***official wnba thread*** (4 Viewers)

[Snotbubbles]

It's completely reasonable to leave Clark off an Olympic roster and probably better for her development to miss it. A lot of competitions in a short window.

How is not playing in the Olympics better for Clark's development? What is she going to do in the two weeks during the Olympics that will be better than practicing and playing with the best players in the world.

Resting? She needs a break.

How does rest help her development? The WNBA season is over 5 weeks after the Olympics end. She'll have 8 months of rest at that point.

Did you just ask me how rest helps an athlete?

Yes, how does rest help a players development, not performance, development.

 

[General Malaise]

It's completely reasonable to leave Clark off an Olympic roster and probably better for her development to miss it. A lot of competitions in a short window.

How is not playing in the Olympics better for Clark's development? What is she going to do in the two weeks during the Olympics that will be better than practicing and playing with the best players in the world.

Resting? She needs a break.

How does rest help her development? The WNBA season is over 5 weeks after the Olympics end. She'll have 8 months of rest at that point.

Did you just ask me how rest helps an athlete?

Yes, how does rest help a players development, not performance, development.

My guy, people need rest. If you don't agree with that, I'm not sure what to tell you.

 

[pollardsvision]

It's completely reasonable to leave Clark off an Olympic roster and probably better for her development to miss it. A lot of competitions in a short window.

How is not playing in the Olympics better for Clark's development? What is she going to do in the two weeks during the Olympics that will be better than practicing and playing with the best players in the world.

The WNBA schedule is already completely unfair to rookies.
They have all been playing basketball continuously since November, and in May, made a major jump up in competition. Every year, only about 8-10 NCAA players even MAKE a WNBA roster each season. This is a massive change, with basically no training camp.

It just seems way too much go to the Olympics 2 months into that whirlwind change.

I also wouldn't guess the Olympic team is going to get much practice time together. The teams is full of players that have been in the league for years, and many have played with one another. Yeah, there's benefit to being around them, but it would mostly be sitting on the bench watching.

So, there doesn't seem to be a ton of developmental upside that would be better than rest and practice with her own teammates (though I'm not even sure how much of that is allowed).

That's all a guess because, frankly, I have no idea. I only started watching this League a few weeks ago. I trust that the people that have been doing this their whole lives know more than I do.

 

[pollardsvision]

And then here are Clark's comments:

"I'm excited for the girls that are on the team," Clark said. "I know it's the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way of me being on the team, me not being on the team. I'm excited for them, gonna be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid who grew up watching the Olympics, so it'll be fun to watch them.

"I think it just gives you something to work for. It's a dream, hopefully one day I can be there and I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that and hopefully in four years I can be there."

A little added motivation from a disappointment has been a part of the recipe for the greats in any sport.

Not that was the goal of the Olympic selection committee, but surely a by-product.

 

[pollardsvision]

Oh man Phee and Nneka getting into it.

Pretty wild. Easily 2 of the most chill, measured, diplomatic stars in the league. This is would have been like Duncan and Dirk getting into it.

 

[pollardsvision]

And just a head's up boys and girls, it could get rough out in the streets today.

Kate Martin said A'ja Wilson is the best basketball players in the world (sure), and is the greatest leader she's ever been around (uh-oh).

Kate Martin is such a great kid. Hopefully, the world takes it easy on her.

 

[bigbottom]

It's completely reasonable to leave Clark off an Olympic roster and probably better for her development to miss it. A lot of competitions in a short window.

How is not playing in the Olympics better for Clark's development? What is she going to do in the two weeks during the Olympics that will be better than practicing and playing with the best players in the world.

The WNBA schedule is already completely unfair to rookies.
They have all been playing basketball continuously since November, and in May, made a major jump up in competition. Every year, only about 8-10 NCAA players even MAKE a WNBA roster each season. This is a massive change, with basically no training camp.

It just seems way too much go to the Olympics 2 months into that whirlwind change.

I also wouldn't guess the Olympic team is going to get much practice time together. The teams is full of players that have been in the league for years, and many have played with one another. Yeah, there's benefit to being around them, but it would mostly be sitting on the bench watching.

So, there doesn't seem to be a ton of developmental upside that would be better than rest and practice with her own teammates (though I'm not even sure how much of that is allowed).

That's all a guess because, frankly, I have no idea. I only started watching this League a few weeks ago. I trust that the people that have been doing this their whole lives know more than I do.

Not a follower, but this all seems 100% correct. But an interesting tidbit - Taurasi was drafted in 2004 and then was elected to play on the Olympic squad as a rookie at the 2004 Olympics. I’ve heard quite a bit about her number of consecutive Olympics team. Now neither Clark nor any of the other stellar rookies has basically any shot at equaling that no matter the longevity or greatness of their respective careers.

 

[tri-man 47]

Clark’s a great talent. But without adequate practice time, I think it’s best to leave her off the Olympic squad. Her style of ball domination and lots of shooting might not gel well with an Olympic squad of experienced players ..yet. Let her settle in and find her pro game, then add her to the mix in four years.

 

[TennesseeJed]

Oh man Phee and Nneka getting into it.

Pretty wild. Easily 2 of the most chill, measured, diplomatic stars in the league. This is would have been like Duncan and Dirk getting into it.

I think you and I have different definitions of what constitutes "getting into it"...

 

[Cowboysfan8]

And just a head's up boys and girls, it could get rough out in the streets today.

Kate Martin said A'ja Wilson is the best basketball players in the world (sure), and is the greatest leader she's ever been around (uh-oh).

Kate Martin is such a great kid. Hopefully, the world takes it easy on her.

What’s this now?

 

[SWC]

this here is the thread that joehan will hopefully merge with the other one so we can change the title and stuff take that to the bank brochachos

 

[pollardsvision]

Oh man Phee and Nneka getting into it.

Pretty wild. Easily 2 of the most chill, measured, diplomatic stars in the league. This is would have been like Duncan and Dirk getting into it.

I think you and I have different definitions of what constitutes "getting into it"...

Yeah, not much. Just pretty out of character for both of them.

 

[pollardsvision]

And just a head's up boys and girls, it could get rough out in the streets today.

Kate Martin said A'ja Wilson is the best basketball players in the world (sure), and is the greatest leader she's ever been around (uh-oh).

Kate Martin is such a great kid. Hopefully, the world takes it easy on her.

What’s this now?

x.com

x.com

 

[ChiefD]

I’m here with ya bromiga.

 

[Joe Schmo]

Since when did chicks learn to play basketball??

 

[pollardsvision]

Pretty crazy weekend with the Sun finally losing a game, and the mighty Aces dropping their 4th to the young Sparks.

 

[hagmania]

Clark’s a great talent. But without adequate practice time, I think it’s best to leave her off the Olympic squad. Her style of ball domination and lots of shooting might not gel well with an Olympic squad of experienced players ..yet. Let her settle in and find her pro game, then add her to the mix in four years.

We can all check back in four years and see how well they capitalized on Clark's rise to superstardom. Maybe she'll make the Olympic team next year!

 

[General Malaise]

Clark’s a great talent. But without adequate practice time, I think it’s best to leave her off the Olympic squad. Her style of ball domination and lots of shooting might not gel well with an Olympic squad of experienced players ..yet. Let her settle in and find her pro game, then add her to the mix in four years.

I'm fine with it as well, but I can see why there's some folks that are upset over it. I guess my question now is - why not put her on the 3v3 team if she wasn't going to get on the official team? Brink is on there, so is Van Lith. Could have been fun to watch her hoop it up with them.

 

[BassNBrew]

To be fair, this team doesn't "need" anything.

They're going to dominate because the WNBA/US has the best only basketball players in the world.

Fixed.

I don't think that's true. These players play all over the world in the off-season to make some extra money.

But if you mean that as some sort of slight, you're a fan of American football, right? (not that any of that is played in Charlottle, NC these days)

Just take a look at women's soccer. We dominated when no one else cared. Once the rest of the world started taking it seriously things aren't as lopsided.

 

[BassNBrew]

Ran across this. For those of you who are both NBA and NHL fans, how does this compare to the level of play in the NBA?

This was absolutely DIRTY

Let's recap the second day of PWHL action as we take a look at Montreal vs Ottawa. That and all on today's Hockey video!

www.youtube.com

 

[Snotbubbles]

It's completely reasonable to leave Clark off an Olympic roster and probably better for her development to miss it. A lot of competitions in a short window.

How is not playing in the Olympics better for Clark's development? What is she going to do in the two weeks during the Olympics that will be better than practicing and playing with the best players in the world.

The WNBA schedule is already completely unfair to rookies.
They have all been playing basketball continuously since November, and in May, made a major jump up in competition. Every year, only about 8-10 NCAA players even MAKE a WNBA roster each season. This is a massive change, with basically no training camp.

It just seems way too much go to the Olympics 2 months into that whirlwind change.

I also wouldn't guess the Olympic team is going to get much practice time together. The teams is full of players that have been in the league for years, and many have played with one another. Yeah, there's benefit to being around them, but it would mostly be sitting on the bench watching.

So, there doesn't seem to be a ton of developmental upside that would be better than rest and practice with her own teammates (though I'm not even sure how much of that is allowed).

That's all a guess because, frankly, I have no idea. I only started watching this League a few weeks ago. I trust that the people that have been doing this their whole lives know more than I do.

Not a follower, but this all seems 100% correct. But an interesting tidbit - Taurasi was drafted in 2004 and then was elected to play on the Olympic squad as a rookie at the 2004 Olympics. I’ve heard quite a bit about her number of consecutive Olympics team. Now neither Clark nor any of the other stellar rookies has basically any shot at equaling that no matter the longevity or greatness of their respective careers.

Team USA has rostered a player (Chelsea Gray) that is injured and hasn't played a game in the WNBA this season. Team USA missed a golden opportunity to get eyes on this national team. Here is a story from a reporter that has been covering the Olympics for forever.

Leaving Caitlin Clark off Olympic team, USA Basketball airballs on huge opportunity

Caitlin Clark on the 2024 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team would have brought a global spotlight the team deserves.

www.usatoday.com

 

[NewbieJr]

I have mixed feeling on Clark not being on the Olympic team. For Clark, I think it's a great thing. From a physical standpoint, she will benefit greatly from the time off. As with all rookies, she's been playing continuously for about 8 months now. But in Clark's case, she's not posting up and waving for the ball or looking for put-back rebounds. She is double-teamed, trying to run off screens, penetrating, etc. It's no coincidence that she had such a great game Friday night. The Fever were coming off of five days rest. Also, for her to be named would have meant someone being left off. There's already a great deal of jealousy from the veterans regarding the attention she's getting. And in reality, if they were simply going by current skill level, it would be Taurasi that she would have been named over. How do you think that would have gone over?

As for the league and woman's game in general, this was a terribly blown opportunity. Clark's participation would have probably doubled (tripled?) the eyes on Team USA's games. I know I would have definitely had more interest. The league is picking up an incredible amount of interest right now because of Clark. Why not keep that going?

 

[Gally]

As for the league and woman's game in general, this was a terribly blown opportunity. Clark's participation would have probably doubled (tripled?) the eyes on Team USA's games. I know I would have definitely had more interest. The league is picking up an incredible amount of interest right now because of Clark. Why not keep that going?

Conspiracy guy might say they did that on purpose to drive more talking head comments.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Merged the threads and now @SWC has the reins.

 

[General Malaise]

Look at our bromigo taking things to the bank for us. Thanks Joe and SWC.

 

[Snotbubbles]

I have mixed feeling on Clark not being on the Olympic team. For Clark, I think it's a great thing. From a physical standpoint, she will benefit greatly from the time off. As with all rookies, she's been playing continuously for about 8 months now. But in Clark's case, she's not posting up and waving for the ball or looking for put-back rebounds. She is double-teamed, trying to run off screens, penetrating, etc. It's no coincidence that she had such a great game Friday night. The Fever were coming off of five days rest. Also, for her to be named would have meant someone being left off. There's already a great deal of jealousy from the veterans regarding the attention she's getting. And in reality, if they were simply going by current skill level, it would be Taurasi that she would have been named over. How do you think that would have gone over?

As for the league and woman's game in general, this was a terribly blown opportunity. Clark's participation would have probably doubled (tripled?) the eyes on Team USA's games. I know I would have definitely had more interest. The league is picking up an incredible amount of interest right now because of Clark. Why not keep that going?

It's a surprisingly blown opportunity and a head scratcher considering Bethany Donaphin is on the Team USA selection committee. She's, Head of WNBA League Operations, worked for the NBA in marketing, worked for Deloitte in strategy and operations and has an MBA in marketing from Wharton. You'd think with all that education, training and real life experience she'd realize the value of adding Caitlin Clark to the roster, even if it's just as an end of the bench cheerleader. It's almost as if the 5 women who selected this team needed a man on the committee to insert some common sense here. Going out on a limb, but I get the feeling they'll have a mea culpa and Clark will get on the roster as an injury replacement. It just makes too much sense.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

It's completely reasonable to leave Clark off an Olympic roster and probably better for her development to miss it. A lot of competitions in a short window.

How is not playing in the Olympics better for Clark's development? What is she going to do in the two weeks during the Olympics that will be better than practicing and playing with the best players in the world.

The WNBA schedule is already completely unfair to rookies.
They have all been playing basketball continuously since November, and in May, made a major jump up in competition. Every year, only about 8-10 NCAA players even MAKE a WNBA roster each season. This is a massive change, with basically no training camp.

It just seems way too much go to the Olympics 2 months into that whirlwind change.

I also wouldn't guess the Olympic team is going to get much practice time together. The teams is full of players that have been in the league for years, and many have played with one another. Yeah, there's benefit to being around them, but it would mostly be sitting on the bench watching.

So, there doesn't seem to be a ton of developmental upside that would be better than rest and practice with her own teammates (though I'm not even sure how much of that is allowed).

That's all a guess because, frankly, I have no idea. I only started watching this League a few weeks ago. I trust that the people that have been doing this their whole lives know more than I do.

Not a follower, but this all seems 100% correct. But an interesting tidbit - Taurasi was drafted in 2004 and then was elected to play on the Olympic squad as a rookie at the 2004 Olympics. I’ve heard quite a bit about her number of consecutive Olympics team. Now neither Clark nor any of the other stellar rookies has basically any shot at equaling that no matter the longevity or greatness of their respective careers.

And for whatever reason she has had an issue with Clark . . . .

 

[Joe Bryant]

Sorry. Forum won't let me merge and let @SWC be the lead.

SWC, please start a new thread and I'll close this one. Not sure why things that should be simple take twice as much time as they do but that's where we are.