There were plenty of links today and we weren't just ignoring the news due to unspecified "personal reasons".
The following is just a brief collection of what's going on today, starting with the Atlanta Dream's announcement that they have "replaced" coach Marynell Meadors on the same day that the WNBA announced that Sancho Lyttle won Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
- Kris Willis of SB Nation Atlanta writes that although Meadors' departure still leaves many unanswered questions, it's also the culmination of a series conflicts between the veteran coach and her star Angel McCoughtry. As he alludes to, this situation doesn't particularly bode well for whoever the Dream select to lead their team into the future with McCoughtry clearly the star player: it's not the first time that a sports organization has chosen a player over a coach. Read more >>>
- Jānis Kacēns of LoveWomensBasketball.com wrote that the Dream's decision to make the coaching change makes sense because, "...coaches are easier to replace than star players." With the Dream struggling to get people in the door, the team might've taken marketing into account when making this decision.. Read more >>>
- Not too long before the Dream announced their coaching move, the WNBA announced that Sancho Lyttle had been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after leading the Dream to a 2-1 record last week while leading the team in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), and steals (2.7 apg) during the three games. Kristi Toliver won the Western Conference award. Read more >>>
Well, something had to give in Atlanta: Decision was made to fire the head coach. At least we know who's really in charge now w/ Dream.
— Mechelle Voepel (@MechelleV) August 27, 2012
- The AP offered a brief summary of Meadors' tenure with the Dream, writing that Meadors was WNBA Coach of the Year in 2009 after leading the Dream to the biggest turnaround in league history and following that up with consecutive WNBA Finals appearances. Read more >>>
- Willis also summarized the Dream's weekend at SBN's Peachtree Hoops earlier today, mentioning that was brought off the bench for about 20 minutes in a loss to the Minnesota Lynx due to "personal reasons" after missing the previous win against the Mystics due to "personal reasons". Read more >>>
- Mechelle Voepel of ESPN wrote in advance of the Dream's game on Friday against the Washington Mystics that not only was McCoughtry not on the bench with her teammates but sat in the stands, offering further evidence of growing tension between her and the team. Read more >>>
- In tangentially Dream-related news, the Washington Mystics announced the signing of former Dream wing Iziane Castro Marques on Sunday. CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment Ted Leonsis blogged that it was a short- to mid-term move. Read more >>>
Sunday's games
- John Altavilla reports that the Chicago Sky were without Sylvia Fowles for unspecified "personal reasons" as well but still managed to snap a nine-game losing streak with a somewhat surprising 82-70 win over the Connecticut Sun. While the Sun were still without forward Asjha Jones, it was especially surprising that the Sky managed to win the rebounding battle without Fowles. Read more >>>
- Jayda Evans of the Seattle Times reports that the Seattle Storm had their entire frontcourt intact for the first time this season in an 84-66 win over the visiting New York Liberty yesterday. Lauren Jackson appeared to shake off the rust after returning to the U.S. from the Olympics with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Read more >>>
Saturday's games
- Mike Peden of The Examiner wrote that Minnesota Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson's 21 points and 13 rebounds against the Dream on Saturday night shifted discussion away from the drama unfolding in Atlanta. It was Brunson's second consecutive double-double and her fifth of the season. Read more >>>
- Kristofer Habbas of SBN Arizona wrote that the Phoenix Mercury got a boost from Diana Taurasi - who was involved in some controversial game absences as well - despite a 85-72 loss to the Indiana Fever on Saturday. It was the Mercury's tenth consecutive loss, but having Taurasi back at least holds the potential to make the Mercury's games from here on out more competitive. Read more >>>
- Terrence Thomas of the San Antonio Express-News reports that early aggression helped the San Antonio Silver Stars bounce back from a tough 101-77 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday with a 91-71 win over the Tulsa Shock. Read more >>>
- Richard Cohen of the WNBA Alien details the highlights of the Los Angeles Sparks' 82-67 win against the New York Liberty on Saturday, noting that guard Kristi Toliver has been shooting 62% since the Olympic break while Candace Parker struggles. Read more >>>
Friday's game
- Zachary Ward of DC Sports Box wrote that without McCoughtry, the Dream had five players score in double figures against the Washington Mystics in an 81-69 win on Friday night. Mystics center Crystal Langhorne noted that the Dream "...shared the ball really well." Lyttle was one of three Dream players with four or more assists as the team had 21 assists on 30 field goals in the game. Read more >>>
- Luke McConnell of NewsOn6 reports on a story that now feels buried after the events of the weekend (especially given the chronological order of this post): the Tulsa Shock exceeded their 2011 win total with 12 games remaining on their schedule with a win on Friday against the sputtering Chicago Sky. The Shock's comeback from 11 points down in the fourth quarter was aided by the Sky's 7 fourth quarter turnovers. Read more >>>
As usual, I didn't get everything written from the weekend - or about McCoughtry - so feel free to drop your links in the comments along with your thoughts on anything from McCoughtry to the Shock and Sky finally getting back in the win column this past weekend.