Indiana Fever 2025

[JustBuzzin]

Why did Bonner sign with the Fever tho?

This seems shady. She got her money now she wants back with the Mercury?

Wouldn't the contract be void now? If not, it should be. That is shady AF.

As I understand it, by waiving her, Indiana is off the hook for the remainder of her contract. No team wanted to trade for her at her salary and few teams even have the cap space to claim her on waivers and take on her contract. If and when she clears waivers (I can't imagine she won't), she's an unrestricted free agent and any team can sign her into cap space for the vet minimum, or whatever they are willing to pay and fits into their cap.

If she wants to go to Phoenix with AT, they have $88,103 in cap space. The vet minimum for players with 7+ years experience is $78,831, which would be pro rated for the remaining number of games. So Phoenix could sign her if they wanted. They just lost Lexi Held for a while with a collapsed lung, and they cut Megan McConnell to sign Kiana Williams, but would then probably cut Williams to make roster space for Bonner.

You're legendary for this post. Good stuff.

[Hoop Hunter]

Fever shot 30% in the first half and are ahead by 4. I'm not sure I've ever seen that. They better shoot better.

[rmontro]

I was watching a video today that showed a shot from the Connecticut game, and Caitlin has her leg wrapped very high up on her left leg. It's so high normally you wouldn't see it, it would be covered by her shorts. But in the particular position she was in, it was peaking out. I know she had the left quad strain, but it was so high up, you wonder if there might have been issues with the left groin as well, or maybe there was even some association there.

[AI_Efficiency]

So many games Indiana fouls players on the perimeter when the other team is in the bonus. There needs to better awareness. Just giving away points and it’s completely unnecessary.

[rmontro]

Yet another game where they lead for three quarters and lose at the end. Frustrating. Back to under .500.

[Ice Man]

Clark must be good. Because she has bricked this year, made 6 TOs per game, and doesn't defend well. Yet when she plays the Fever are an above-average team and when she sits they are trash.

[Ice Man]

So many games Indiana fouls players on the perimeter when the other team is in the bonus. There needs to better awareness. Just giving away points and it’s completely unnecessary.

Indy is the queen of touch fouls when the opposing team is in the bonus.

[jc23]

I was watching a video today that showed a shot from the Connecticut game, and Caitlin has her leg wrapped very high up on her left leg. It's so high normally you wouldn't see it, it would be covered by her shorts. But in the particular position she was in, it was peaking out. I know she had the left quad strain, but it was so high up, you wonder if there might have been issues with the left groin as well, or maybe there was even some association there.

it had to be something beyond mental. she looked like a totally different player. announcers that kept saying how good their teams were defending her during that stretch got annoying.

[Ice Man]

it had to be something beyond mental. she looked like a totally different player. announcers that kept saying how good their teams were defending her during that stretch got annoying.

Yeah, whenever Cailtin misses shots the home announcers credit their team's defens, as if every team in the league doesn't guard her similarly. When Clark scored 32 against the LIberty, Cloud & company were draped all over her. I mean, you can tell me that Erica Wheeler is a better defender than Cloud, that's why Clark couldn't score against the Storm, but nope, I'm not buying that.

[rmontro]

Clark must be good. Because she has bricked this year, made 6 TOs per game, and doesn't defend well. Yet when she plays the Fever are an above-average team and when she sits they are trash.

Even when she looks bad, she still manages to usually get her assists at least.

[Ice Man]

Even when she looks bad, she still manages to usually get her assists at least.

And the attention she draws opens up the court for others.

In the 9 games that Clark has played, mostly against strong competition, the Fever has scored 80 in 8 of those games. In the 6 games she has missed, mostly against weak competitions, the Fever has scored 80 in 2 of those games.

[rmontro]

I got to tell you, when it looked like the Fever was going to blow the game in the fourth quarter again, I was freaking furious. But they pulled it out. Great game for Boston, Mitchell, Howard, and it's nice to have Aari McDonald again, at least she wants to be here.

[Green Chile]

Over in the Fever subreddit, some already got Stephanie White out on the edge of the plank

[Ice Man]

Over in the Fever subreddit, some already got Stephanie White out on the edge of the plank

Ironic given how her hiring was universally applauded.

Truth is. I think Sides was fine and White isn't doing anything wrong that a healthy and productive Clark wouldn't fix. But if a team is losing games. ... yeah, I get it. Fans gonna fan.

[Green Chile]

Over in the Fever subreddit, some already got Stephanie White out on the edge of the plank

Ironic given how her hiring was universally applauded.

Truth is. I think Sides was fine and White isn't doing anything wrong that a healthy and productive Clark wouldn't fix. But if a team is losing games. ... yeah, I get it. Fans gonna fan.

Yeah, it's natural for most any fanbase, and I agree, a healthy Clark fixes most anything.

Coming into the season, I had White as easily a top 3-4 coach (though that may not mean much when only 6 coaches didn't get fired).

Of course, now we've got Nakase, Smesko, Sydney Johnson, and Tibbetts emerging (I thought for sure Tibbetts was gone during the league wide firings).
Now, all of a sudden being a top 7 or 8 coach is a big compliment.
All though Seattle and Vegas fans are calling for Quinn and Hammon to get the axe with every 2 game losing streak.

Fans are impatient in every league, but I'd think the obstacles to hiring in the WNBA makes fans even more trigger happy.

Between the lack of money, scheduling conflict with the college game, and small number of teams (and league seasons) not leading to a superdeep bench of assistant coaches, coaches aren't coming in with a "no doubt about it" resume. That'll keep getting better as we see this year, but it's been a thing.
Hopefully, we're past the bored ex-NBA player coaching era.

[rmontro]

Over in the Fever subreddit, some already got Stephanie White out on the edge of the plank

White seems to have improved the defense, but Sides was better for the offense. Sides was always pushing the Fever to play fast and constantly had them running. White wants them to play slow. I'd say the fast game suited Caitlin better, and she got more spectacular passes in playing that way, and was more fun to watch.

[C.lupus]

Over in the Fever subreddit, some already got Stephanie White out on the edge of the plank

White seems to have improved the defense, but Sides was better for the offense. Sides was always pushing the Fever to play fast and constantly had them running. White wants them to play slow. I'd say the fast game suited Caitlin better, and she got more spectacular passes in playing that way, and was more fun to watch.

White doesn't want them playing slow, she wants them playing the "Seattle Flow" offense. An offense that took a Sue Bird/Stewie team a year to master. The Fever are a month into a season learning this system and each other's instincts - a season in which Caitlin Clark has not been healthy and has missed half the games, Dewanna Bonner quit on the team, and Sophie Cunningham has missed five games (not to mention White missing two games herself).

The internet crashout over White is hilarious and predictable. Preseason everyone was "its a new coach, new players, new style, we all need to be patient". Two weeks later everyone is "off with her head!"

[Ice Man]

White doesn't want them playing slow, she wants them playing the "Seattle Flow" offense. An offense that took a Sue Bird/Stewie team a year to master.

I don't know what Seattle Flow means, but I'd be wary of changing what the Fever did offensively last year. They had the #3 offense overall on the season, and #1 during the second half, when Clark found her footing. Not sure why I wouldn't just let them run the same dang thing and spend their attention span and effort on their defensive problems.

But again, I don't know what Seattle Flow is.

[Green Chile]

Sue Bird discusses the Seattle Flow offense in the latest Bird's Eye View podcast (Natasha Howard is the guest)

[jc23]

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