From NYT: Leaving Detroit for Tulsa the Shock Lost Their Way

The team that Tulsa thought it was getting from Detroit did not resemble the team that took the court in 2010. There seemed to be confusion over contractual obligations. Three essential players did not relocate for reasons that included free agency, injury, fatigue, inviting European paydays and apparent disinterest.

The absences were vital: Katie Smith, a productive scorer and seven-time All-Star; Cheryl Ford, a two-time WNBA rebounding leader; and Deanna Nolan, a versatile guard and five-time All-Star.
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I think this is what people tend to forget when looking at the nearly expansion team that the Shock has been for the past two seasons. Regardless of the players that did come to Tulsa that are no longer here yet thriving elsewhere (Braxton, Pierson, Hornbuckle, Zellous), just for a moment imagine a Shock team led by Ford, Nolan and Smith. -JL

9 months ago Jessica Lantz 11 comments 2 recs |

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Everybody leaves out Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

She was a starter (and so was Nikki Teasley at the end of the season). Even if you say that she was a free agent and couldn’t be counted on to move with the team, that still leaves a hole in your starting lineup to fill. Starting lineup holes aren’t that easy to fill. Look at Washington this year versus last.

Teresa Edwards had a bigger point guard in Doneeka Lewis. She shot poorly her first game (and Richardson’s last) that she got big minutes, but everything else looked good and the Shock only lost to the Mercury (without Latta) by 8 at home with her running the show.

by ttdomi on Sep 5, 2011 1:45 PM EDT reply actions

If Teresa Edwards is

coach/GM next year I wonder if she would be willing to trade both Cambage and Pedersen? We know she is unhappy with Cambage, but it seems like Pedersen has really fallen out of her favor too.

by ttdomi on Sep 5, 2011 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Great article

…and from “America’s supposed paper of record”, too.

Pierson’s quote was quite illuminating. It seems like most of the successful veterans – the ones that didn’t bail out before the move to Tulsa – might have left pretty much for the same reason that Pierson gave for bailing out.

by James Bowman on Sep 5, 2011 1:49 PM EDT reply actions

Regardless of why individual players on the Shock left,

I think mistake number one that the Shock made in the ownership change was to dismantle the coaching staff in its entirety. I don’t remember the Nordiques dismantling everything when they became the Avalanche, though the Thrashers did dismantle their front office after becoming the Jets. If Mahorn or someone else stayed, perhaps things could have been a bit different, preferably everyone in the current coaching staff of ’09 of course.

by thewiz06 on Sep 5, 2011 6:03 PM EDT reply actions

I would tend to agree

That the dismantling of the front office/coaching makes a big difference. Bringing business people in that have no real history running a sports franchise, and picking up coaches with regional flair rather than keeping what was already in place did not help the situation in Tulsa one little bit.

by Jessica Lantz on Sep 5, 2011 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions

From what you said here,

that strongly explains why their team just isn’t doing well. Given that the WNBA has been in existence for quite some time, I’d strongly prefer basketball ops especially to have WNBA experience. As for business folks, they don’t have to have WNBA experience, but sports franchise experience is definitely preferred. Would be interesting to see where the top business folks for the Shock come from.

by thewiz06 on Sep 5, 2011 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions

From internet searches, etc...

Bill Cameron – American Fidelity Insurance; on the board for the OKC Thunder and Tulsa Talons (AFL)
David Box – real estate, concert promoter, country club, interest in the Tulsa Talons
Ownership group (Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC):
Pat Chernicky – Tulsa Ballet Theater
Chris Christian – Christian music performer, songwriter, publisher, producer, etc.
Sam & Rita Combs -
Pat & Don Hardin -
Paula Marshall – former chair of the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, president of Bama Companies, former director of Bank of Oklahoma
Stuart & Linda Price – known for educational philanthropy
Katie & Scott Schofield -

by Jessica Lantz on Sep 5, 2011 11:08 PM EDT up reply actions

To add onto this issue,

how do you think the Oklahoma City Storm franchise would have done, if it became reality in 2008?

PROS:
1. Team from Seattle had two of the top five players in the league (Bird, Jackson), on the right side of 30.
2. The team had a strong national following for WNBA standards.
3. The name Storm goes well with Thunder, or they could be the OKC Tornadoes or the OKC Lightning.
4. Unlike the Shock’s relocation, the Storm would have kept the same ownership with Clay Bennett, and to his credit, he kept the Storm running smoothly more or less.
5. Close to the University of Oklahoma?

CONS:
1. In a small metro city not much larger than Tulsa. So you know, Fairfax County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC has almost as many folks as the Tulsa and OKC Metro areas each.
2. Like the Sonics players who privately were not all in for OKC, I believe a number of Storm players were not looking forward to it either.
3. They had a coaching change in the 07-08 offseason from Donovan to Agler, but I dunno if that was before or after the Storm’s ownership change….

From seeing the Tulsa situation, the Storm could have been dismantled easily and they could have been the 2nd biggest joke of the league (guess who the biggest joke in the WNBA is right now).

by thewiz06 on Sep 5, 2011 6:14 PM EDT reply actions

Population

1,252,987 is the number in the 2010 census for the OKC metro population. Fairfax County has 13.5% of Virginia’s population (1,081,726) – not like it’s in the complete sticks. I know I’m a homer (don’t get me wrong), but I really do think people think OKC, and therefore Tulsa, is super small, lazy, quiet, uninhabited. I don’t love it here (for reasons other than population), but damn. It’s not the boondocks people associate with it.

by Jessica Lantz on Sep 5, 2011 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll give you that Fairfax County is nowhere close to a farm town

I live a county west of there in Loudoun County, where half of the county is rural and the other half is still sprawling.

OKC and Tulsa are not as densely populated as Northern Virginia, much less the Baltimore Washington metro area, so I can certainly understand why people think the area is small and quiet, but the OKC can’t be a place to the extent where there is only one Walmart, one McDonald’s, one shopping mall, and a cattle ranch for Kevin Durant so he can raise his chickens, pigs, and cows for his annual charity barbecue.

by thewiz06 on Sep 5, 2011 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions