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mavcarter #NATC
Joined: 02 Sep 2010 Posts: 5935 Location: Chicago
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miller40
Joined: 29 Jun 2006 Posts: 1334
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Posted: 05/23/19 11:04 am ::: |
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Nm, I’m going to try to be positive this season... at least to start out.
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009 Posts: 12538 Location: Dallas , Texas
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11150
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Posted: 05/23/19 3:07 pm ::: |
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root_thing wrote: |
PUmatty wrote: |
ClayK wrote: |
And incidentally, a powerful argument against expansion. |
Disagree. There will always be marginal players at the bottom of rosters. There is in every league. The real question for expansion is whether there is enough top-flight talent at the top of rosters to distribute across another team or two. |
It's all relative. When the NHL only had six teams, there were "bad" players. When the NBA only had 12 teams, there were "bad" players. If you expand the WNBA, the offensive skill will be diluted but so will the defensive skill. After a while, the play reaches equilibrium. |
True ... but at what level will that equilibrium be? The quality of the product is directly related to the amount of talent on each roster, and there's only so much talent to go around.
My contention remains that expansion would create more mediocre teams playing a lesser brand of basketball than the one that the WNBA presently has on offer. And I don't think a lesser brand of basketball helps the WNBA or women's basketball in the slightest.
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 24356 Location: London
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Posted: 05/23/19 3:15 pm ::: |
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ClayK wrote: |
root_thing wrote: |
PUmatty wrote: |
ClayK wrote: |
And incidentally, a powerful argument against expansion. |
Disagree. There will always be marginal players at the bottom of rosters. There is in every league. The real question for expansion is whether there is enough top-flight talent at the top of rosters to distribute across another team or two. |
It's all relative. When the NHL only had six teams, there were "bad" players. When the NBA only had 12 teams, there were "bad" players. If you expand the WNBA, the offensive skill will be diluted but so will the defensive skill. After a while, the play reaches equilibrium. |
True ... but at what level will that equilibrium be? The quality of the product is directly related to the amount of talent on each roster, and there's only so much talent to go around.
My contention remains that expansion would create more mediocre teams playing a lesser brand of basketball than the one that the WNBA presently has on offer. And I don't think a lesser brand of basketball helps the WNBA or women's basketball in the slightest. |
You're also the one who often points out that interest in the league is driven in key part by having a team nearby. Expand and you're adding extra markets, and people who have a reason to follow the league because there's a local team to support. |
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 7365 Location: Underground
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Posted: 05/23/19 8:35 pm ::: |
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ClayK wrote: |
True ... but at what level will that equilibrium be? The quality of the product is directly related to the amount of talent on each roster, and there's only so much talent to go around.
My contention remains that expansion would create more mediocre teams playing a lesser brand of basketball than the one that the WNBA presently has on offer. And I don't think a lesser brand of basketball helps the WNBA or women's basketball in the slightest. |
Do you feel that the men's game is too mediocre? There are 450 NBA roster spots versus 144 for the WNBA. Are there really more than 3 times as many good male players than there are female players? If you added two WNBA teams, that would only raise the roster spots to 168 -- still only 37% of the men.
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NYSports56
Joined: 03 Jul 2018 Posts: 1126 Location: New Jersey, USA
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Posted: 05/23/19 8:52 pm ::: |
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root_thing wrote: |
There are 450 NBA roster spots versus 144 for the WNBA. Are there really more than 3 times as many good male players than there are female players? |
Could be. If you're almost good enough to get into the NBA, there are a lot more incentives to focus on and continue with basketball than there are for someone in a similar situation with a lower paying league like the WNBA. Also, I assume there is a higher percentage of the world's best women players playing elsewhere than you will find with the men.
Regardless of the numbers, if you expand, the quality of the game will go down. I'm not sure that's what the WNBA needs when it comes to attracting new fans.
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007 Posts: 7365 Location: Underground
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 9628
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11150
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Posted: 05/24/19 10:32 pm ::: |
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First, the pool of female athletes is smaller than the pool of male athletes, for whatever reason.
Second, male athletes focus on a few major sports, because of the money involved. Elite female athletes are much more spread out -- playing soccer, water polo, etc.
Third, for whatever reason, fewer females like contact sports than males -- thus the popularity of volleyball for females relative to males.
As for the quality of play issue, if you think fans are basically dumb people who don't notice athleticism and skill level, then it wouldn't make any difference. If you feel fans watch the games and can tell the difference between a good player and average player, then quality of play does make a difference. (If quality of play was not a factor, then elite leagues (baseball, basketball, etc.) would have no reason to be more popular than amateur leagues.)
Expansion would create more pockets of fans, but the question would be how big those pockets would be given a drop in quality of play, and how much interest would be affected in areas without teams.
Of course, if four groups wanted to have WNBA teams next year, there would be immediate expansion. It's not really a question of available talent, but of available owners.
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22474 Location: NJ
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Posted: 05/25/19 4:22 pm ::: |
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Fever waive Asia Taylor & sign Kennedy Burke.
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 16359 Location: Chicago
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Posted: 05/25/19 4:27 pm ::: |
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toad455 wrote: |
Fever waive Asia Taylor & sign Kennedy Burke. |
Makes sense. With Taylor you know what you are going to get - at best 2 points per game. With Burke, that might also be what you get, but you might get more.
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 63780
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Posted: 05/25/19 4:28 pm ::: |
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toad455 wrote: |
Fever waive Asia Taylor & sign Kennedy Burke. |
BOOYAH!
_________________ Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned
Last edited by Shades on 05/25/19 4:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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myrtle
Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 32335
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 63780
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Posted: 05/30/19 6:45 pm ::: |
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The Big Change In Indy
https://www.wnba.com/news/inside-the-w-with-michelle-smith-the-big-change-in-indy/
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Chatman knows better than most than having a player of McCowan’s size is a game-changer in the WNBA, that players with similar profiles to McCowan – the likes of Liz Cambage, Brittney Griner and Sylvia Fowles – are among the most dominant players in the league. |
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“It takes some time to grow,” Chatman said. “She is going to be huge for us, literally and figuratively, and she’s only going to get better.”
“It will be a new mindset for her and for every player on the floor. When she is in the game, we are going to do certain things with her, because they are effective. But that’s not all she can do.” |
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“Her immediate impact at the defensive end will be more than the offensive end,” Chatman said. |
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“I don’t have to be a 20-20 player right way, it’s probably not going to happen as a rookie, but I’m going to work toward it every day,” McCowan said. |
_________________ Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 63780
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22474 Location: NJ
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miller40
Joined: 29 Jun 2006 Posts: 1334
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Posted: 06/25/19 6:18 am ::: |
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Or the fairgrounds. They played a preseason game there a few seasons ago. It’s as terrible as it sounds.
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11150
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Posted: 06/25/19 11:04 am ::: |
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"At least the next two seasons" ...
How about an expanded Pacers' practice facility?
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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CamrnCrz1974
Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Posts: 18371 Location: Phoenix
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miller40
Joined: 29 Jun 2006 Posts: 1334
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 66922 Location: Where the action is
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Posted: 07/31/19 7:51 am ::: |
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This is the story of Wheeler’s journey from undrafted free agent to the top of the WNBA
https://www.theringer.com/2019/7/31/20747902/erica-wheeler-wnba-all-star-mvp-indiana-fever
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The summer after graduation, Wheeler didn’t even get an invitation to a WNBA training camp. So she worked at a True Religion clothing store and as a youth counselor at a drug rehabilitation facility in Miami. Later that summer, a friend she had competed against in high school called and said her team in Puerto Rico needed a point guard. She didn’t exactly give a compelling sales pitch: “They’re offering $200 per week. The team is not that good. Come play.” |
_________________ I'm a lonely frog
I ain't got a home
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mavcarter #NATC
Joined: 02 Sep 2010 Posts: 5935 Location: Chicago
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 63780
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Posted: 08/01/19 1:31 pm ::: |
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Teaira McCowan is just scratching the surface of her potential
https://fansided.com/2019/08/01/teaira-mccowan-indiana-fever-interior-defense/
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Her block percentage is already top-10 all-time among rookies who played at least 400 minutes, and her steal percentage is in the top-40 all-time among rookie centers.
In addition, her work on the glass has been extraordinary. Not only is her total rebound percentage the best rookie mark in WNBA history, but it’s also the best single-season mark for any player of any experience level to have played at least 400 minutes. And it’s not just defensive rebounding driving that. She’s been exceptional on the offensive glass and leads the league in second-chance points per 100 possessions by a wide margin. |
_________________ Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned
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BamaEd
Joined: 11 May 2014 Posts: 855 Location: United States
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