RebKell's Junkie Boards

[toad455]

[Shades]

That could be an awkward situation cutting Johannes’ overseas teammate.

Might as well do that Johannes for Zandalisini trade I was dangling. I could be totally wrong about Johannes and Smith isn’t likely to find out either way having her buried 5-deep.

After Johannes trade
Boyd/Hartley
Nurse/Durr/Wright
RAllen/Zandalisini
Charles/Gray
Zahui/Stokes/Han Xu

Not too shabby depth all around.

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

[toad455]

Or even Johannes for Shao Ting. This gives Han a teammate she can talk to and fills a gap at SF.

_________________
LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!

Twitter: @TBRBWAY

[Shades]

[Bob Lamm]

I'm really interested in seeing tomorrow night's game because it could be the first in which Han's minutes are really important for the Liberty. I realize that Katie could divide post minutes among Charles, Gray, and Raincock-Ekunwe, but I hope that instead she gives Han an important role off the bench.

[toad455]

[Bob Lamm]

After a few games last season, I really liked what I saw from Kia Nurse. I'll never forgive Katie Smith for the erratic, downright stupid way she used Nurse last season. Nurse was the one and only player on the roster who absolutely seemed part of the team's future. She should have been out there for consistent minutes no matter what--and especially given that the season was going so badly.

Now, after 10 games in her second season, I feel that Kia Nurse is becoming a star before our very eyes. I'm not calling her a star yet, but I believe she's definitely on that road and not so far away.

My hope is that Nurse will be widely viewed as a star in season #3, perhaps even by later this season. And I'm hoping that Asia Durr will have the same route over time. For me, these are two players with huge potential. There's plenty wrong with our team, but I'm very excited about what's ahead for Nurse, Durr, and the Liberty.

[toad455]

We've already seen the potential in Durr. I have a good feeling she'll turn into an All-star. Just gotta build around our starters next year(replacing Boyd with Ionescu).

_________________
LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!

Twitter: @TBRBWAY

[LibFan25]

[Davis4632]

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[Happycappie25]

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

Nurse's next step is becoming a passer. Durr's future steps will lie in playmaking areas also. Nurse has the IQ to do it, as does Durr. But it's not enough for wing players just to score, though in a second-year player it's definitely a step in the right direction. The true WNBA stars at wing positions (Cappie, DT, Cooper, Moore, etc.) also make their teammates better.

Nurse is a naturally unselfish passer so I do see that as a probable future step. Durr's vision is never going to be Cappie's or Cooper's, but she has an understanding of team basketball that should enable her to transition as a playmaker also.

Not playing Nurse last year was indeed a terrible decision when it was clear she was the second-best player on the team. Not far behind was playing Vaughn over Zahui when it was clear Zahui was the better player. I won't judge this year's Katie on last year's, but those were both terrible decisions. On this year, I think Katie has improved in a lot of areas but the two negatives for me are that the team makes repetitive offensive and defensive mistakes that they're not held accountable for as strictly as they should be and the fact that they do not exploit matchups effectively. Regarding any change, I kind of see it as why bother? If they keep losing it still enables the best chance at a draft pick. You're probably not finding your future coach now anyway. Evaluate it in the off-season when you have 34 games worth of info to judge from and where you know what your draft pick might be so you know who you might add to the team.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[Richyyy]

Yeah, it's reached the point where I'd be surprised if they made a coaching change. They've won a few games, and been competitive in a few others. It's no longer just a continuous run of embarrassing losses. And there isn't an obvious replacement waiting in the wings, or among the assistants sitting next to Smith (Weatherspoon doesn't count, considering she never seems to have wanted to even become an assistant). I'm not convinced Smith is actually doing much better of a job this year than she did last year, but I'm pretty much expecting them to ride it out and then go looking for someone better in the offseason. Although there's always the dangerous possibility is that they win just enough games to convince them that Smith's improving and that they should give her another year.

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

[Bob Lamm]

A question has come up on a game thread that I'd like to bring over here. Rather than quoting anyone, I'd like to start this anew. I hope it won't focus on whether there should be a coaching change or on whether any particular player should or shouldn't play, but of course everyone can and should say whatever they wish.

Does our team have a chance for a good season? To begin, I believe we need a standard as to what being good might mean. For me, 20-14 (or better) would be a good season. 19-15 would be iffy. Nothing less in my view.

New York is currently 3-7. To go 20-14, the team would have to go 17-7 the rest of the way. I see no way in hell that that's happening. I see this year's team finishing below .500. Last year the Liberty were 7-27. I'm figuring the 2019 record will be better. Perhaps 11-23, 12-22, or 13-21.

Obviously I will be very happy to be proven wrong. Won't be the first time. Not even close.

[toad455]

I honestly would prefer us in the lottery and build upon being in Brooklyn as our new beginning. I do hope we get a few more wins than last season. I'd be happy finishing 12-22, but that would require us going 9-15 the rest of the season.

_________________
LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!

Twitter: @TBRBWAY

[J-Spoon]

I see us in the 10-24 to 15-19 range.

I believe the return of Zahui B the addition of Stokes and the continued growth of Nurse and Durr will make us a competitive lower half of the standings team who can beat anyone on any given night but I just don't think we have enough talent 1 through 12 or defense to win consistently.

I like winning but I also foresee a future with an Ionescu, Durr, Nurse perimeter that I am very excited about so I hope we stay in the lottery. The danger is this year the 8 seed might squeak in with a 15-19 record Dallas, Atl, NY, and Indy seem like the lottery teams but Seattle keeps getting hit with injuries and Chicago could come crashing back down to earth and even LA and PX have played some poor games so I see a lot of teams having the potential to hover around .500 which means the 7th and 8 seeds will probably have below .500 records.

The other thing wrong with my lottery plan is the fact that if you get 3 or 4 while someone might develop into being a game changer (Mompremier, Charles, Holmes) or declare early (Carter) if you ain't 1 or 2 next year (Ionescu and Cox) there isn't much difference between 3 and 6 (Dangerfield, Martin, Hebard).

[NYSports56]

If we can make the playoffs, I'm all in. The future's nice to plan for, but who knows how much of a future there is with the WNBA? Or the Liberty? Let me watch my team in the playoffs.

If they're not a playoff team, the WNBA 2 year anti-tanking rule combined with the lottery is enough to make it more important to establish a winning culture than it is to deliberately lose games.

I personally think that wins are going to be very hard to come by until our players get back from Europe. After that, there is a chance the team could be good, but probably not good enough to get them in the playoffs. If they do make the playoffs, it will probably mean that they are playing very well down the stretch and worthy of being there.

[toad455]

We might have very good odds at the #1 pick if the remaining lottery teams from 2018 all make the playoffs(Indiana, Chicago & Las Vegas). At this point it might be New York, Dallas, Atlanta & possibly Los Angeles or Phoenix.

_________________
LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!

Twitter: @TBRBWAY

[Shades]

It’s only 4-5 games before players come back. Libs put up a decent fight against Minnesota in the first game without Zahui. The next two games are against Dallas and Atlanta. What could be better than Dallas and Atlanta on the schedule now?

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

[Bob Lamm]

The latest from DolanWorld. The NBA has fined the Knicks $50,000 for barring a reporter from the New York Daily News from attending a press conference last week. One of Dolan's longstanding pathologies has been terrible treatment of the media.

I'm SO glad that Hideous Lord Jimmy no longer owns the New York Liberty.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/24/sports/knicks-daily-news-feud.html?searchResultPosition=1

[NYSports56]

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

My rationale was favorable schedule (not many games between now and August) combined with traits that I see the team displaying. They have a competitive toughness. Last year they did not. I think Wright’s presence helps that. Competitive toughness translates well with talent usually. Especially in a season where talent around the league is less dominant than the norm. If this were last year’s league I wouldn’t even consider the Liberty being more than the #2 lottery team.

Their main lack is a defensive center. Which might be fixed when Kiah is back with the team.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[GlennMacGrady]

I think it would be a significant achievement for the Liberty and Smith to reach .500 this season, which I doubt they can.

Horses make horse races. Whatever her coaching immaturities, Smith doesn't have thoroughbreds. This should be no surprise anyone who regularly writes here about the team, since every player, with the possible exception of Nurse, is regularly disparaged by said regular writers.

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http://www.youtube.com/MagicBusBasketball

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

How many teams have a #3 scorer averaging as many points as Durr? 3. MIN, LV and LA. How many teams have a #4 scorer averaging as many as Zahui? The answer is 0. Not one. The Liberty have talent. What they don’t have is consistent rim protection and cohesion. Both of which may well be remedied by players returning from Eurobasket, at least to some extent.

After Eurobasket the Libs’ remaining July games are spread out. Meaning their returning players have long lengths of practice time available to acclimate, unusual during a season. They have two solid homestands. They have either zero or one back-to-backs, I forget. Plus this is a serious down year in the league talentwise. And I don’t expect Tina to shoot 37% all year. I may very well be wrong about their potential to improve, but it’s based on careful thought and logic more than it is on wishful thinking.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]