WNBA discussion thread?

#1,802
#1,802
madtownvol said:
Ownership and management are proving to not be ready for prime time.

The W fell into a great PR situation by having the draft follow immediately after the NCAAs and provide a huge media bump for the new season as more casual fans are still tuned in to women's basketball.. The W draft has been gaining viewer momentum. Pushing the season back to overlap with March Madness would kill that PR golden goose.

The players are way ahead of league management when it comes to media savvy.
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The W is in a real pickle on this. Obviously the season is going to have to be expanded as more teams join creating more games. The obvious choice seems to extend the season further into the fall, not move back the start to conflict with the college season. However, the big problem with that is arena availability. Many teams share arenas with NBA teams, so once NBA starts in Oct. a push back is almost impossible.

They also compete with ice shows, concerts, etc. Naturally the arena is going to want whatever draws the biggest crowds therefore the most money. Site availability is a big reason for some of the crazy scheduling we've already seen.

Epic level pettiness sure to help the negotiations, right?
 
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#1,804
#1,804
RetroVol said:
She wasn't on the list according to comments on X. Made it last year. Apparently mentioned in the article for that, but not one for this year.
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Collier was on the 2024 list. Boston and Bueckers are on the 2026 list.
The 2025 list included Clark and F. Johnson.
 
#1,808
#1,808
Rickea at USA camp last weekend. Cora Hall interviewed her and had a good write up, which unfortunately is now behind a paywall. Basically what you'd expect, said she'd learned a lot, said it was very challenging but appreciated that help from the vets. LOL, she also glazed the hell out of Kara, even to the point of saying she found her speechifying inspiring. Also emphasized their bonds as LVFLs.
 
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#1,810
#1,810
glv98 said:
Also on the Rickea front, her oldest brother became Detroit's new first gentleman a couple of weeks ago when he married the mayor elect!
Hard to imagine her not going to the new Detroit franchise when her rookie contract is up after next year.
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Wow! That is really cool. Good for the Jacksons. Would love to see Rickea in Detroit.
 
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#1,812
#1,812
Project B is really interesting. Apparently Candace is in on the ownership, which really disappoints me given Saudi involvement.

The concept is really unique. Instead of home cities and arenas, they're following an F1 auto racing format. They'll play tournaments in fun and elite locations every two weeks or so. So far the players who signed up are mostly older players on their way out, hoping to grab an extra bag before their earning days are over. Players like Nneka, Jonquil Jones, AT. They've also signed some international players like Kamilla and Febish. The big surprise though is that recently they signed their first active WNBA player of future consequence, Kelsey Mitchell.

Just to keep it spicy, the W seemed to abandon their call for player exclusivity in the ongoing negotiations. But turned around and proposed moving the start of their season back to March, which would eliminate the ability of any player to play in both the W and project B or Eurocup teams. Defacto exclusivity.
 
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#1,813
#1,813
glv98 said:
Project B is really interesting. Apparently Candace is in on the ownership, which really disappoints me given Saudi involvement.

The concept is really unique. Instead of home cities and arenas, they're following an F1 auto racing format. They'll play tournaments in fun and elite locations every two weeks or so. So far the players who signed up are mostly older players on their way out, hoping to grab an extra bag before their earning days are over. Players like Nneka, Jonquil Jones, AT. They've also signed some international players like Kamilla and Febish. The big surprise though is that recently they signed their first active WNBA player of future consequence, Kelsey Mitchell.

Just to keep it spicy, the W seemed to abandon their call for player exclusivity in the ongoing negotiations. But turned around and proposed moving the start of their season back to March, which would eliminate the ability of any player to play in both the W and project B or Eurocup teams. Defacto exclusivity.
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I saw the ESPN projections of which players will and will not be protected from the expansion draft: Each team can only protect 5:

The LA Sparks's projection is:

Projected protected:
Julie Allemand (R)
Cameron Brink
Dearica Hamby (U)
Rickea Jackson
Kelsey Plum (U)

Projected unprotected:
Sarah Ashlee Barker
Rae Burrell (RS)
Emma Cannon (U)
Sania Feagin
Alissa Pili (RS)
Azura Stevens (U)
Julie Vanloo (RS)

Roster designations
DP: unsigned draft pick
R: restricted free agent
RS: reserved free agent
S: suspended list and contract expired
U: unrestricted free agent

LAS's 5 protected players are "no brainer" picks so I am confident this projection will play out. That is pretty much their starting line-up

I think Rae is a good bet to picked by one of the expansion teams. It could give her a more featured role but I really hope she finds a way to stay with the sparks.

If the Sparks, lose Vanloo and Stevens, they will have some significant roster gaps to fill. They will need good back-ups for Brink (who is foul prone) and Allemand.
 
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#1,814
#1,814
madtownvol said:
I saw the ESPN projections of which players will and will not be protected from the expansion draft: Each team can only protect 5:

The LA Sparks's projection is:

Projected protected:
Julie Allemand (R)
Cameron Brink
Dearica Hamby (U)
Rickea Jackson
Kelsey Plum (U)

Projected unprotected:
Sarah Ashlee Barker
Rae Burrell (RS)
Emma Cannon (U)
Sania Feagin
Alissa Pili (RS)
Azura Stevens (U)
Julie Vanloo (RS)

Roster designations
DP: unsigned draft pick
R: restricted free agent
RS: reserved free agent
S: suspended list and contract expired
U: unrestricted free agent

LAS's 5 protected players are "no brainer" picks so I am confident this projection will play out. That is pretty much their starting line-up

I think Rae is a good bet to picked by one of the expansion teams. It could give her a more featured role but I really hope she finds a way to stay with the sparks.

If the Sparks, lose Vanloo and Stevens, they will have some significant roster gaps to fill. They will need good back-ups for Brink (who is foul prone) and Allemand.
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Man I hate to see Rae and/or Azura go, but I think that's probably what will happen. The Sparks will need another really good guard who can defend and another big. Sure hope Cam is up to the task.
 
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