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Rock Hard
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
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 Posted: 10/11/23 12:18 am ::: |
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| Good hire, Chicago. But traditionally, an organization hires their GM first and allows the GM to recruit their head coach.🤷🏾‍♂️
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
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| Posted: 10/11/23 3:23 am ::: |
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| We don't know if this is a good hire until we see the results......We've said "good hire" about other coaches and it turned out to be a failure. Spoon is good at working with players as a developmental/assistant coach...being an HC is a different animal........Unfortunately for Spoon...The Zion situation in New Orleans left a black mark on her resume...Also, Spoon allegedly has/had a history of DV.....But I'm willing to give her a chance as long as she's changed her ways.
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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| Posted: 10/11/23 3:40 am ::: |
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| Rock Hard wrote: |
| Good hire, Chicago. But traditionally, an organization hires their GM first and allows the GM to recruit their head coach.🤷🏾‍♂️ |
Your tradition isn’t what happened at Atlanta.
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johnjohnW
Joined: 11 Aug 2020
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| Posted: 10/11/23 6:57 am ::: |
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What was the Zion situation?
I’m honestly surprised Phoenix didn’t court her again. Odd that she didn’t take Phoenix in 2022 when, on paper at least, they looked stacked. Now she’s taking a decimated but moderately competitive Chicago team. Good luck to her.
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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| Posted: 10/11/23 7:47 am ::: |
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| eyevolley4 wrote: |
“One of the best players in WNBA history”
Okay. Spoon is a lot of superlatives but like, how long is the list of “one of the best” in practical terms. Like top half of all players ever? Sure. |
Is it longer than the list of players who have made four All WNBA teams? Spoon is on that list of 30 names. That's less than 3% of all WNBA players. Is it longer than the list of five time All-Stars? Spoon is on that list of 36 also. “One of the best players in WNBA history” definitely seems like an apt description of Spoon.
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
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| Posted: 10/11/23 7:56 am ::: |
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| johnjohnW wrote: |
What was the Zion situation?
I’m honestly surprised Phoenix didn’t court her again. Odd that she didn’t take Phoenix in 2022 when, on paper at least, they looked stacked. Now she’s taking a decimated but moderately competitive Chicago team. Good luck to her. |
* Zion was screwing multiple sex workers at the same time
* Zion got one of the sex workers pregnant.
* The sex worker who did not get pregnant went on social media and aired Zion out.
Spoon was hired as a player development coach in 2019 (the same year Zion was drafted) and then promoted to assistant coach in 2020...Spoon was very close with Zion...
| Quote: |
"She saved me from so many kind of like mental breakdowns," Williamson said in 2022, via Sports Illustrated. "When you see somebody cry for you because of what you're going through—she cried for me.
"She didn't have to do that. . . . And just seeing that made me realize, Wow, I really have somebody special in my corner." |
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/report_pelicans_parting_ways_with_teresa_weatherspoon/s1_13132_38922850
...Many believe Zion's off-court drama had a lot to do with the Pelicans parting ways with Spoon.
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eyevolley4
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: 10/11/23 8:10 am ::: |
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| pilight wrote: |
| eyevolley4 wrote: |
“One of the best players in WNBA history”
Okay. Spoon is a lot of superlatives but like, how long is the list of “one of the best” in practical terms. Like top half of all players ever? Sure. |
Is it longer than the list of players who have made four All WNBA teams? Spoon is on that list of 30 names. That's less than 3% of all WNBA players. Is it longer than the list of five time All-Stars? Spoon is on that list of 36 also. “One of the best players in WNBA history” definitely seems like an apt description of Spoon. |
She was one of the best at the time she played. Highly impactful.
I would submit that Natasha Cloud is a better basketball player than Spoon was and she won’t be making an All WNBA team this year.
Would she have been a player with a different skill set if she grew up and trained like they do today, I think there’s a fair chance of that, but I just don’t personally view her as one of the best ever.
One of the best defensive players. Yes. One of the best court generals. Yes.
Chelsea Gray, Sue Bird, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Becky Hammon, Cynthia Cooper, Lindsay Whalen, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter… this is just off the top of my head perimeter players who are better all time players. So I guess the question becomes what constitutes “best of all time.” What’s the numerical threshold. I don’t buy accolades as enough of a story.
Edited to add…
So excited she will be coaching in the league. Loved rooting against her as a Comets fan. Still stunned by “the shot” - I just don’t enjoy the hyperbole. She has earned enough superlatives that we don’t need to add ones that are not (in my opinion) true.
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ChiSky54
Joined: 19 Jun 2019
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| Posted: 10/11/23 11:03 am ::: |
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I'm glad we have a coach! Have some reservations, some of which have been voiced here, but we'll see how it turns out.
I agree that the "best of all times" phrase gets overused to the point that it begins to lose its meaning. It seems she has been able to ride the wave of "the shot" for many years. I wasn't following the WNBA when it happened, so I had to play catch-up when they were reminiscing its 15th anniversary
I gather she was a tough defender, but I think it's shaky using that term for her. But what do I know? It makes sense to add the "of that era". The game is very different, so the comparison is, imo, not really fair.
Later today, I'll look for what the players have posted in response to the hire.
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Rock Hard
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
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| Posted: 10/11/23 4:39 pm ::: |
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| Shades wrote: |
| Rock Hard wrote: |
| Good hire, Chicago. But traditionally, an organization hires their GM first and allows the GM to recruit their head coach.🤷🏾‍♂️ |
Your tradition isn’t what happened at Atlanta. |
My tradition? This process has taken place in professional sports for decades. I didn't create the protocol. I'm just shining the spotlight on what has taken place in the history of professional sports. Are there exceptions? Sometimes. But don't believe me. Examine the evidence for yourself. One or two exceptions does not make a common procedure or practice.
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Rock Hard
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
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| Posted: 10/11/23 4:50 pm ::: |
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| There are no perfect coaches just like there are no perfect players. Some people like apples and hate oranges. Some people hate apples and love oranges. They are both food and good for human consumption. So with Spoon, if she can get our squad playing hard-core basketball I will be a satisfied fan. She will get paid to coach the Sky. Her job is not to please every WNBA fan.
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22
Joined: 31 Mar 2015
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| Posted: 10/11/23 10:00 pm ::: |
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| eyevolley4 wrote: |
| pilight wrote: |
| eyevolley4 wrote: |
“One of the best players in WNBA history”
Okay. Spoon is a lot of superlatives but like, how long is the list of “one of the best” in practical terms. Like top half of all players ever? Sure. |
Is it longer than the list of players who have made four All WNBA teams? Spoon is on that list of 30 names. That's less than 3% of all WNBA players. Is it longer than the list of five time All-Stars? Spoon is on that list of 36 also. “One of the best players in WNBA history” definitely seems like an apt description of Spoon. |
She was one of the best at the time she played. Highly impactful.
I would submit that Natasha Cloud is a better basketball player than Spoon was and she won’t be making an All WNBA team this year.
Would she have been a player with a different skill set if she grew up and trained like they do today, I think there’s a fair chance of that, but I just don’t personally view her as one of the best ever.
One of the best defensive players. Yes. One of the best court generals. Yes.
Chelsea Gray, Sue Bird, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Becky Hammon, Cynthia Cooper, Lindsay Whalen, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter… this is just off the top of my head perimeter players who are better all time players. So I guess the question becomes what constitutes “best of all time.” What’s the numerical threshold. I don’t buy accolades as enough of a story.
Edited to add…
So excited she will be coaching in the league. Loved rooting against her as a Comets fan. Still stunned by “the shot” - I just don’t enjoy the hyperbole. She has earned enough superlatives that we don’t need to add ones that are not (in my opinion) true. |
Stats comparison page from Basketball Reference, FYI.... (Weatherspoon also ranks top 5 all time in assists and steals per game; doesn't necessarily help her case, but should be noted that her Wnba career started only after she turned 31)
https://stathead.com/basketball/versus-finder.cgi?player_id2=cloudna02&player_id1=weathte01&request=1
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22
Joined: 31 Mar 2015
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| Posted: 10/11/23 10:01 pm ::: |
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| eyevolley4 wrote: |
| pilight wrote: |
| eyevolley4 wrote: |
“One of the best players in WNBA history”
Okay. Spoon is a lot of superlatives but like, how long is the list of “one of the best” in practical terms. Like top half of all players ever? Sure. |
Is it longer than the list of players who have made four All WNBA teams? Spoon is on that list of 30 names. That's less than 3% of all WNBA players. Is it longer than the list of five time All-Stars? Spoon is on that list of 36 also. “One of the best players in WNBA history” definitely seems like an apt description of Spoon. |
She was one of the best at the time she played. Highly impactful.
I would submit that Natasha Cloud is a better basketball player than Spoon was and she won’t be making an All WNBA team this year.
Would she have been a player with a different skill set if she grew up and trained like they do today, I think there’s a fair chance of that, but I just don’t personally view her as one of the best ever.
One of the best defensive players. Yes. One of the best court generals. Yes.
Chelsea Gray, Sue Bird, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Becky Hammon, Cynthia Cooper, Lindsay Whalen, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter… this is just off the top of my head perimeter players who are better all time players. So I guess the question becomes what constitutes “best of all time.” What’s the numerical threshold. I don’t buy accolades as enough of a story.
Edited to add…
So excited she will be coaching in the league. Loved rooting against her as a Comets fan. Still stunned by “the shot” - I just don’t enjoy the hyperbole. She has earned enough superlatives that we don’t need to add ones that are not (in my opinion) true. |
Stats comparison page from Basketball Reference, FYI.... (Weatherspoon also ranks top 5 all time in assists and steals per game; doesn't necessarily help her case, but should be noted that her Wnba career started only after she turned 31)
https://stathead.com/basketball/versus-finder.cgi?player_id2=cloudna02&player_id1=weathte01&request=1
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Hoops9092
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
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| Posted: 10/13/23 9:34 am ::: |
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| Skylar Diggins to Chicago, count on it. Skylar is "liking" alllllll the tweets about this hire on Twitter. Also not far from her South Bend hometown, where she and her hubby went to ND. Bringing the kids home with them.
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ucbart
Joined: 21 Nov 2004
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Location: New York
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| Posted: 10/13/23 9:43 am ::: |
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| Hoops9092 wrote: |
| Skylar Diggins to Chicago, count on it. Skylar is "liking" alllllll the tweets about this hire on Twitter. Also not far from her South Bend hometown, where she and her hubby went to ND. Bringing the kids home with them. |
WOW! SDS and Mabrey **might**. be the most unlikable backcourt in the history of WBB.
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
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| Posted: 10/13/23 10:09 am ::: |
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| Hoops9092 wrote: |
| Skylar Diggins to Chicago, count on it. Skylar is "liking" alllllll the tweets about this hire on Twitter. Also not far from her South Bend hometown, where she and her hubby went to ND. Bringing the kids home with them. |
Skylar will never sniff the finals again if she goes to Chicago.....SDS has better options if those teams are open to signing her.
Connecticut
Indiana (Would need to move Wheeler)
Minnesota
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Washington
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johnjohnW
Joined: 11 Aug 2020
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| Posted: 10/13/23 12:26 pm ::: |
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| zune69 wrote: |
| Hoops9092 wrote: |
| Skylar Diggins to Chicago, count on it. Skylar is "liking" alllllll the tweets about this hire on Twitter. Also not far from her South Bend hometown, where she and her hubby went to ND. Bringing the kids home with them. |
Skylar will never sniff the finals again if she goes to Chicago.....SDS has better options if those teams are open to signing her.
Connecticut
Indiana (Would need to move Wheeler)
Minnesota
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Washington |
I don’t see her sniffing the finals with any of these teams either.
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Rock Hard
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
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| Posted: 10/13/23 4:36 pm ::: |
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| ucbart wrote: |
| Hoops9092 wrote: |
| Skylar Diggins to Chicago, count on it. Skylar is "liking" alllllll the tweets about this hire on Twitter. Also not far from her South Bend hometown, where she and her hubby went to ND. Bringing the kids home with them. |
WOW! SDS and Mabrey **might**. be the most unlikable backcourt in the history of WBB. |
Just like Sloan and Van Lier for the Chicago Bulls during the 1970s.
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Rock Hard
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
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| Posted: 10/13/23 4:38 pm ::: |
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| johnjohnW wrote: |
| zune69 wrote: |
| Hoops9092 wrote: |
| Skylar Diggins to Chicago, count on it. Skylar is "liking" alllllll the tweets about this hire on Twitter. Also not far from her South Bend hometown, where she and her hubby went to ND. Bringing the kids home with them. |
Skylar will never sniff the finals again if she goes to Chicago.....SDS has better options if those teams are open to signing her.
Connecticut
Indiana (Would need to move Wheeler)
Minnesota
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Washington |
I don’t see her sniffing the finals with any of these teams either. |
👍🏿
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
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| Posted: 10/13/23 8:11 pm ::: |
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| Well if Diggins-Smith wants to be in the Finals, she'd be a decent upgrade on Sydney Colson... |
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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| Posted: 10/13/23 8:54 pm ::: |
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| zune69 wrote: |
| Connecticut |
This is my match made in heaven. My least favorite player going to my least favorite team, even with Miller gone. I like it. I like it a lot.
| zune69 wrote: |
| Indiana (Would need to move Wheeler) |
Use the real poison pill to replace the perhaps unfairly anointed one. I really don’t see that much of an improvement other than maybe Boston will be another year more experienced.
No, thank you. The thought of it makes me a little nervous though. Reeve seems to have a penchant for ND players. But she also claims to stay away from head-cases, but then she still signed McCoughtry and Powers.
| zune69 wrote: |
| Los Angeles |
I don’t think the guard position is their problem. Their problem is their best post player is more appropriately sized for the SF position, and she’ll be another year older and more delicate. They need some talented bigs.
We need the wisdom of pilight to interject on this one. It’s a maybe for me. Not sure how it works budget-wise.
I mean, it’s probably the second best guard group in the league. If they can’t afford to bring back Cloud, they can afford Diggins instead? Terrible idea. Thibault is old, but I don’t think he’s senile yet.
The best solution is probably for Diggins to take 2024 off to enjoy her babies, and then come back in 2025 with an expansion team to “prove everyone wrong”.
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
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| Posted: 10/13/23 9:01 pm ::: |
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@Shades, @johnjohnw and @Richyyy.
Washington or Connecticut would be a legit finals team with the addition of SDS
Thomas/SDS/Bonner/Jones/5th starter could definitely reach the finals
EDD/Austin/Syke/SDS/Atkins could definitely reach the finals....The Mystics could afford SDS if EDD takes a pay cut.
If LA gets lucky in the draft (Clark) and Adds SDS....They could reach the finals in 1-2 years
If Minny add SDS & B.Jones they could reach the finals...Collier/SDS/Jones/Diamond/McBride
And I certainly don't think SDS needs to take another year off. She had her baby before the 2023 season. So she'll be ready to go in 2024.
I understand some of you aren't big on Skylar's attitude (neither I'm I), but she is a legit top 15 player and top 3 PG
Last edited by zune69 on 10/13/23 10:51 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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| Posted: 10/13/23 9:36 pm ::: |
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| I don't see Diggins in Los Angeles or Washington
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Rock Hard
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
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| Posted: 10/13/23 11:29 pm ::: |
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Every coach and GM has to do some heavy duty meditation on how to compete for a championship in 2024. We all know how strong a team Las Vegas is right now. New York is also very talented. So any team with aspirations of winning a championship next season has to do more than just add one good player to compete against those two juggernauts.
One crazy idea would be to get the best players from the other ten teams and put them on the same squad. But we all know that will never happen. 🤷🏿‍♂️
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Silky Johnson
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| Posted: 10/14/23 8:41 am ::: |
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| Rock Hard wrote: |
| One crazy idea would be to get the best players from the other ten teams and put them on the same squad. |
The Aces are basically the WNBA equivalent of what would have happened if Sam Hinkie's Process™ had actually worked.
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
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| Posted: 10/14/23 9:13 am ::: |
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The Aces are beatable. Other teams just need to stay healthy...
* Connecticut could've beat the Aces last season had JT stayed healthy and JJ played like the MVP she was.
* A healthy Washington team could've given the Aces a run..They have elite-level defense
* Seattle gave the Aces a run last season.
* Phoenix beat the Aces 2 seasons ago. I know, Cambage was on the team..but still, the Aces were the favorite to win that series and compete for the championship.
Sorry Chicago fans...I know this is a Sky thread.
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