snagging her rebound each time, before eventually earning a trip to the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, Angel Reese's 274 attempts inside five feet lead the WNBA by a wide margin this season, and her overall volume — the LSU grad ranks 17th in total field goal tries — makes her a key cog in one of the WNBA's less efficient offenses. Reese's opponents have also notched 8.2 blocks per every 100 possessions against the Chicago forward, the 10th highest in the W.

 

[HoneyBadger]

 

[Hotrod]

CC rolled her ankle in the first qtr. I've seen worse but
she still should go get a fresh tape job on it . Wow , she is
back out there already.

Local news station was polling a few of the fans
going in the doors tonite, most were there to see CC.

 

[FLRacingFan]

Gotta start kicking the ball out when she gets these offensive rebounds. It only adds fuel to the fire when you brick three in a row at point-blank range. The one sequence yesterday against Vegas where she picked up five in eight seconds or whatever…you could see a teammate in the left corner with her hands up, wide open. Very easy to take a step and kick it to the corner since she was on the left side of the basket. Chicago isn’t a very good shooting team but that’s still a better look than trying to shoot it over two people right in your face from directly underneath the basket.

It would be one thing if she were just a poor finisher but doing that on more volume than anyone else is just a waste of possessions.

 

[Michfan]

I've only watched a couple of her games and the amount of bunnies she missed was insane. Couple that with the amount of turnovers in the WNBA, it's just not very high level basketball. I enjoy watching Caitlin Clark because she's a phenom, but that’s about it for me.

 

[HoneyBadger]

I've only watched a couple of her games and the amount of bunnies she missed was insane. Couple that with the amount of turnovers in the WNBA, it's just not very high level basketball. I enjoy watching Caitlin Clark because she's a phenom, but that’s about it for me.

What I will say in defense of the women’s game in this aspect is, the basket should probably be lower than in the men’s game. Not all of these girls are 9 feet tall like Britney Griner or most NBA players.

They’re probably putting more work in to make some of these baskets.

Angel Reese is historically bad though, but she makes up for that by being the greatest rebounder probably ever.

 

[FLRacingFan]

That was a really key win for Indiana with Atlanta sitting in 9th place. Now 3.5 games up with ten to play so they should be in good shape.

This team loves to almost blow double-digit leads like no one else, though.

 

[FLRacingFan]

I've only watched a couple of her games and the amount of bunnies she missed was insane. Couple that with the amount of turnovers in the WNBA, it's just not very high level basketball. I enjoy watching Caitlin Clark because she's a phenom, but that’s about it for me.

Like with any sport there are certain teams and players that are more fun to watch than others. If you want to watch efficient offense the Sky are probably the worst option now that they’ve gotten rid of their only reliable 3PT shooter. It’s not pretty basketball for sure. And Angel Reese is literally shooting like 20% below league average near the basket, so that isn’t typical. She’s not anywhere near even a replacement-level offensive player yet.

Just a matter of perspective too, imo - when watching a men’s college game and an NBA game back-to-back, the talent disparity is objectively massive, but subjectively the college level is often a lot more fun. And at the end of the day I’d just rather watch any bad basketball over any regular season baseball.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Like with any sport there are certain teams and players that are more fun to watch than others. If you want to watch efficient offense the Sky are probably the worst option now that they’ve gotten rid of their only reliable 3PT shooter. It’s not pretty basketball for sure. And Angel Reese is literally shooting like 20% below league average near the basket, so that isn’t typical. She’s not anywhere near even a replacement-level offensive player yet.

Just a matter of perspective too, imo - when watching a men’s college game and an NBA game back-to-back, the talent disparity is objectively massive, but subjectively the college level is often a lot more fun. And at the end of the day I’d just rather watch any bad basketball over any regular season baseball.

Not really that big into the NBA but might start watching now. Honestly, only time I care about men’s basketball is during the Battle of the Blues, the ACC Tournament and March Madness.

A weird thing happens for me with women’s basketball. For some reason, when Caitlin Clark is not playing, I just don’t a or a about it.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

Just watched Minny beat the Las Vegas Olympic Team again. I dunno, @FLRacingFan, I'm starting to think like you. I dunno if Vegas is it this year, and Minny might just be the real deal. That's my squad. I love watching them play. They never give up.

Despite the fact that I've been tired all day, I tried to watch the Sun beat the Liberty, too. It was a gritty, scrappy, defensive game, and I enjoyed all the hustling I saw, but my blood pressure medicine started kicking in during the 3rd quarter, and I went through that cycle where I started dozing off, rewinding to see what I missed, and then dozing off again before I could see it. Wasn't the girls' fault in any way. Big win for the Sun, finally snapping that Liberty losing streak, and a tough loss for the Liberty at home. I'm gonna run it back tomorrow and watch it again.

As with the Aces, while I have nothing against any of the Liberty players and like some of them, I'm not much of a Liberty fan since I'm not into superteams like that. That said, Sabrina Ionescu's sportsmanship is really winning me over. That girl busts her butt every single game, leaves it all on the court, and is always all smiles and handshakes afterwards, no matter what may have happened during the game or what the final outcome was. Sabrina is a class act, straight up. I love the way she carries herself and have a ton of respect for her.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

Like with any sport there are certain teams and players that are more fun to watch than others. If you want to watch efficient offense the Sky are probably the worst option now that they’ve gotten rid of their only reliable 3PT shooter. It’s not pretty basketball for sure. And Angel Reese is literally shooting like 20% below league average near the basket, so that isn’t typical. She’s not anywhere near even a replacement-level offensive player yet.

Just a matter of perspective too, imo - when watching a men’s college game and an NBA game back-to-back, the talent disparity is objectively massive, but subjectively the college level is often a lot more fun. And at the end of the day I’d just rather watch any bad basketball over any regular season baseball.

Well said, and I agree completely. I think there are players and teams in the W for anybody who truly enjoys basketball on a fundamental level, no matter what in particular you're looking for - unless you just really have to see dunks, in which case you should just watch the men play and be done with it.

As for me, a fan who is primarily here for defense, hustle/effort, the dirty work, and good, clean physicality, the W has been a godsend. These girls have gotten me back into basketball. I've learned more about it just this season watching it than I ever knew and learned when I was religiously following the NBA in the 2000s. Granted, my capacity for basketball knowledge has obviously increased since I'm about 15 years older now and more capable of picking up on the little things, but yeah. Still learning more about it every day, too.

 

[muggle not]

I've only watched a couple of her games and the amount of bunnies she missed was insane. Couple that with the amount of turnovers in the WNBA, it's just not very high level basketball. I enjoy watching Caitlin Clark because she's a phenom, but that’s about it for me.

if you want to watch some pretty good basketball watch the Liberty, Aces, Lynx and the Fever. if you want to watch the WWE watch the Sky and Sun.

 

[muggle not]

Just watched Minny beat the Las Vegas Olympic Team again. I dunno, @FLRacingFan, I'm starting to think like you. I dunno if Vegas is it this year, and Minny might just be the real deal. That's my squad. I love watching them play. They never give up.

Despite the fact that I've been tired all day, I tried to watch the Sun beat the Liberty, too. It was a gritty, scrappy, defensive game, and I enjoyed all the hustling I saw, but my blood pressure medicine started kicking in during the 3rd quarter, and I went through that cycle where I started dozing off, rewinding to see what I missed, and then dozing off again before I could see it. Wasn't the girls' fault in any way. Big win for the Sun, finally snapping that Liberty losing streak, and a tough loss for the Liberty at home. I'm gonna run it back tomorrow and watch it again.

As with the Aces, while I have nothing against any of the Liberty players and like some of them, I'm not much of a Liberty fan since I'm not into superteams like that. That said, Sabrina Ionescu's sportsmanship is really winning me over. That girl busts her butt every single game, leaves it all on the court, and is always all smiles and handshakes afterwards, no matter what may have happened during the game or what the final outcome was. Sabrina is a class act, straight up. I love the way she carries herself and have a ton of respect for her.

Totally agree with you on Sabrina. She is a class act AND one heck of a BB player. Her and Stewart make a great combo. They are No.1 for a reason.

 

[muggle not]

Like with any sport there are certain teams and players that are more fun to watch than others. If you want to watch efficient offense the Sky are probably the worst option now that they’ve gotten rid of their only reliable 3PT shooter. It’s not pretty basketball for sure. And Angel Reese is literally shooting like 20% below league average near the basket, so that isn’t typical. She’s not anywhere near even a replacement-level offensive player yet.

Just a matter of perspective too, imo - when watching a men’s college game and an NBA game back-to-back, the talent disparity is objectively massive, but subjectively the college level is often a lot more fun. And at the end of the day I’d just rather watch any bad basketball over any regular season baseball.

Like with any sport there are certain teams and players that are more fun to watch than others. If you want to watch efficient offense the Sky are probably the worst option now that they’ve gotten rid of their only reliable 3PT shooter. It’s not pretty basketball for sure. And Angel Reese is literally shooting like 20% below league average near the basket, so that isn’t typical. She’s not anywhere near even a replacement-level offensive player yet.

Just a matter of perspective too, imo - when watching a men’s college game and an NBA game back-to-back, the talent disparity is objectively massive, but subjectively the college level is often a lot more fun. And at the end of the day I’d just rather watch any bad basketball over any regular season baseball.

Too bad you couldn't have seen baseball in the 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, and 1960's. Baseball was the most popular sport in the U.S. and deservedly so. Everyone loved the game and many, many, participated. I grew up playing both High School Basketball and Baseball. I was second team all conference in Basketball in High School and was also selected by my HS coach to try out for the Legion Baseball team (certain players from each team in the conference were selected to tryout) in my Sophomore year. Without question, my favorite sport was baseball. I grew up in a small Pennsylvania town with a population of 1000 people plus or minus. The town had a sandlot team that played from 1932 to 1948 playing roughly 80 games a season. The team is listed in the Baseball Hall of Fame for their contribution to baseball. There will never be another ERA when baseball was so popular. I still love the feel of a baseball in my hand.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Angel Reese announces new weekly podcast 'Unapologetically Angel'

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese announced a new weekly podcast that will be sure to draw a ton of interest for the WNBA rookie sensation.

awfulannouncing.com

I hate to say it because I really did want her to succeed ... Angel Reese is more interested in stardom than anything.

But hey, the media spent months working overtime to make her a star because they had a problem with a white girl being the face of a "black sport."

 

[muggle not]

Caitlin Clark makes the MVP List for 2024.

MSN

WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ladder 2024: Caitlin Clark makes much-awaited debut at 3rd (Week 12)​

 

[FLRacingFan]

Not really that big into the NBA but might start watching now. Honestly, only time I care about men’s basketball is during the Battle of the Blues, the ACC Tournament and March Madness.

A weird thing happens for me with women’s basketball. For some reason, when Caitlin Clark is not playing, I just don’t a or a about it.

Men’s college game is probably the best bang for your buck. 2-hour games (usually), teams play twice per week, regular season games feel like they mostly mean something. And Cooper Flagg for Duke is probably the highest-touted prospect coming out of HS in years this fall. The NBA is great basketball but it can easily feel oversaturated with how many games there are, load management, etc.

I usually at least watch the women’s Final Four and honestly hadn’t seen any of these ladies since their college days before this summer, but there are certainly some teams and players outside of the Fever in this league who are entertaining to watch.

 

[FLRacingFan]

Angel Reese announces new weekly podcast 'Unapologetically Angel'

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese announced a new weekly podcast that will be sure to draw a ton of interest for the WNBA rookie sensation.

awfulannouncing.com

I hate to say it because I really did want her to succeed ... Angel Reese is more interested in stardom than anything.

But hey, the media spent months working overtime to make her a star because they had a problem with a white girl being the face of a "black sport."

Tbh I feel like everyone and their mom has a podcast these days.

I think there’s real momentum behind the idea of the Sky becoming a TV draw. Ion is probably really happy to get the final Chicago/Indiana matchup this Friday:

Aces-Sky tops million mark on CBS; Clark lifts NBA TV to new high

The WNBA topped the million viewer mark yet again, and in a rarity the game did not feature Caitlin Clark.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[Mr. Gregory]

Angel Reese announces new weekly podcast 'Unapologetically Angel'

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese announced a new weekly podcast that will be sure to draw a ton of interest for the WNBA rookie sensation.

awfulannouncing.com

I hate to say it because I really did want her to succeed ... Angel Reese is more interested in stardom than anything.

But hey, the media spent months working overtime to make her a star because they had a problem with a white girl being the face of a "black sport."

All right, let's not pretend that Angel isn't allowed to have a podcast just because you apparently feel some type of way about her. She can have a podcast if she wants, as can any other WNBA player. This is fine.

I might give it a chance, but despite being more of an Angel fan (though I've admittedly paid zero attention to her since I stopped following Chicago) and less of a Caitlin fan, between the two of them, I'd actually be more inclined to listen to Caitlin on a podcast. Angel is a lot, and the few times I've heard either of them speak at length, I've found myself gravitating a lot more towards Caitlin's comments and personality than Angel's.

Caitlin is the Dale Jr. of the W for me, in that I have absolutely no problem with her, but her marks just get to me sometimes, LOL. I'm sure that just like with Dale Jr., I'll give in and become a Caitlin fan eventually, but I'm not quite ready to cross that bridge yet.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Tbh I feel like everyone and their mom has a podcast these days.

I think there’s real momentum behind the idea of the Sky becoming a TV draw. Ion is probably really happy to get the final Chicago/Indiana matchup this Friday:

Aces-Sky tops million mark on CBS; Clark lifts NBA TV to new high

The WNBA topped the million viewer mark yet again, and in a rarity the game did not feature Caitlin Clark.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

MVP frontrunner A'ja Wilson was in this game too.

But the media has succeeded in making Angel Reese a superstar.

And before anyone says it's a race thing, I have the same gripe with this being done on the pop culture side with Sabrina Carpenter - who I like. The industry just woke up one day and said they need the next Taylor Swift and decided it was going to be Sabrina Carpenter, and they've engaged in some pretty shady things to accomplish it - most notably Spotify.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

And before anyone says it's a race thing...

I mean...

But hey, the media spent months working overtime to make her a star because they had a problem with a white girl being the face of a "black sport."

 

[HoneyBadger]

I mean...

Yes, for the media, it was ABSOLUTELY a race thing. Which is the entire context of the Caitlin Clark thread in The Podium.

Women's basketball needs faces of future to be Black.​

Caitlin Clark, Race and the WNBA

Public intellectual Michael Eric Dyson on how Black women are once again getting overlooked in the Caitlin Clark narrative

thephiladelphiacitizen.org

There were other articles like this I linked to. All about how it was unacceptable that Caitlin Clark, a white girl, was the face of a black sport (which it is not) and something had to be done. Right about that same time, ESPN began shamelessly propping up Angel Reese.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

Yes, for the media, it was ABSOLUTELY a race thing. Which is the entire context of the Caitlin Clark thread in The Podium.

Women's basketball needs faces of future to be Black.​

Caitlin Clark, Race and the WNBA

Public intellectual Michael Eric Dyson on how Black women are once again getting overlooked in the Caitlin Clark narrative

thephiladelphiacitizen.org

There were other articles like this I linked to. All about how it was unacceptable that Caitlin Clark, a white girl, was the face of a black sport (which it is not) and something had to be done. Right about that same time, ESPN began shamelessly propping up Angel Reese.

Yes, I've obviously posted in that Podium thread, which is where this whole IMO unnecessary discussion belongs. I'm really not interested in reading polarizing hot takes about these girls' skin color and how so-and-so feels about it, man. No offense, I just don't care about any of that. I'm here to watch them hoop and write essays about their performances.

 

[muggle not]

I just gained a lot of respect for Fagbenle after reading this article.

MSN

Caitlin Clark's Teammate Shows Regret After Disastrous Performance Against Dream​

 

[Mr. Gregory]

Took me two tries, but I saw that whole Sun/Liberty game. It reminded me of those gritty, low scoring mid 2000s Pistons/Pacers games I enjoyed watching.

There was a weird possession towards the end where Sabrina Ionescu tripped and the Sun's Veronica Burton then tripped over her. Sabrina somehow got called for a foul, angrily protested, and then got T'd up. I was confused seeing it yesterday and didn't understand how she tripped or got called for the foul.

Watching it again carefully, it became crystal clear - Brionna Jones totally moved while setting a screen for Veronica and tripped Sabrina. Breezy had a look on her face afterwards, LOL. She knew, and she definitely got away with one there.

I can understand why Sabrina got upset, but to her credit, she voiced her frustration, got T'd up, and then immediately gathered herself and calmed right back down. Like I said, I really like how she carries herself. She doesn't get rattled and go into full meltdown mode like I've seen other players do.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

I just gained a lot of respect for Fagbenle after reading this article.

MSN

Caitlin Clark's Teammate Shows Regret After Disastrous Performance Against Dream​

"Mood after smoking both layups after her two great passes," Fagbenle said with a picture of Caitlin Clark.... "A win's a win, but, icl, it seems like I was doing all I could to prevent that tonight lol. Smh, onwards and upwards!"

Aww...

You'll never see this, but keep your head up, Temi. Even the greats make silly mistakes. No crying over spilled milk or blown layups.

 

[FLRacingFan]

A’ja Wilson, despite the loss…42 points on 16/22 shooting, as Dallas upsets Las Vegas and the Aces’ problems continue to grow.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

The Sky cancelled practice yesterday after a few players were feeling sick, and now Chennedy Carter will apparently miss today's game against the Mystics "due to health and safety protocols." I saw in the Chicago Sun-Times that they've been testing everybody for COVID. *sigh*

That article is paywalled, unfortunately. This short one isn't.

Sky's Chennedy Carter out due to health and safety protocols

Chicago Sky leading scorer Chennedy Carter is out for Wednesday's game vs. the Mystics due to health and safety protocols.

abc7chicago.com

 

[HoneyBadger]

Hilarious.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

I’m baffled that this wasn’t a flagrant 2 and auto ejection.

I'm finally able to go back and catch up on some of these old posts.

As a guy who is a proud member of the Church of Marina and is over the Sky for now, I was obviously a little salty in the moment when that foul happened, but I'm fine with a flagrant 1 there. Everything looks worse than it is in slow motion. Chennedy bit on a pump fake, which is why she was in the air and coming down on top of Marina to begin with. On the way down, she said hello to Marina and let her know how much she misses her.

I got over it quickly. Marina's tough, and she got over it, too. She took a little time to recover, got up, dusted herself off, and then proceeded to go off on her former team. I loved Marina's response when she was asked about it and reacted just like A.T. did.

 

[Mr. Gregory]

As for all the chatter about Angel Reese and her offense, I have always seen her as primarily a dirty work/hustle/defensive player, not an offensive player. That's why I gravitated towards her immediately when I first watched a Sky game, because I'm the weird fan who has always loved players like that. Kamilla Cardoso is the offensive threat between the two of them, at least as of right now, and again, I've always felt that way.

When I was following the Sky, those two were being lobbed/beamed the ball while they were basically underneath the basket and surrounded by a pack of opposing bodies and flailing arms. It is not easy to score inside like that, let alone as an undersized (in Angel's case) rookie big with plenty of room for growth. Last I saw, Kamilla was slowly getting better at it.

Angel will be fine.