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Admiral_Needa
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 10479 Location: Tiburon, CA
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myrtle
Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 32335
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Posted: 08/21/18 11:52 pm ::: |
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well they at least had a great (surprisingly) positive in Fagbenle.
they will also get a good guard at #5, which is needed because Seimone sometimes looks like Seimone and sometimes looks like she is near the end of her career. And we know Wright is near the end of hers. That leaves guard pretty thin.
_________________ For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
- Amanda Gorman
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009 Posts: 12537 Location: Dallas , Texas
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22474 Location: NJ
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Posted: 08/22/18 7:49 am ::: |
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Wonder if they keep Larkins as their veteran post off the bench? Arike seems a given to replace Augustus.
PG: Robinson/Wright
SG: Augustus/Ogunbowale/Jones
SF: Moore/Zandalasini
PF: Brunson/Larkins/#16 pick(Caliya Robinson?)
C: Fowles/Fagbenle
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Randy
Joined: 08 Oct 2011 Posts: 10911
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Posted: 08/22/18 8:04 am ::: |
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Age and injury have caught up with the Lynx but any team with Fowles and Moore should be a contender. Now they will have some cap space and room for another starter (or 2) so they could pick up someone in FA, or trade their draft pick for a good player to fill the void. Lynx are not necessarily done yet. But they need to really manage the minutes of Brunson and Augustus next year so that they have something in the tank for the playoffs.
Does look like Jones is not their PG of the future. CZ also has not been nearly as impressive starting as she was coming off the bench - but it may be teams just figured her out.
Maybe the will go after Dantas - she never played as well in Atlanta as she did for the Lynx.
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11149
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Posted: 08/22/18 11:04 am ::: |
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I don't think Ionescu should be counted out of the draft -- though I don't think she could be counted in either. But how would she fit with the Lynx?
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22474 Location: NJ
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Posted: 08/22/18 11:09 am ::: |
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ClayK wrote: |
I don't think Ionescu should be counted out of the draft -- though I don't think she could be counted in either. But how would she fit with the Lynx? |
Ionescu will be the #1 pick regardless if it's the 2019 or 2020 draft. Indiana would get their starting PG for many, many years. McCowan falls to Vegas, Chicago might pass on Brown and take a guard(Durr or even Samuelson) and Brown falls to New York.
_________________ LET'S GO LIBERTY!!!!!!
Twitter: @TBRBWAY
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 24355 Location: London
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Posted: 08/22/18 11:29 am ::: |
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ClayK wrote: |
I don't think Ionescu should be counted out of the draft -- though I don't think she could be counted in either. But how would she fit with the Lynx? |
I don't know if she'd the absolute nailed on #1 if she comes out (she would be if I were picking, based on what I've seen), but there's no way in hell she's there at #6. And basically all Minnesota have to trade at this point is their 1sts, Moore and Fowles. So she's not going to Minnesota unless she stays in school and next year is a disaster for the Lynx. |
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 66916 Location: Where the action is
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Posted: 08/22/18 11:57 am ::: |
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Richyyy wrote: |
ClayK wrote: |
I don't think Ionescu should be counted out of the draft -- though I don't think she could be counted in either. But how would she fit with the Lynx? |
I don't know if she'd the absolute nailed on #1 if she comes out (she would be if I were picking, based on what I've seen), but there's no way in hell she's there at #6. And basically all Minnesota have to trade at this point is their 1sts, Moore and Fowles. So she's not going to Minnesota unless she stays in school and next year is a disaster for the Lynx. |
Or if someone hires Michael Cooper and he trades away a lottery pick for a bench player
_________________ I'm a lonely frog
I ain't got a home
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009 Posts: 12537 Location: Dallas , Texas
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Posted: 08/22/18 12:02 pm ::: |
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Richyyy wrote: |
ClayK wrote: |
I don't think Ionescu should be counted out of the draft -- though I don't think she could be counted in either. But how would she fit with the Lynx? |
I don't know if she'd the absolute nailed on #1 if she comes out (she would be if I were picking, based on what I've seen), but there's no way in hell she's there at #6. And basically all Minnesota have to trade at this point is their 1sts, Moore and Fowles. So she's not going to Minnesota unless she stays in school and next year is a disaster for the Lynx. |
Agreed , Ionescu goes #1 if the right team gets the #1 pick . With the needs for Bigs in this draft , taking Her at #1 could force a team to do more rebuilding than before. She would be the best selection though as far as Pro-Ready goes.
_________________ 3-Time WNBA Champion-3-Time National Champion-4-Time Olympic Champion....And Yes DT "We Got Confeti" lol
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jewelsongs
Joined: 07 May 2010 Posts: 388
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Posted: 08/22/18 1:09 pm ::: |
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I am a huge Sparks fan, but I will really miss Whalen. What a terrific competitor. She killed my team again and again. I hope she has a great coaching career.
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J-Spoon
Joined: 31 Jan 2009 Posts: 6800
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Posted: 08/22/18 2:17 pm ::: |
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I am having a strange vision of Sloot in a Lynx uniform.
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009 Posts: 12537 Location: Dallas , Texas
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Randy
Joined: 08 Oct 2011 Posts: 10911
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LynxFan32
Joined: 20 Apr 2016 Posts: 174
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Posted: 08/22/18 4:31 pm ::: |
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J-Spoon wrote: |
I am having a strange vision of Sloot in a Lynx uniform. |
if sloot and Charles end up in a lynx uniform next season....everyone will hate us as lynx fans and they will hate the lynx again
_________________ Hot Bod
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 66916 Location: Where the action is
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Posted: 08/22/18 5:03 pm ::: |
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LynxFan32 wrote: |
J-Spoon wrote: |
I am having a strange vision of Sloot in a Lynx uniform. |
if sloot and Charles end up in a lynx uniform next season....everyone will hate us as lynx fans and they will hate the lynx again |
If that happens even SpaceJunkie will have to say something nice about Reeve.
_________________ I'm a lonely frog
I ain't got a home
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009 Posts: 12537 Location: Dallas , Texas
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 63778
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Posted: 08/22/18 5:45 pm ::: |
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What would be the motivation for Chicago to deal away the only star player that has been happy to stay with the team?
Reeve can no longer rely on gifts. She’s gotta get good at her job. Find the hidden gems that are out there, and hopefully draft a post player in the first round.
Now that Reeve has freed up additional capital by pushing Whalen out the door, it wouldn’t be surprising if she went after one of those beleaguered post players.
Wings fans aren’t happy with Glory Johnson? Really? They’d be happier with the #6 pick? Value-wise, I think that would intrigue Reeve, but the whole Griner ordeal left her looking forever kooky to me. Unless Reeve is getting desperate enough to drop her standards, Glory doesn’t seem to pass the no-knucklehead test.
Another player with high knucklehead potential, Bone, could be the odd man out in LVA, but according to Megdal, she’s making $112K. Can you imagine Reeve paying Bone $112K a year after not wanting to pay Howard the same? The ridicule would be immense. The only way Bone should end up with the Lynx is if Laimbeer cut her and the Lynx picks her up at a renegotiated price, say $80K. Even at that price, she may not pass the no-knucklehead requirement.
Hamby is a RFA that Laimbeer may let go, so maybe you could throw a low-ball offer at her. Even she is somewhat high on the knucklehead scale.
Dantas returning would be intriguing considering the success the Lynx had with her. Can she stay healthy? Lynx have three second rounders.
It’s hard finding good players at a fair price. This is why should hold onto players like Howard that you already have and should know what you got.
Man, ATL got Breland for free. How’d that happen?
_________________ Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11149
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Posted: 08/22/18 6:11 pm ::: |
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So what happens with Augustus? She was benched for the fourth quarter in the biggest game of the season for a relative unknown.
She's not the player she once was, and was below average on both sides of the ball according to the ratings (whatever those may be worth). She turns 35 in April and clearly isn't going to get better.
Rebekkah Brunson turns 37 in December and though she's still a solid defender, she's below-average offensively. On the right team, surrounded by youth and scorers, she might still be valuable -- but I don't see Minnesota as being that team.
For the sake of argument, let's say neither Brunson or Augustus start next year. With Whalen gone, the returning starters are
Maya Moore, who turns 30 next year and is coming off her worst season
Sylvia Fowles, who turns 33 in October
Possible replacements:
Danielle Robinson, turns 30 next May, an A/TO below 2.0, no perimeter threat, decent defender
Cecilia Zandalasini, turns 23 so should improve on her 8.0 PER (15.0 is average). Good three-point shooter, but how many teams in the league would she start for?
Temi Fagbenle, turns 26, had her best game against LA. Could be a nice post in the mold of Natasha Howard, LaToya Sanders. Or not.
Tanisha Wright, turns 35 in November. 39.6% from three, career best; 37.6% from two, career worst. Looked to be in good shape, high IQ, but again, how many teams would she start for?
Alexis Jones, 25 in May, way below average in offensive and defensive ratings. 6.2 PER (?!). 18/17 A/TO doesn't seem to indicate a PG.
It's a good draft, but No. 6 isn't likely to be an immediate impact player who can share the load with Augustus and Moore.
I will give a lot of credit to Cheryl Reeve if she sticks with this, because it sure looks like it's going to be a long rebuild.
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22474 Location: NJ
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Posted: 08/22/18 6:14 pm ::: |
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Whoever they draft at #6 could potentially start(Ogunbowale, Durr?). That's Augustus' replacement. Fagbenle would replace Brunson. Their main bench players would be Wright, Zandalasini and whatever FA Reeve targets.
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calbearman76
Joined: 02 Nov 2009 Posts: 5155 Location: Carson City
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Posted: 08/22/18 6:22 pm ::: |
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I believe this shouldn't be a tough rebuild for next season. The core is Moore and Fowles; everyone else is replaceable. The Lynx need to get younger. They can't afford to have expensive backups like Wright, and I don't see her as a 30 minute a game starter. Augustus and Brunson are both fine but certainly not vital. Moore and Fowles by themselves should be enough to take a team to the playoffs, and sculpting a team around those two stars should allow the team to be far more prepared for the playoffs.
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 24355 Location: London
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Posted: 08/22/18 7:58 pm ::: |
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Brunson and Augustus are both still viable WNBA players, they're just not stars any more. They probably bring both back if they want to come. I think they need two pieces: One genuinely meaningful free agent pickup (not a pushing-40 fill-in, or maybe-rotation backup, but an actual starting-calibre addition); and hit a home run with the #6 pick.
If they get both of those, with maybe Maya bouncing back up a bit after the drop-off this season, and the defense they still seem able to build with Reeve+Fowles+virtually anyone, then I think they can be very competitive again very quickly. But they really do need to refresh. Maya, Fowles, Reeve and filler has been shown this season to not be enough. |
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MuneravenMN Champion Tipster
Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 3990
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Posted: 08/22/18 9:32 pm ::: |
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J-Spoon wrote: |
I am having a strange vision of Sloot in a Lynx uniform. |
Me too! We should form a Psychic Friends Network!
_________________ Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character.
--John Wooden
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calbearman76
Joined: 02 Nov 2009 Posts: 5155 Location: Carson City
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Posted: 08/22/18 10:41 pm ::: |
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Richyyy wrote: |
Brunson and Augustus are both still viable WNBA players, they're just not stars any more. They probably bring both back if they want to come. I think they need two pieces: One genuinely meaningful free agent pickup (not a pushing-40 fill-in, or maybe-rotation backup, but an actual starting-calibre addition); and hit a home run with the #6 pick.
If they get both of those, with maybe Maya bouncing back up a bit after the drop-off this season, and the defense they still seem able to build with Reeve+Fowles+virtually anyone, then I think they can be very competitive again very quickly. But they really do need to refresh. Maya, Fowles, Reeve and filler has been shown this season to not be enough. |
I didn't mean to suggest that Augustus and Brunson should be let go. If they could get something in a trade for one of them that would be fine, but the main point is that the Lynx can't hold on to both of them as well as Wright and Larkins. Both are still quality players and could have a role. But the league is getting quicker and the Lynx need to do so as well. As much as people loved Whalen I believe her play was the single biggest problem for the team in 2018.
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SpaceJunkie
Joined: 10 Sep 2012 Posts: 4241 Location: Minnesota
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Posted: 08/23/18 7:30 am ::: |
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Shades wrote: |
It’s hard finding good players at a fair price. This is why should hold onto players like Howard that you already have and should know what you got.
Man, ATL got Breland for free. How’d that happen? |
What if Reeve is so obsessed with her vet starters, she decided she didn't want to risk making them look "bad" by having any top-notch backups behind them? Reeve couldn't risk the Lynx making it to or winning the WNBA Finals if Brunson ever got injured (or if it didn't involved Brunson playing huge minutes), because Howard would just as easily be able to replace her in the lineup, so Reeve is probably thrilled the Lynx lost in the first round of the playoffs with Brunson out because it makes Brunson look better. That's why most Lynx fans are mad at me for being upset that the Lynx got rid of Howard and sucked this year: they'd rather go almost .500 and lose in the first round of the playoffs (and/or never win another title, while Seattle wins the next three titles) than have anybody other than (besides Maya & Fowles) Brunson, Augustus, or Whalen play any major role in the Lynx winning a title (even as a bench player, because I never said the Lynx ever had to get rid of any of their vet starters—it's who Reeve has on the bench I complain about).
I think Chicago used their core on Quigley, and Breland decided she'd rather play for THE DREAM TEAM than the Sky.
Otherwise top free agents rarely ever switch teams, so I don't know if I can count on the Lynx signing anybody who'll make any more of an impact than their big signing of Kizer this year.
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