[WNBA] Comments that don't warrant their own thread

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Monty'sBiggestFan

Monty'sBiggestFan

Starter
#211
#211
That would explain why owners would get out of their hobbies entirely, not cut off the noses to spite their faces.

If Simon came out and said (like Les Alexander did some years ago)look, I'm tired of losing money, was nice to be part of the W but I'm out. That's fine and understandable given the economic times we're in.

But the cost of doing business should include alotting a line item in your budget for players who get injured. That's not a luxury. That to me is akin to having extra lightbulbs or shot clocks in case one breaks at ARCO. The cost of maintaining two injured players compared to a 25 million loss in the other column is miniscule.

If any owners wants to opt out, I'm cool with that. I suspect there are more than just the Pacers CEO who is hurting (and I do agree that the Maloofs might get the itch in the near term more so than they've been publicly stating). I just object to them killing the product they are putting on the floor and acting like it's a bandaid when it's not.
 
kennadog

kennadog

Dog On It!
#217
#217
Monty'sBiggestFan said:
That would explain why owners would get out of their hobbies entirely, not cut off the noses to spite their faces.

If Simon came out and said (like Les Alexander did some years ago)look, I'm tired of losing money, was nice to be part of the W but I'm out. That's fine and understandable given the economic times we're in.

But the cost of doing business should include alotting a line item in your budget for players who get injured. That's not a luxury. That to me is akin to having extra lightbulbs or shot clocks in case one breaks at ARCO. The cost of maintaining two injured players compared to a 25 million loss in the other column is miniscule.

If any owners wants to opt out, I'm cool with that. I suspect there are more than just the Pacers CEO who is hurting (and I do agree that the Maloofs might get the itch in the near term more so than they've been publicly stating). I just object to them killing the product they are putting on the floor and acting like it's a bandaid when it's not.
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I might agree with the idea of it being smart to have the extra players, but even things once seemed to be "necessities" have been turned into "luxuries" by the economic times. This is going to be a really tough time for the WNBA. If they can manage to get through this economic upheavel, then I think they can survive as a league. Right now, though, I wouldn't bet my retirement on it. Of course, I'm losing that as fast as I can save it anyway. :(
 
Monty'sBiggestFan

Monty'sBiggestFan

Starter
#218
#218
Kim Smith and Charel Allen are luxuries to me. I'm cool with the reduction of the rosters to 11 active and no designation of inactive. What seems to me to be the cost of doing business and what can definitely affect the product on the floor that people are paying to see is not having roster spot for injured players. If the choice was merely the former I would be applauding it right now, but they chose to not have the latter which to me is just short-sighted.

Having the players stay in 5 star hotels on the road, allowing some of them to have single rooms is a luxury that I'd have been cool to see them cut back on. Subsidizing player local transportation and housing is another area they could have cut too if things are tight. Which I suspect over time might add up to or surpass the saving they get from possibly having to ax a starter in order to not kill the remaining players on the roster in the event they have injuries.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to be working until I'm 100 with the hit my 401k has been taking. I had to look at my most recent statement out of necessity or else I would have ignored it for the sake of my sanity.

Yeah, the writer might have meant Shock, but last year everybody seemed to spell it S.T.O.R.M. so, I guess the first five letters are silent in that iteration. ;)
 
NothinButHoops

NothinButHoops

Starter
#219
#219
Quiet Storm, got real quiet after they were eleminated by LA.
Now LA is gonna try and buy a championship, Loading up on talent, but will they have chemistry? Then there's the Beast in the East...Lambiers ''Shock''
Can the Monarchs rise above the fray & become the Champions once more? Spoilers no doubt.;)
 
creative one

creative one

Bench
#220
#220
LA's not going anywhere until they make a major upgrade at starting PG and do something about their lack of diversity in their offense. Won't be able to just "get it to Candace and get the heck of the way" this year. Detroit has a roster most GMs can only dream of, and their chemistry is pretty good. We need 11 players who can contribute equally on BOTH sides of the ball. No projects, no developmental players, no "defensive specialists" or "spot up shooters"...just real pros.
 
creative one

creative one

Bench
#221
#221
Monty'sBiggestFan said:
Having the players stay in 5 star hotels on the road, allowing some of them to have single rooms is a luxury that I'd have been cool to see them cut back on. Subsidizing player local transportation and housing is another area they could have cut too if things are tight. Which I suspect over time might add up to or surpass the saving they get from possibly having to ax a starter in order to not kill the remaining players on the roster in the event they have injuries.
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That's why I question the motives of the WNBPA. It seems to me that they're willing to risk the future of the league just so the top players can have luxuries that they don't really deserve. Even with the Leslies, the Taurasis, the Nolans, etc., this league isn't ever going to do anything other than come close to breaking even. Ticket sales/attendance aren't increasing fast enough to offset operating costs, fewer young basketball players are following the WNBA today than ten years ago, and teams are folding/threatening to fold left and right.

Reducing the rosters to 11 people across the board does NOT improve the level of play. "Stacking rosters" is just that--adding more "name players" to a team. It does not protect against bad chemistry, injury, coaching fallacies, etc. Like Seattle proved last year, it does not even ensure that a team will make it to the second round of the playoffs. Indiana wasn't exactly a world beater when it traded away the #12 pick in 2008 for Katie Douglas, though most of us would look on paper and agree that Katie Douglas is a MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH better player than Ketia Swanier (who wound up being drafted by the Sun).

What it does do, however, is place a team in a bind should a major injury or two to major players occur. Players get injured every season, and women are more susceptible to ACL tears than men. Women also run the risk of unplanned pregnancies. How can ANYONE at the WNBA headquarters think this is a good idea? This league lacks so much foresight.
 
Monty'sBiggestFan

Monty'sBiggestFan

Starter
#222
#222
The WNBPA is probably still getting advice from Billy Hunter, who has to be the weakest and most short-sightedest head of a players' union in all of the major sports...well, slightly ahead of whoever runs the hockey players' union.
 
S

samq

Prospect
#223
#223
I have doubts that LA would even be better than last year. Will Candace even play? If so, she won't be in great shape and no where near as good as she was last year. And Tina isn't better than Parker. Leslie was already declining, and I don't see her getting any better than last season.
 
Monty'sBiggestFan

Monty'sBiggestFan

Starter
#224
#224
I would go along with the notion that LA 2009 isn't much better than LA 2008 on paper right now because of the oft, aforementioned point guard problem. With the shortened bench, Cooper will actually have to decide on one and stick with them.

Tina not better than Parker...well, I'm not sure I'd go that far. She's a different player altogether. What she will do however, is make you have to guard her outside...unlike Milton-Jones, Leslie and Parker. I think her impact would be FAR greater if DMJ were out of the picture, specifically the starting line-up picture. I think having them on the floor together neutralizes a lot of what makes Thompson so dangerous. Maybe they'll actually complement each other, but it's striking me a different way right now.
 
creative one

creative one

Bench
#225
#225
Cooper's "PG problem" wasn't that he couldn't decide on one. His problem was that the PGs on his roster sucked so bad at the worst time...during the actual games!!!!!! I'm sure it's quite difficult going up against opponents who are six or more inches taller than yourself when you're used to facing a fellow midget in practice. Furthermore, LA fell victim to Kiesha Brown's typical act. She plays well enough to make a starting day roster and then plays awful for the rest of her time. I remember Minnesota cutting her three games into the 2007 season just for that.

Those guards must've been All-WNBA during preseason tryouts because chances are that only one of the three would actually make a non-Sparks 2009 roster (that being Temeka Johnson...and that's only based on her current success in Israel and what little success she had as a rookie). I also wouldn't be suprised to see all three out of the league this summer.
 
StevenHW

StevenHW

Starter
#226
#226
creative one said:
...Reducing the rosters to 11 people across the board does NOT improve the level of play. "Stacking rosters" is just that--adding more "name players" to a team. It does not protect against bad chemistry, injury, coaching fallacies, etc. Like Seattle proved last year, it does not even ensure that a team will make it to the second round of the playoffs...
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I agree. "Roster stacking" sounds more like something a rotisserie league participant would do, or someone who is only focused on having big-star names to a team. Which is not unlike some Major League Baseball teams do, namely the N.Y. Yankees.


creative one said:
...Indiana wasn't exactly a world beater when it traded away the #12 pick in 2008 for Katie Douglas, though most of us would look on paper and agree that Katie Douglas is a MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH better player than Ketia Swanier (who wound up being drafted by the Sun)...
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IIRC, the Indiana Fever also traded Tamika Whitmore and the #12 pick to the Sun, in exchange for Katie Douglas.

From the WNBA 2008 Transactions Page:
February 19
The Connecticut Sun traded Katie Douglas to the Indiana Fever for Tamika Whitmore, the 12th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft and the rights to Jessica Foley.
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StevenHW

StevenHW

Starter
#228
#228
Bill Davidson, the owner of the Detroit Shock WNBA team, as well as the Pistons NBA team, has passed away last Friday. He was 86.

He also owned the Tampa Bay Lightning team in the NHL, until he sold them last year.

IIRC, all of his sports teams won their respective championships within a nine-month period, from late 2003 to mid-2004! Talk about a lucky streak!

http://www.wnba.com/news/davidson_090314.html
 
creative one

creative one

Bench
#232
#232
This league has become a sad joke in terms of recycling personnel (players and coaches). Who in the HELL would want to hire Trudi Lacey given her utter incompetence?
 
Monty'sBiggestFan

Monty'sBiggestFan

Starter
#234
#234
They brought Linda Hargrove on board once upon a time....so why not Lacey?:rolleyes:

I look at it this way...if she gets bumped to the front office, we're one step closer to the Beard/Currie for a third round pick package...;)
 
StevenHW

StevenHW

Starter
#238
#238
Purple Reign said:
Let me in on the joke, what is so bad about Trudi Lacey. Didn't she lead the Charlotte franchise to the WNBA Finals one year:confused:
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Anne Donovan was the head coach of the Charlotte Sting at the time (2001 season). Trudi was then an assistant for the Sting.

I am also puzzled by this hire of Trudi, unless she was the first person either the Mystics owner (Sheila Johnson) or their new G.M. (Angela Taylor) contacted. :confused:

Oh, well. It's the Mystics' problem, not the Monarchs'! :)

Even though Vanessa Nygaard will still remain with the Mystics as a scout, I have no idea why she left her assistant coaching job unless it was for family reasons, or a coaching opportunity in college. (BTW, the Oregon Ducks are looking for a head coach)
 
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