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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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 Posted: 02/16/17 8:56 pm ::: |
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I say these things having watched Zahui several times now overseas. She tore up UMMC today. She looks improved, even against WNBA-level defenders, though Griner defended Elizabeth Williams and vice versa. Zahui had 28 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists against a team with I believe 7 former, current or WNBA level players.
In all honesty, I believe her game is improving, measurably. Her footwork is better, her confidence is higher and her face-up shooting is coming to life.
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Jet Jaguar
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| Posted: 02/16/17 9:11 pm ::: |
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| Can someone tell me who the Liberty GM is? Is it Kristin Bernert?
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 02/16/17 9:18 pm ::: |
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| Bernert is now with the Knicks. It would appear on paper to be Isiah Thomas. Bill Laimbeer undoubtedly still has significant input. Nobody actually has the title of "GM" but Thomas is the highest of the basketball people in the hierarchy.
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root_thing
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| Posted: 02/16/17 9:58 pm ::: |
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I've also watched a bunch of AZB's overseas games, including today's. I don't see a whole lot of improvement in terms of added skills or better decision-making. What I do see is better energy and improved shooting accuracy. I think that has more to do with starting and increased playing time. Coming off the bench makes it harder to get your shooting rhythm, and some players have a difficult time adjusting. I think Zahui B. may be one of them. She's sort of a momentum player -- either on a roll or stuck in the mud. I think beginning play right after warm-ups helps Amanda to find her groove. That would be the best argument for starting her. Stokes isn't a scorer anyway, so playing off the bench won't bother her. Plus, she's been playing off the bench since her UConn days. Similarly, Vaughn has spent much of her career coming off the bench so she should be used to it by now.
I also agree that Zahui B. is too talented to be buried as the fourth post. Play her or use her as trade bait.
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 02/16/17 10:20 pm ::: |
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| I feel like her footwork and hands are improved. Quicker and more fluid near the rim, with better balance. But no doubt too talented to be buried. Also she had 17 points in a big win over the Lynx in what I believe was her only start last year. I agree that she's not one of those players at her best coming off the bench. As a starter I believe she will more actively seek out her own offense.
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root_thing
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| Posted: 02/17/17 12:01 am ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| I feel like her footwork and hands are improved. Quicker and more fluid near the rim, with better balance. But no doubt too talented to be buried. Also she had 17 points in a big win over the Lynx in what I believe was her only start last year. I agree that she's not one of those players at her best coming off the bench. As a starter I believe she will more actively seek out her own offense. |
Maybe, but I thought Zahui B. displayed pretty good footwork at times last year. The problem is that it would disappear when she wasn't focused. The same with defense. Sometimes she would make the effort to bend her knees and move her feet. Other times, she would just stand there flailing and swatting. If she's not mentally engaged, her technique just falls apart. That's why coming off the bench cold probably affects her more than most people.
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Jet Jaguar
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| Posted: 02/17/17 12:47 am ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| Bernert is now with the Knicks. It would appear on paper to be Isiah Thomas. Bill Laimbeer undoubtedly still has significant input. Nobody actually has the title of "GM" but Thomas is the highest of the basketball people in the hierarchy. |
Ok. Thanks.
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Michelle89
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| Posted: 02/17/17 6:22 am ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
The idea that AZB is 6'2" is a fallacy. I sat no more than 10 feet away from her in DC. She was a little taller than Stokes. Not 6'5". But def not 6'2". She's one-two inches taller than Vaughn, whose listed height has been inflated for years.
Mind you, I'm stating my opinion of what I think the Liberty will do. Not what necessarily I would do. On a Laimbeer team, the physical element is why I'd see AZB starting. The starter isn't going to play that much anyway before Stokes comes off the bench for the majority of minutes. |
AZB is listed as 1,95 in the Euroleague game (saw in in the game vs UMMC)
while Williams is listed at 1,91. AZB is not taller then Williams. They look about the same height to me
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Shades
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| Posted: 02/17/17 7:24 am ::: |
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I wonder why there's so much Amanda Zahui talk lately. I can't figure it out.
Anyway, here's a translated article from Swedish.
http://www.svt.se/sport/basket/svenska-baskettalangen-bast-pa-plan-mot-europamastarna/
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Amanda Zahuis Nadezhda lost the helryska Euro League meeting against Ekaterinburg. But the Swede can at least rejoice that she was the best on the field.
Nadezhda Orenburg lost the 13th round of the group stage of the Euroleague away from home against the reigning champions from Ekaterinburg to 88-81. The match was a repeat of the finals last year, a match that "foxes" from Ekaterinburg won even then.
Best points yesterday, however, none of the masters, but the 196 cm long, 23-year-old from Södertälje which from its center position, scored 28 points and grabbed ten rebounds. In addition there was twelve of the scores from the three-point line.
Amanda Zahui basketball talent who moved from Södertälje to Minnesota in early age to break into the world's top basketball league - WNBA. After dominating the league in college she settled into the professional team Ney York Liberty last year. Since the American Basketball League played only between May and October borrowed many players out for the rest of the year. |
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Michelle89
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 02/17/17 8:51 pm ::: |
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| Michelle89 wrote: |
| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
The idea that AZB is 6'2" is a fallacy. I sat no more than 10 feet away from her in DC. She was a little taller than Stokes. Not 6'5". But def not 6'2". She's one-two inches taller than Vaughn, whose listed height has been inflated for years.
Mind you, I'm stating my opinion of what I think the Liberty will do. Not what necessarily I would do. On a Laimbeer team, the physical element is why I'd see AZB starting. The starter isn't going to play that much anyway before Stokes comes off the bench for the majority of minutes. |
AZB is listed as 1,95 in the Euroleague game (saw in in the game vs UMMC)
while Williams is listed at 1,91. AZB is not taller then Williams. They look about the same height to me |
That's fine. I already said she's not 6'5". Isn't Williams listed at 6'4" and a solid WNBA Center? I'd say Zahui is 6'3" or 6'3" and a half. Again, and I keep saying this...but for some reason I guess people think I am speaking from bias. I saw her from TEN FEET away. She's not 6'2". C will be her WNBA position for a number of reasons as she develops, particularly given her weight.
And given that the original comparison was to Vaughn, the board was almost uniform in agreement when Kia was drafted that she's shorter than her listed height of 6'4". Zahui is taller than Kia. She's stronger than Kia. She runs faster than Kia. She's bigger than Kia in body width. She's a more talented offensive player than Kia. And Kia's defense, while ok at times, has never been a major strength anyway. And Laimbeer is a coach who has always gone in favor of the size/strength/physicality/athleticism ratio. It's not a complicated equation.
The trading of Swords is in my mind probably in part to open up a starter's spot for Zahui, given the above.
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root_thing
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| Posted: 02/17/17 9:13 pm ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
That's fine. I already said she's not 6'5". Isn't Williams listed at 6'4"? I'd say Zahui is 6'3" or 6'3" and a half. Again, and I keep saying this...but for some reason I guess people think I am speaking from bias. I saw her from TEN FEET away. She's not 6'2". |
I agree. Watching shoot-around at court level, Zahui B looks two or three inches shorter than Swords. In turn, Carolyn appears taller than DeSouza and Fowles when you see them live. So, I would say Swords is a legit 6-6, putting Amanda at about 6-3 or 6-3½.
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 02/18/17 10:06 am ::: |
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| root_thing wrote: |
| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| I feel like her footwork and hands are improved. Quicker and more fluid near the rim, with better balance. But no doubt too talented to be buried. Also she had 17 points in a big win over the Lynx in what I believe was her only start last year. I agree that she's not one of those players at her best coming off the bench. As a starter I believe she will more actively seek out her own offense. |
Maybe, but I thought Zahui B. displayed pretty good footwork at times last year. The problem is that it would disappear when she wasn't focused. The same with defense. Sometimes she would make the effort to bend her knees and move her feet. Other times, she would just stand there flailing and swatting. If she's not mentally engaged, her technique just falls apart. That's why coming off the bench cold probably affects her more than most people. |
Possibly it's just more of a willingness to use it too rather than a major improvement. I think we'd agree that she has a better understanding of HOW to use her feet than before, possibly due to having a larger role in the offense. I think what's helping her is an offensive system on a very well-coached Russian team as well. The high-low stuff they use her in is very good for her skill set, and she's also looking to be a scorer. She's not a major scorer every night obviously but she's looking to take all kinds of shots, both contested and uncontested, which is what scorers do. I see the difference between Kia and Zahui on offense this way. Kia is capable of doing some scoring. Her shooting range, nonexistent when she came into the league, is now pretty good for a post player. Zahui on the other hand has potential to be a scorer, with an actual scorer's mentality. I'm not saying she can be Maya Moore or anything crazy. But she can be a consistent scorer that a team can lean on to carry her share of the scoring load, as she develops.
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root_thing
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| Posted: 02/18/17 10:35 am ::: |
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I listened to that At Liberty To Speak (AL2S) podcast with Hartley. She said three things of note for those worried about her ability to play this season:
1) Hartley did some working out while pregnant to keep her body in the best shape possible.
2) Bria feels that she will be ready for full basketball workouts in about two weeks. That will give her almost two months of workouts before training camp begins. To put that in perspective, last season Boyd was not cleared to play basketball until two weeks before training camp because her wrist surgery had to be redone.
3) There was a discussion about training with T-Spoon, so that's definitely part of the plan.
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 02/18/17 11:05 am ::: |
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| On Hartley, I've walked past her a couple of times in DC, and she's extremely, extremely fit. So it's no surprise to me that she said she is near her playing weight and will soon be able to do muscle building and basketball-related workouts. I'm confident she will be in playing shape when the season starts.
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myrtle
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| Posted: 02/19/17 12:09 pm ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| On Hartley, I've walked past her a couple of times in DC, and she's extremely, extremely fit. So it's no surprise to me that she said she is near her playing weight and will soon be able to do muscle building and basketball-related workouts. I'm confident she will be in playing shape when the season starts. |
Even if she is in great shape, what has she shown in the W that she can actually be useful?
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WNBA 09
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| Posted: 02/19/17 12:30 pm ::: |
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| myrtle wrote: |
| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| On Hartley, I've walked past her a couple of times in DC, and she's extremely, extremely fit. So it's no surprise to me that she said she is near her playing weight and will soon be able to do muscle building and basketball-related workouts. I'm confident she will be in playing shape when the season starts. |
Even if she is in great shape, what has she shown in the W that she can actually be useful? |
Hartley is as useful as any guard in the W under 27.
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 02/19/17 12:39 pm ::: |
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| myrtle wrote: |
| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| On Hartley, I've walked past her a couple of times in DC, and she's extremely, extremely fit. So it's no surprise to me that she said she is near her playing weight and will soon be able to do muscle building and basketball-related workouts. I'm confident she will be in playing shape when the season starts. |
Even if she is in great shape, what has she shown in the W that she can actually be useful? |
That's fair. I'm looking at her to push Boyd to improve.
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Bob Lamm
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| Posted: 02/19/17 1:10 pm ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| myrtle wrote: |
| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| On Hartley, I've walked past her a couple of times in DC, and she's extremely, extremely fit. So it's no surprise to me that she said she is near her playing weight and will soon be able to do muscle building and basketball-related workouts. I'm confident she will be in playing shape when the season starts. |
Even if she is in great shape, what has she shown in the W that she can actually be useful? |
That's fair. I'm looking at her to push Boyd to improve. |
One of the crucial questions for the Liberty in 2017: will our young players improve? Last season neither Boyd nor Stokes improved as much as I'd hoped. Perhaps one or both will show more improvement this season. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about Allen and Zahui B. If even one of them can become a consistent scorer--a possibility raised earlier about Zahui B--that will help the team a lot.
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root_thing
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| Posted: 02/19/17 1:11 pm ::: |
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| myrtle wrote: |
| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| On Hartley, I've walked past her a couple of times in DC, and she's extremely, extremely fit. So it's no surprise to me that she said she is near her playing weight and will soon be able to do muscle building and basketball-related workouts. I'm confident she will be in playing shape when the season starts. |
Even if she is in great shape, what has she shown in the W that she can actually be useful? |
It's not like Hartley's been a total bust. She's inconsistent, but Bria has shown flashes here and there. For example, there was a game last season when she almost single-handedly brought Washington back from a large deficit in an eventual loss to NY. It wouldn't surprise me if that game made a big impression on Liberty management. Like a lot of young players, if you change the system or role you might get significantly different results. Hartley has speed, some decent one-on-one moves, and she's a willing defender. At the very least, she can be another "button" in Laimbeer's deep bench approach. Hartley is young enough so that growth is still possible. However, even if nothing changes, I'm sure Bill will find situational uses for Bria.
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root_thing
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| Posted: 02/19/17 1:22 pm ::: |
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| Bob Lamm wrote: |
One of the crucial questions for the Liberty in 2017: will our young players improve? Last season neither Boyd nor Stokes improved as much as I'd hoped. Perhaps one or both will show more improvement this season. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about Allen and Zahui B. If even one of them can become a consistent scorer--a possibility raised earlier about Zahui B--that will help the team a lot. |
I agree. New York has six players entering their third or fourth season: Allen, Boyd, Hartley, Schimmel, Stokes and Zahui B. We just need one of them to step up and be a solid starter. Add that to a healthy Prince returning to some semblance of her old self, and I think we have enough improvement to be optimistic.
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toad455
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| Posted: 02/19/17 1:44 pm ::: |
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| root_thing wrote: |
| Bob Lamm wrote: |
One of the crucial questions for the Liberty in 2017: will our young players improve? Last season neither Boyd nor Stokes improved as much as I'd hoped. Perhaps one or both will show more improvement this season. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about Allen and Zahui B. If even one of them can become a consistent scorer--a possibility raised earlier about Zahui B--that will help the team a lot. |
I agree. New York has six players entering their third or fourth season: Allen, Boyd, Hartley, Schimmel, Stokes and Zahui B. We just need one of them to step up and be a solid starter. Add that to a healthy Prince returning to some semblance of her old self, and I think we have enough improvement to be optimistic. |
1. Schimmel's gone
2. I think we need two players to step up. One definitely being Boyd and the other being either Stokes or Zahui B. I'll say Zahui B. as I think her offensive potential is much higher than Stokes.
3. Allen just needs to show us more & up her defense if she's going to be playing 20 mpg at SF.
4. Hartley's the only player on that list that is new to Laimbeer's system. We'll see what role she plays, if any, for the Liberty.
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RP
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| Posted: 02/19/17 2:37 pm ::: |
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| root_thing wrote: |
| Hartley has speed, some decent one-on-one moves, and she's a willing defender. |
And a decent shooter and passer. Hartley made 21 3-pointers in 406 minutes, while Boyd and Wright made 10 combined in 1,319.
Late in her rookie year she faded badly, but was solid on both ends through most of it, and that was as a starter on a better Mystics team. A year ago she played a lot less, but then she was pregnant. I think she could easily move up the depth chart on this team.
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zune69
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| Posted: 02/19/17 3:33 pm ::: |
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I like Zahui's upside,but I see her getting traded before the season starts.Ny didn't acquire Vaughn to sit her on the bench:
Charles:32 mpg
Stokes:25 mpg
Vaughn:20 mpg
This leaves 3 minutes at the pf/c position.There's a good chance Zahui gets traded to:
Connecticut for Stricklen & a future 1st rd pick
Chicago for Young & the #9 pick....or...... Young & Quigley(ny would then trade Prince,Rodgers or Wright)
San Antonio for M.Currie & the #5 pick
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Shades
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