My First Blog (Looking back on the season in my opinion)

What's going on fellow hoop fans, this is DaSharpshoota15 checking in writing my first blog :). Since the WNBA regular season has come to a close, I will give my overview of the league as a whole and my award winners.

Since the Eastern Conference seemed to be better as a whole, let's start there, from the bottom up.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Chicago Sky: The Sky really underachieved this season. With the best back to the basket player the Women's Basketball world has to offer, (let's be honest Candace Parker and Lauren Jackson HAVE NO classification they're just ball players) one would have to consider this team would find a way to make it's way to the playoffs. Veteran point guard Dominique Canty had a decent year but I was really disappointed in Jia Perkins this year. After an all-star year last year, I expected her to flourish in a Sky uniform with a healthy Sylvia Fowles but she struggled early. Epiphanny Prince had a good transition and I think that it's a no-brainer she needs to be the starter in Chi-Town next year. Mistie Bass seems to be a seamless fit next to Fowles. She does the dirty work, (setting screens, rebounding, moving the ball) and I think she gives this team it's identity and she brings it night in and night out. Erin Thorn showed me that she is much more than a shooter and it was obvious that she means more to this team than one would think because once Shay Murphy starting taking her minutes, the Sky struggled. No knock to Murphy, but Thorn opened the floor for Fowles to work and Bass to get offensive boards. A shock from this team was the suddenly consistent and productive Christi Thomas. I also think it's time to go in another direction and let Steve Key go.

Connecticut Sun: Putting my frustration with my favorite team, this is BY-FAR the biggest disappointment in the WNBA this season. With the nightly double-double of Tina Charles and players who filled their roles and did their jobs in a fairly decent fashion this year, there is no way this team should not have made the playoffs. I blame Mike Thibault. Whatever his hangup with Renee Montgomery, it cost this team. With a player of her ability, there are going to be times where she makes a mistake and you have to either live with it or punish her. Thibault chose ot punish her by relegating her to the bench and it denied this team a return to the playoffs. I'm sure I can't be the only person that saw how much better the offense flowed with her on the floor. Kara Lawson really didn't have her best season and I think she has proven that she is a win-at-all costs type player and bringing her off the bench as a scorer and not making her the starting point guard would have been best for this team. I was also shocked at the inconsistency of the playing time of Allison Hightower, Sandrine Gruda, and Tan White. I really think that this team would have been better with Kelsey Griffin playing spot minutes Hightower showed an ability to spell White as a lock down defender and her touch as a lefty is untouchable. Now it's a given that Anete Jekabsone-Zogota's injury played a big role but I still think this team had enough left to make it to the playoffs.

Atlanta Dream: This team showed signs of promise early but fizzled down the stretch and that is what scares me about this team. They haven't had the best second half and they will come into the playoffs with a chip on their shoulder and the rest of the Eastern Conference should be afraid. The best thing that could've happened for the Dream was Washington getting the number one seed. I really think that this Washington team is the weakest team in the playoffs and if the Dream jump on the Mystics early in the playoff games I think you can punch the Dream's ticket to the EC Finals. Now, this team I have a huge issue with. No knock to Angel McCoughtry, but she complains about EVERY CALL. And it shows throughout the rest of this team as she is the emothional leader. Fix that and this team can be a threat for years to come.

Indiana Fever: The only knock I have against this team is what's gonna happen when Tamika Catchings finally has that off game or gets into foul trouble. With the inconsistent play of anyone not named Catchings, you have to wonder what if. But then again, as the old adage goes, "if if was a fifth we'd all be drunk." A great surprise this season has been Jessica Davenport. She has picked up where she left off in the Finals last year and finally gives Dunn a reason not to have Hoffman and Sutton-Brown on the floor upwards of thirty minutes each night. I think the key for this team is Briann January. With all due respect to Tully, this is her team from a point guard's point of view. The better she plays, the better this team is. 

New York Liberty: This team is my pick to make it to the Finals in 2010. They have the best closer in the wnba in Cappie Pondexter, one of the most underrated point guards in Lei Mitchell, veteran presences in McWilliams-Franklin, Pierson and McCarville and young talent in Carson and Greene. Then I haven't even mentioned the X-Factor aka Nicole Powell. When she is on, this is the toughest team to beat in the league. I mean let's be honest, when Cappie makes up in her mind that she wants to do something, the only person that can stop her is herself. Then you top that off with the best coach in the League in Anne Donovan. I mean let's remember who Agler learned from??

Washington Mystics: This is by-far the biggest shock of the season to me. The Mystics took care of business down the stretch to lock up the East's 1 seed and look to take care of business in the playoffs without Alana Beard. This team has a stud at the point in Lindsay Harding and the most under-appreciated player in the Dub in Crystal Langhorne. That veteran leadership from Chas Melvin and Katie Smith and an improved Monique Currie doesn't hurt. The biggest question mark with this team is the bench for me. Marissa Coleman has struggled at a high level with this sixth-woman role and Ajavon runs hot and cold. Outside of those two there is no bench. It would really shock me if this team makes it past Atlanta in the first round.

EASTERN CONFERENCE PICKS:

Atlanta over Washington in 2

New York over Indiana in 3

New York over Atlanta in 3

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Tulsa Shock: Now this team has been the butt of my jokes all season but I totally respect this roster. I question the presence of Chante Black but otherwise this team is a closer away from being in the playoffs in a down year in the Western Conference. I'm not a fan of Nolan Richardson either, if you follow me on Twitter, it's quite evident. I've always been a fan of Ivory Latta, Scholanda Robinson and Shanna Crossley, but I think the key for this team will be the evolution of Nicole Ohlde. If she can become a go-to post scorer for this team it will definitely help this team as it moves forward. Jen Lacy also had some great moments this year but ended up at the back of the rotation. My biggest excitement for this team in 2011 will be the opportunity Marion Jones has, not as a publicity stunt but as a true WNBA player. She showed flashes of athleticism and ability that can allow her to be a solid player in this league even in her mid-30's as she doesn't have the typical basketball wear and tear that most of her teammates might. 

Minnesota Lynx: What I would have loved to have seen from this team was Cheryl Reeve move Augustus to the 2, Houston to the starting lineup as a 3 and let Monnie Wright come off the bench. No knock to Wright but Augustus playing the three usually leaves her at a disadvantage as I think she is a more natural scorer at the shooting guard position. Houston has also proven more that reliable as a wing player shooting the three and putting the ball on the floor. This would help open the floor for the great offensive rebounding ability of Anosike and Brunson. Another thing that I would like to see is the passing ability of  Anosike as a post player come into play more with the screen and roll and some high-low action. I also question the coaching of this team because there is no reason they couldn't have been the 3 seed in the playoffs easily.

Los Angeles Sparks: I know it's getting old but this is another team I think that would benefit from a change in coaching. Ticha Penichiero runs this team beautifully and I have no problem with her being the starting point, but trying to force Noelle Quinn to be a star when she have proven to be nothing more than a mediocre role player on a good night.. I think giving Riley and Tolliver more those minutes would have benefitted this team in a major way. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton has also shown a rebounding ability that this team really needed after Candace Parker went down yet saw limited time for whatever reason. I also think that the ability of Chanel Mokango was under-utilized. A 6-5 post player that can block shots and shoot the three has proven to be an asset in this league and in such limited opportunities you can't expect her to produce much. That being said, I believe Riley suffered the most injustice here. A player that is a proven scorer seeing little to no time on several occasions on a team that finished 9th in the league in scoring is an simply foolish.

San Antonio SilverStars: I think this team really struggled to find an identity without Ann Wauters this season. Incorporating so many new faces, even though those faces were talented, into a team that clearly runs a set system really didn't pan out too well. This team also dealt with a lot of injuries with Holdsclaw, Riley, Appel, and Hammon missing time due to injuries. This team also made quite a few moves before settling on Crystal Kelly and Ashley Battle late in the year. Onto the good side though, Sophia Young showed that she has put in major work on her jump shot, Roneeka Hodges played her first full season in her career, and Michelle Snow had some flashes of brilliance. This team has an opportunity to knock off my Mercury in the first round if they can take care of the ball and control tempo. Otherwise this will be a short series.

Phoenix Mercury: Yes this is my favorite team but if you think I'm going to make a bunch of excuses for their struggles this year, you're sadly mistaken. Although the team clearly missed Cappie Pondexter's presence on both ends of the floor, the loss that I think had a larger effect was Le'Coe Willingham. Willingham's ability to get rebounds seemingly out of her area, ability to finish in traffic and her never say die attitude seemed to really affect this team. Taurasi really struggled at times as well as Penny Taylor. Tan Smith really struggled early in the year and Candice Dupree took time to get adjusted and the team really had no identity early. The only real bright spots was the growth of Dewanna Bonner and Temeka Johnson. As the season went on, the Merc seemed to be finding it's stride only to dash fans hopes by struggling to close games down the stretch. I think this team would benefit more from using the big lineup of Taurasi, Taylor, Bonner, Dupree and Smith or steal erm...mid-season acquistion Kara Braxton. I also think that Taylor Lilley would be huge for this team if given the opportunity. All the talk of Ketia Swanier improving over the summer had me excited for my fav squad but it almost seems as if she's regressed. I really think that it is up to this team who ends the summer as the WNBA Champions.

Seattle Storm: Far and away the best team in the regular season but there's a reason you play the game. This team has to come out and take care of business. Although I have no doubt in my mind this team can take care of business, I have to question the bench. As I have been stating all season, outside of Willingham and Abrosimova (two former starters in this league) this team has absolutely no bench. LA would be smart to take it to this team and get the starters (preferably the posts) into some foul trouble and make the game a little bit easier. Tanisha Wright has been key for this team all year. I really think that she could be an All-Star and go-to player if she makes her mind up but you can see that her sole focus is winning a championship. Swin Cash has been an absolute monster for this team. She is the motor of this team. She leads by example on both ends of the floor. She has also added a consistent jumper to her repetoire which will make her an even tougher guard off the dribble. Brian Agler has also proven to be one of, if not the best coach under pressure this league has to offer. Then it doesn't hurt to have the world's best point guard and player in your starting lineup. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE PICKS:

Phoenix over San Antonio in 2

Seattle over LA in 3

Phoenix over Seattle in 3

WNBA FINALS PICK:

Phoenix over NY in 5

I really think the addition of Braxton is exactly what this team needed. It also helps that Seattle swept the meetings this season to give this team motivation to show up and take care of business in the postseason. I think Pondexter puts on absolute show but the frontcourt of Dupree, Smith, Braxton, and Bonner will prove too much for NYC.

All-WNBA First Team

Cappie Pondexter- New York Liberty

Tamika Catchings-Indiana Fever

Diana Taurasi-Phoenix Mercury

Lauren Jackson-Seattle Storm

Sylvia Fowles-Chicago Sky

All-WNBA Second Team

Penny Taylor-Phoenix Mercury

Angel McCoughtry-Atlanta Dream

Crystal Langhorne-Washington Mystics

Tina Charles-Connecticut Sun

Tie: Tina Thompson-Los Angeles Sparks

Swin Cash-Seattle Storm

All-Rookie Team

Tina Charles-Connecticut Sun

Epiphanny Prince-Chicago Sky

Monica Wright-Minnesota Lynx

Kelsey Griffin-Connecticut Sun

Kalana Greene-New York Liberty

All-Defensive 1st Team

Lindsay Harding

Tamika Catchings

Tanisha Wright

Lauren Jackson 

Sylvia Fowles

All-Defensive Second Team

Temeka Johnson

Tan White

Angel McCoughtry

Rebekkah Brunson

Tina Charles

Coach of The Year

Julie Plank-Washington Mystics & Brian Agler-Seattle Storm

Rookie of the Year

Tina Charles-Connecticut Sun

Most Improved Player

Leilani Mitchell-New York Liberty

Sixth Woman of the Year

DeWanna Bonner-Phoenix Mercury

Defensive Player of the Year

Tamika Catchings-Indiana Fever

Most Valuable Player

Cappie Pondexter-New York Liberty

She basically carried this team throughout the first half of the season. Yes Lauren Jackson was the best player on possibly the best team in WNBA History but the award is MOST VALUABLE PLAYER. You take Lauren Jackson away from the storm, they still get home court in the first round. You take Cappie away from the Liberty, and right now they're hoping Maya Moore comes to town. 

Thanks so much guys!! Feel free to comment!!!