WNBA Off-Season News

[UConnCat]

 

[UConnCat]

 

[MilfordHusky]

Not a big surprise. Who will be the next coach?

They need to draft Sabrina and play at Barclay’s!

 

[nickp91]

The Liberty made a huge mistake keeping Smith as coach this past season

 

[huskeynut]

No surprise with this one. Smith should not have returned for this past season.

 

[eebmg]

The Liberty made a huge mistake keeping Smith as coach this past season

Helped get us 1st pick in sabrina year. Resume builder.

 

[Dillon77]

New owner, (probably) playing in the Barclay's Center, the new "place to be" for NYC pro hoops.

Terrific opportunity, but one that is very visible and will have inherent pressures. Thus, I've got to think the hire has to be someone who is either an established head coach and/or an assistant who has been with a program that is simply top notch in all regards.

The WNBA -- unlike the NBA -- does not draw top college coaches because the pay scale is not going to measure up. No equivalent of John Beilein leaving Michigan for Cleveland in this case Is it even palpable for an NBA assistant coach? If so, could this be a landing spot for Becky Hammon, who has learned from one of the best, yet played at a top level in the WNBA herself?

 

[nwhoopfan]

Is it even palpable for an NBA assistant coach? If so, could this be a landing spot for Becky Hammons, who has learned from one of the best, yet played at a top level in the WNBA herself?

I think she's fairly clearly holding out for a NBA head coaching job. She's passed on several women's college HC gigs. Gotta think WNBA is not what she's aiming for.

 

[garddog]

Surely Geno's ready to step up and prove himself at the Pro level!

 

[bballnut90]

Smart move by the Liberty. They have had way too much talent to go 17-51 the past two years. Just awful. The right coach could really turn this franchise around. Charles still has several good years left, Sabrina will be the face of the franchise and Nurse/Durr make a good young wing duo to build around.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I will admit I am baffled Smith was such a poor WNBA coach given what a good player she was and how she really played every position at some point in her career. Her basketball IQ seemed high. To be fair I don't think she had a ton to work with but Charles is a legit star. Ionescu and a healthy Durr will go a long way towards helping the team turn around.

 

[Dillon77]

I think she's fairly clearly holding out for a NBA head coaching job. She's passed on several women's college HC gigs. Gotta think WNBA is not what she's aiming for.

I used to think that the ultimate goal was NBA HC job or bust.
But while many more women are now getting assistant coaching jobs at the NBA, is that next level going to open up?

And, yes, she has passed on several women's college HC gigs, but that's the point: they're not professional leagues, which is what Becky is all about. Also, the Liberty are owned by Joseph Tsai, who also owns the Brooklyn Nets. The GM of the Nets is Sean Marks, who learned his chops at San Antonio. Could be worth a phone call on both parts....

 

[UConnCat]

Looks like Barclay's will be the Lib's new home.

 

[eebmg]

Follow up article

Once Sabrina gets here, I will get my season passes. Although maybe it would be cheaper to get them prior to her pick.

"We are committed to the Liberty's long-term success in New York, and relocating the team to Brooklyn will provide the franchise with tremendous opportunity," said David Levy, CEO of the Nets and Barclays Center, as well as president of J Tsai Sports. "With many of our fans based in the five boroughs, moving to Barclays Center will make the Liberty more centrally located, allowing us to bring back the original fan base and attract new supporters. The venue change, along with the first pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, has positioned the team for an exciting future."

Liberty find new home in Barclays Center move

The Liberty will have a new home next year, playing their games at Barclays Center.

www.espn.com

 

[Bigboote]

Good. I wonder how much of the Liberty’s struggles were a result of playing in such a crappy place. Their road record was middlin’, but their home record was the worst in the league.

 

[DeeHusky]

Ionescu can single handedly turn a franchise around but won’t have to so they’ll be a better team. Nurse and Durr will be better and Tina’s gotta realize at some point every shot is not her shot.

 

[huskeynut]

I will admit I am baffled Smith was such a poor WNBA coach given what a good player she was and how she really played every position at some point in her career. Her basketball IQ seemed high. To be fair I don't think she had a ton to work with but Charles is a legit star. Ionescu and a healthy Durr will go a long way towards helping the team turn around.

You should not be baffled. Success on the court as a player and hall of fame status does not guarantee success as a coach. Totally different skill sets are needed to be a successful coach.

A coach has to be able to "teach" skills, plays, body position and the like. A coach has to be able to understand the struggle to succeed of the pllayer who is no gifted with natural talent. Not all great players can do that. They cannot understand how a player cannot reach a specific level of performance. They cannot understand the struggles many players deal with to raise their performance level.

Prime example of an okay player who is a great coach - Geno.

 

[eebmg]

You should not be baffled. Success on the court as a player and hall of fame status does not guarantee success as a coach. Totally different skill sets are needed to be a successful coach.

A coach has to be able to "teach" skills, plays, body position and the like. A coach has to be able to understand the struggle to succeed of the pllayer who is no gifted with natural talent. Not all great players can do that. They cannot understand how a player cannot reach a specific level of performance. They cannot understand the struggles many players deal with to raise their performance level.

Prime example of an okay player who is a great coach - Geno.

but she was an assistant under Lambeer so you would think enough of the coaching skills would have rubbed off.

This year surprised me because they came out pretty decent but seemed to go into the tank when Durr had her injury issues. Obviously, that cant explain everything but I did like the offeseive flow and creativity that Durr brought to the team. I though Durr and Kia played well with each other.

Getting a good team to NYC is important for the League so I hope we see a strong turn around.

 

[Bigboote]

I’m on the road, and sorry if this has been mentioned.

The Washington Nationals honored the Mystics at, I think, the fourth game of the National League Championship Series. Elena Delle Donne threw out the first pitch. That was a LOT of free publicity, plus the Nats swept the series.

In a similar but much smaller vein, this summer there were life-size placards of EDD greeting us near the entrances of DC-area Giant supermarkets (owned by the same company as Stop and Shop and Hannaford’s). That’s an indication that at least EDD is a big enough name locally that Giant thinks it can make money off her.

 

[eebmg]

I’m on the road, and sorry if this has been mentioned.

The Washington Nationals honored the Mystics at, I think, the fourth game of the National League Championship Series. Elena Delle Donne threw out the first pitch. That was a LOT of free publicity, plus the Nats swept the series.

In a similar but much smaller vein, this summer there were life-size placards of EDD greeting us near the entrances of DC-area Giant supermarkets (owned by the same company as Stop and Shop and Hannaford’s). That’s an indication that at least EDD is a big enough name locally that Giant thinks it can make money off her.

Here is a clip of the pitch and congradulations to some of the team members able to attend.

Are championships contagious? Elena Delle Donne throws first pitch

Prior to Game 4 of the NLCS, the Nationals honored the WNBA champions as they hope to continue the recent winning ways in D.C.

www.nbcsports.com

By the way, I was happy to see that Bradley Beal (the Washington Wizards player who wrote so poignantly about the Mystics and Womens Basketball in general)

Masks On

Most guys in the league, you ask them who their basketball hero was growing up, or who their biggest influence was as a basketball player, or who their first ex

www.theplayerstribune.com

decided to extend his contract and stay with the Wizards instead of bailing out on them. He is a good dude and maybe EDD and the Mystics helped him make the decision to stay.

 

[huskeynut]

"but she was an assistant under Lambeer so you would think enough of the coaching skills would have rubbed off."

eebmg - the point is coaching skills don't rub off on someone else. Coaching is so much more than X's and O's.

I really hope the Liberty can get it all straightened out. No excuse for a NY team to be such a mess.

 

[MilfordHusky]

If the league is going to succeed, having a successful franchise in New York City--not the suburbs--is highly desirable and perhaps essential. Maybe a Harvard MBA class project would be how to market the Liberty in the Big Apple. The possibilities are endless.

 

[eebmg]

If the league is going to succeed, having a successful franchise in New York City--not the suburbs--is highly desirable and perhaps essential. Maybe a Harvard MBA class project would be how to market the Liberty in the Big Apple. The possibilities are endless.

I would think tying the Brooklyn Nets with the Liberty with cross-promotions would be very valuable. Since both teams have the same owner and play in the same arena, it seems that this would be pretty effective.

Also, attendance in the one regular season game at Barclays agaisnt the Storm which occurred after the Liberty had already tanked was 7715

New York Liberty Praise Brooklyn, Barclays Center In Sunday Return

The New York Liberty played their first regular-season game in Brooklyn on Sunday. Players, staff, and fans hope there's more to come.

elitesportsny.com

and I can confirm that crowd was not made of camp kids but real customers who were into the game since I was in attendance

Also, getting Han Xu to play well enough to be a decent contributor will invigorate the Chinese-American Community which is very significant in Brooklyn which would add a lot of energy.

Not to mention Sabrina.

 

[j66kicker]

Getting a good coach will be make-or-break. What about Geno? There’s no restriction on what a WNBA team can pay their coach, right? C’mon Mr. Tsai $$$$$$

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

"but she was an assistant under Lambeer so you would think enough of the coaching skills would have rubbed off."

eebmg - the point is coaching skills don't rub off on someone else. Coaching is so much more than X's and O's.

I really hope the Liberty can get it all straightened out. No excuse for a NY team to be such a mess.

True. But not only her time as an assistant as a pro, I'm pretty sure she did some college (asst) coaching a few years back. You would think there would be some indication at some point as to her skill set. Or not.

I don't have the answer. For example, Patty Coyle had some pro success (and some success before becoming a pro head coach) and couldn't coach her way out of a paper bag when she returned to college later.

The coaching gig ain't easy.