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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 16358
Location: Chicago
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 Posted: 05/16/23 2:03 pm ::: |
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| RavenDog wrote: |
| Richyyy wrote: |
| tfan wrote: |
| SportsGuru wrote: |
Per Kareem Copeland Washington Post:
Emily Engstler was the No. 4 overall pick last year. Acknowledged the release did make her wonder what she did wrong. What more could she have done? But credits those close to her for keeping her in a good mental space. Learned quickly about the business of basketball.
https://twitter.com/kareemcopeland/status/1653818971429150720 |
Like most cuts, she doesn't have to do anything wrong. Just being smaller than WNBA 4s and slower than WNBA 3s can be enough. She has a good attitude and intensity. Try doing drills to shake a defender and get off a quick accurate shot. |
Cutting a top-4 pick, after one year, and especialy without even letting her come to training camp in the second year, is still a very unusual move. This isn't just another random college kid failing to make a team and their school's fans whining about it. You can understand why people thought there had to be more to it. |
Yes, very unusual. Apparently, the new head coach never saw her so the ax apparently came from the top. |
The same top who thought she was worth a lottery pick a year ago. This now makes three drafts in a row that the Fever have given up on a player they thought was worth a lottery pick within a year.
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
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Location: Chicago
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| Posted: 05/17/23 1:38 pm ::: |
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Fever have waived Taylor Mikesell.
That has them down to 13 (12 if Hatar isn't in camp - I am not sure about her.)
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009
Posts: 12535
Location: Dallas , Texas
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| Posted: 05/17/23 2:59 pm ::: |
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| PUmatty wrote: |
Fever have waived Taylor Mikesell.
That has them down to 13 (12 if Hatar isn't in camp - I am not sure about her.) |
If Hatar is there they need to get a long-term commitment or send her back after a few seasons ago debacle.
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 9618
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| Posted: 05/17/23 4:18 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
| tfan wrote: |
| SportsGuru wrote: |
Per Kareem Copeland Washington Post:
Emily Engstler was the No. 4 overall pick last year. Acknowledged the release did make her wonder what she did wrong. What more could she have done? But credits those close to her for keeping her in a good mental space. Learned quickly about the business of basketball.
https://twitter.com/kareemcopeland/status/1653818971429150720 |
Like most cuts, she doesn't have to do anything wrong. Just being smaller than WNBA 4s and slower than WNBA 3s can be enough. She has a good attitude and intensity. Try doing drills to shake a defender and get off a quick accurate shot. |
Cutting a top-4 pick, after one year, and especially without even letting her come to training camp in the second year, is still a very unusual move. This isn't just another random college kid failing to make a team and their school's fans whining about it. You can understand why people thought there had to be more to it. |
I was responding to Emily Engstler's comment.
I don't know why the WNBA teams are not allowed to get the exact measurements of these players before drafting. Or have a workout with them.
She was a #2 rated wing in high school by Hoopgurlz. I remember Engstler as a 2 or 3 at Syracuse. They show her as a 6'1" guard on the roster.
https://cuse.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/emily--engstler/19508
Then she goes to undersized Louisville and they list her as a 6'1" forward and I believe play her as a power forward due to their lack of height.
https://gocards.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/emily-engstler/12106
Per the 5-man lineups on this page:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/e/engstem01w/lineups/2022/#all_lineups-5-man
the Fever used Engstler as a (backup) power forward with Vivians or a guard as the small forward.
I would like to know what Lin Dunn foresaw Engstler playing in the WNBA. 6'1" power forward with average length arms?
But it is strange to cut her BEFORE camp if that is what happened, as she was in the rotation last year. I would bet Christie Sides (2022 Atlanta Dream assistant) was in agreement with that.
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
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Location: London
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| Posted: 05/17/23 4:25 pm ::: |
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| Hatar isn't there, but they have plenty of room to temp suspend her and carry her as a 13th. Atlanta will likely do the same with Rupert. |
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 16358
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: 05/18/23 9:40 am ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
| Hatar isn't there, but they have plenty of room to temp suspend her and carry her as a 13th. Atlanta will likely do the same with Rupert. |
So this looks like the final roster:
Grace Berger
Aliyah Boston
Maya Caldwell
Emma Cannon
Queen Egbo
Lexie Hull
Kelsey Mitchell
Victaria Saxton
NaLyssa Smith
Victoria Vivians
Kristy Wallace
Erica Wheeler
*Bernadette Hatar
Not a roster that is going to scare anyone.
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Posts: 24351
Location: London
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| Posted: 05/18/23 12:12 pm ::: |
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| I know you guys have been starved for quality basketball and excitement for years now, but as I said elsewhere a couple of weeks ago - the perfect year for the Fever would be lots of signs of progress and then still getting to draft Caitlin Clark at the end of it. |
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 16358
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: 05/18/23 12:27 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
| I know you guys have been starved for quality basketball and excitement for years now, but as I said elsewhere a couple of weeks ago - the perfect year for the Fever would be lots of signs of progress and then still getting to draft Caitlin Clark at the end of it. |
That is exactly what I have been hoping for. Signs of improvement throughout the season (not just the beginning like last year), but still the most ping pong balls in the Clarkstakes.
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blaase22
Joined: 28 Mar 2011
Posts: 4163
Location: Paradise
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| Posted: 05/18/23 2:22 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
| I know you guys have been starved for quality basketball and excitement for years now, but as I said elsewhere a couple of weeks ago - the perfect year for the Fever would be lots of signs of progress and then still getting to draft Caitlin Clark at the end of it. |
What are the chances Indiana can win the lottery back to back after never winning it ever?
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Luuuc
#NATC
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 21928
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| Posted: 05/18/23 5:51 pm ::: |
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| blaase22 wrote: |
| Richyyy wrote: |
| I know you guys have been starved for quality basketball and excitement for years now, but as I said elsewhere a couple of weeks ago - the perfect year for the Fever would be lots of signs of progress and then still getting to draft Caitlin Clark at the end of it. |
What are the chances Indiana can win the lottery back to back after never winning it ever? |
Pretty close to 44% I would guess
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009
Posts: 12535
Location: Dallas , Texas
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| Posted: 05/30/23 8:06 pm ::: |
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| I’m totally baffled as to why Lexi Hull has a spot in this league. Yes she’s a tough defender but when the hell is the last time she made a shot? If anything she should come off the bench I’m not understanding this infatuation from coach sides with her game. She CANT SHOOT FOR SHIT . Indiana should have gotten the ball to Mitchell for the 3 on both last plays versus Conn tonight instead they called a timeout to get the 3 for a player who has not made a shot in this league in almost 5,000 days smh. Wheeler is horrible as well Indiana makes so many dumb moves it resembles nvm.
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3-Time WNBA Champion-3-Time National Champion-4-Time Olympic Champion....And Yes DT "We Got Confeti" lol
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Ex-Ref
Joined: 04 Oct 2009
Posts: 8947
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| Posted: 05/30/23 8:26 pm ::: |
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| WNBA 09 wrote: |
| I’m totally baffled as to why Lexi Hull has a spot in this league. Yes she’s a tough defender but when the hell is the last time she made a shot? If anything she should come off the bench I’m not understanding this infatuation from coach sides with her game. She CANT SHOOT FOR SHIT . Indiana should have gotten the ball to Mitchell for the 3 on both last plays versus Conn tonight instead they called a timeout to get the 3 for a player who has not made a shot in this league in almost 5,000 days smh. Wheeler is horrible as well Indiana makes so many dumb moves it resembles nvm. |
I keep thinking of that WIDE OPEN layup that she missed (and that there were three Sun players down to rebound and ZERO Fever players). That would have made it a 1 point game and the play at the end would have been for a 2, not a 3.
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"Women are judged on their success, men on their potential. It’s time we started believing in the potential of women." —Muffet McGraw
“Thank you for showing the fellas that you've got more balls than them,” Haley said, to cheers from the crowd.
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
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Location: London
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| Posted: 05/30/23 11:17 pm ::: |
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| A decent 3 was an obvious need for this roster, and is why I was chasing people like Cunningham and Carleton for them in our mock offseason podcast ages ago. All they did in the real world was re-sign Vivians to a contract she didn't deserve with two years of guaranteed money. Hull is in the starting lineup because Vivians is worse. If she's healthy, I'd call Crystal Bradford (who could also be the smallball 4 they've been trying to use Vivians as). |
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010
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| Posted: 05/31/23 2:08 am ::: |
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I heard someone say on YouTube that Lexie Hull shot OK in Athletes Unlimited but has shot badly in the WNBA. And that she needs to fix whatever is causing her presumably mental issues. I just looked at her shooting stats and she is
2022 26.7% overall (28/105) , 18.6% from three (8/43)
2023 17.4% overall (4/23), 0% from three (0/10)
I don't think you can be a defensive specialist guard in the WNBA so she does need to improve that. And until she does she isn't the person you want taking a three at the end of a game. She can't really be in in that situation.
Her college totals were 39.9% overall, 37.4% from three.
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bryan_february_
Joined: 28 Aug 2015
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Location: USA
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| Posted: 07/04/23 5:47 pm ::: |
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| I don't understand why we just traded away Egbo for Zahui B.
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readyAIMfire53
Joined: 20 Nov 2004
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Location: Durham, NC
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| Posted: 07/04/23 5:59 pm ::: |
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| bryan_february_ wrote: |
| I don't understand why we just traded away Egbo for Zahui B. |
I'm a mystified (but exhuberant) Mystics fan. The only thing I can think of is Egbo was not happy with her reduced minutes. She's capable of holding down the Center position while Shakira is out and Zahui B, while popular in the locker room has shown nothing on the court.
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johnjohnW
Joined: 11 Aug 2020
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| Posted: 07/04/23 6:02 pm ::: |
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| I mean, what was the point of even being so bad for all these years when you trade away anything you got to show for it!
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bryan_february_
Joined: 28 Aug 2015
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NYSports56
Joined: 03 Jul 2018
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Location: New Jersey, USA
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| Posted: 07/04/23 7:03 pm ::: |
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| readyAIMfire53 wrote: |
| bryan_february_ wrote: |
| I don't understand why we just traded away Egbo for Zahui B. |
I'm a mystified (but exhuberant) Mystics fan. The only thing I can think of is Egbo was not happy with her reduced minutes. She's capable of holding down the Center position while Shakira is out and Zahui B, while popular in the locker room has shown nothing on the court. |
There are limits to what a team should do to accommodate an unhappy player. When a team isn't in win-now mode, trading that player for someone who is both older and probably not as good is outside those limits. Unless there are some serious off-court issues we don't know about, Indiana needed to get better value.
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shontay33
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
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| Posted: 07/05/23 8:53 am ::: |
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| NYSports56 wrote: |
| readyAIMfire53 wrote: |
| bryan_february_ wrote: |
| I don't understand why we just traded away Egbo for Zahui B. |
I'm a mystified (but exhuberant) Mystics fan. The only thing I can think of is Egbo was not happy with her reduced minutes. She's capable of holding down the Center position while Shakira is out and Zahui B, while popular in the locker room has shown nothing on the court. |
There are limits to what a team should do to accommodate an unhappy player. When a team isn't in win-now mode, trading that player for someone who is both older and probably not as good is outside those limits. Unless there are some serious off-court issues we don't know about, Indiana needed to get better value. |
I dont think it was anything off the court with Egbo. What I dont understand is why we got a veteran player when we are supposed to be a young team? Suppose that Zahui B wants more minutes? What then? Do we stunt the growth of our other posts players? Once again we seem to be undecisive of what direction we are going in.
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NYSports56
Joined: 03 Jul 2018
Posts: 1126
Location: New Jersey, USA
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| Posted: 07/05/23 11:28 am ::: |
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| shontay33 wrote: |
| NYSports56 wrote: |
| readyAIMfire53 wrote: |
| bryan_february_ wrote: |
| I don't understand why we just traded away Egbo for Zahui B. |
I'm a mystified (but exhuberant) Mystics fan. The only thing I can think of is Egbo was not happy with her reduced minutes. She's capable of holding down the Center position while Shakira is out and Zahui B, while popular in the locker room has shown nothing on the court. |
There are limits to what a team should do to accommodate an unhappy player. When a team isn't in win-now mode, trading that player for someone who is both older and probably not as good is outside those limits. Unless there are some serious off-court issues we don't know about, Indiana needed to get better value. |
I dont think it was anything off the court with Egbo. What I dont understand is why we got a veteran player when we are supposed to be a young team? Suppose that Zahui B wants more minutes? What then? Do we stunt the growth of our other posts players? Once again we seem to be undecisive of what direction we are going in. |
I don't understand it either. However, I wouldn't worry about Zahui B being a malcontent. She has always seemed willing to accept whatever role a team gives her, and I've never heard anything at all about her being a negative influence in the locker room.
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johnjohnW
Joined: 11 Aug 2020
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| Posted: 07/05/23 11:37 am ::: |
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| Let’s be real, Indiana will likely waive Zahui B before the end of the season, making this trade even more stupid.
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readyAIMfire53
Joined: 20 Nov 2004
Posts: 7372
Location: Durham, NC
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| Posted: 07/05/23 4:09 pm ::: |
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| NYSports56 wrote: |
| shontay33 wrote: |
| NYSports56 wrote: |
| readyAIMfire53 wrote: |
| bryan_february_ wrote: |
| I don't understand why we just traded away Egbo for Zahui B. |
I'm a mystified (but exhuberant) Mystics fan. The only thing I can think of is Egbo was not happy with her reduced minutes. She's capable of holding down the Center position while Shakira is out and Zahui B, while popular in the locker room has shown nothing on the court. |
There are limits to what a team should do to accommodate an unhappy player. When a team isn't in win-now mode, trading that player for someone who is both older and probably not as good is outside those limits. Unless there are some serious off-court issues we don't know about, Indiana needed to get better value. |
I dont think it was anything off the court with Egbo. What I dont understand is why we got a veteran player when we are supposed to be a young team? Suppose that Zahui B wants more minutes? What then? Do we stunt the growth of our other posts players? Once again we seem to be undecisive of what direction we are going in. |
I don't understand it either. However, I wouldn't worry about Zahui B being a malcontent. She has always seemed willing to accept whatever role a team gives her, and I've never heard anything at all about her being a negative influence in the locker room. |
AZB has always been a good teammate and is just happy to be in the league again after LA did her dirty last season (suspended her for the season to make room for Liz). If Indiana decided they needed an easy to please veteran in the lockerroom rather than an effective (if unhappy) backup to their budding superstar, then they got exactly what they wanted.
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Follow your passion and your life will be true down to your core.
~rAf
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RavenDog
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
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| Posted: 07/05/23 5:31 pm ::: |
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| bryan_february_ wrote: |
| I don't understand why we just traded away Egbo for Zahui B. |
Lousy B is not something to be cherished. Egbo must have wanted out, I would guess but I don't know this.
The Mystics must be ecstatic!
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Milks26
Joined: 25 Mar 2021
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| Posted: 07/05/23 9:40 pm ::: |
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Just heard about the trade today. Crazy. Would not have let Ego go. Saxton should've been the one instead. Still don't know why she's on the team
Maybe they wanted a experience big to help Boston....but still!
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