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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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 Posted: 04/13/17 2:23 am ::: |
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WNBA draft preview: Storm has to do its homework
http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/storm/wnba-draft-preview-storm-has-to-do-its-homework/
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Barring an unlikely draft-day trade, the Storm will make its first selection Thursday with the third pick in the second round — No. 15 overall.
It’ll be just the third time since the WNBA draft began in 2000 that Seattle will not have a first-round pick. |
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“We accessed the draft early on and we didn’t feel like we would be able to get at No. 6, the caliber of player to help us right now,” coach Jenny Boucek said. “We didn’t feel like the value of that pick compared to being able to get a player like Swords.
“Is she the flashiest player in the league? No. But that’s not what we’re looking for. We’re looking for superstar role players to go around the pieces that we have. And we believe she is that.” |
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| “This year takes a lot more work because we’re still believing we can get a player at 15 that can stick. Now the numbers that if you look around the league … the probability of a second-round pick making your team are very low.” |
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However Boucek, described this year’s draft as “not very strong in my opinion,” which adds perspective to the unlikelihood that Seattle will find an impact player Thursday.
“At 15 you got to take the best available player that has the best chance of sticking because the chances of a second-round pick sticking are low,” she said. “If we had our choice, we’d try to find a young perimeter player that we can develop at any spot.
“It’s no secret that we’re looking for a successor to Sue and we may or may not get that at 15. But we’re not going to go for a point guard if there’s a better player that has a better chance of sticking.” |
It's not a bad year for PG/CG
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Shades
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J-Spoon
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| Posted: 04/13/17 2:42 am ::: |
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| Allen to the Storm at 15 would be a good match. Jankoska or Romero could also work if Allen is gone.
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Shades
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| Posted: 04/13/17 3:16 am ::: |
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Lynx hoping to take player in WNBA draft they can develop
http://www.startribune.com/lynx-hoping-to-take-player-in-wnba-draft-they-can-develop/419329954/
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| "Our mind-set right now is on drafting a player that can be developed," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "That's probably the biggest want — someone who can fit, and then have the opportunity to improve because they have intangibles to their game. Maybe not quite there yet, but someone who has shown the aptitude, the desire to get better." |
But you can't develop a player. Don't have "the patience" for it. The only players drafted by the Lynx that are on the team are #1 picks.
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| Because of the veteran-laden roster and the attendant salary cap obligations, the Lynx are expected to carry 11 players this season, instead of the maximum of 12. |
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| Cruz and Janel McCarville likely won't be back. That means the competition for those positions could come down to the team's 2017 draft class, current Lynx reserve Keisha Hampton and Temi Fagbenle, the team's third-round pick last season. |
Wish he added explanations for this.
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| [Fagbenle] was in for a workout with the Lynx this spring and was impressive. |
So why haven't they signed her? Not good enough to not keep their options open.
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Reeve is open to taking either a post or guard. But, in a draft considered guard-heavy, the 12th pick could be a player to groom by a team whose top four guards will average 33 years of age when this season starts. Plus, both Perkins and Montgomery are in the final year of their contracts.
"There could be a hole next year, perhaps, at combo guard," Reeve said. "I could say the same thing in the post behind Brunson and Pierson, being 35-year-olds." |
Perkins might be done? Wouldn't the post behind Brunson be Howard? 
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| The list of guards the Lynx might be interested in — and available at No. 12 — includes Sydney Wiese of Oregon State, Tori Jankoska of Michigan State, Makayla Epps of Kentucky and Brittney Sykes of Syracuse. |
I think this author must have been guided on this list. He's not that invested in women's basketball to know these players.
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| The Lynx will take the best player at either position left when No. 12 comes. |
This has me nervous. I'm not really feeling what they've shown of their draft rankings. If Reeve is making more of these decisions on her own, I'm really nervous. I've seen little that suggests she's good at initial evaluations of talent.
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| Since last season, Reeve has added two assistants with strong teaching credentials. |
Patterson is gone too? Were the previous assistants the reason why draft picks were never developed? I doubt it.
*It's not like Reeve to supply an informative article like this.
*They ran a picture of Jankoska with this article. Coincidence? Head fake?
*Like Laimbeer, Reeve is known for head fakes before the draft or at least not showing her cards too much. This article showed quite a bit of cards, so I'm not sure what to think. Cruz not returning could change the perspective on my Lynx gameplan. Go for BANHAM!
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Shades
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| Posted: 04/13/17 3:35 am ::: |
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McCall ready for her big moment at WNBA Draft
http://www.bakersfield.com/sports/mccall-ready-for-her-big-moment-at-wnba-draft/article_ae5542e8-7eb4-5a49-9370-dc0a38288de5.html
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| “It seems so super-surreal,” McCall said. “I never thought I’d be in this position, but with God’s grace, it’s happening. I just have to look back on all my hard work and say I deserved this moment. It’s a time to smile.” |
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“After the draft, you get a seven-to-10-day period, and then you have a two-week training camp, a week of exhibition games, and then the season (34 games starting May 13),” McCall said.
Several WNBA mock drafts have been published by various websites; in them, McCall goes off the board anywhere from the late first round to the late second round.
McCall said teams have told her she could be a first-round pick. She has received the most interest from the Connecticut Sun, which owns the eighth pick and two of the first four second-round picks |
That could explain why Miller was at the PAC tournament.
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| And the Dallas Wings, who pick third, fourth and 10th in the first round |
That "stretch 5" Williams was talking about! I guess if Miller wants McCall, he'd better take her at #8 before Williams grabs her at #10. Sorry, Fred. Shouldn't have shown your cards.
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| “I haven’t gotten that much interest in Phoenix, because they don’t have a first-round pick,” McCall said. “But that’d absolutely be amazing to play with my sister.” |
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tfan
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| Posted: 04/13/17 3:38 am ::: |
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| The Lynx have won 3 of the last 6 titles and lost a close 5 game series last year. Seems like an over-reaction that both assistants are gone. But expectations are always high when you have 4 National Team members and maybe losing in the finals felt like missing the playoffs to them.
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SportsGuru
Joined: 20 May 2005
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| Posted: 04/13/17 6:35 am ::: |
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| I can say this, there's a lot of bad WNBA Mock Drafts for 2017.
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009
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| Posted: 04/13/17 6:54 am ::: |
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| SportsGuru wrote: |
Here's what I believe is the Mystics wish list for the #6 selection of the 2017 WNBA Draft:
#1 Alaina Coates
#2 Brionna Jones
#3 Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
The most likely #6 selection for the Mystics will be Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. |
What about Coffey ? They could use her at 6 also
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SportsGuru
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| Posted: 04/13/17 7:12 am ::: |
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| WNBA 09 wrote: |
| SportsGuru wrote: |
Here's what I believe is the Mystics wish list for the #6 selection of the 2017 WNBA Draft:
#1 Alaina Coates
#2 Brionna Jones
#3 Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
The most likely #6 selection for the Mystics will be Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. |
What about Coffey ? They could use her at 6 also |
Reading the Washington Post and Bullets Forever website, Mike Thibault probably will react to what happens with the selections ahead of #6. It seems Thibault wants a combo player that can play more then one position if a post player he wants isn't available when the 6th selection is call. I wouldn't be shock if Thibault trades up or down.
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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| Posted: 04/13/17 7:22 am ::: |
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Assuming no trades...
1 San Antonio Kelsey Plum
2 Chicago Nia Coffey
3 Dallas Brionna Jones
4 Dallas Allisha Gray
5 San Antonio Alaina Coates
6 Washington Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
7 Atlanta Chantel Osahor
8 Connecticut Kaela Davis
9 Chicago Alexis Peterson
10 Dallas Alexis Jones
11 Los Angeles Sydney Wiese
12 Minnesota Brittney Sykes
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007
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| Posted: 04/13/17 8:57 am ::: |
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Three comments on my mock draft:
1) I feel Osahor is worthy of a first round pick based on performance. However, I still think a lot of coaches will be wary of a player who can't practice. It affects rhythm and team chemistry when running sets on offense or rotating on defense. It also means giving special treatment to a rookie that you don't offer to veterans. Most coaches are conservative, and situations like this take them out of their comfort zone.
2) I freely admit to not knowing what to do with Tori Jankoska. I only saw her twice this year, and both times the same thing happened -- bad first half, great second half after the game turned into a blowout. Lobo thinks she's a low 1st/high 2nd Round pick. LaChina Robinson sounded very skeptical about her prospects.
3) My draft includes nine guards 5-9 or shorter. Fitzgerald, Morrissette, Knox, Brittany Brown. Chong, etcetera are all worthy of being drafted, but they're not included. Individually, they may very well be selected, but as a group there just isn't enough room for all of these small guards. Lots of supply, but looking around the league I don't see a great deal of demand.
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ClayK
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| Posted: 04/13/17 9:15 am ::: |
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| Very nice list ... but with so many unknowns, even the most carefully considered mock draft could wind up being way off.
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pilight
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| Posted: 04/13/17 9:17 am ::: |
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I hate any mock that has Kaela Davis to Atlanta
No way Chong goes undrafted
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lynxmania
Joined: 18 Feb 2011
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| Posted: 04/13/17 10:06 am ::: |
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| Shades wrote: |
| Quote: |
| [Fagbenle] was in for a workout with the Lynx this spring and was impressive. |
So why haven't they signed her? Not good enough to not keep their options open. |
They just haven't officially announced it yet. She is coming to camp.
| Shades wrote: |
| Patterson is gone too? Were the previous assistants the reason why draft picks were never developed? I doubt it. |
Shelley is still here. They just added a "third" coach who will assist with on-court preparation, player development and self-scouting.
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
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| Posted: 04/13/17 10:40 am ::: |
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This draft = a bunch of overhyped basketball players.
Plum/Osahor didn't make it pass the sweet 16.
SWK/B.Jones didn't make it pass the sweet 16.
M.Epp is a out of shape,low IQ basketball player.
Coates.Davis and Gray had too many games where they were non-factors
Wiese for the most part was garbage against quality competition.I don't understand the hype.
Romero,Fitzgerald and Allen > Wiese.
Sykes > Epps
Last edited by zune69 on 04/13/17 10:47 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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| Posted: 04/13/17 10:43 am ::: |
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A little on Shayla Cooper
http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170413/wnba-draft--peterson-cooper-finish-up-school-prepare-to-be-pros
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Cooper is just a few days removed from hiring an agent and has been preparing for a WNBA style of play that will require her to guard faster, more agile players.
“I definitely have to be moving my feet and staying in a stance and don’t foul. (I need to) hold players who are used to scoring 18 points to 12, 13 points. That’s a huge difference,” Cooper said. “I’ve been working on foot speed, hand-eye coordination and agility trying to get right.” |
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ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said Cooper has WNBA size and rebounding ability but will need to continue to improve her three-point shooting to have staying power in the league.
“Because of her size, because of her versatility, she’ll definitely be intriguing to teams,” Lobo said. |
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Shades
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| Posted: 04/13/17 10:49 am ::: |
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Shattered Backboard Mock Draft
http://www.shatteredbackboard.com/2017/04/12/2017-wnba-mock-draft/
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Round 1
San Antonio Stars – Kelsey Plum (PG, Washington)
Chicago Sky (via Was) – Allisha Gray (G, South Carolina)
Dallas Wings – Brionna Jones (C, Maryland)
Dallas Wings (via LA via CT) Kaela Davis (G, South Carolina)
San Antonio Stars (via Pho) – Erica McCall (F, Stanford)
Washington Mystics (via Sea) – Alaina Coates, (C, South Carolina)
Atlanta Dream – Nia Coffey – (W, Northwestern)
Connecticut Sun (via Ind) – Sydney Wiese (PG, Oregon State)
Chicago Sky – Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (G, Maryland)
Dallas Wings (via NY) – Alexis Jones (PG, Baylor)
Los Angeles Sparks (via Dal via LA) – Makayla Epps (G, Kentucky)
Minnesota Lynx – Leticia Romero (PG, Florida State)
Round 2
Connecticut Sun (via Pho via SA) – Evelyn Akhator (F, Kentucky)
New York Liberty (via Dal) – Alexis Prince (W, Baylor)
Seattle Storm (via Was) – Alexis Peterson (PG, Syracuse)
Connecticut Sun – Jessica Jackson (F, Arkansas)
Indiana Fever (via Pho) – Tori Jankoska (PG, Michigan State)
Washington Mystics (via Sea) – Shayla Cooper (W, Ohio State)
Atlanta Dream – Ronni Williams (F, Florida)
Indiana Fever – Brittany Brown (G, Florida State)
Chicago Sky – Jasmine Joyner (F, Chattanooga)
Indiana Fever (via Atl via NY) – Breanna Lewis (C, Kansas State)
Dallas Wings (via LA) – Brittney Sykes (G, Syracuse)
Minnesota Lynx – Briana Day (C, Syracuse)
Round 3
San Antonio Stars – Lindsay Allen (PG, Notre Dame)
Dallas Wings – Imani Tate (G, Albany)
Washington Mystics – Feyonda Fitzgerald (PG, Temple)
Connecticut Sun – Saniya Chong (PG, UConn)
Phoenix Mercury – Sophie Brunner (F, Arizona State)
Seattle Storm – Chantel Osahor (C, Washington)
Atlanta Dream – Oderah Chidom (F, Duke)
Indiana Fever – Kalani Purcell (F, BYU)\
Chicago Sky – Jessica January (PG, DePaul)
New York Liberty – Adriene Motley (PG, Miami)
Los Angeles Sparks – Ivey Slaughter (F, Florida State)
Minnesota Lynx – Teanna Muldrow (F, West Virginia) |
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Shades
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| Posted: 04/13/17 11:05 am ::: |
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Gauging Saniya Chong’s WNBA potential with Howard Megdal
http://dailycampus.com/stories/2017/4/13/gauging-saniya-chongs-wnba-potential-with-howard-megdal
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DM: What do you think is Chong’s best skill, and how will that skill translate in the WNBA?
HM: She has several translatable skills; among them is her ability to take care of the basketball and passing. But the separator for Chong may be defense. Per Synergy, she was third in the country in defensive points per possession. Between her three-point shot and defending, she presents unique skill sets to WNBA teams. |
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DM: Do you think Chong is underrated due to being the shadows of Gabby Williams, Kia Nurse, Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier at UConn?
HM: Well, I don't think it's that so much, but rather how infrequently she got to play over her first three seasons, mostly due to the presence of Moriah Jefferson. At most other schools, she'd have played more, and right away. Of course, the tradeoff is that she'd have missed out on getting to develop under Geno and his staff. |
That's true. She'll be prepared for boot camp level WNBA training camp.
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DM: Is there a current WNBA player that has a similar style of play to Chong?
HM: Not really; not with the defensive piece. Briann January and Brittany Boyd are closest in terms of outcomes, but they get there in very different ways (strength and speed, respectively). This is something she has going for her: an in-demand skill set and UConn pedigree.
DM: Where do you think Chong will end up being selected in the WNBA draft?
HM: I'd expect somewhere in the second round. |
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myrtle
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| Posted: 04/13/17 11:19 am ::: |
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I'm getting dizzy with all this speculation. Fortunately it ends today!
After Plum, I think you could put six names in a hat and randomly pull them out and get about as close as a 'thoughtful' mock draft. Then take six more and randomly pull them out to get the next six.
I will, however, have fun trying to rate how I think the teams have done afterward.
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009
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| Posted: 04/13/17 11:24 am ::: |
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| Shades wrote: |
Gauging Saniya Chong’s WNBA potential with Howard Megdal
http://dailycampus.com/stories/2017/4/13/gauging-saniya-chongs-wnba-potential-with-howard-megdal
| Quote: |
DM: What do you think is Chong’s best skill, and how will that skill translate in the WNBA?
HM: She has several translatable skills; among them is her ability to take care of the basketball and passing. But the separator for Chong may be defense. Per Synergy, she was third in the country in defensive points per possession. Between her three-point shot and defending, she presents unique skill sets to WNBA teams. |
| Quote: |
DM: Do you think Chong is underrated due to being the shadows of Gabby Williams, Kia Nurse, Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier at UConn?
HM: Well, I don't think it's that so much, but rather how infrequently she got to play over her first three seasons, mostly due to the presence of Moriah Jefferson. At most other schools, she'd have played more, and right away. Of course, the tradeoff is that she'd have missed out on getting to develop under Geno and his staff. |
That's true. She'll be prepared for boot camp level WNBA training camp.
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DM: Is there a current WNBA player that has a similar style of play to Chong?
HM: Not really; not with the defensive piece. Briann January and Brittany Boyd are closest in terms of outcomes, but they get there in very different ways (strength and speed, respectively). This is something she has going for her: an in-demand skill set and UConn pedigree.
DM: Where do you think Chong will end up being selected in the WNBA draft?
HM: I'd expect somewhere in the second round. |
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Chong getting major hype for this draft , its only because shes a huskie . I dont see her lasting in the league no longer than 2 years , unless she gets the kelly faris treatment smh .
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Queenie
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| Posted: 04/13/17 11:40 am ::: |
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| SportsGuru wrote: |
| I can say this, there's a lot of bad WNBA Mock Drafts for 2017. |
One could argue that that means it's a bad draft. If your options all suck, no one knows what you're going to do.
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RavenDog
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007
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| Posted: 04/13/17 12:26 pm ::: |
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| myrtle wrote: |
I'm getting dizzy with all this speculation. Fortunately it ends today!
After Plum, I think you could put six names in a hat and randomly pull them out and get about as close as a 'thoughtful' mock draft. Then take six more and randomly pull them out to get the next six.
I will, however, have fun trying to rate how I think the teams have done afterward. |
Yep, this is a low agreement, widely variable draft. That's why I haven't really commented on any of the mocks. Maybe you strongly disagree on a player here or there, but overall it's hard to say anyone is very wrong.
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Shades
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bullsky
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| Posted: 04/13/17 12:50 pm ::: |
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| pilight wrote: |
Assuming no trades...
1 San Antonio Kelsey Plum
2 Chicago Nia Coffey
3 Dallas Brionna Jones
4 Dallas Allisha Gray
5 San Antonio Alaina Coates
6 Washington Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
7 Atlanta Chantel Osahor
8 Connecticut Kaela Davis
9 Chicago Alexis Peterson
10 Dallas Alexis Jones
11 Los Angeles Sydney Wiese
12 Minnesota Brittney Sykes |
I hope you're wrong. Coffey at 2 seems high. I hope we can grab her at 9. Also, the last thing the Sky need is another point guard with Sloot and Lil J.
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