RebKell's Junkie Boards

[canadaball]

One problem with WNBA (and NCAA women's) media coverage is the cheerleading aspect. Rarely is heard a critical discussion of anything from draft picks to poor use of end game timeouts.
Some observations: Very often it is not the pick #, but, the team a rookie joins. Consider Lexie Brown (#9) who fills out a Sun roster loaded with veteran guards. What chance does she have to see the light of day playing behind (count 'em) 5 returning guards? I am no fan of Banham, but it is tough to beat out such a previous high pick. Now consider the far luckier Mavunga (#2 pick second round) who gets to join an Indiana team with a woeful front line. Stephanie showed flashes at Ohio State, so she may actually get a chance.
There are some interesting nuances. Given the Sun just picked up big Cayla George from Phoenix, I think that last year's first round pick Brionna Jones (cannot run; cannot jump) is not long for the league.
Consider that Washington, in a minor surprise, chose guard Atkins (can she go right?) with the #7 pick. Coach Mike Thibeau is known as a pretty astute talent evaluator (he chose Whalen as a #4 pick....of course, we will forget Kelsey Griffin as a #3 pick in 2010). Anyway, what makes the Atkins pick interesting is that Thibeau passed on guard Vivians (who went next). His daughter is an assistant at Mississippi State, so it appears the Thibeau family has its doubts.
I realize that the mid second round is a crap shoot, but Atlanta wasting the #4 pick in second round on Kristy Wallace is a joke. The Aussie had a great college season, but her game is quite doubtful for the W, and with a recent ACL tear, who knows when and if she will ever return stateside. I, for one, would go with Rutgers' Tyler Scaife (8th pick second round). The kid comes from a program led by talent supressor C. Viv. Check out the number of her former players who actually improve in the W.
I think it is a fair observation that rookie shooting in the W drops significantly from college #'s. Defenders are bigger, quicker, and stronger plus the 3 point line is further away. With this in mind, I worry about the offensive abilities of both Gabby Williams and Jordin Canada. At least the UConn star brings super athleticism, and will play at the 3-4. If fellow UConn alumnus, Tamika Williams (could not shoot outside 6 feet), could carve out a nice W career, why not the more athletic Gabby? Canada brings more doubts. She is listed at 5'6", but judging by her high heeled pose with diminutive Holly Rowe she might be 5"5. The history of midget WNBA guards is sketchy; of course, there is future Hall of Famer Becky Hammon (given her strong outside game , not comparable to Canada). Helen Darling, interestingly also coached by Dan Hughes, had a build totally the opposite of slender Jordin. Going way back, there was all time unique pest Debbie Black. In the current W, Leilani Mitchell is very similar in size and build to the UCLA rookie. Mitchell has carved out a nice career, but, with limitations at both ends of court, she must be well spotted. Unlike Canada, Leilani is an outside killer 3 point shooter. Interestingly, none of the peanuts have ever won a championship.
On the draft show, much was made of Canada's improved 3 point shooting during her collegiate career (13%-26%-35%-38%). I have watched her play. She just does not seem to be a solid outside threat. She must either gather or shoot with forward momentum to hit from outside. Considering the Pac 10, while fun to watch, is hardly a nexus for tough physical defense, my guess is Canada will be very lucky to hit 25-30% from the longer range WNBA 3 point line. More concerning is her overall field goal % stuck in the low 40's. This is a player who feasted on turning over opponents, piling up lots of layups. My guess is her shooting from 10-15 feet is well below 40%, and can easily project her to fall below 30% in the W.

[calbearman76]

I agree with your concerns about Canada to a degree. She does not have a WNBA outside shot, and at her height it will make little sense for her to attempt many mid-range shots. From an offensive perspective she is going to need to be a facilitator in the half court offense. The one skill she does have, like Becky Hammon, is the ability to drive and draw fouls by pinballing off bigger players. She has a very quick first step, but whether she will be able to use it if she can't hit the outside jumper to keep the defense honest is questionable.

[merlina]

[Shades]

[canadaball]

I guess you are counting newly re-signed veteran Stricklin as a non-guard, but considering at least half her offense is shooting threes, I feel that she eats up some perimeter minutes.
How could I forget WNBA/Phoenix Mercury champion Tomeka Johnson?

[Shades]

[Luuuc]

[pilight]

[Luuuc]

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

Everybody has some hits and misses. I do think Thibault drafts according to system over best player available. Which can hurt you at times, in spite of the Meesseman home run. I think the best coaches draft the best talent and adjust their way of of doing business to the talent.

One of the reasons I liked what the Libs did is because they took the best players available at each of the first two draft positions. It didn't seem like they were trying to fit players into a specific philosophy.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[merlina]

[canadaball]

[quote="Shades"]

[Shades]

[canadaball]

Seems to me Montgomery gets pursued more than dumped. MIN pursued Montgomery in 2015. That worked out well. The Liberty pursued Montgomery for 2016 season, but she stuck with the Lynx. And now ATL pursued Montgomery. Before all that it seemed CON pursued Montgomery as part of the Charles trade.

I think Montgomery will remain in the backup PG role as a better option than Ajavon. Nothing too earth-shattering there. Montgomery lives in ATL and they gave her a multi-year deal.[/quote]

No one denies that Montgomery has talent, but when a player gets traded 3 times in 5 years, and each time, her trade value declines, it is not unfair to conclude that her old teams were not enamored with her play; particularly if one observed how frequently she took inopportune shots, and blew up the offense. As I mentioned, in particular, her final year in Connecticut was atrocious.
Hey, with her talent, it is no surprise that she drew interest (at the right price, of course). I also doubt that Rene has signed with Atlanta for a relatively minor backup role, but admit I am just guessing.

[Shades]

The backup role to me has always suited Montgomery the best... the one-time Sixth Man award winner. And she’s not exactly at the Team USA camp invite level like Clarendon.

_________________
Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned

[Randy]

We will see how Clarendon works out as pg now that Angel is back. Angel doesn't always like PG's running around calling plays that don't start with "give Angel the ball.' I Still wonder if Clarendon is going to be around on opening day.