2024 WNBA Season Discussion Thread

[zike_42]

8-0 Sun vs 0-8 Mystics today, could we see a 50 point defeat? 100 point defeat? Exaggeration yes, but what a gap. Sun are -13.5 points.

I'm curious, since a new team is coming in next year how will the draft go? Will Paige be automatically gifted to the Valkyries will the 1st pick go elsewhere

I'm not sure, nothing has been announced. I checked the most recent expansion team (Atlanta Dream, 2008) and they got the fourth pick in the draft out of 14 first round picks. I find that a bit weird as the Chicago Sky entered the league only two years prior they got the sixth pick, again with 14 first round picks.

My gut feeling is they will get the fourth, as it is what the Charlotte Bobcats were given in 2004 (it's been 20 years since the NBA has expanded!). But on the other hand, by trying to capitalise on the new influx of popularity and with a big market with the GSV, I wouldn't be surprised if they are given the #1 or #2 pick to give them a boost and a familiar face for their first season.

[CIN-C-STAR]

She's definitely having a good year, but it's been 7 games.
There's a reason she's on her 3rd team in 4 seasons, even though she was a top-5 pick.
Hopefully she's turned a corner, but she's never been close to an All Star level player or anything. I think it's fair to say she's been a massive disappointment thus far in her pro career.

Can't disagree with any of that. I really hope she keeps it up because the Sky is my team. Also, she's very fun to watch.

In a few hours i'll be heading out to the arena to watch the home debut of the Sky Towers. Hopefully, years from now, i'll be able to say I witnessed some history. Regarding the actual game, I have no doubt the Liberty have revenge in their eyes. Bracing for a possible blowout lol

Enjoy the game!

But yeah I have a lil $ on the Liberty lol

Well you got to see a pretty competitive game through 3 quarters, and still be right in the end. The Liberty turned it on in the 4th.
You also got to see Angel's first ejection
I've no tolerance for cheap shots like what Kennedy did to Clark, but the Reece ejection for a little hand wave is soft AF. So weird how a player screaming "You're a B!tch" and then blindiside body checking them when the ball wasn't in play is a common foul but triggering the ref's insecurities is an automatic ejection
Supposed to be there to protect the players not your own ego, dude. Get a grip :/
But time was almost out anyway and at least you got to see history of some kind

[wojoaderge]

Can't disagree with any of that. I really hope she keeps it up because the Sky is my team. Also, she's very fun to watch.

In a few hours i'll be heading out to the arena to watch the home debut of the Sky Towers. Hopefully, years from now, i'll be able to say I witnessed some history. Regarding the actual game, I have no doubt the Liberty have revenge in their eyes. Bracing for a possible blowout lol

Enjoy the game!

But yeah I have a lil $ on the Liberty lol

Well you got to see a pretty competitive game through 3 quarters, and still be right in the end. The Liberty turned it on in the 4th.
You also got to see Angel's first ejection
I've no tolerance for cheap shots like what Kennedy did to Clark, but the Reece ejection for a little hand wave is soft AF. So weird how a player screaming "You're a B!tch" and then blindiside body checking them when the ball wasn't in play is a common foul but triggering the ref's insecurities is an automatic ejection
Supposed to be there to protect the players not your own ego, dude. Get a grip :/
But time was almost out anyway and at least you got to see history of some kind

Yeah I was just that they didn't give up after going down 17 in the first. I felt that they spent so much energy coming back and then taking the lead that they were gassed in the 4th. I was gassed myself cheering for them by that point. Kennedy had a really game and I got to see a JJ fadeaway in person. The Angel ejection, what can you do? Enjoyed it overall though. Sky have huge issues at PG and SF.

[Wingy]

Weird. Usually lets me delete these, but not this one. First time I’ve seen this.

Anyway.

Double post.

[Wingy]

That was a nice run by the Sky. I unfortunately dozed off* as the Liberty were starting to take back control, but still a great effort to fight back and stay in that game. They need to get Cardoso starting real soon…who are we kidding here?

* note this is a sign of aging that happens for NBA, whatever’s on my chosen streaming service, and not a shot at women’s ball.

[MrDollarBills]

Read on Twitter

[DirtybirdGA]

Is Vegas and the Sun on a collision course for the Finals? It seems you can write them in ink.

[ellobo]

Is Vegas and the Sun on a collision course for the Finals? It seems you can write them in ink.

New York, Minnesota, and Seattle should still have something to say.

[MrDollarBills]

Can't disagree with any of that. I really hope she keeps it up because the Sky is my team. Also, she's very fun to watch.

In a few hours i'll be heading out to the arena to watch the home debut of the Sky Towers. Hopefully, years from now, i'll be able to say I witnessed some history. Regarding the actual game, I have no doubt the Liberty have revenge in their eyes. Bracing for a possible blowout lol

Enjoy the game!

But yeah I have a lil $ on the Liberty lol

Well you got to see a pretty competitive game through 3 quarters, and still be right in the end. The Liberty turned it on in the 4th.
You also got to see Angel's first ejection
I've no tolerance for cheap shots like what Kennedy did to Clark, but the Reece ejection for a little hand wave is soft AF. So weird how a player screaming "You're a B!tch" and then blindiside body checking them when the ball wasn't in play is a common foul but triggering the ref's insecurities is an automatic ejection
Supposed to be there to protect the players not your own ego, dude. Get a grip :/
But time was almost out anyway and at least you got to see history of some kind

That ejection was complete horsesh*t I agree.

[MrDollarBills]

Is Vegas and the Sun on a collision course for the Finals? It seems you can write them in ink.

New York, Minnesota, and Seattle should still have something to say.

I was about to say don't discount my Libs

[MrDollarBills]

That was a nice run by the Sky. I unfortunately dozed off* as the Liberty were starting to take back control, but still a great effort to fight back and stay in that game. They need to get Cardoso starting real soon…who are we kidding here?

* note this is a sign of aging that happens for NBA, whatever’s on my chosen streaming service, and not a shot at women’s ball.

I was surprised that she isn't starting yet either, but Coach 'spoon knows what she is doing.

Their PG is really good. Chennedy Carter also has some nasty handle that was on display last night, if she can tone down the draymond lite stuff she is really fun to watch

[DirtybirdGA]

Yeah I forgot about NY, about ready to see how things play out.

[Wingy]

I was surprised that she isn't starting yet either, but Coach 'spoon knows what she is doing.

Their PG is really good. Chennedy Carter also has some nasty handle that was on display last night, if she can tone down the draymond lite stuff she is really fun to watch

Yeah, I figure still early, she’s still a rook, coming off non-trivial injury, not something to go off on Coach Spoon about at this stage.

I started watching when the Sky were down roughly a dozen, and Kamilla was on the floor when they started to turn it around. Wasn’t perfect, but her size is just a factor that’s tough to deal with. Even if she wasn’t getting the board, she was pressuring the Liberty to cough up a board and retain possession for her team. She’s just a presence.

Sky have a nice squad coming together. The young towers, Mabrey’s a nice scorer, likely other good players I don’t know yet, but absolutely- Carter has an exciting game. Really too bad she lost her cool on Clark, and that was her intro to most of the hoops world. Hope she lets her game shine and no antics like you said.

[wojoaderge]

Their PG is really good.

She might be good but i've found her floor generalship to be lacking. Imo as a starting PG she looks for her shot too much. She had no assists last night.

[MrDollarBills]

I was surprised that she isn't starting yet either, but Coach 'spoon knows what she is doing.

Their PG is really good. Chennedy Carter also has some nasty handle that was on display last night, if she can tone down the draymond lite stuff she is really fun to watch

Yeah, I figure still early, she’s still a rook, coming off non-trivial injury, not something to go off on Coach Spoon about at this stage.

I started watching when the Sky were down roughly a dozen, and Kamilla was on the floor when they started to turn it around. Wasn’t perfect, but her size is just a factor that’s tough to deal with. Even if she wasn’t getting the board, she was pressuring the Liberty to cough up a board and retain possession for her team. She’s just a presence.

Sky have a nice squad coming together. The young towers, Mabrey’s a nice scorer, likely other good players I don’t know yet, but absolutely- Carter has an exciting game. Really too bad she lost her cool on Clark, and that was her intro to most of the hoops world. Hope she lets her game shine and no antics like you said.

Cardoso knows how to seal people to allow her teammates to grab boards as well, it was a skill I've seen used very well by players like Brook Lopez and Jason Collins on the NBA side. It's an underrated aspect of rebounding.

Angel made an interesting statement where she noted how narratives drive public interest, and if she has to play the villain role, she'll do it if it helps the game grow (we know that Angel isn't a villain, personally I think she's a good kid who is very intelligent, confident in who she is, and understands the moment). Carter's claim to fame might work in her favor as she is super skilled and eyes are on her now. I think she needs to keep her intensity and aggression, just be smart about it. Talk trash, get physical, but let's hoop and not take cheap shots away from the ball

[MrDollarBills]

Their PG is really good.

She might be good but i've found her floor generalship to be lacking. Imo as a starting PG she looks for her shot too much. She had no assists last night.

Wow!!! I thought she had at least a few. But I was mainly focusing on my team so I missed that

[MrDollarBills]

Here's a fantastic Cameron Brink interview that dropped

https://uproxx.com/dimemag/cameron-brink-interview-wnba-narratives-taurasi-sparks/

I encourage everyone to read it because Cam is very thoughtful and it helps us to get to know her better, but I wanted to highlight this:


Q: What is the most tired narrative around women’s sports?

Oh, that’s a great question. The most tired narrative is that the vets are against the rookies — this old-school versus new-school narrative — and the narrative that the rookies need to be perfect. I feel like Caitlin Clark has that the worst right now, but even I get that. She had three points the other night [against New York on June 2]. I had three points the other night [against Indiana on May 28]. We’re expected to be perfect. We were drafted to high-drafting teams coming off of losing seasons, which is fine. It’s a learning process. But people expect us to be perfect, and it’s freaking exhausting. I feel like we learn how to tune it out, but still, it’s unrealistic, and it kind of just shows that people don’t know basketball.

I will acknowledge there’s a privilege for the younger white players of the league. That’s not always true, but there is a privilege that we have inherently, and the privilege of appearing feminine. Some of my teammates are more masculine. Some of my teammates go by they/them pronouns. I want to bring more acceptance to that and not just have people support us because of the way that we look. I know I can feed into that because I like to dress femininely, but that’s just me. I want everyone to be accepted — not just paid attention to because of how they look.

I couldn't think of anyone better to become one of the league's brightest young stars. She gets it. She has a fan in me.

[TerrenceClarke]

It was said that CC does not play a role in this with the narrative in the WNBA how its her vs the WNBA but she does.

She plays a role in being SILENT on the whats obvious being said by her fans and the likes. She is fully aware of the racism etc being hurled at the black athletes in the WNBA. She is FULLY aware that she has taken the shine away from more accomplished players with all the media attention being given to her.

Imagine a world where CC gets more press than AJa who is destroying the league right now with her play.

Silence when it comes to white privelage is just as damaging as anything, cause she has the platform where she can HELP change the narrative.

But all she is doing is playing this victim role which feeds all these racist mofos talking schit. She is playing this woe is me role which is mad corny.

Its why I respect white players like Paige and Hailey, cause they actually use their platforms to change the narrative against black female ballers.

Read on Twitter

Watch on YouTube

[MrDollarBills]

It was said that CC does not play a role in this with the narrative in the WNBA how its her vs the WNBA but she does.

She plays a role in being SILENT on the whats obvious being said by her fans and the likes. She is fully aware of the racism etc being hurled at the black athletes in the WNBA. She is FULLY aware that she has taken the shine away from more accomplished players with all the media attention being given to her.

Imagine a world where CC gets more press than AJa who is destroying the league right now with her play.

Silence when it comes to white privelage is just as damaging as anything, cause she has the platform where she can HELP change the narrative.

But all she is doing is playing this victim role which feeds all these racist mofos talking schit. She is playing this woe is me role which is mad corny.

Its why I respect white players like Paige and Hailey, cause they actually use their platforms to change the narrative against black female ballers.

Read on Twitter

Watch on YouTube

Hailey Van Lith is a real one, and Paige has Black family members and she doesn't mess around about this stuff at all, that's why i was a fan of hers since before she signed on at UCONN, she's real af. I love those two, I really hope Hailey can turn it around this upcoming season because I felt like Kim Mulkey absolutely did her dirty and part of me thinks it's because Hailey opened her mouth in support of her teammates. I'm so glad Angel is out of LSU, I hope Flau'jae will be alright. I don't trust Kim.

I'm not gonna get on CC for not speaking out, she may be instructed by her PR team not to touch hot button issues, personally I don't know what she thinks.

But you are 100% right. Silence is not helping, especially when people like Aliyah Boston have been met with racist attacks this season. Players like her have to speak up. Cam said exactly what needed to be said and didn't give a damn who doesn't like it. I hope CC comes to a point where she can too.

[TerrenceClarke]

It was said that CC does not play a role in this with the narrative in the WNBA how its her vs the WNBA but she does.

She plays a role in being SILENT on the whats obvious being said by her fans and the likes. She is fully aware of the racism etc being hurled at the black athletes in the WNBA. She is FULLY aware that she has taken the shine away from more accomplished players with all the media attention being given to her.

Imagine a world where CC gets more press than AJa who is destroying the league right now with her play.

Silence when it comes to white privelage is just as damaging as anything, cause she has the platform where she can HELP change the narrative.

But all she is doing is playing this victim role which feeds all these racist mofos talking schit. She is playing this woe is me role which is mad corny.

Its why I respect white players like Paige and Hailey, cause they actually use their platforms to change the narrative against black female ballers.

Read on Twitter

Watch on YouTube

Hailey Van Lith is a real one, and Paige has Black family members and she doesn't mess around about this stuff at all, that's why i was a fan of hers since before she signed on at UCONN, she's real af. I love those two, I really hope Hailey can turn it around this upcoming season because I felt like Kim Mulkey absolutely did her dirty and part of me thinks it's because Hailey opened her mouth in support of her teammates. I'm so glad Angel is out of LSU, I hope Flau'jae will be alright. I don't trust Kim.

I'm not gonna get on CC for not speaking out, she may be instructed by her PR team not to touch hot button issues, personally I don't know what she thinks.

But you are 100% right. Silence is not helping, especially when people like Aliyah Boston have been met with racist attacks this season. Players like her have to speak up. Cam said exactly what needed to be said and didn't give a damn who doesn't like it. I hope CC comes to a point where she can too.

Dont let the complexion fool ya. Paige is black lol.

Its all keep saying when I see how she acts off the court.