RebKell's Junkie Boards

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

Man that was a brutal physical and mental effort from NY’s standpoint. I’m not sure how you can come out so flat in a game of such importance. But if it was because Phoenix was severely undermanned then the Liberty are showing that they’re still not ready. Plus if Howard is out, you can forget it. The Liberty can’t win without her. And that injury didn’t look good at all.

If Howard is out, my feeling and prediction is that the Liberty won’t win another game unless Atlanta has clinched a playoff spot before the final game and decides to rest people. If the Liberty lose out, their lottery destination is likely either #3 odds or a split for #2 with LA, whose ending schedule is tough.

Picking third or fourth would be a little disappointing. But I love Owusu. I can’t think of a player I’ve seen with a better handle on the college level. She’s mobile for her size and she’s a terrific passer with a high basketball IQ. On defense she’ll probably get beat by quicker players but I think the size and toughness that she brings would be welcome in a player of her skill level. I’d really hope she’d be the pick. There’s no doubt in my mind she’s the third best player in this draft class.

I’d like to focus on making the playoffs but the Liberty are just too inconsistent even when they have most of their pieces. Now they potentially lose what represents almost all of their inside game, from a team that’s unbalanced even when almost healthy. I didn’t think there was any chance they could lose last night. The way they approached it with such a low intensity level, apparently they didn’t either. There’s a certain toughness the Liberty just lack on an every-game basis. You look at players like DeShields, Peddy and Cunningham, they have it. Last night it showed. Even when they were getting beaten handily in NY, Peddy and Cunningham were competing hard (DD didn’t play). And a credit to Phoenix. Peddy has been on the bubble for large portions of her career. She’s only 5’7”. It says a lot about her will and heart that she’s a contributor on a roster without any attributes that really jump out at you other than she’s an above-average player in speed and quickness. But you always know she’s out there. And she’s going to want it more than most players. And you have to be ready for that. And the Liberty weren’t.

And then there’s DD’s story that by now most of us are familiar with. She had to fight just to be able to walk, let alone play basketball at the level she does. She plays like basketball means everything to her. Not to say that basketball should be the sole focus of every player 24/7, but the Liberty are too often playing like they’re just not completely dialed in to individual possessions or tasks at hand. I’ve discussed improving the free throw disparity quite a bit and I think that’s partially related to being dialed in and having that degree of consistent toughness.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[RavenDog]

Miss Sandy, WTF?

[Bob Lamm]

[LibFan25]

Very bad loss. And I'm not even upset about it. There needs to be changes to this roster except Sabina.

If Libs are headed to lottery then so be it cuz most likely will be first round exit anyway. we need "impact" players to surround Sabrina. I want Haley Jones from Stanford