Caitlin Clark left off USA Roster

[Free Rider]

I honestly don’t know why people want Clark to be on a roster where she’s mostly like only play a handful of minutes each game. I get that she’s the most popular figure in the history of women’s basketball but at this point in her career she’s just not good enough to play over far superior players and it would be hard to justify any basketball reasons for giving her significant minutes even if she was on the roster. She’s not even the best rookie in the WNBA right now and yet you’ve got people clamoring for her to get on the Olympic team. Leaving her off the team is not only reasonable but it’s exactly how USA women’s basketball has operated for decades. Some of you want them to make an exception for a player who while admittedly is incredibly popular is effective just an average rookie.

[LouisLitt]

I honestly don’t know why people want Clark to be on a roster where she’s mostly like only play a handful of minutes each game. I get that she’s the most popular figure in the history of women’s basketball but at this point in her career she’s just not good enough to play over far superior players and it would be hard to justify any basketball reasons for giving her significant minutes even if she was on the roster. She’s not even the best rookie in the WNBA right now and yet you’ve got people clamoring for her to get on the Olympic team. Leaving her off the team is not only reasonable but it’s exactly how USA women’s basketball has operated for decades. Some of you want them to make an exception for a player who while admittedly is incredibly popular is effective just an average rookie.

Because WNBA players have been crying about no one caring about the league, about how their pay sucks, about how they don't fly chartered, etc..

Then when a player comes in that could completely change all these things for them, they try their best to exclude her and not utilize her to change their (and future WNBA players) lives.

It's annoying, like a fat person complaining they're fat then getting mad at you when you tell them to eat less.

[JustBuzzin]

Not sure how accurate it is, but saw it suggested elsewhere that the wider potential playing group didn’t want to play with her.

This petty hatred these other women seem to hold for her is pathetic.

So you put out a false statement with nothing to back it up?

This entire situation has turned into women in the WNBA hating on Clarke.

The media is complaining more than Clarke. She has not said a word about people hating on her or the physical play. Physical play happens in every sport people.

Stop making excuses for Clarke. If she wants to be the best player it will take time. Once she figures out how to play through the physical contact she will be fine.

I understand people want this young lady to be the best player right away, but it takes time. Success doesn't come overnight.

Just stop with the people hating on her. They just playing hard and challenging her to see if she's really worth the hype. This is competitive basketball not hate!

Nah this is pure hate/jealousy and certainly not a competitive basketball play.

Read on Twitter

You sound ridiculous.

So every cheap shot committed in basketball is because the player is jealous and hate the other player?

Cmon man cheap shots happen in regular pickup games at the gym. This has been going on forever.

So now we change the rules because of Clarke?


Get real bro.

[sikma42]

I honestly don’t know why people want Clark to be on a roster where she’s mostly like only play a handful of minutes each game. I get that she’s the most popular figure in the history of women’s basketball but at this point in her career she’s just not good enough to play over far superior players and it would be hard to justify any basketball reasons for giving her significant minutes even if she was on the roster. She’s not even the best rookie in the WNBA right now and yet you’ve got people clamoring for her to get on the Olympic team. Leaving her off the team is not only reasonable but it’s exactly how USA women’s basketball has operated for decades. Some of you want them to make an exception for a player who while admittedly is incredibly popular is effective just an average rookie.

Because WNBA players have been crying about no one caring about the league, about how their pay sucks, about how they don't fly chartered, etc..

Then when a player comes in that could completely change all these things for them, they try their best to exclude her and not utilize her to change their (and future WNBA players) lives.

It's annoying, like a fat person complaining they're fat then getting mad at you when you tell them to eat less.

Are CC fans becoming fans of other players? I’m not seeing it online at least.

Most barely seem to know anything about basketball.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[madskillz8]

The CC fans vs the WNBA is such a weird and confusing dynamic to me considering CC is part of the WNBA. Its like CC fans view CC as the Harlem Globetrotters to the rest of the WNBA as the Washington Generals.

CC fans and followers favorite word seems to be "popularity" and not talent. Because if it was about talent they would have to acknowledge players such as Aja Willson, Breanna Stewart and a slew of other players that CC isnt remotely close to talent wise right now (which they dont want to do). Its as if CC fans want to give her credit for being a talented female basketball player, while still being able to crap on female basketball.

You are just creating artificial CC fans here, and trying to fight them. Reading almost all of the posts in the thread, I've seen nothing other than posters emphasizing what she brings to women's basketball and how she's being treated by other WNBA players because of her popularity.

I've already posted three posts in this thread so you would probably label me as a CC fan - but let me say: I only watched her couple of NCAA games (and very impressed in one of them - second was meh), and last nights game (very impressed again). And that was the first time I've watched WNBA since I caught a couple of Monarchs games with Ticha Penicheiro and Yolanda Griffith in early 2000s - which says a lot about what her (well-deserved) popularity brings to women's basketball.

Long-time WNBA fans should be very happy because such an attention she brings would only make the league better over time. You know what, with its popularity thus associated pay scheme, many WNBA stars played in WNBA as a side jobs to their overseas jobs. For example, in early 2010s, WNBA star Taurasi was making less than 100k after taxes in WNBA, compared to what she was making overseas (more than a million). More popularity brings better salaries. Better salaries bring more players to the talent pool, thus leads to an increase in overall quality. Win-win. And we are talking about a league where its players are constantly complaining about the salary gap with men's basketball.

All in all, I think one should have an agenda (or simply don't like her because of extensive media coverage) to not to see the opportunity being missed here for women's basketball. As simple as that. No need to create artificial CC fans and narratives about them.

[DimesandKnicks]

-1 Not sure what a “manual” training camp is, but all of the Team USA players have been playing on their own WNBA teams.

A more reasonable position would be that her first month of WNBA play was a failed audition, though I disagree.

She was of invited to participate in training camp, she did not because she was playing in the tournament and no one has made it on that roster on their first try in 32 years. I don’t see why someone who didn’t join the training camp would be

As I already posted twice, or your could have found out yourself with a simple search, Breanna Stewart made it “on her first try” as a rookie, in the Olympics right before last.

Not your area, but cmon. No need to make stuff up.

Mi can’t find the article where I got that information but I probably misread it and it said something along the lines of only two players made it on in their rookie year.

Regardless, Stewart participated in that training camp, CC did not.

[dockingsched]

I honestly don’t know why people want Clark to be on a roster where she’s mostly like only play a handful of minutes each game. I get that she’s the most popular figure in the history of women’s basketball but at this point in her career she’s just not good enough to play over far superior players and it would be hard to justify any basketball reasons for giving her significant minutes even if she was on the roster. She’s not even the best rookie in the WNBA right now and yet you’ve got people clamoring for her to get on the Olympic team. Leaving her off the team is not only reasonable but it’s exactly how USA women’s basketball has operated for decades. Some of you want them to make an exception for a player who while admittedly is incredibly popular is effective just an average rookie.

I just don’t think this is a fair argument when it’s obvious Clark is better than Taurasi. There’s players better than Taurasi who didn’t make the team so it’s it just about who the superior players are.

[r0drig0lac]

I don’t think this is the argument you think it is when there’s a player on the roster who hasn’t played since November and doesn’t have a timetable for their return

If you’re talking about Diana Taurasi she has
five Olympic gold medals, three FIBA World Cup gold medals and a FIBA World Cup bronze medal and has been a part of USA basketball for 23-years. Her leadership and experience alone are enough for her to be a valuable member of that roster

5 Olympic golds? Wowza. I was wondering whether Jrue and Laurene Holiday having two each would be a married-couple record.

Taurasi is the GOAT

[Snotbubbles]

I can't believe how annoying it's been in year 1 to have this strange segment of fans who know nothing about the WNBA and are following it through the myopic lens of a single college star.

While there has been no official news on the team USA roster, the expected roster is made up entirely of elite veterans. The youngest players on the proposed roster are Jackie Young and Sabrina Ionescu (both 26 and in their 6th and 5th years in the league, respectively).

We're talking a team made of only WNBA all-stars and no young players. Caitlin Clark is not a good WNBA player yet. She's incredibly promising but she's having a tough time as a high-usage, net negative, playing for a very young team.

Is it annoying to listen to people who know nothing about the Olympics? Or would that be condescending?

The fact that there aren’t other younger players on the team is not a plus, and is something both the men and women’s team have actively tried to avoid. Were you up in arms when Christian Laetner made the Dream Team. In the two previous Olympics, the women’s team had three 24 year olds, and the one before that, they selected a 21 year old. These teams want promising young players in the system, feeling like part of the team so they sign up for the next Olympics, and getting experience for future games. This should be especially true this year, when Team USA is so heavily favored, with or without Clark.

Name the player who should be left off this year for Caitlin Clark, especially with the context that she missed the Team USA practices taking the Iowa Hawkeyes to the Final Four.

Pick any one guard you want. What's the point of rostering Taurasi? Is she playing so much better than Clark right now? If you removed Taurasi for Clark, can Team USA still win gold?

If Clark missed Team USA practices to lead her team to the Final Four, that says more about how stupid Team USA is for scheduling camp during the NCAA tournament.

[DimesandKnicks]

Is it annoying to listen to people who know nothing about the Olympics? Or would that be condescending?

The fact that there aren’t other younger players on the team is not a plus, and is something both the men and women’s team have actively tried to avoid. Were you up in arms when Christian Laetner made the Dream Team. In the two previous Olympics, the women’s team had three 24 year olds, and the one before that, they selected a 21 year old. These teams want promising young players in the system, feeling like part of the team so they sign up for the next Olympics, and getting experience for future games. This should be especially true this year, when Team USA is so heavily favored, with or without Clark.

Name the player who should be left off this year for Caitlin Clark, especially with the context that she missed the Team USA practices taking the Iowa Hawkeyes to the Final Four.

Pick any one guard you want. What's the point of rostering Taurasi? Is she playing so much better than Clark right now? If you removed Taurasi for Clark, can Team USA still win gold?

If Clark missed Team USA practices to lead her team to the Final Four, that says more about how stupid Team USA is for scheduling camp during the NCAA tournament.

playing for team USA for nearly two and half decades and being one of the most decorated female Olympian athletes counts for something. She earned her spot

[Wingy]

Team USA won't need her talent wise to win the Gold medal, but WNBA keeps missing on a huge opportunity to market their star and cash cow.

I do think CC would welcome the basketball break, but they should have made room for her to be on the roster somewhow. Taurasi is 41?! Get off the team and let someone else play.

Would love to see the link to your post stating the same about Lebron.

While I can’t form a personal opinion, I’m aware that many would make the case that Taurasi is the Mike or Lebron or Kareem of the women’s game.

[azcatz11]

So you put out a false statement with nothing to back it up?

This entire situation has turned into women in the WNBA hating on Clarke.

The media is complaining more than Clarke. She has not said a word about people hating on her or the physical play. Physical play happens in every sport people.

Stop making excuses for Clarke. If she wants to be the best player it will take time. Once she figures out how to play through the physical contact she will be fine.

I understand people want this young lady to be the best player right away, but it takes time. Success doesn't come overnight.

Just stop with the people hating on her. They just playing hard and challenging her to see if she's really worth the hype. This is competitive basketball not hate!

Nah this is pure hate/jealousy and certainly not a competitive basketball play.

Read on Twitter

You sound ridiculous.

So every cheap shot committed in basketball is because the player is jealous and hate the other player?

Cmon man cheap shots happen in regular pickup games at the gym. This has been going on forever.

So now we change the rules because of Clarke?


Get real bro.

It’s human nature imo. Of course they’re jealous of her. She gets all the attention. It is what it is. She’s the one who get them chartered flights tho

[TinmanZBoy]

I think it is a good decision for both the wnba and CC… give the girl a little break, let the hype die down a little bit… she is not an exhibition commodity, she is a human and athlete… she has been playing BB non- stop from NCAA to Pro… a break during Olympic is needed for her… and for the league to see the best of her, this break is needed for her too… yes, playing Olympic is a great honor, but she can wait she is young

[JustBuzzin]

Nah this is pure hate/jealousy and certainly not a competitive basketball play.

Read on Twitter

You sound ridiculous.

So every cheap shot committed in basketball is because the player is jealous and hate the other player?

Cmon man cheap shots happen in regular pickup games at the gym. This has been going on forever.

So now we change the rules because of Clarke?


Get real bro.

It’s human nature imo. Of course they’re jealous of her. She gets all the attention. It is what it is. She’s the one who get them chartered flights tho

Yeah but that doesn't mean they shouldn't compete hard against her.

I don't think they hate her personally. They hate she gets hype so they giving her their best game. At some point she has to start living up to the hype.

That stuff off the court is cool, but the game needs to match the hype.

[cdubbz]

Team USA won't need her talent wise to win the Gold medal, but WNBA keeps missing on a huge opportunity to market their star and cash cow.

I do think CC would welcome the basketball break, but they should have made room for her to be on the roster somewhow. Taurasi is 41?! Get off the team and let someone else play.

Would love to see the link to your post stating the same about Lebron.

While I can’t form a personal opinion, I’m aware that many would make the case that Taurasi is the Mike or Lebron or Kareem of the women’s game.

Lebron needs to get off team USA and let Reed Sheppherd get the spot!

[Mags FTW]

I think there are good arguments on both sides here, but can we all agree it was dumb for Team USA to hold their training camp during the Women's Final Four?

That decision right there says the brightest minds aren't running that organization.

[HotelVitale]

This thread is illustrating exactly why she should be on the team:

- die hard women’s fans who are trying to correct people (they are watching anyways)

- casuals who are saying they are watching bc of CC

Diana Taurasi is a freakin dinosaur. It’s laughable to include her over CC when they are winning the gold regardless

I don't think you're wrong but you are missing a few factors imo.

1) CC isn't Michael Jordan, she was an awesome college player with a fun style and a likeable demeanor--but she's not the best player ever who's going to dominate the league in a way no one's ever seen. The WNBA can't plan for years to have people only watching a decent scoring guard who makes a ton of mistakes on a trash team. They have to use this moment to make people generally interested in the league
2) more people are watching the WNBA now for CC for sure, but some of of those people aren't just watching CC and others won't keep watching her forever. Like in point 1) this means figuring out how not to base things too much on CC but it also means people have to respect women's basketball, and it's not offbase for them to want to maintain integrity. If the NBA put Jason Williams on its all-NBA teams when he was the most popular guy in the league, it'd be goofy af right? We'd start thinking the league was controlled by gimmick. The women playing and coaching the sport don't want it that way, and the leaguen would have a lot of trouble steamrolling them even if it wanted to

[HotelVitale]

Pick any one guard you want. What's the point of rostering Taurasi? Is she playing so much better than Clark right now? If you removed Taurasi for Clark, can Team USA still win gold?

Taurasi is better than Clark because Clark's a bad player right now. Maybe people aren't really paying attention but Clark is not a good WNBA player, she's pretty productive and has a ton of promise but she's just not a good overall player atm. She's shooting 37% and 33% from 3 and tossing out 5.6 TOs per game (which is like 40% more than anyone else in the league). Yes her team is bad and doens't know how to run an offense but she's still not taking advantage of what she's got.

The US team could win gold with her playing like 10mpg, sure, but they could also win with like Ariana Grande or Zendaya on the squad. I don't understand why bball fans are crying out for gimmicks all of a sudden. It'd be one thing if CC was playing really well this year but they were still trying to make her pay her dues, but she's not. She's just a young struggling player who will probably be at least pretty good in a year or two.

[Sofia]

So you put out a false statement with nothing to back it up?

This entire situation has turned into women in the WNBA hating on Clarke.

The media is complaining more than Clarke. She has not said a word about people hating on her or the physical play. Physical play happens in every sport people.

Stop making excuses for Clarke. If she wants to be the best player it will take time. Once she figures out how to play through the physical contact she will be fine.

I understand people want this young lady to be the best player right away, but it takes time. Success doesn't come overnight.

Just stop with the people hating on her. They just playing hard and challenging her to see if she's really worth the hype. This is competitive basketball not hate!

Nah this is pure hate/jealousy and certainly not a competitive basketball play.

Read on Twitter

So. What. Its not the first dirty play ever in the world of basketball and it most certainly wont be the last. Dozens or more NBA players have made a living on making similar or even far more egregious plays and have been embraced as "enforcers". That play is really as mild as it comes.

After the game, she also jumped on social media and made posts saying, paraphrasing “what does CC bring other than 3 point shooting?”

Petty.

You think “enforcers” like Oakley or Lambier would have jumped on Twitter after knocking someone down with a cheap shot?

[DOT]

lol these threads always bring out the misogyny

Dudes who don't watch a lick of WNBA will tell you every other WNBA player hates Clark out of jealousy, but that's just something they make up in their minds because they assume all women are petty and jealous cause that's what they joke about with their male friends

Similar to the culture warriors who see her as the Great White Hope. Moment she says something semi progressive, they're all gonna turn on her like they do with every other woman

Alyssa Thomas full on chokeslammed Angel Reese, yet not a peep out of these same people saying the W hates Reese. It's all so stupid, like I don't comment on stuff I don't watch, but these Stephen A. Smith wannabees need to insert themselves into every conversation for some reason. Well, not for some unknown reason, it's cause they want to talk down to women because that makes them feel less insecure about themselves.