RebKell's Junkie Boards

[Shades]

Who will be the starting PG (or lead guard in Cappie's case) for the Liberty in 2015?

I could have come up with even more names, but I'm limited to 14 candidates in this poll. Are these the best choices available? I'm sure not everybody will think so, but I tried. Don't fault a person for trying. Some of the choices may enlighten you. Some may make you curl up in a fetal position and rock. Relax people, it's just a poll.

Some of the choices would be more feasible than others. Some may be gotten for free while others might take a bit of finagling.


Anna Cruz - Liberty fans seem to like her.

Celine Dumerc - People may forget the Liberty were in the running to secure Dumerc but Taylor was better than Laimbeer at the little things....made her feel more wanted. Now with Schimmel obviously taking over in ATL, maybe Dumerc would be open to give the Liberty another shot. How ya gonna make it work?

Jamierra Faulkner - Sloot is back.

Angel Goodrich - She's not really needed in Tulsa, but does she fulfill the Liberty height requirement?

Lindsey Harding - This might be one of the better freebies. Unless she's in love with the LA lifestyle, she might head to someplace she can start. Her two year expiration per team is up with the Sparks anyway.

Temeka Johnson - Bird doesn't appear to be going anywhere.

Natasha Lacy - Everybody knows players are only as good as their last game, so it seemed fitting to add her.

Leilani Mitchell - Nobody seemed to have claimed her off waivers, so she can be gotten for z-money, whatever that is.

Renee Montgomery - CON is overloaded at PG, and I had to keep J-Spoon happy.

Lindsey Moore - No other reason but to keep SpaceJunkie happy.

Cappie Pondexter - Laimbeer is the stubbornest fool on the planet.

Samantha Prahalis - Up and coming unknown who recently joined the Russian Premiere League, and I had to keep Jet Jaguar happy.

Jasmine Thomas - The Schimmel Effect.

Kamiko Williams - Who is she? Who let her in here?? Security!!




200-day poll

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

[Randy]

I'm voting for the Liberty to win the Jasmine Thomas lottery, maybe via sign and trade since she's a RFA. I don't think we lose two of our PG's though. Dumerc signed on the Dream's famous "multi-year" contracts so I think she will be in a Dream uniform unless she just doesn't want to come back. To be honest though, I don't see why it wouldn't be Cruz, She seemed to play quite well most of the time I saw Liberty games.

As for the rest of your list, I could see Lindsey Moore getting a look.

[Happycappie25]

Anna Cruz - Is she long term...I never trust Euros more than a year at a time. is she a pure distributor, no, shes more the lead guard concept, that being said her and Cappie shared the role well and I don't think 1 was our biggest problem. Cappie got her shots, Charles got her shots, the ball got around the court. just like Talbert at least STABLIZED the 4 position (By allowing Pierson to play the 22-24 minutes she should be playing no more. Cruz Stablized the 1...letting Cappie get her assists but also ballhandling and making key plays defensively (where she is a BEAST)...I'd be fine with status quo but if something comes down the pipeline, I wouldn't object, I'd put this 3rd on the list tho behind 3 (which is priority ONE, and CARSON is NOT AN ACCEPTABLE ANSWER...no clue what she is to not make a move...it could be picking up a middle of the road 3 or even loading up on camp fodder at 3 and making carson earn it, but it can't be oh Carson will jump back from P12 to P3 magically...that's what got in this mess to begin with)

Celine Dumerc - never trust a euro...Don't like having to rewire my positions midway thru the season for when she shows up...and lack of any offense...pass could be good for the bench (However if Spoon is behind the bench, then it becomes an issue of do we wait 6 weeks every year because she is a Spoon type PG)

Jamierra Faulkner - I think they keep her as a Monica Wright type....Tho with Quigley PT will be scarce. I like her a ton (going back to her freshman year at Southern Miss.) and if Bill gets him major BULLY for him But I don't see her going anywhere

Angel Goodrich - Too short, too unproven (yes she ran out diggins her rookie year but that seems to be resolved.) doesn't fit Bill...now IF it's spoon I move her up her list...but if we are trading with Tulsa (which they need a veteran 3 with leader skills...just saying) Id rather have Riquana Williams buying low due to the knee surgery and have her in the Mix at 2 and deal with a 2 headed monster of Cappie and Cruz rotating through the 1 and 2 positions.

Lindsey Harding - NO! too volatile....we have enough combustibles on this team...no need to throw a vial of Nitro into that pile!

Temeka Johnson - too short and Speed point isn't quite our thing...agree she will move, she's proven she should be a starter. Seattle needs a long term rebuild so Bird may not be as Ironclad as you think (remember, new management next year) but think she will move.

Natasha Lacy - If bill stays, she will be on the bench or at least a long term contender in training camp...but not a starter.

Leilani Mitchell - Not as long as Bill is affiliated with the libs she doesn't come here. Could she be workable if Spoon is behind the bench, YES, but I don't think we see her as long as Bill Laimbeer is anywhere near the Garden

Renee Montgomery - She needs to get off the Sun, that's for sure...overrated but not the craziest idea on the list...one that would hinge on value for me.

Cappie Pondexter - I'll keep saying this, Cappie at the 1 is not the craziest idea on the planet...She did it at RU, she did it under whiz for a bit...but she plays one in a much more defensive system than what Bill wants...and that's the issue. With aging and declining quality I could see her becoming more of a 1...but id say status quo if that happens, let her trade duties with Anna Cruz.

Jasmine Thomas - Potboiler, our 1 situation isn't bad enough to warrant that.

Kamiko Williams - given the way she was treated this season

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"Leave it to the NCAA women's basketball committee to turn a glass slipper into glass ceiling" Graham Hays

[Shades]

[Randy]

Shades, I suggested Thomas mainly becasue of the players on the list, she seemed to fit Lambier's requirement the best - fairly good size, claimed to be a good defender and tough - she seems to never miss a gaime. But I'm not sure that outside of Lindsey Whalen there is a player that meets Bill's requirements.

Don't know if the Celine - Shoni situation has turned into a problem or not. Celine is as big of a star in France as Shoni is in the west, probably a lot bigger. So her ego may be just fine with all this, and she's 32 or so - may not mind the minutes. I expect her to play more minutes in the playoffs since defense will matter more than scoring from her position. But, she may be annoyed as hell for all I know. If she is - would she be inclined to go to NY? After all, playing in the WNBA was never one of her lifelong goals.

Not clear whether your comment on LMo is sincere or sarcastic, I'm thinking the later. She's certainly worth a look, and a player who didn't last in the Twin Cities has made it to NY before.

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

Way too early to know other than to say if Cruz returns and Bill returns the position is likely hers.

If Spoon becomes the coach then I think there's a good chance Cruz returns as well.

Besides that I'd really rather not think about it. I'm just hoping for a team that doesn't have 60% of its starting lineup at significantly less than full strength next year...whatever that lineup turns out to be.

We stand a chance of being a "treading water" team for a few seasons without some changes. What I mean is, the only way to build a team through the draft is likely to have one or multiple #1 overall picks. To do that you need to be really bad and you still need some luck. The problem with NY is that I don't see them being bad enough to be that bad to begin with. Then what? You finish third or fourth from the bottom you get a #3 or #4 pick next year. That would help for 2016, but it might not be enough by then if you haven't addressed the other issues. Plus Cappie will be 33 by then and who knows what that will entail as we have no idea how likely it is that her achilles' won't bother her for the rest of her career. We tried the building through the draft thing. #'s 5, 10, 12, 2, 5, 7, 8 from 2004 through 2008, including Davenport as the number two pick. Our reward for that in 2009 was finishing last, and losing out on the one prime pick we would have ever had, with our not-so-smart GM leading the way in those endeavors. San Antonio has relied on the draft to net them some good players. They're a .500 team at best, because they haven't had a prime pick in a prime draft. Meanwhile the two homegrown first round picks on our roster combined for about 9 ppg this year.

It's going to take some creativity to work this through. There is no easy answer.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[Shades]

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

Big fan of Taylor's. I'd take her.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[#Occasionalwnbafan]

Maybe they can pull something off and get Diggins from the shock?

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http://www.manyshadesofgay.org

[Shades]

[toad455]

I actually see Temeka Johnson as a Laimbeer-type of player. However, she does have one more year on her contract with the Storm. If Cruz can return next season, it should be Cruz. The Liberty's biggest problem is at SF. If Carson can get back to 100%, that problem is solved. Otherwise the Liberty will face the same problems next season.

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LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!

Twitter: @TBRBWAY

[Richyyy]

New York have basically no trade assets, which makes things difficult. Carson's value has gone through the floor, and everyone else is either mediocre, old, or a star who's not going anywhere. They don't even have a first round pick. So it's all likely to be little deals around the margins, hoping there might be a decent free agent or two worth chasing, or that someone falls in their lap.

I could see LA maybe wanting to shed Harding's contract, so she could be available if Bill wants her. That would mean even less floor spacing, because she just doesn't shoot threes at all. Otherwise who knows.

EuroBasket Women next year complicates things with players like Cruz, and no one seems quite sure what's going to happen with the WNBA's new rules on fining players for missing games. So New York will probably want an alternative option in place.

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Independent WNBA coverage: http://www.wnbalien.com/

[sigur3]

Jamierra ain't going anywhere.

[Shades]

[mavcarter]

[Fishhappy]

Richyyy is right on, the Liberty have no one with trade value so they have to build thru the draft. with no draft pick this year they don't have much chance of making the playoffs next year either. They have the exact same problems that they had going into the draft last year. No one to play the 4 and no outside shooters. Last year they also needed a point guard but they found a pretty good one in Cruz but we all thought they ok at the 3 with Carson with Montgomery as a back up but Carson wasn't healthy and Montgomery hasn't developed as much as she should. Now they need a starting caliber 3 and 4 and two good three point shooters. with no one to trade and no draft pick till the second round !!!! all I can say is good luck with that

[Randy]

[J-Spoon]

Trying to keep it realistic, but with a little hope

1. Cruz- If Cruz comes back the starting PG job is hers, and I think that is what would be best for the team.

2. Cappie- If Cruz doesn't come back the most realistic/easiest and possibly best option is to return to the Cappie as the 'Lead" guard set up, with "Healthy" Carson and resigned Montgomery or stepping it up Sugar filling out the 2/3 spots.

3. N. Lacy- If Cruz doesn't return and coach wants Cappie off the ball Lacy might at least get pre/early season to continue auditioning for the spot.

less realistic but who knows

4. R. Montgomery If Cruz is gone maybe NY can swing some sort of trade for Montgomery. She is a point, has a relationship with our new super star, can score and can shoot the 3 so even though she is on the small side, she does tick some of the other boxes the Lib need. (I'm not advocating trading our 2016 pick but I think the Lib will be in win now mode and would risk it, so lets say Conn gets the #1 pick in 2015 and feels that KML and Gray joining the team is enough maybe they'd go for an extra shot a Stewart and trade Montgomery and their other lottery pick in 15 to NY for the 2016 pick, we could also throw in Cash or Houston if they wanted so more UCONN flavor, and with the CONN pick maybe get Izzy Harrison or another post who climbs in the draft through their senior year. I still like the Montgomery for Montgomery trade but I guess it doesn't make sense unless Donovan isn't a Renee fans and thinks Alex's defense and size would be a nice compliment to the other 2/3s on the team).

5. S. Johnson (Ok this is an outside the box idea) coming out of college people speculated that Johnson could play the point because she did so in Miami on occasion. She has the size Laimbeer likes, can shoot the 3, and if she is playing next to Cappie as Cruz has her not being a true point guard, doesn't mean she couldn't initiate the offense, and bring the ball up. She seems to have fallen off a little in SA, and with D. White return and maybe Hand getting another shot SA would be willing to trade (So again our 2016 1st round pick, maybe tempt them with the idea of re-uniting McBride and Lloyd, to SA for Johnson and SA 1st round pick in 15, if we pulled off that trade we also might be able to target Banaham with the SA pick as another option at the point, or pick up Gray for the SF spot or someone slash anyone who is a PF). I also like the idea of bringing in R. Williams, but can't figure out the trade, our 2016 pick seems too steep for another coming off a knee injury player, but I'm not sure what Tulsa could throw in to even it up because I doubt they throw in their 15 lottery pick, or Hooper, or Jackson-Jones, so I can't really work this one out, but If R. Williams did end up on the LIB her and Cappie could just take turns at the PG spot, and hopefully they would both still defer to Tina.

6. Don't call it a come back the return or Prahalis. She is still a PG, she can still score, she is still from NY, so Maybe with another year over seas (and an actual training camp with the Liberty) she comes back more pro ready than ever and gets a chance to stick somewhere and kills it.

other much less exciting possibility

7. Simmons 8. Jeffery 9. K. Williiams 10. our 2015 2nd round pick?

[Str8_Butta]

Anna Cruz

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WNBA fan since 1997

[Shades]

I thought this was a fairly comprehensive list of candidates and yet "other" turned out to be the correct answer. Goes to show you how quickly things can change in a season.

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

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

What a difference a year can make. Man. Not just with Cruz either, but with the mentality surrounding the team a year ago.

Last year there was a lot of (including me) "this is an older team without many assets that can be dealt, it's going to take a few years to rebuild, we really need a high pick to do it...etc."

Fast forward a year and we have young talent all over the roster along with veteran leadership. Every move in the offseason served a purpose, and each of NY's offseason acquisitions (except Allen, who never really had the chance) has been instrumental in NY winning at least one game this year.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[J-Spoon]

The changes have been great it is exciting to have a good team with youth and potential playing in NY.

Boyd is our future starting PG, and seeing how she is already contributing and learning from the vets and a W great like T-Spoon in a couple years she'll be a legit starting PG in the league.

If we stay injury free, draft well, and continue to bring in free agents who fit the concept we'll stay strong into the future.

Imagine if we just have internal growth from our young guns and continue to add decent role player talent the Liberty in 2017

Starters
Boyd, Prince, Allen, Charles, Stokes

Bench
role playing vets and draftees

The Liberty are now a team than can compete for the next few years, maybe up to the next five years without having to make huge roster moves. If the GM and Coach keep making sound decision in the off seasons the Liberty will be the real deal again for years, and it is about time.