Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Lynx Changes
Wow, it's been a busy offseason with plenty of changes for the Lynx. The first comes in the front office where Conrad Smith has been named the team's new COO. After 14 years with the Timberwolves, Conrad takes over for Angela Taylor who left to take over the front office of the Washington Mystics. Her first decision there? To hire Julie Plank as her new head coach. So to fill the void on the sidelines, Coach Z turned to former NBA big man and Timberwolves & Lynx TV broadcaster Jim Peterson. So welcome to Conrad and Jim, and good luck to Angela and Julie in DC, except when we face them twice next year!
Greetings Lynx Fans!
Happy offseason everyone. I've been busy calling Timberwolves games, but I've been keeping me eye on what's going on around the WNBA.
The news about the Houston Comets folding was not surprising, but it's still hard to believe that one of the league's marquee franchises, winners of the first 4 WNBA Championships, is no longer in business. This sets up a very interesting dispersal draft, the first since the Charlotte Sting folded in 2007. Here's the draft order:
1) Atlanta
2) Washington
3) Chicago
4) Minnesota
5) Phoenix
6) Indiana
7) Sacramento
8) New York
9) Los Angeles
10) Connecticut
11) Detroit
12) Seattle
13) San Antonio
Of the 13 players on the Comets roster there are 5 that are unrestricted free agents and are not eligible to be drafted: Latasha Byears, Mwadi Mabika, Hamchetou Maiga-Ba, Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson.
Those that are available: Matee Ajavon, Tamecka Dixon, Roneeka Hodges, Sequoia Holmes, Shannon Johnson, Sancho Lyttle, Erica White and Mistie Williams.
I know the Lynx would love to add some size to their frontcourt but there's no way Lyttle will fall to them at #4. Both Lyttle and Ajavon will be gone, which leaves veterans Dixon and Johnson, and 2nd year players Holmes and White (LSU connection with Seimone). We'll find out what happens rather quickly with the draft set for Dec. 8.
The news about the Houston Comets folding was not surprising, but it's still hard to believe that one of the league's marquee franchises, winners of the first 4 WNBA Championships, is no longer in business. This sets up a very interesting dispersal draft, the first since the Charlotte Sting folded in 2007. Here's the draft order:
1) Atlanta
2) Washington
3) Chicago
4) Minnesota
5) Phoenix
6) Indiana
7) Sacramento
8) New York
9) Los Angeles
10) Connecticut
11) Detroit
12) Seattle
13) San Antonio
Of the 13 players on the Comets roster there are 5 that are unrestricted free agents and are not eligible to be drafted: Latasha Byears, Mwadi Mabika, Hamchetou Maiga-Ba, Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson.
Those that are available: Matee Ajavon, Tamecka Dixon, Roneeka Hodges, Sequoia Holmes, Shannon Johnson, Sancho Lyttle, Erica White and Mistie Williams.
I know the Lynx would love to add some size to their frontcourt but there's no way Lyttle will fall to them at #4. Both Lyttle and Ajavon will be gone, which leaves veterans Dixon and Johnson, and 2nd year players Holmes and White (LSU connection with Seimone). We'll find out what happens rather quickly with the draft set for Dec. 8.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Miracle in San Antonio
1.8 seconds. That's how close LA was from advancing the WNBA Finals yesterday in San Antonio. 1.8 seconds. The Sparks led 66-65 when Sophia Young hit a turn-around, leaning, running 18-footer to keep the Silver Stars season alive. In case you haven't seen the highlight, here it is. What an absolutely amazing shot. I'm still stunned that it went in. Backboard, rim, backboard and through? Are you kidding me? I keep watching the highlight expecting the ball to clang off the rim. It's not the first buzzer-beater for Sophia Young. And it won't be forgotten in San Antonio any time soon.
While Sophia saved the Silver Stars on Saturday, it was Becky Hammon's turn on Sunday. 35 points on 10 of 18 shooting, 6 of 8 3's and 4 clutch foul shots in the final 36 seconds. She was awesome. And now San Antonio has a ton of momentum heading into the Finals. Congrats to head coach Dan Hughes, one of the real good guys in this league.
While Sophia saved the Silver Stars on Saturday, it was Becky Hammon's turn on Sunday. 35 points on 10 of 18 shooting, 6 of 8 3's and 4 clutch foul shots in the final 36 seconds. She was awesome. And now San Antonio has a ton of momentum heading into the Finals. Congrats to head coach Dan Hughes, one of the real good guys in this league.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wiggins Wins 6th Woman of the Year
Congratulations to Candice for being named the 2008 6th Woman of the Year. It was quite a year for the rookie out of Stanford, averaging 16 points and 3 assists per game. Seven times this season she came off the bench and poured in 20 or more points, that broke Chamique Holdsclaw's WNBA record. And Candice was able to that without a consistent outside shot. We saw her get hot at times but her 40% from the field and 31% from beyond the 3-point line will only improve in the years to come.
An update on Candice's knee injury; last Monday at Stanford Medical Center she underwent arthroscopic surgery for a lateral meniscal tear in her right knee. She's already begun her rehabilitation and is expected to make a full recovery. Candice is also taking classes to finish her undergraduate degree in communications.
An update on Candice's knee injury; last Monday at Stanford Medical Center she underwent arthroscopic surgery for a lateral meniscal tear in her right knee. She's already begun her rehabilitation and is expected to make a full recovery. Candice is also taking classes to finish her undergraduate degree in communications.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Playoff Predictions
I know I'm already a day late with these, but I thought I'd give you my thoughts on the playoffs. As I said on-air last week, I think we'll see a highly charged Shock-Sparks finals. Here's the way I see it breaking down:
Detroit over Indiana - The Shock are just too strong. The August trade for Taj McWilliams-Franklin solidified their frontcourt. After losing 4 straight heading into the Olympic break, Detroit went 6-1 down the stretch to lock up home court advantage.
Connecticut over New York - Even with the Sun down 1-0, I'll still take Mike Thibault's squad, but I'm not feeling too confident about it. After an 8-1 start, the Sun finished the year 13-13. New York, suprisingly, finished only 2 games back in the standings. So if an upset were to happen in the East, this would be it.
San Antonio over Sacramento - The Silver Stars were hoping the Lynx or Comets didn't end up in that final playoff spot. Against MIN/HOU San Antonio was 1-7 this year (the only game they won was over the Lynx who were playing without Seimone). They were 23-3 against the rest of the league.
Los Angeles over Seattle - This will be a great series and likely go the distance. There is plenty of bad blood between these two rivals but it's too bad Lauren Jackson won't be involved. She isn't expected back until the Finals, if the Storm can hang on that long.
Detroit over Indiana - The Shock are just too strong. The August trade for Taj McWilliams-Franklin solidified their frontcourt. After losing 4 straight heading into the Olympic break, Detroit went 6-1 down the stretch to lock up home court advantage.
Connecticut over New York - Even with the Sun down 1-0, I'll still take Mike Thibault's squad, but I'm not feeling too confident about it. After an 8-1 start, the Sun finished the year 13-13. New York, suprisingly, finished only 2 games back in the standings. So if an upset were to happen in the East, this would be it.
San Antonio over Sacramento - The Silver Stars were hoping the Lynx or Comets didn't end up in that final playoff spot. Against MIN/HOU San Antonio was 1-7 this year (the only game they won was over the Lynx who were playing without Seimone). They were 23-3 against the rest of the league.
Los Angeles over Seattle - This will be a great series and likely go the distance. There is plenty of bad blood between these two rivals but it's too bad Lauren Jackson won't be involved. She isn't expected back until the Finals, if the Storm can hang on that long.
Preparing for an Important Offseason
While 8 teams are still hoping to make a run to the 2008 WNBA title, the Lynx and 5 others have already begun preparations for 2009. Monday the Lynx returned home from Washington and over the next 24-36 hours the players had their exit interviews with the coaching staff and front office, underwent their final physicals, and tied up any loose ends before heading out of town. For the organization, now begins an important time. Evalations are made, opinions are shared and decisions are made on this 2008 season. Who preformed well? Who didn't? Who is going to be a part of this franchise moving forward? And those are just the questions about the current roster. Who is obtainable through a trade? What free agents are out there? How does the draft stack up? As I said, it's an important time. This is when the offseason gameplan is formulated. And if it's anything like last year's, the Lynx are going to be in great shape for 2009.
For a final thought on 2008, here's what Coach Z told me in Washington before the final game of the year. Some insightful comments from Coach as he talked about the three-year plan and having a core group of players to build around. With another successful draft and the addition of the right veteran or two, the Lynx are poised for that breakthrough season in 2009.
Speaking of 2009, what about the draft? Courtesy of Lynx stat guru Paul Swanson, here's a look at each teams lottery odds.
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
---------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Atlanta 41.00 29.57 18.10 11.33 0.00 0.00
Washington 25.60 27.44 23.63 22.00 1.33 0.00
Chicago 16.00 19.61 24.24 32.83 7.22 0.10
Minnesota 7.50 10.01 14.44 33.84 32.58 1.63
Phoenix 7.40 9.89 14.28 0.00 58.87 9.56
Houston 2.50 3.48 5.31 0.00 0.00 88.71
Well, the numbers ended up a little more jumbled than I intended but basically the Lynx have a 7.5% chance of getting the number one pick. They've got a 17.51% of gettin 1 of the top 2 picks and a 31.95% of getting 1 of the top 3 picks. At this point the top pick appears to be Oklahoma center Courtney Paris. At 6-4, she averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds per game and shot 58% from the field. And that was her average over 3 years in Norman. How nicely would that type of prodcution fit in with the Lynx frontcourt? The answer is just a ping-pong ball bounce away.
For a final thought on 2008, here's what Coach Z told me in Washington before the final game of the year. Some insightful comments from Coach as he talked about the three-year plan and having a core group of players to build around. With another successful draft and the addition of the right veteran or two, the Lynx are poised for that breakthrough season in 2009.
Speaking of 2009, what about the draft? Courtesy of Lynx stat guru Paul Swanson, here's a look at each teams lottery odds.
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
---------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Atlanta 41.00 29.57 18.10 11.33 0.00 0.00
Washington 25.60 27.44 23.63 22.00 1.33 0.00
Chicago 16.00 19.61 24.24 32.83 7.22 0.10
Minnesota 7.50 10.01 14.44 33.84 32.58 1.63
Phoenix 7.40 9.89 14.28 0.00 58.87 9.56
Houston 2.50 3.48 5.31 0.00 0.00 88.71
Well, the numbers ended up a little more jumbled than I intended but basically the Lynx have a 7.5% chance of getting the number one pick. They've got a 17.51% of gettin 1 of the top 2 picks and a 31.95% of getting 1 of the top 3 picks. At this point the top pick appears to be Oklahoma center Courtney Paris. At 6-4, she averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds per game and shot 58% from the field. And that was her average over 3 years in Norman. How nicely would that type of prodcution fit in with the Lynx frontcourt? The answer is just a ping-pong ball bounce away.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Lynx Wallop Washington
What a way to end the 2008 season. The Lynx may have put together their most dominating performance of the season. Minnesota tied a franchise record with 6 players in double figures, led by Charde's 18. In the last 4 games Charde has scored 19,18,19 and 18 while shooting an amazing 67%. It was a big game for Latoya, who had a season high 13, and Navonda, who added a season high 11. 56% shooting will get it done, so will 53% 3pt shooting. The only negative tonight was 62% free throw shooting, but the Lynx were able to overcome that in a big way.
Mystics Misery: They finish the season with 9 straight losses and this franchise needs help in a big way. GM Linda Hargrove has gone through 3 head coaches in 3 years, the team has missed the playoffs in 7 of their 11 years (and in the Eastern Conference that's saying something) and besides rookies Tasha Humphrey and Cyrstal Langhorne, they have few pieces to build around for the future.
Lindsey Comes Back: A year ago Lindsey suffered her torn ACL on this very floor, tonight she came back strong with a 13 point, 6 rebound and 5 assist effort. After the game she joined me on the postgame show and talked about her return to DC, the win over the Mystics and what's ahead for the Lynx.
Lottery Bound: With the win tonight the Lynx finish 2008 with a 16-18 record, same as Phoenix. But Minnesota holds the tie-breaker over the Mercury and so they'll have more ping pong balls in the lottery. They also hold the tie-breaker over Houston, which won today at Chicago. That assures the Lynx that they'll have the fourth most ping-pong balls in next months lottery.
Mystics Misery: They finish the season with 9 straight losses and this franchise needs help in a big way. GM Linda Hargrove has gone through 3 head coaches in 3 years, the team has missed the playoffs in 7 of their 11 years (and in the Eastern Conference that's saying something) and besides rookies Tasha Humphrey and Cyrstal Langhorne, they have few pieces to build around for the future.
Lindsey Comes Back: A year ago Lindsey suffered her torn ACL on this very floor, tonight she came back strong with a 13 point, 6 rebound and 5 assist effort. After the game she joined me on the postgame show and talked about her return to DC, the win over the Mystics and what's ahead for the Lynx.
Lottery Bound: With the win tonight the Lynx finish 2008 with a 16-18 record, same as Phoenix. But Minnesota holds the tie-breaker over the Mercury and so they'll have more ping pong balls in the lottery. They also hold the tie-breaker over Houston, which won today at Chicago. That assures the Lynx that they'll have the fourth most ping-pong balls in next months lottery.
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