Posted on: August 4, 2011 12:22 am
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When a body falls from a high place into a large body of water... it plunges down into the depths of the water. Then it rises to the surface.
Instinctively... if the body is conscious... it will begin to flap its arms and gasp for air... once the head pops out of the water.
And for that very brief moment... a line is drawn... between drowning or fighting to stay alive... to survive.
This is exactly where the Washington Mystics are... halfway through their season... at this line... that separates living from dying.
And at 3-14... with 17 games to go on their schedule... this questions remains to be answered. Do the Mystics sink back into the water... never to resurface... alive? Or do they feverishly flap their arms against the water's surface and kick like the Devil underneath the water's surface... to work their way to shore... to live?
Sink... die.
Swim... survive.
As a Nicky Anosike Washington Mystics fan... I hope that the struggle I see out of the Mystics for the second half of the season will be to fight its way to dry land... to survive.
Now, the body... the players... has been flapping its arms and kicking its legs against the water to keep its head above water... all season long.
But the head... the Mystics Coach Trudi Lacey... now, that's a whole other matter.
While the body is fighting frantically to keep its head above water... the head should be taking in air to fill the lungs... so that the body can stay afloat... while it's working its way to dry land.
But up until now... Trudi Lacey, the Mystics head... has been popping up out of the water and looking around... gaping her mouth open only to take in water... as the body goes back down deeper into the water... taking the head with it.
Now... if the Mystics are to actually survive... Trudi Lacey has to be a smarter head.
She has to do all the things that will make all of the body's struggling beneficial to its survival.
First of all, she has to reward players who are performing well... in any part of their games... with more minutes.
If the Mystics have players who are ranked among the top 15 players in the WNBA in rebounding and scoring... THEY SHOULD BE ON THE COURT... playing for the Mystics... not watching from the sidelines.
Lacey has to keep the players who are shooting well on the floor. She has to keep the players who are rebounding well on the floor.
And any and all substitutions should be made only if the players who are coming out of the game are not instrumental in keeping her team afloat.
Too many times, Trudi has stemmed her own team's momentum by taking key players out of the game at critical points in the game.
Let these key players signal the bench when they need a breather. And let's not continue to let untimely substitutions create deeper holes for these key players to dig out of... once they do return to the game.
Besides... Trudi looks insane making all of these substitutions with 5 or 7 seconds left in a quarter.
That just tells me that Trudi has no idea of what her time situation is in these instances.
And this merely points to the fact that Trudi is not making adequate use of her coaching staff.
One assistant coach should be tasked with time management, timeouts and player substitutions. The other assistant should be tasked with player stats and fouls.
Trudi simply has to manage both the game clock and the shot clock better... planning end-of-the-quarter substitutions at least 30 seconds to a minute before the break... and calling timeouts to draw-up plays no later than 5-10 seconds into the shot clock.
And Trudi Lacey has to stop being her own worst enemy... and get out of her own way.
In the past few games, Trudi Lacey has wrestled her own team off of the doorstep of victory and into the depths of defeat... with bad substitution patterns, poor time management and really bad coaching decisions.
But in spite of all of that... the Mystics' body (its players) is still kicking around trying to survive.
Now, the Mystics' head (Trudi Lacey) had better realize that if the body goes down into the deep... the head will surely follow... never to rise again.
Trudi needs to seize this opportunity to be a better head to her scrapping Mystics body.
Right now... the Mystics have only 3 more losses than the fourth-place Chicago Sky and the fifth-place Atlanta Dream.
And they're only 4.5 games out of the last playoff spot in the WNBA's Eastern Conference.
The bad news is that... the Mystics need to win the next 15 out of the last 17 games to be above .500.
The good news is that... it doesn't look like the Mystics will have to be above .500 in order to nab the last playoff spot in the East.
As long as the body can keep the head above water... and the head can do all of the right things to keep the body afloat... the Washington Mystics have a great chance of surviving... AND maybe even making it into the playoffs.
Come on, Mystics! You can make it!
SWIM!
Posted on: July 29, 2011 2:50 am
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In the era where a few teams in the WNBA have General Managers who are also their teams' head coach... never before has it been more apparent that one particular GM/head coach... Trudi Lacey with the Washington Mystics... needs to call herself onto the carpet in the Mystics' front office... and fire herself as the team's head coach!
"I regret to inform myself that I'm fired. Effective... immediately!"
This would be the third head-coach-firing in the WNBA this season. And it's not at all unexpected... since Lacey's Mystics are a dismal 3-13... the worst team in the Eastern Conference... and the next-to-last team in the entire league!
Take tonight's game against Cappie Pondexter and the New York Liberty, for instance.
Now, mind you, the Mystics have the 4th-, 7th- and 15th-leading rebounders in the WNBA... Nicky Anosike, Crystal Langhorne and Marissa Coleman, respectively.
And washington also has the 5th- and 14th-leading scorers in the WNBA... Crystal Langhorne and Matee Ajavon, respectively.
They also have the 6th- and 15th-best three-point-shooters in the WNBA... Kelly Miller and Marissa Coleman... both shooting over 40% from behind the 3-point arc.
So, in a close nip-and-tuck game against New York... on the road tonight... WHY-Y-Y were three of the Mystics best performers (Anosike, Miller and Ajavon... ranked among the top 15 players in the WNBA)... SITTING ON LACEY'S BENCH... down the stretch... in the last 4 or 5 minutes of the game?!
What frickin' lab experiment was this?!
Lacey, wake up, booboo!
Your team is 3-12... heading into the last quarter of this game.
And you bench your leading rebounder... your second-leading scorer... and your best 3-point-shooter... who just happened to be shooting 78% (7-9) from the field, 67% (2-3) from the 3-point arc and who had not even missed a shot until :21 seconds left in the 3rd quarter tonight?!
Give me a break, Trudi!
You coach like... like... uh... like doo-dee, Trudi!
And all I can say is that Trudi had better be glad her name ain't Kit. Because she really coaches like shhh-hit!
I mean... Kelly Miller was the Mystics leading scorer... heading into the halftime break with 15 points... 6-6 from the field!
And Lacey sat this kid on the bench for 13 minutes in this game... 9 minutes in the crucial second half!
Why?!
Not only is Miller a 10-year veteran... but she's Lacey's starting point guard.
So, when Kelly Miller scores her last two points to bring the Mystics within 1 point of the New York Liberty... with 5:19 left in the game... what does Lacey do?!
Lacey takes her best 3-point-threat and her best shooter on the court tonight (shooting 78% from the field) OUT OF THE GAME!
Yep... you heard me!
Lacey calls Miller... the Mystics' best scoring threat tonight... over to the sidelines and finds her seat on the bench... and replaces her with aROOKIE point guard out of Duke, Jasmine Thomas!
You probably haven't heard too much bout Jasmine... since Duke's women's basketball program hasn't won a NCAA Championships since... oh...NEVER!!
And that's not even the best part.
While the New York Liberty television broadcast announcers... in utter shock... kept asking why Lacey took one of her best scorers out of the game and when was Lacey going to re-insert Kelly Miller back into the game for the Mystics, Lacey looked even more ridiculous when Jasmine Thomas' first order of business in this tight 4th quarter was to dribble the shot clock out for a shot clock violation.
A typical rookie mistake, right?
Yep... that's what the New York announcers said, too.
At this point... there's 3:30 left in the game. Lacey can still put her veteran point guard back in the game, right?
Well... not quite yet.
Jasmine hits a floater to put the Mystics up by 1 point with 1:15 to go in the game.
But New York quickly responds... to regain a 1-point lead with :54 seconds left in the game.
Now, Lacey sends in her hot-handed veteran point guard, right?
Well... not yet.
Because Lacey has to run a play for your journeyman forward... who she picked up earlier this season when she was waived by the Connecticut Sun and who Lacey waived after a few games with the Mystics, only to re-sign her right before the WNBA All-Star break this past weekend. That would be Kerri Gardin... who averages exactly 1.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game... but who was 1-2 from the field tonight (50%).
Yep... Lacey had to run that play for Kerri Gardin, who was 1-2 from the field... not Kelly Miller, who was 7-9 from the field... so that Kerri could draw a charge and give the ball back to New York... with a 1-point lead and :36 seconds left in the game.
NOW... Lacey puts veteran Kelly Miller back into the game, right?
Nope... not yet.
The Mystics quickly foul New York and send Cappie Pondexter to the freethrow line.
She pushes New York's lead to 2 points... with :09.4 seconds left in the game.
Exciting, huh?!
The Mystics call a 20-second timeout... to send in their veteran point guard and best 3-point shooter, right?
Well... no... not yet.
Instead, Lacey draws-up a play for her rookie point guard to run... to either tie the game or go for the win.
And again, the New York announcers are really bugged-out about why Lacey isn't putting her hot-handed best 3-point-shooting veteran point guard Kelly Miller back into the game in this pressure-packed situation.
And with :04.8 seconds left in the game... Lacey was wondering the same thing herself... when her rookie point guard took the inbound pass, dribbled a couple bounces to her right... AND THREW THE DAMM BALL STRAIGHT OUT OF BOUNDS!
Then... with :03.3 seconds left in the game... after Plenette Pierson pushes the New York lead up to 4 points at the freethrow line... THEN... and only then... does Lacey send her hot-handed veteran point guard Kelly Miller back into the game.
But Kelly Miller does not come in for Jasmine, the rookie point guard.
She comes in for Kerri Gardin... the charger!
Now... in all seriousness... what was the point of putting her best 3-point shooter on the court with :03.3 left in the game... when her team was down by 4 points?!
There's no 4-point shot in basketball!
But if there were, Kelly Miller could've probably hit it... that is... if Lacey's rookie point guard Jasmine Thomas had not dribbled-out the game clock before she even crossed midcourt... never even getting a shot off.
Game Over! New York wins, 75-71.
And I won't even mention that the Mystics were out rebounded by the New York Liberty down the stretch in the 4th quarter.
Maybe that's because the Mystics leading rebounder and the 4th-leading rebounder in the WNBA... Nicky Anosike... spent the last 7:17 of the 4th quarter on the bench.
And the WNBA's 14th-leading scorer and the Mystics' 2nd-leading scorer... Matee Ajavon... went 3-7 from the field tonight... and spent over 11 minutes in the second half... on the bench... alongside her team's best rebounder and best shooter.
Waiter! Check, please!
I'm done with Trudi Lacey... and the Washington Mystics, if they don't get rid of her... at least, on the sidelines.
Trudi, please take some great advise. Give the Mystics a chance to win. Fire yourself!
GMs make "GMs"... good moves.
So, do all of the Mystics players and fans a huge favor and just fire yourself as head coach of the Mystics.
And hire anybody who doesn't think or look like you.
Anybody!
BoBo the Clown... anybody would be an improvement... just so long as it's not YOU!
Even the 6'6" WNBA first-round draft pick Ta'Shia Phillips... who Lacey cut this weekend and who was quickly snatched-up by New York... out-coached Lacey!
Ta'Shia was over on New York's sidelines, running-down to them everything Lacey was going to do before she did it.
What a big mistake Lacey made... waiving Ta'Shia instead of trading Ta'Shia out of the Eastern Conference... so the Mystics wouldn't have to face her 3 or 4 times a year!
And what was that all about, anyway?!
First Lacey waived, at least, 5 solid veteran players to keep 4 shaky rookies... only to trade-away 2 of those rookies!
Now, there's a "GM" for you... a goofy move!
Just like hiring Kerri Gardin after the season started... firing Kerri Gardin a few days later... and hiring her back a few days after that.
Man... just get out your pink slips... and slap one across your chest, Trudi!
And yell, "You're FIRED!"
Posted on: July 26, 2011 12:23 am
Edited on: July 26, 2011 1:06 am
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Can you name the 15 best players ever in the 15-year history of the WNBA?
Well... don't feel bad.
Neither can the WNBA... or its fans!
That's precisely why the WNBA widened the criteria for the selection process to include things like a player's contributions to the community.
Who can remember what a player did in their team's community 15 years ago?
Better yet... who cares?!
Do you think that the NBA cares how many nails that Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson ctually hammered into a Habitat For Humanity house in Chicago or Los Angeles throughout their remarkable careers?!
The 15 best players ever in the NBA are the 15 best players ever... based on what they did on the court!
And this should have been the only criteria that the WNBA should have applied to determine the best players ever in the WNBA's 15-year history.
As a result of the WNBA making a complete mockery of the selection process for this very special honor, the list of the WNBA's 15 Best Players Ever is more about who is not on the list than who made the list... and who was nominated for the list and who should not have been nominated for the list.
Candace Parker... one of the basketball gems out of the Tennessee Lady Vols' jewel box. Ever heard of her?
She was snubbed.
And Candace Parker was the first ever rookie to be selected as the MVP of the WNBA in 2008!
Now... just how do you get to be the best player of the year... in one of the WNBA's 15 years... and not be considered to be one of the WNBA's best 15 players ever?!
Huh?!
And get this!
When the WNBA selected its WNBA All-Decade Team in 2006... both Chamique Holdsclaw and Ruthie Bolton were given Honorable Mentions.
But neither Chamique Holdsclaw nor Ruthie Bolton were selected when the list expanded to the 15 Best Players Ever in the history of the WNBA this year.
How is that?!
They were great enough to be mentioned among the top 10 players in the WNBA ever... and not great enough to be selected among the top 15 best players in the WNBA ever!
Go figure!
Meanwhile, Dawn Staley made the list of the WNBA's Best 15 Players Ever.
And Dawn's only distinction is... 5th all-time in the WNBA in assists. That's all!
Dawn has no WNBA Championships! No MVP awards! No WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards! Not even a selection to the All-WNBA 1st Team... EVER!
And Dawn Staley was not only selected as one of the best players ever in the 15 years of the WNBA... but she was selected to the WNBA's All-Decade Team five years ago!
Why?!
Because she's so cute and cuddly... or the recipient of the Woman One Award for community service back in 2005?!
Aw, give me a break!
Had the WNBA not diluted their criteria for this honor to allow for less than the best players to be considered for this special distinction... the list for the 15 Best Players Ever in the WNBA would have been players who actually earned this distinction... on the basketball court:
Cynthia Cooper, 5'10" guard
All-time leading scorer of WNBA, 4-time WNBA Champion, 4-time MVP WNBA Finals, 2-time WNBA MVP, 4-time All-WNBA 1st Team
Sheryl Swoopes, 6'0" guard
4-time WNBA Champion, 3-time WNBA MVP, 3-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, 5-time All-Wnba 1st Team, 1-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP, 3rd all-time in steals, 10th all-time in points scored, 2-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team, 1 WNBA scoring title
Tina Thompson, 6'2" forward
Most points scored and minutes-played all-time in WNBA, 2nd all-time in field goals made, 3rd all-time in rebounds and 3-pointers made, 4-time WNBA Champion, 3-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 1-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP
Lisa Leslie, 6'6" center
Most rebounds, field goals made and freethrows made all-time in WNBA, 2nd all-time in points scored and blocks, 2-time WNBA Champion, 3-time WNBA MVP, 2-time WNBA Finals MVP, 2-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, 8-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 4-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP, 2-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team, 1-time WNBA leading rebounder, 1st to dunk in WNBA
Lauren Jackson, 6'6" forward/center
5th all-time leading scorer and rebounder in WNBA, 4th all-time in points scored and freethrows made, 3rd all-time in blocks and field goals made, 2-time WNBA Champion, 3-time WNBA MVP, 1-time WNBA Finals MVP, 1-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, 7-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 2-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team, 3 WNBA scoring titles, 1-time WNBA leading rebounder
Tamika Catchings, 6'2" forward
1st all-time in steals in WNBA, 3rd all-time in freethrows made, 6th all-time in points scored and rebounds, 10th all-time leading scorer, 9th all-time in assists and rebounds per game, 8th all-time in 3-pointers made, recorded the 1st and only quintuple-double (25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals and 10 blocks) in a WNBA game, 4-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, WNBA Rookie of the Year, 5-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 6-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team
Diana Taurasi, 6'0" guard/forward
2nd all-time leading scorer in WNBA, 4th all-time in 3-pointers made, 5th all-time in points scored, 2-time WNBA Champion, 1-time WNBA MVP, 1-time WNBA Finals MVP, WNBA Rookie of the Year, 6-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 4 WNBA scoring titles
Katie Smith, 5'11" guard/forward
All-time leader in 3-pointers in WNBA, 2nd all-time in minutes played and freethrows made, 3rd all-time in points scored, 5th all-time in field goals made, 10th all-time in assists, 2-time WNBA Champion, 1-time WNBA Finals MVP, 2-time All-WNBA 1st Team
Yolanda Griffith, 6'3" center
4th all-time in rebounds, 6th all-time in steals and freethrows made, 7th all-time in rebounds per game, 9th all-time in blocks, 15th all-time in points scored, 1-time WNBA Champion, 1-time WNBA MVP, 1-time WNBA Finals MVP, 1-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 1-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team
Candace Parker, 6'4" center
3rd all-time leading rebounder, 8th all-time leading scorer, 1-time WNBA MVP, WNBA Rookie of the Year, 1-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 2-time WNBA leading rebounder
Deanna Nolan, 5'10" guard
3-time WNBA Champion, 1-time WNBA Finals MVP, 2-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 1-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team, 16th all-time in points scored, 22nd all-time leading scorer
Cappie Pondexter, 5'9" guard
4th all-time leading scorer in WNBA, 26th all-time in points scored, 2-time WNBA Champion, 1-time WNBA Finals MVP, 2-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 1-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team
Ticha Penicheiro, 5'11" guard
1st all-time in assists in the WNBA, 2nd all-time in steals, 6th all-time in minutes played, 1-time WNBA Champion, 2-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 1-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team, 1-time WNBA leader in assists, holds WNBA-record 10 steals in one game
Sue Bird, 5'9" guard
2nd all-time in assists in WNBA, 6th all-time in 3-pointers, 19th all-time in points scored, 2-time WNBA Champion, 4-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 1-time WNBA leader in assists
Teresa Weatherspoon, 5'8" guard
4th all-time in assists in WNBA, 2-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
Honorable mentions:
Chamique Holdsclaw, 6'2" forward
8th all-time leading score in WNBA, 9th all-time in points scored, 10th all-time in rebounds, 6th all-time in field goals made, WNBA Rookie of the Year, 1 WNBA scoring title, 2-time WNBA leading rebounder
Cheryl Ford, 6'3" forward/center
2nd all-time leading rebounder in WNBA, 3-time WNBA Champion, WNBA Rookie of the Year, 1-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP, 2-time WNBA leading rebounder
Katie Douglas, 6'0" guard
5th all-time in 3-pointers in WNBA, 8th all-time in steals, 18th all-time in assists, 28th all-time leading scorer, 1-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP, 1-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 3-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team
Taj McWilliams-Franklin, 6'2" forward/center
1st all-time in rebounds, 7th all-time in steals, blocks and field goals made, 5th all-time in minutes played, 12th all-time in points scored, 1-time WNBA Champion
Becky Hammon, 5'7" guard
2nd all-time in 3-pointers in WNBA, 6th all-time in assists, 8th all-time in points scored, 10th all-time in freethrows made, 29th all-time leading scorer, 2-time All-WNBA 1st Team, 1-time WNBA leader in assists
Natalie Williams, 6'2"forward
6th all-time leading rebounder, 29th all-time leading scorer, 3-time All-WNBA 1st Team
DeLisha Milton-Jones, 6'1" forward
5th all-time in steals in WNBA, 7th all-time in minutes played, 8th all-time in rebounds, 9th all-time in field goals made, 11th all-time in points scored, 2-time WNBA Champion
Tangela Smith, 6'4' forward/center
7th all-time in points scored and rebounds; 4th all-time in blocks, field goals made and minutes played; 2-time WNBA Champion
Swin Cash, 6'1" forward
20th all-time in points scored in WNBA, 8th all-time in freethrows made, 3-time WNBA Champion, 2-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP
Nykesha Sales, 6'0" forward
20th all-time scorer in the WNBA, 17th all-time in points scored, 16th all-time in field goals made, 15th all-time in 3-pointers, 11th all-time in steals
Shannon Johnson, 5'7" guard
3rd all-time in assists in WNBA, 9th all-time in steals and freethrows made, 10th all-time in minutes played, 24th all-time in points scored
Tully Bevilaqua, 5'7" guard
4th all-time in steals in the WNBA, 1-time WNBA Champion, 4-time WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team
Margo Dydek, 7'2" center
1st all-time in blocks in WNBA, 9th all-time in rebounds, WNBA record 877 blocks in 323 games
Now... where on this list do you see DAWN STALEY'S name?!
Because Dawn Staley doesn't belong on this list! Neither does Seimone Augustus, Penny Taylor or Ruthie Bolton (to my surprise)!
With that said... here's the actual list of the WNBA's Best 15 Players Ever:
Cynthia Cooper
Tina Thompson
Sheryl Swoopes
Lisa Leslie
Lauren Jackson
Tamika Catchings
Diana Taurasi
Katie Smith
Yolanda Griffith
Cappie Pondexter
Sue Bird
Ticha Penicheiro
Teresa Weatherspoon
Becky Hammon
Dawn Staley
Honorable Mentions:
Candace Parker
Deanna Nolan
Chamique Holdsclaw
Cheryl FordKatie Douglas
Taj McWilliams-Franklin
Natalie Williams
DeLisha Milton-Jones
Tangela Smith
Swin Cash
Shannon Johnson
Penny Taylor
Nykesha Sales
Ruthie Bolton
Seimone Augustus
Con-grat-u-la-tions... to all of the 15 selectees!
Con-do-len-ces... to all of the those who should have been selected as the WNBA's 15 Best Players Ever!
Posted on: July 20, 2011 4:35 pm
Edited on: July 26, 2011 4:20 pm
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All-Star games in any sport... in any league... are supposed to feature the best performers in that sport in that league... gathered together to perform in a single game to the delight of the fans.
It's a twofold occasion... where the players are recognized for their excellence on the field/court of competition... and the league and players show their appreciation to the fans who support their teams. Right?!
Wrong!
Take... for instance... this year's WNBA All-Star Team.
Twenty-two players were selected... 11 from the Eastern Conference and 11 from the Western Conference... 10 starters (five for each conference) selected by the fans and 12 reserves (six for each conference) selected by the WNBA coaches.
Now... you would thinnnnnk that... with only 12 teams in the WNBA and only about 132 players in the league... choosing the best 22 all-around players in the WNBA would be a snap. Right?!
Wrong!
Let's first agree that the best all-around players... the top scorers, the best marksmen, the best rebounders, the best assist-men and the best defenders... would... uh... would headline on our All-Star team. Right?!
Well... maybe... maybe not... if we're talking about the WNBA.
While... yes... 19 of the WNBA's top 23 scorers were selected to the 2011 WNBA All-Stars... the top scorer in the WNBA... Sylvia Fowles of the Chicago Sky... is not even a starter for the Eastern All-Stars... despite also being the WNBA's 3rd-leading rebounder.
In fact... none of the top performers in any of the main statistical categories... points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3-point-shooting... will be starters on either of the two WNBA All-Star squads!
None of them!
Now... how did that happen?!
An All-Star Game where all of the absolute best players in the league are on the bench?!
The WNBA's top scorer (Sylvia Fowles)... top rebounder (Rebekkah Brunson, Minnesota Lynx)... top assist-man (Becky Hammon, San Antonio Silver Stars)... top shot-blocker (Sylvia Fowles)... and leader in steals (Epiphanny Prince, Chicago Sky)... will all be coming off of the bench in this year's WNBA All-Star Game in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, July 23rd.
In fact, television commentators during recent WNBA game broadcasts were openly voicing their hopes that these league-leaders would be selected to the All-Star Team by the WNBA coaches... as reserves!
Meanwhile... the league's top 3-point-shooter didn't even get an invite.
Two of the top ten 3-point-shooters (ranked 5th and 9th) were selected to be All-Stars, instead.
Seven of the league's top 22 rebounders (5 of the top 10 rebounders) were selected to be All-Stars.
Ten out of the top 22 assist-men (9 of the top 10 assist-men) were selected to be All-Stars.
Now, the way I see it... if the 2011 WNBA All-Stars are supposed to be the best all-around players in the league... then the selectees should be the best scorers, rebounders and assist-men in the league.
So, wouldn't it be nice if the WNBA All-Stars actually consisted of all of the players who deserved to be there?
Now... that would be a switch!
Isn't that why the WNBA keeps stats... to determine who the best players are?
So, why don't they use those stats to ensure that more-deserving players are selected to their All-Star Team?
If the WNBA stats were actually used to determine the 2011 All-Stars... the rosters would look more like this:
(The "✔" indicates the players who have been selected for this year's WNBA All-Star Teams. The "✘" indicates the ranked players who were snubbed by this year's WNBA All-Star Teams.)
East
✔Sylvia Fowles, Chicago
(1st in scoring, 3rd in rebounding, 93rd in assists, 1st in blocks, 8th in steals, 1st in double-doubles)
✔Tina Charles, Connecticut
(3rd in scoring, 2nd in rebounding, 78th in assists, 7th in blocks, 57th in steals, 2nd in double-doubles)
✔Cappie Pondexter, New York
(5th in scoring, 37th in rebounding, 6th in assists, 79th in blocks, 8th in steals, 11th in double-doubles)
✔Crystal Langhorne, Washington
(4th in scoring, 9th in rebounding, 47th in assists, 37th in blocks, 23rd in steals, 8th in double-doubles)
✔Epiphanny Prince, Chicago
(6th in scoring, 70th in rebounding, 9th in assists, 28th in blocks, 1st in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✔Tamika Catchings, Indiana
(18th in scoring, 8th in rebounding, 9th in assists, 23rd in blocks, 3rd in steals, 8th in double-doubles)
✔Renee Montgomery, Connecticut
(15th in scoring, 61st in rebounding, 4th in assists, 69th in blocks, 13th in steals, 18th in double-doubles)
✔Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta
(9th in scoring, 28th in rebounding, 42nd in assists, 31st in blocks, 2nd in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✗Matee Ajavon, Washington
(14th in scoring, 82nd in rebounding, 17th in assists, 85th in blocks, 4th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✗Erika De Souza, Atlanta
(30th in scoring, 5th in rebounding, 74th in assists, 3rd in blocks, 30th in steals, 4th in double-doubles)
✗Nicky Anosike, Washington
(37th in scoring, 4th in rebounding, 59th in assists, 11th in blocks, 12th in steals, 5th in double-doubles)
West
✔Candace Parker, Los Angeles
(5th in scoring, 3rd in rebounding, 20th in assists, 9th in blocks, 25th in steals, 5th in double-doubles... prior to her injury)
✔Sue Bird, Seattle
(7th in scoring, 55th in rebounding, 5th in assists, 69th in blocks, 13th in steals, 18th in double-doubles)
✔Becky Hammon, San Antonio
(8th in scoring, 64th in rebounding, 1st in assists, 40th in blocks, 18th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✔Diana Taurasi, Phoenix
(2nd in scoring, 45th in rebounding, 13th in assists, 16th in blocks, 39th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✔Penny Taylor, Phoenix
(11th in scoring, 18th in rebounding, 3rd in assists, 36th in blocks, 5th in steals, 11th in double-doubles)
✗Sophia Young, San Antonio
(13th in scoring, 12th in rebounding, 27th in assists, 28th in blocks, 6th in steals, 11th in double-doubles)
✔Swin Cash, Seattle
(10th in scoring, 14th in rebounding, 26th in assists, 25th in blocks, 20th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✔Rebekkah Brunson, Minnesota
(24th in scoring, 1st in rebounding, 62nd in assists, 31st in blocks, 42nd in steals, 2nd in double-doubles)
✗Candice Dupree, Phoenix
(19th in scoring, 6th in rebounding, 37th in assists, 14th in blocks, 66th in steals, 5th in double-doubles)
✔Danielle Adams, San Antonio
(12th in scoring, 25th in rebounding, 87th in assists, 18th in blocks, 88th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✔Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota
(21st in scoring, 47th in rebounding, 2nd in assists, 85th in blocks, 22nd in steals, 18th in double-doubles)
Alternates
✗Michelle Snow, Chicago
(50th in scoring, 7th in rebounding, 35th in assists, 4th in blocks, 76th in steals, 11th in double-doubles)
✔Courtney Vandersloot, Chicago
(45th in scoring, 86th in rebounding, 7th in assists, 43rd in blocks, 53rd in steals, 18th in double-doubles)
✗Kia Vaughn, New York
(32nd in scoring, 10th in rebounding, 73rd in assists, 11th in blocks, 27th in steals, 11th in double-doubles)
✔Katie Douglas, Indiana
(17th in scoring, 33rd in rebounding, 25th in assists, 60th in blocks, 11th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✗Liz Cambage, Tulsa
(22nd in scoring, 19th in rebounding, 100th in assists, 8th in blocks, 19th in steals, 11th in double-doubles)
✔Maya Moore, Minnesota
(20th in scoring, 25th in rebounding, 23rd in assists, 51st in blocks, 30th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✔Seimone Augustus, Minnesota
(16th in scoring, 34th in rebounding, 45th in assists, 31st in blocks, 29th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✔Essence Carson, New York
(23rd in scoring, 48th in rebounding, 41st in assists, 20th in blocks, 30th in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
✗Danielle Robinson, San Antonio
(52nd in scoring, 89th in rebounding, 8th in assists, 65th in blocks, 42nd in steals, 30th in double-doubles)
So, actually... and stats-ually... five WNBA players made the All-Star Team that should not have been selected... Katie Douglas, Courtney Vandersloot, Essence Carson, Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore.
And four of those players were selected by the WNBA coaches. So, you can't even place the blame on the fans for these bad selections.
The WNBA fans... out of blind adoration... merely voted the WNBA's #1 draft pick, Maya Moore, into the starting lineup for the Western All-Stars... even though they knew that Maya's stats did not support her being selected to the All-Star Team... much less the staring lineup.
But fans are fans. And Maya's selection was understandable... if not expected.
But the coaches... the so-called experts... they snubbed Sophia Young, Candice Dupree, Matee Ajavon, Erika De Souza and Nicky Anosike... five legitimate All-Stars... putting up All-Star-like numbers this season.
What a shame... for these players... and for the WNBA!
Posted on: July 16, 2011 6:18 am
Edited on: July 26, 2011 4:18 pm
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Man... I wish I knew exactly what makes sports fans... like me... cling to their losing teams.
It's not like our teams are going to suddenly fix all of their problems and start winning. Nooooooo!
My favorite WNBA player is Nicky Anosike... who was recently traded to the Washington Mystics. But the Mystics have been plagued by injuries to key players... and are currently 2-9.
And while I've grown extremely fond of the team... I have to admit. It's more than injuries that's plaguing this Mystics team.
Their defense is okay. But their offense is excruciatingly painful to watch.
It's like they don't understand the concept of a basketball going through a rim.
We have point guards and players on the wings who can't seem to make entry passes into the post.
And our pick-and-roll is more like a pick-and-stick.
You see... our idea of attacking the rim is to call it names... as we pick-and-roll across the top of the lane and not down the lane toward the rim.
And God forbid if one of our guards were to set a pick for a post player... to open up a lane to the rim.
And I won't even mention that we're an undersized team with a 6'6" All-American 1st-round-draft-pick-rookie sitting on the bench. But do we substitute her into the game? Noooooooo! We don't get bigger. We get smaller when we sub-in for our post players.
It's as if the Mystics are trying to lose!
I mean... it's kinda deceptive. My Mystics look real good in their red and blue uniforms and Under Armour... like real players.
And when they first step out onto the basketball court... you're kinda duped into the notion that this game will be different from all of the other games that they have lost.
But once that basketball is tossed into the air to start the game... you quickly realize that the best part of the game for you will be timeouts, halftime and in-between quarters. Because those are the only times when the other team can't continue to pound your team's head into the floor.
So, what do you do when your team is P-U?!
You pray. And you hope. And you wait... for your team to flip their fortunes from P-U to U-P... UP!
In the meantime... if you're a Washington Mystics fan like me... YOU-P... every time your team squanders a lead, throws the ball away, subs-out the wrong players, runs out the shot-clock without even getting a shot off, misses a chip-shot, picks-and-sticks, fails to hit the open man or fails to box-out on the boards.
P-U!... at least until their next game.
What can I say?
I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess.
Loyal.
True blue.
A fan.
Posted on: March 5, 2010 10:38 pm
Edited on: March 5, 2010 11:03 pm
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Having spearheaded the movement to run Billy Gillispie's drunken-S out of Kentucky last year, this is a question that I have been ducking all season long in regards to Gillispie's replacement:
Coach John Calipari... is he a snake oil salesman or is he really a snake?
Man... believe me when I say that I am a Kentucky Wildcats fan... all the way back to the Adolph Rupp days when I was a youngster throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
And it certainly is exciting to see the 'Cats not just win but dominate their competition while positioning themselves among the top two or three teams in the country.
That's just frickin' awesome!
But the more I hear and see John Calipari on the radio and on television, the more I feel like something just ain't quite right.
I mean... this man just talks and talks and talks... nonstop... about everything and nothing.
And if you really listen to him, he never ever really speaks his mind. He just tries to say what he thinks people want to hear. It's almost like he's trying to keep you distracted or sell you something.
But why?
There are no more attentive fans than Kentucky Wildcats fans. And no one... not even Calipari... has to sell us on our Wildcats.
So, what is Calipari tap-dancing around about?
It can't be about his shady past as the UMass coach that left the UMass basketball program under investigation.
Kentucky fans knew all about that when we interviewed him to replace Billy Gillispie last year.
It can't be about his questionable recruiting practices at Memphis that drew the investigative eye of the NCAA shortly after he left Memphis this year.
Kentucky's President, Ahtletic Director and Trustees made sure that no incriminating trails in Memphis would lead to Calipari before we hired him as the new Kentucky head coach.
It can't be the countless sports commentators who openly questioned his integrity and loyalty to the programs he has coached under.... claiming that Calipari set these programs up for NCAA violations and left them once they were under investigation.
So what... if Coach Bobby Knight has stated that he thinks Calipari is a snake... who lacks integrity... and who should be held accountable for the programs he has left disheveled.
None of that matters... as long as the Wildcats are winning and are sitting atop of the national rankings.
Or does it?
Does it matter that no one (but the Wildcats faithful) wants to give Calipari credit for breathing life back into the Kentucky basketball program after losing its leading scorer, Jodie Meeks, to the NBA... all in one season?
Does it matter that all of the sports pundits openly challenged the legitimacy of Kentucky's #1 ranking every single time they rose to the top of the polls... even when they were the only undefeated team left in the country?
Does any of this really matter?
No... not really.
It's just that every single time I hear Calipari rattle on and on and on... continuously shifting his eyes from one side of the room to the other... I just can't seem to put my finger on it... but I feel like I'm being sold a bag of goods.
It's almost as if Calipari is like this old charismatic snake oil salesman who rides through town selling a special tonic that he claims will cure every ailment known to man... arthritis, snake bite, whooping cough... all in one single bottle.
And let's just say that Calipari has sold quite a few bottles of snake oil in Bluegrass country... to Wildcats fans.
But if the snake oil that Calipari is selling Wildcats fans is refreshing but cures absolutely nothing... does that mean that Calipari is just a good salesman with a bad product to peddle or does that mean Calipari is really a slithering, slimy snake with bad intentions, preying on the innocent town folks?
What say you?
Coach John Calipari... a harmless snake oil salesman with a gift for gab or a deceitful snake in the grass... just waiting to strike?
Posted on: January 29, 2010 6:11 pm
Edited on: January 29, 2010 6:28 pm
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Sports fans... welcome to the Twilight Zone!
You are about to enter into the woefully-mismanaged front office of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and the locker room of its poorly-coached poorly-selected collection of professional players.
The Bucks are currently 19-25 and 15.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA's Central Division.
I must warn you... as we dissect the Bucks... what you're about to see may nauseate you.
$17,040,000 -- Michael Redd -- 11.9 pts 3.0 rebs 2.2 assists 0.8 turnovers 27.3 minutes 18 games
$10,000,000 -- Andrew Bogut -- 15.9 pts 10.2 rebs 2.13 blocks 2.0 turnovers 32.8 minutes 38 games
$6,749,260 -- Dan Gadzuric -- 2.7 pts 2.8 rebs 0.6 turnovers 9.9 minutes 20 games
$6,500,000 -- Luke Ridnour -- 11.7 pts 1.8 rebs 4.0 assists 1.4 turnovers 22.7 minutes 44 games
$3,800,000 -- Kurt Thomas -- 2.5 pts 3.5 rebs 0.56 blocks 0.8 turnovers 13.4 minutes 36 games
$3,602,960 -- Charlie Bell -- 7.5 pts 2.1 rebs 1.8 assists 0.8 turnovers 26.3 minutes 42 games
$3,500,000 -- Carlos Delfino -- 9.8 pts 4.8 rebs 2.3 assists 1.3 turnovers 26.7 minutes 41 games
$3,000,000 -- Hakim Warrick -- 10.4 pts 4.4 rebs 0.8 assists 1.2 turnovers 21.7 minutes 42 games
$2,583,360 -- Joe Alexander -- 0.0 pts 0.0 rebs 0.0 assists 0.0 turnovers 0.0 minutes 0 games
$2,168,520 -- Brandon Jennings -- 17.8 pts 3.5 rebs 6.3 assists 2.6 turnovers 34.3 minutes 44 games
$2,100,000 -- Ersan Ilyasova -- 10.8 pts 6.7 rebs 1.1 assists 1.0 turnovers 24.0 minutes 34 games
$1,700,000 -- Fransico Elson -- 0.9 pts 1.2 rebs 0.2 assists 0.1 turnovers 5.6 minutes 11 games
$1,350,000 -- Roko Ukic -- 3.1 pts 0.2 rebs 0.9 assists 0.5 turnovers 7.5 minutes 13 games
$736,420 -- Luc Richard Mbah a Moute -- 6.1 pts 4.8 rebs 1.2 assists 1.2 turnovers 26.9 minutes 35 games
$650,000 -- Jodie Meeks -- 4.7 pts 1.7 rebs 0.6 assists 0.6 turnovers 13.0 mintes 34 games
$422,460 -- Jerry Stackhouse -- 6.8 pts 2.8 rebs 2.4 assists 2.4 turnovers 19.2 minutes 5 games
Now... this is the payroll of the Milwaukee Bucks... over $62.5-million per year... and the Bucks' player production.
Over $40-million of Milwaukee's payroll goes to four players... who average 10.5 pts, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 blocks, 1.2 turnovers and 21.2 minutes in 30 games.
These four players average 42 of the Bucks' 98.7 points per game.
So, the Bucks are literally paying about $1-million per point averaged by their highest-paid players... $1-million per point averaged by their biggest contracted players!
Are you kidding me?!
Is this a joke or what?!
This is exactly what drives the price of NBA game tickets through the roof! And it's why the average NBA fan can't afford to bring his family to the game.
Why in the hell is Milwaukee paying $40-million for players nobodyelse wants?!
Hell... Milwaukee's crippled-S Michael Redd ($17,050,000) makes nearly $2-million more than Cleveland's LeBron James ($15,779,912). And LeBron is clearly the greatest player in the league!
How crazy is that?!
And Andrew Bogut... 56th in scoring and 13th in rebounding in the NBA... $10,000,000 per year? Pleeeeaase... he's definitely one of the weakest under-achieving centers in the NBA. What is Milwaukee thinking?!
And without a doubt... Dan Gadzuric is the biggest mistake on Milwaukee's sidelines... and payroll. This guy is getting $6,749,260 per year for what?! 2.7 points and 9.9 minutes per game?!
But in spite of all of this... with 38 games remaining on their schedule... the Bucks have a great chance of making the playoffs... if they play the players who can get them there... the players at the other end of their pay-roster.
Right now, 20-year-old rookie Brandon Jennings leads the team in scoring (17.8), assists (6.3), steals (1.18) and minutes (34) per game.
But rookie Jodie Meeks is another young Buck who can pull Milwaukee into the NBA playoff picture... and make them a legitimate contendor... if he gets the playing time.
Jodie Meeks was a prolific scorer at Kentucky... scoring 52, 48 and 42 points in games last year for the Wildcats.
And in games with the Bucks where Coach Scott Skiles gives Meeks over 20 minutes of playing time, Meeks has averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds and 1.2 assists as a 6'4" shooting guard.
Meeks scored 21 points against Portland (shooting 53% from the field)... 19 points against New York (while shooting 71.4% from the three-point arc, 5-7, and 63.6% from the field, 7-11)... 15 points against San Antonio (shooting 75% from three, 3-4, and 63% from the field, 5-8)... and 12 points against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (shooting 63% from the field, 5-8).
What is this guy doing on the bench?!
Jodie Meeks is a bargain basement Michael Redd! And he's healthy... and ready to play!
So, why isn't he playing?
Probably because Milwaukee has wasted over $40-million this year on four players who... for whatever reason... have not been able to help the team win.
But what's worse for the Milwaukee Bucks... playing all of their big money players and losing... OR... benching some of those big money players and winning?
"I'll take benching the big Bucks for $800, Alex!" (lol) (lol)
The Bucks have to pay the big bucks whether they win or lose. So, why not bench these cash cows and WIN!
Scott Skiles needs to grow a backbone and coach to win... and don't just try to get the team's money's worth.
The Milwaukee Bucks' starting lineup should be:
Brandon Jennings (PG)
Andrew Bogut (C)
Ersan Ilyasova (PF)
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (SF)
-- WITH --
Jodie Meeks (SG)!
Bench Carlos Delfino!
Bench Charlie Bell!
Bring 'em off of the bench... along with Hakim Warrick, Luke Ridnour and Jerry Stackhouse!
Forget about the payroll! Play to win, Scott Skiles!
What the "Buck"! Play Jodie Meeks!
Posted on: December 16, 2009 2:50 am
Edited on: December 16, 2009 2:52 am
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Yes... Tiger Woods had numerous affairs with single, beautiful women all over the world!
Yes... Tiger Woods cheated on his wife... and probably caused irreparable damage to his marriage!
But unless Tiger was endorsing marital fidelity...
Or unless Tiger had contracted-out the exclusive rights to his genitalia to Accenture, Gillette or AT&T... it's none of their damn business!
Tiger's extra-marital affairs have everything to do with Tiger's wife, Elin... and nothing to do with his petty-S sponsors like Accenture, Gillette and AT&T!
What does Tiger's sex life have to do with him endorsing business consulting, technical support, outsourcing, razors, cell phones and internet service?!
Not a damn thing!
What is Accenture trying to say by dropping Tiger Woods' endorsement deal... that if they continued on with his contract, their customers would think that Tiger's sexual liaisons were his way of "outsourcing" for some bootay?!
And Gillette... with "the best a man can get" as their slogan... what's their beef with Tiger?! Isn't that exactly what Tiger was doing... enjoying "the best a man can get"?!
And AT&T.. forget about 'em! Their leading competitor, Verizon, is slamming AT&T's butt left and right!
AT&T needs to hang on to Tiger Woods as a spokesman. At least Tiger gets better reception in homes all over the world than AT&T's line of second-rate products and services.
Besides... who are bigger pimps than Accenture, Gillette and AT&T in this matter?!
The bottom line is that ALL of Tiger's sponsors have pimped him all over every medium imaginable... television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, brochures, letterhead, t-shirts, caps, shoes, jackets, banners (and all types of signage) and the internet... for sales and exposure for their products and services.
They USED Tiger... not to get into anyone pants... but to get into everyone's homes... and into their wallets.
Tiger made them popular... and very rich.
And now... all of these petty-S sponsors just make me sick!
What do the pimps (Accenture, Gillette and AT&T) look like thumbing their noses at the 'ho (Tiger)?
They look like HYPOCRITES!
And what's more nauseating is that sponsors like Accenture and Gillette -- whose target market is mainly males -- would have the audacity to gasp at Tiger with their hands over their mouths... like little bishes... like no other red-blooded, whisker-growing, businessman would leap at the opportunity to devour any of the beautiful women who practically threw themselves at Tiger Woods in all of his encounters.
Here are all of these sponsors trying to appeal to men... and then they turn right around and seize the first opportunity to publicly emasculate Tiger Woods... one of the biggest male images on the planet.
That's bull!
And men everywhere should communicate that to Accenture, Gillette... and AT&T... by switching over and patronizing their biggest competitors -- IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Capgemini, Deloitte, Ernst & Young... Schick, Wilkinson, Bic, ASRCO (American Safety Razor Company), Merkur, Azor, Dorco, Treet... and Verizon, Sprint Nextel, Qwest, Vodafone.
Since these petty-S, hypocritical, pimping sponsors want to react like bishes... their target market -- MEN -- need to treat them like bishes... and hit 'em where it hurts... in their cute little pocketbooks.
In the meantime... Accenture, Gillette and AT&T can lean over and kiss Tiger's entire furry-S!