WNBA -- 2023 Season

[MilfordHusky]

I thought I'd look up numbers with Parker for comparison. I looked at game by game records for seasons where Parker missed notable stretches (2009-2011, 2015, 2019) but just included overall team record for the years where she played 30+ games.


Sparks with Parker:
2008: 20-14
2009: 15-10
2010: 3-7
2011: 8-9
2012: 24-10
2013: 24-10
2014: 16-18
2015: 11-5
2016: 26-8
2017: 26-8
2018: 19-15
2019: 14-8
2020: 15-7
221-129, 63% win percentage


Without Parker:
2007: 10-24
2009: 3-6
2010: 10-14
2011: 7-10
2015: 3-15
2019: 8-4
2021: 12-20
2022: 13-23
2023: 8-15
74-131, 36% win percentage

27% difference with Parker vs. 23% difference with Moore. Numbers don't tell the whole story and there are many different factors that go into a team having success, but I'd argue Parker is there too when looking at franchise impact. Same with Catchings with a 30% difference. (55% win percentage over her career, 25% win percentage year prior + years after)

Diving deeper into LA, they had a stretch of glory days prior to Parker, as LA was elite from 1999-2006, going 192-89 (68% win percentage) over those 8 years. In 2007 Leslie was out the full year which is why the team success dropped off but then picked up again in 2008/2009 when they had both Leslie/Parker. Parker had injury problems in 2010/2011 and the franchise didn't turn a corner until they landed Nneka in 2012, which led to a very successful stretch from 2012-2020 until Fisher dismantled the team and the franchise has struggled since.

The Minnesota Lynx, quite frankly, were not good prior to Moore joining and didn't find success until she arrived. It wasn't just Moore that made the difference (landing Whalen in 2010 set the tone, plus Augustus was finally healthy in 2011) but when looking at overall franchise history, Minnesota's success has been centered around Maya's career. Tamika Catchings is another parallel and probably the most applicable example, though Indiana at its ceiling was never at Minnesota's level, but the franchise has been truly abysmal since Catchings left.

I think L.A. had some pretty bad coaches when Parker was playing.

Some folks say the greatest ability is availability. Injuries are beyond a player's control to some degree, but Maya Moore was like a Lou Gehrig or Cal Ripken. I believe she sat out 1 Lynx game for precautionary measures. That's 1 missed game in 16 years, from 9th grade through the pros.

 

[JellyBean]

Welp. Looks like my Lynx will play without Phee tonight, in their game against the Liberty.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Welp. Looks like my Lynx will play without Phee tonight, in their game against the Liberty.

So, their chances of winning went from slim to none?

 

[baggerbob]

So, their chances of winning went from slim to none?

If Sandy keeps playing Willoughby the Lynx will win.
The Liberty really need to get rid of her, she is a walking disaster. Sabally doesn't bring much to the table either.

 

[nwhoopfan]

If Sandy keeps playing Willoughby the Lynx will win.
The Liberty really need to get rid of her, she is a walking disaster. Sabally doesn't bring much to the table either.

Maybe someday I will learn to stop making predictions. But probably not.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Whoa, Seattle won a game! And I think LA has won 2 in a row. What is the world coming to?

 

[SECbbfan24]

Welp. Looks like my Lynx will play without Phee tonight, in their game against the Liberty.

And they still won lol

 

[MilfordHusky]

Strange Friday night: Seattle gets a win on the road in Chicago, as Gabby scores 17; Minnesota wins at New York, while Phee is out; and Dallas beats Washington by nearly 30.

 

[JellyBean]

How about Minnesota!? I knew they would beat New York, without Phee (Just kidding)
Who knew that KMac would have her 2nd best shooting game of the season? Dorka, another game of being aggressive and looking for her shot. Well done young lady.

I was still considering New York's chances of winning the title this season. After this game, those chances are thrown out the window. New York lacks that killer instinct. No way in the world should they have lost this game against Minnesota. But hats off to Minnesota for playing a great game. Shots were falling left and right.

I hope Emily Engstler is okay. She finally got some meaningful minutes out there and suffers a horrible injury. Hopefully the injury is not as bad as it looked.

Up next, Connecticut Sun. Let's go, Minnesota!!

 

[Geew1992]

So, their chances of winning went from slim to none?

This didn’t age well

 

[cancontent]

How about Minnesota!? I knew they would beat New York, without Phee (Just kidding)
Who knew that KMac would have her 2nd best shooting game of the season? Dorka, another game of being aggressive and looking for her shot. Well done young lady.

I was still considering New York's chances of winning the title this season. After this game, those chances are thrown out the window. New York lacks that killer instinct. No way in the world should they have lost this game against Minnesota. But hats off to Minnesota for playing a great game. Shots were falling left and right.

I hope Emily Engstler is okay. She finally got some meaningful minutes out there and suffers a horrible injury. Hopefully the injury is not as bad as it looked.

Up next, Connecticut Sun. Let's go, Minnesota!!

Man, what a difference in two days. After NY have their fun beating Atlanta and teasing Howard for her "July 27" tweet, they lose to the Lynx? Definitely need to watch this game as I was out last night. Looks like it was a fun game!

 

[nwhoopfan]

This didn’t age well

Yes, I already admitted to my poor predictive skills.

 

[Blueballer]

Aces' Williams facing 9 domestic battery charges

Aces guard Riquna Williams is facing nine domestic battery charges after her arrest Tuesday in Las Vegas, according to court records.

www.espn.com

I thought they shouldn't have signed her last year. Given the increased emphasis all major sports are giving to domestic violence, Williams should be banned from the WNBA.

 

[GCKSFN4L]

I thought they shouldn't have signed her last year. Given the increased emphasis all major sports are giving to domestic violence, Williams should be banned from the WNBA.

I do think in general there's some level of grace given to people for a second chance in the belief they have gotten the proper help and has grown as people. Even the Sparks re-signed her in the immediate aftermath of the first altercation. So given that she was pretty problem free (of my knowledge) in the two years following, I could see why any team would pick her up, believing that was a one time incident and she's a new person.

As we know, there's multiple players in the league right now that have been accused of similar acts as well and are still playing. I'm not so sure all those accused of these incidents whether its domestic violence or DUI or other horrible acts should be immediately banned after one incident. But I do believe repeat offenders should definitely be banned for sure and has no place in the league.

I really hope the next CBA takes a more definitive approach as it relates to penalties and banishment on these acts. I also hope the league steps in sooner rather than later on this situation. Right now the Aces organization can only suspend (not cut) her with full pay under it's current rules and it doesn't seem right given what's occurred.

 

[JellyBean]

I thought they shouldn't have signed her last year. Given the increased emphasis all major sports are giving to domestic violence, Williams should be banned from the WNBA.

Great point but I am of the mindset of, giving the person another chance with the understanding of, "this can not happen again". We don't know where that person's mindset was the first time and what transpired in that situation. I am pretty sure, I hope, that the Aces had a meeting with Willams and had the conversation and was thinking along the lines like many of us, "This is your 2nd chance. You can't do this again. If it happens again, you will be suspended or worse." Sadly, the domestic situation happened again, and the Aces front office will handle it how they see fit. The League did their part. Hopefully Williams gets the help that she needs and that her wife gets the help and support she needs. As for other sports, it depends on the level of the player. Some players get banned from the league and some players get a slap on the wrist. The NFL is a great example. Awhile back there was a video of a Jets running back abusing his wife/girlfriend. That was scary and I believe the running back is in jail for his actions, he should be.

 

[azfan]

Riquna Williams should immediately be banned for life.

Williams' case is severe although I'm not sure about the morality of giving gradations to violence particularly those involving a firearm. In my view the league should ban Williams for life. While she's at this stage marginal player the message sent is one that is incumbent to communicate: both condemnation of this action and a recognition of the extent of the problem and a consequence!!!

The Truth About Abusers, Abuse, and What to Do

How to spot an abusive partner before it's too late.

www.psychologytoday.com

Society in general has made inadequate and counterproductive responses to this issue of domestic violence. Professional sports is an egregious example of tolerating and minimizing DV by members of this industry. We could easily list 50 examples across professional sports although the Williams example one of the worst close to that at the Ray Rice elevator beating

The W clearly made a mistake in 2019 in this case and should immediately recognize that error.

"More than 3 million incidents of domestic violence are reported each year, including both men and women. Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million people. One-third of women and one-fourth of men will have experienced some sort of interpersonal violence, and for one-fourth of women and one-seventh of men, it's severe."

Severe....... Absolutely and it was clear in 2019 and it's cleared today that Williams would be classified as a severe abuser.

"The most serious abusers don't come forward, don't talk about their violence, don't seek help."

And the research is clear they do not change.

Can domestic abusers be rehabilitated?

Even domestic abusers who go to jail eventually get out. Most often, they go on to abuse again. Punishment is necessary, but it’s also only a start

www.theglobeandmail.com

This story will follow predictable and very disappointing steps

The violent felony abuser will make a statement of remorse

The criminal justice system and the WNBA will dither around

A token punishment completely inadequate to respond to the crime will be applied

Williams will not go to jail

Williams will abuse again

 

[cancontent]

Great point but I am of the mindset of, giving the person another chance with the understanding of, "this can not happen again". We don't know where that person's mindset was the first time and what transpired in that situation. I am pretty sure, I hope, that the Aces had a meeting with Willams and had the conversation and was thinking along the lines like many of us, "This is your 2nd chance. You can't do this again. If it happens again, you will be suspended or worse." Sadly, the domestic situation happened again, and the Aces front office will handle it how they see fit. The League did their part. Hopefully Williams gets the help that she needs and that her wife gets the help and support she needs. As for other sports, it depends on the level of the player. Some players get banned from the league and some players get a slap on the wrist. The NFL is a great example. Awhile back there was a video of a Jets running back abusing his wife/girlfriend. That was scary and I believe the running back is in jail for his actions, he should be.

Are you saying second chance with the Aces or in general? If in general, wouldn't that be giving Williams a third chance? Considering she was charged and suspended in 2019, she's gotten a second chance already by my count.