Game Thread: Phoenix Mercury vs Seattle Storm

but this is getting ridiculous. It’s like Dupree is allergic to the basketball. How can a team run a system through her if she’s turning it over six times a game?

And then her defense…

by just checkin on May 22, 2010 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll forgive her for trying to defend LJ..

… not many people in the world can.

But the turnovers… yeah… that’s a problem… and I seem to remember many coming while receiving the ball in the post…

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions

As I look at the league rosters

I don’t see a starting PF she can guard.

by just checkin on May 22, 2010 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions

That frightens me..

…I’m almost afraid to look…

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions

And off the top of my head..

She can guard Cathrine Kraayeveld…

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I went back and forth on Kraayeveld

I guess it depends on the game conditions.

by just checkin on May 22, 2010 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Camille Little is apparently not on that list of people she can guard...

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Cash for the oreb over Dupree...

…yikes…

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Swin Cash is playing better than last year as far as I'm concerned...

…and I realize she was All-Star MVP in 2009…

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:08 PM EDT reply actions

She's experiencing a championship drought of four years

Not “acceptable” by Husky standards. ;) Looks like she’s doing her part to restore order.

by just checkin on May 22, 2010 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow... she is killing the Merc right now..

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions

OK...

I fear that Seattle is unbeatable playing like this… you can’t guard a 6’5" player who is hitting fadeaway jumpers…

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:12 PM EDT reply actions

I am 90% sure Boris Diaw is here watching this game. No idea what that means

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by Seth Pollack on May 22, 2010 11:24 PM EDT reply actions

Hide the blondes!

Does he still have a gut?

by just checkin on May 22, 2010 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions

…he says as Abby Bishop enters the game…

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Abby Bishop!

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:26 PM EDT reply actions

If we're going to regard the Storm as a championship contender..

..then we also have to be impressed by a still gelling Phoenix team sitting within 3 after the Storm’s best performance of this season…

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:28 PM EDT reply actions

Sveta is going to have a very solid year.

The Storm are structured enough and have solid enough players to keep her grounded.

by Scotter on May 22, 2010 11:30 PM EDT reply actions

"...to keep her grounded."

Are you suggesting she’s had ego problems in the past? Or am I misreading?

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Not ego problems, although she's extremely stubborn.

Her and Auriemma’s relationship in college was quite a show, but I was really talking about her style of play. She sees the opportunities to make great plays and isn’t afraid to take the risks associated with those type of plays. That can be a great thing, but it’s a whole lot more valuable when she’s surrounded by some structure and players that can read the same things on the court and actually catch her passes.

by Scotter on May 22, 2010 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions

She's not someone who plays well on bad teams.

by Scotter on May 22, 2010 11:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Gotcha.

Yes, that’s pretty much what Agler keeps saying about her — taking risks…

And I think both you and he are right that it makes her a great fit for this team (as she makes a dangerous pass out of bounds..

SwishAppeal.com, women's basketball...covered SBN-style... twitter: @qmccall3

by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:45 PM EDT up reply actions

I like Abrosimova as much as the next guy...

But it’s inexcusable to give up an oreb to her in a game like this…

SwishAppeal.com, women's basketball...covered SBN-style... twitter: @qmccall3

by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:36 PM EDT reply actions

I love the Live Access slow motion...

…for the demon voice it creates…

SwishAppeal.com, women's basketball...covered SBN-style... twitter: @qmccall3

by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:40 PM EDT reply actions

LMAO i couldn't figure out what that sound was 4 the longest!

it was starting 2 scare me…

by az25blue on May 22, 2010 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Absolutely beautiful pass by Abrosimova...

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by Nate Parham on May 22, 2010 11:43 PM EDT reply actions

"Not a lot of practice time together"

yawn…they’ve had almost a full week. Stop being a homer, Phx announcer dude.

by just checkin on May 22, 2010 11:45 PM EDT reply actions

These are the worst refs

My goodness.

by just checkin on May 22, 2010 11:59 PM EDT reply actions

wow LJ.....

by az25blue on May 23, 2010 12:00 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Little!

Wide open – who does she not take that shot!

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo

by Seth Pollack on May 23, 2010 12:01 AM EDT reply actions

Who draws up a play for T Wright to win the game?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 12:05 AM EDT reply actions

That is about the only thing that makes sense right now...

She was clutch for them on multiple occasions last year and Bird is a very good safety valve…

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by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions

That was last year

I wouldn’t want to put the fate of the game in her hands, given what else is on the floor for Seattle. She’s Option #4.

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Bonner has been fantastic btw

Just staying…while DT can’t buy a shot. Thinking that broke hand might be an issue

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by Seth Pollack on May 23, 2010 12:07 AM EDT reply actions

Oh... so I see you're not so quiet now that your team woke up ;)

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by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions

that's right :)

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo

by Seth Pollack on May 23, 2010 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions

LOL

Dee’s hand is definitely bothering her. She disappears for long stretches and that’s just not like her.

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions

3-0 in Seattle

A bench for the Seattle Storm is a beautiful thing…

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by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 12:23 AM EDT reply actions

Svet and Le’Coe looked great in regulation.

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Agler got the T because he realized that he didn't play his starters enough and needed the five exta minutes

by Scotter on May 23, 2010 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions

lol

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by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 12:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Too funny!

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 12:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Hey Q, does Agler have a plan for Lacey?

Two minutes in a game against a team with questionable defense. She had two steals.

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 12:23 AM EDT reply actions

I think the plan like all the bench is...

“we need time to get them acclimated”…

So far, from my observation, the problem there is less offensive than defensive…

She’s a heady player and will get there eventually.

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by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions

I was shocked that he took her with the 10th pick

even though they needed another guard. She seemed like the product of a college system. Great college player, though.

She may get there eventually (somewhere), but will Agler wait? He didn’t wait for Walker.

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Her play against UConn showed me that she could make it offensively in the

league. She could still get own shot. Defense will take time, but she should eventually be at least acceptable.

by Scotter on May 23, 2010 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions

100% agree

The UConn game is what sold me — she sees the game very well…

Defense in this system will just take time… and I think she’s just catching up to the speed of the game overall.

She looks very comfortable in practice… her position is just a tough one to learn and her three ball isn’t falling yet…

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by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions

UConn isn't the WNBA

And using the play of a graduating senior in her final NCAA game to predict a WNBA career is silly—regardless of how great the opponent may be. Lacey is what she is—a systems player who is having a difficult time adjusting to a league that is faster and more physical than anything she’s ever faced.

If she is to have a career in this league, I can’t see it being in Seattle.

It was a good idea for them to bring in Svet, but it was a bad idea for Agler to assume he would be able to get Lacey up to speed on the fly. They needed another guard, so why they brought in and kept Vesala rather than another guard is beyond me. Moore probably does fit the system, but she’s not an option for seven more weeks. Can Bird and Wright play 35+ minutes every game until Moore gets back up to speed? I have my doubts. Plus, they’re healthy right now. What if that changes in the near future?

No doubt this is the best team in the West, but it’s not without flaw.

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Hold on now..

I don’t think using college as a 1 to 1 indicator of pro success is a good idea…but there are some pretty strong positive indicators and red flags from college that work out pretty well in estimating success. Lacey has them – she’s able to make up for her weaknesses with a good mind for the game… not terribly uncommon…

So if Lacey is a system player, then the stronger argument than “she won’t have a career in Seattle” IS that she needs time to learn the system. For the most part, all many fans know is that she’s played less than 10 minutes over three games on a team notorious for relying heavily on its starters… that doesn’t mean that she hasn’t shown Agler positive signs in practice… or that she’ll never get there…

The other reason for keeping her is that she’s big enough to swing to the two and capable of hitting the three… within what Agler wants to do with this team, she fits…

SwishAppeal.com, women's basketball...covered SBN-style... twitter: @qmccall3

by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions

The point remains the same

Using one game as an indicator of next level play is silly. Joe Mazzulla had a great game against Kentucky’s lottery picks. Does that mean he should start interviewing agents? No.

I think the strongest argument yet is “Agler needs to learn how to better identify players who can learn his system quickly”. Kalana Greene seemed like a better fit than Lacey, but he fell for the hype of the system-produced numbers of Lacey and Bill Fennelly’s nonsense about her being a good defender.

by just checkin on May 23, 2010 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually...

That wasn’t Agler’s quite reasoning: it was more about the ability to have a reserve guard who could split minutes between the 1 and 2… you’ll be hard pressed to find an instance where he cited her defense as a significant reason to draft her. I think everybody knows her strengths and areas of improvement, including Agler.

It’s three games in… it’s not terribly uncommon for a rookie (or even a veteran) to need more than three games to adjust to a new system. If she is not producing mid-season or by playoff time, I think critiques of her or the decision to draft her will make more sense. For now, the team needed a backup point guard, she fit that need, showed the versatility Agler wanted, and she’s shown improvement in practice.

I don’t think this is a matter of one falling in love with a player after one UConn game (I don’t believe that was Scotter’s point) or merely defending a player because I like her (I’ll be very clear when that occurs) — just saying that there might be some inconsistency between your account and what’s been happening in practice and in Agler’s mind based upon what he’s said day to day after pre-season and these first few games….

SwishAppeal.com, women's basketball...covered SBN-style... twitter: @qmccall3

by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Well...

That is an issue…

Loree Moore is still an option (she’s still around during practices and I bumped into her at the game the other day…literally…and she’s as strong as she looks)

And I still believe Moore’s a great fit — she brings defense and another veteran bench player…

So Lacey and some of these young forwards have 8 weeks to prove their worth….

SwishAppeal.com, women's basketball...covered SBN-style... twitter: @qmccall3

by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 12:39 AM EDT up reply actions

For the record...

His reasoning on Walker vs. Robinson was defense — he decided he needed an extra post defender to compete in the West..

It’s sort of hard to disagree with that with Parker, Dupree, and Young hanging around the post…

Perhaps what he didn’t wait on is to see if Vesela or Bishop couldn’t develop into strong defenders… but I think long-term people won’t be able to begrudge him the Walker decision….

SwishAppeal.com, women's basketball...covered SBN-style... twitter: @qmccall3

by Nate Parham on May 23, 2010 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions