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Luuuc
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PostPosted: 10/05/17 8:18 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Michelle89 wrote:
Sparks would be foolish to let Lavender go IMO. She had 1 off season. She stayed with the Sparks last year even though she could of gotten a bigger role and more minutes on another team. Like i said before she is more of a PF then a center. So going after a center like Swords is a good idea. Agler likes pick&roll action where Swords can come in handy.

I think Tolo might return next season, and she is better than Swords anyway.



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ClayK



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 10:37 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

L.A.'s major problem in this series was Sylvia Fowles, the deserved MVP. There are really only a couple of players in the world who can contend with Fowles, and though Nneka is a great player, she's a power forward and is simply overmatched in size and strength by Fowles. Parker is tall enough, but not strong enough.

Kelsey Bone is listed as 6-4, and Fowles is listed as 6-6, so she too would be at a disadvantage -- and more important, she's not better than Parker or Ogwumike and there's no real way to get her on the floor without removing one of L.A.'s elite talents.

Yes, Brunson played great, but if L.A. didn't have to contend with Fowles, they could control Brunson -- but dealing with both as energized as they were is all but impossible.

Kiah Stokes is listed as 6-3, and brings no more to the table against Fowles than Ogwumike, and Chiney has the same issues as her older sister.

In short, there's no magic wand that L.A. can wave if Brunson and Fowles continue to play at the high level they operated on in games four and five. Defense doesn't end until the rebound is secured, and with Brunson and Fowles consistently extending possessions, Minnesota has more chances to score.

When asked, Lobo suggested having the guards rebound more, but she had to say something, and it's not going to help much having a 5-8 player look up while Brunson skies for another rebound or Fowles pushes her out of the way.

Better three-point shooting would be nice, but that has to be coupled with quality defense, and there's no one available who can do both (Sugar Rodgers is not the answer).

Minnesota won because the Lynx are the better team right now -- whether they'll continue to be the better team when they're all a year older is another question, however.



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Nixtreefan



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 12:03 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

If Chiney is willing to come off the bench that would be good for us in getting rid of some dead wood. Agler likes smart players, problem is you don't really find out who that is until you have them in camp.


Shades



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 12:38 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Nneka has shown a penchant for shooting from distance. Could that be a sign she's ready to move out of the trenches and onto the perimeter? Even though Chiney is a little slight compared to Nneka, if she doesn't have that same penchant for shooting from distance, maybe it'd work out with them all on the floor at the same time, probably then when Lavender was a starter.

Gray/Sims
Beard/Carson
NOg/
COg/
Parker/Tolo

That'd be a pretty formidable starting 5. NOg and COg could swap defensively, so no need for nitpicking.

Isn't it interesting that we talk about a Chiney trade to the Sparks like it already has happened? Smile



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Last edited by Shades on 10/05/17 12:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
justintyme



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 12:41 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

There is talk that Bonner and Dupree are working with their agent to try and find a way/place for them to be able to play on the same team together. Could Lavender and Williams and perhaps #11 be used to bring them to LA together?



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Shades



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 12:49 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

justintyme wrote:
There is talk that Bonner and Dupree are working with their agent to try and find a way/place for them to be able to play on the same team together. Could Lavender and Williams and perhaps #11 be used to bring them to LA together?


Doesn't sound like enough. How would you divvy it up? Lavender for Dupree and RWilliams & #11 for Bonner?



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justintyme



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 12:53 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

ClayK wrote:
Minnesota won because the Lynx are the better team right now -- whether they'll continue to be the better team when they're all a year older is another question, however.

As much as I love the Lynx, I don't buy that right now. Let's put it this way, the Lynx won because they were the better team over this series, and specifically in games 4 and 5.

Against the Lynx, the Sparks have to be able to hit their shots, which is what neutralizes some of that rebounding (and paces them with a team that is likely to get multiple looks on many possessions). But the Sparks already are a team that's very capable of hitting those shots, especially from 3. If they had hit on some of those open looks, they could have easily won this game and this series. I think these two teams were basically evenly matched right now and this series came down to those 50/50 plays and hitting the critical shots at the right moment.

So I agree, trying to find that magical player that could neutralize Fowles (when even Griner couldn't do it), is probably a bit of a fools errand. Better to accept that she is going to do what she does and find a way to mitigate that effect on the overall game. Add in other key places, instead of directly at her.



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myrtle



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 12:55 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

justintyme wrote:
There is talk that Bonner and Dupree are working with their agent to try and find a way/place for them to be able to play on the same team together. Could Lavender and Williams and perhaps #11 be used to bring them to LA together?


I think LA would need to give up a little more than that. But I'm not surprised that the two of them want to play together. It sounds like that won't be in Phoenix. But I wouldn't be surprised if Indiana put something together (not including their #1 pick) to get Bonner. It's a stretch to try to get a three way trade...but not impossible. A lot of teams would be interested in trying though. I think that could be a thread on it's own. Let j-spoon come up with some possibles. Wink



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justintyme



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 1:00 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Shades wrote:
justintyme wrote:
There is talk that Bonner and Dupree are working with their agent to try and find a way/place for them to be able to play on the same team together. Could Lavender and Williams and perhaps #11 be used to bring them to LA together?


Doesn't sound like enough. How would you divvy it up? Lavender for Dupree and RWilliams & #11 for Bonner?

What is Dupree's contract situation right now?

But supposing she is still under contract, with Indiana in full on rebuild mode right now, I can't imagine that they are super attached to Dupree. I would think that a #11 might be enough.

And if Bonner is committed to playing with her, it might be one of those things where a team just has to take what they can get.



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PRballer



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 1:39 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

justintyme wrote:
ClayK wrote:
Minnesota won because the Lynx are the better team right now -- whether they'll continue to be the better team when they're all a year older is another question, however.

As much as I love the Lynx, I don't buy that right now. Let's put it this way, the Lynx won because they were the better team over this series, and specifically in games 4 and 5.

Against the Lynx, the Sparks have to be able to hit their shots, which is what neutralizes some of that rebounding (and paces them with a team that is likely to get multiple looks on many possessions). But the Sparks already are a team that's very capable of hitting those shots, especially from 3. If they had hit on some of those open looks, they could have easily won this game and this series. I think these two teams were basically evenly matched right now and this series came down to those 50/50 plays and hitting the critical shots at the right moment.

So I agree, trying to find that magical player that could neutralize Fowles (when even Griner couldn't do it), is probably a bit of a fools errand. Better to accept that she is going to do what she does and find a way to mitigate that effect on the overall game. Add in other key places, instead of directly at her.


Shooting. I think you hit the nail on the head. The Sparks guards were their advantage but no one (including the forwards) got hot or could hit consistent outside shots. As Clay said, this is a game of buckets and more baskets. You have to shoot well to win and the Sparks couldn't get their open shots down for whatever reason. The focus and energy in the post for the Lynx was the deciding factor but if the Sparks had gotten hot from the field or at least consistent in the last two games, it would have been a different outcome.

Kudos to the Lynx - they played better and deserved to win.

Sparks need more bench and size to contain players like Fowles.


Shades



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 2:08 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

The Sparks also couldn't miss in Game 1, smacked MIN in the mouth with a 26 pt lead in the first quarter, and they still ended up needing a game-winning shot to secure that game. And nobody seemed to see that as sign of how this series would turn out.



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myrtle



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 2:15 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

justintyme wrote:


But supposing she is still under contract, with Indiana in full on rebuild mode right now, I can't imagine that they are super attached to Dupree. I would think that a #11 might be enough.



um, no.
But I do agree that Phoenix may be stuck with what they can get. I think Bonner doesn't want to do that to them...but she has a family to think about, which is a pretty good excuse for demanding a trade.



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Hoops9092



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 2:36 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

LA needs an offensive play maker at the 3 spot.


justintyme



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 3:17 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

myrtle wrote:
justintyme wrote:


But supposing she is still under contract, with Indiana in full on rebuild mode right now, I can't imagine that they are super attached to Dupree. I would think that a #11 might be enough.



um, no.
But I do agree that Phoenix may be stuck with what they can get. I think Bonner doesn't want to do that to them...but she has a family to think about, which is a pretty good excuse for demanding a trade.

Well I think you think higher of Dupree than I do. I would think for a rebuilding team the #11 in a very deep draft would have more value than an over-her-prime post who is best served as a role player coming off the bench. The type of player that could have great value to a team like LA.



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lynxmania



Joined: 18 Feb 2011
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PostPosted: 10/05/17 3:34 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

We pretty much dared LA to shoot from the outside and they ultimately couldn't. So if they could get an offensive 3, that would be ideal. Then I would look for a post player.

But a lot depends on Beard. If she retires or not. I think she could play more but losing her would be tough to replace.

Lavender needs to have a bounce back year in 2018. She ha gotten way too comfortable out on the perimeter doing nothing.

But I expect them to be fine and most likely return to the Finals next year.


ClayK



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 4:15 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I think the three-point shooting issues weren't that surprising given the way Minnesota defended. They worked hard to keep Gray from getting open looks with that low release; they ran Sims off the arc; Lavender always has her foot on the line; and Carson, et al., are simply not consistent shooters.

Parker had several good looks that didn't go in, and that was important, no question, but she still was nine of 37, which isn't horrible.

I don't know that LA could have reasonably expected to shoot a lot better from three than they did (Sims was 19% during the season, for example), as with Fowles to protect the rim it was a lot easier for Lynx defenders to close out on perimeter shooters than when playing Indiana, say.

But it wouldn't have taken many, of course, and if Riquna Williams could have made a couple, or Nneka, the series changes. But counting on that to beat Minnesota doesn't seem like a solid plan -- it's more like hope.



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Libra_Girl



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 6:07 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

blaase22 wrote:
jewelsongs wrote:
We need home town refs like the Lynx have.
you got them last year with that fake Nneka basket! Stay salty LOL
Give it a break that wasn't why Lynx lost Rolling Eyes


blaase22



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 6:46 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Libra_Girl wrote:
blaase22 wrote:
jewelsongs wrote:
We need home town refs like the Lynx have.
you got them last year with that fake Nneka basket! Stay salty LOL
Give it a break that wasn't why Lynx lost Rolling Eyes


They lost by 1 point so yes those two FAKE points by Nneka is why the Lynx lost.


blaase22



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 6:48 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Hoops9092 wrote:
LA needs an offensive play maker at the 3 spot.

Tulsa might have some available.


ClayK



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 7:00 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

blaase22 wrote:
Libra_Girl wrote:
blaase22 wrote:
jewelsongs wrote:
We need home town refs like the Lynx have.
you got them last year with that fake Nneka basket! Stay salty LOL
Give it a break that wasn't why Lynx lost Rolling Eyes


They lost by 1 point so yes those two FAKE points by Nneka is why the Lynx lost.


Of course there were no other questionable calls during the entire game, nor did the Lynx make a single mistake that might have cost them a point.

It was only that call, just that call, and nothing else in the 40 minutes of game play.



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patsweetpat



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 7:04 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

ClayK wrote:
I don't know that LA could have reasonably expected to shoot a lot better from three than they did...


Personally, I think the Sparks could've reasonably hoped for better than 22.7% and 11.1%, which is what they shot from the perimeter in Games 4 & 5. And Candace Parker (who shot 35.4% from 3 this season) probably hoped for a more productive showing than the 1-for-10 she converted in those two games. Ditto Chelsea Grey, who shot 50.7% from the arc this season, but went 0-for-7 in those last two games.

But that's just how the cookie crumbled this time 'round. Like you say, it's a make-or-miss game.


Libra_Girl



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 7:19 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

blaase22 wrote:
Libra_Girl wrote:
blaase22 wrote:
jewelsongs wrote:
We need home town refs like the Lynx have.
you got them last year with that fake Nneka basket! Stay salty LOL
Give it a break that wasn't why Lynx lost Rolling Eyes


They lost by 1 point so yes those two FAKE points by Nneka is why the Lynx lost.
Yeah a fake basket that occurred at 1:14 made Brunson miss a fta, made Fowles Maya Brunson all defend Nneka giving CP a red carpet to the basket let Maya allow Nneka to get under the basket for rebound that led to a game winner you're right those refs robbed the Lynx you can't be serious.


myrtle



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 8:13 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

ClayK wrote:
blaase22 wrote:
Libra_Girl wrote:
blaase22 wrote:
jewelsongs wrote:
We need home town refs like the Lynx have.
you got them last year with that fake Nneka basket! Stay salty LOL
Give it a break that wasn't why Lynx lost Rolling Eyes


They lost by 1 point so yes those two FAKE points by Nneka is why the Lynx lost.


Of course there were no other questionable calls during the entire game, nor did the Lynx make a single mistake that might have cost them a point.

It was only that call, just that call, and nothing else in the 40 minutes of game play.


Or in the previous game that Lynx fans like to forget...



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J-Spoon



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PostPosted: 10/05/17 9:26 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

OK my more realistic take on what LA should do,
Convince Beard to stay. Replace Carson with UFA Christmas or bring back J. O'hea both decent defenders with 3 point shots. Draft Vadeeva at #11 get her to show, get Tolo to return, move Lavender to the PF spot. Use you're 2nd round pick on a back PG (B. McCarty, L. Harper, the tiny PG at Miss St who killed UConn) who will really plays behind Gray and Sims so actually be the back up/back up PG who barely get off the bench but gives you another cheap contract.

Gray/2nd round pick
Sims/R. Williams/Weiss
Beard/Christmas or O'Hea
Parker/Lavender
N. Ogwumike/Tolo/Vadeeva


basketballologist



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PostPosted: 10/06/17 2:35 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

1. Re-sign Alana Beard and Essence Carson
2. Trade Riquna Williams to a team that need instant offense for a second round pick.
3. Sign Kelsey Bone
4. Bring back Ana Dabovic and Mariana Tolo
5. Sign Tori Jankoska to a training camp contract

2018 Training Camp Roster
1. Alana Beard
2. Kelsey Bone
3. Ana Dabovic
4. Chelsea Gray
5. Tori Jankoska
6. Jantel Lavender
7. Nneka Ogwumike
8. Jenna O'Hea
9. Candace Parker
10. Odyssey Sims
11. Mariana Tolo
12. Sydney Wiese.
13. 1st round draft pick (point guard preferably)
14. 2nd round draft pick
15. 2nd round draft pick (via R. Williams trade)


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