2015 Atlanta Dream and WNBA Previews

[Randy]

I think you are right mule - over the past several seasons Sancho being out has spelled doom for the Dream.  However, I also think that without Angel they probably don't win many games either. I don't think there is another player we can't win without.  Perhaps we should ask the coach:  "Coach Cooper - name the 3 players you can't win without?"*

 

 

 

* During the home games they have a game in timeouts where players are asked to name 3 things they can live without.

[lethalweapon3]

Reminder that the WNBA All-Star Game tips off from Connecticut at 3:30 PM Eastern (ABC, WatchESPN app). Angel and reigning ASG MVP Shoni are starters.

 

Ex-Dreamer Alex Bentley (Connecticut) comes off the bench for the East team, among a bunch of deserving first-time All-Stars. Jantel Lavender (LA), Riquna Williams (Tulsa), and Kayla McBride (SA) are injury replacements for the West team, in place of Skylar Diggins (Tulsa) and Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota). 

 

http://www.wnba.com/news/a-deeper-look-at-this-years-first-time-wnba-all-stars/

 

~lw3

[Dnice]

Guess I'll tune in.

[Dnice]

Is shoni shooting around 20℅?..lol

[Randy]

Is shoni shooting around 20℅?..lol

 

5-14. 13 pts, 6 assists, 2 stl, 2 to......26 minutes - second most this season (30 in Phoenix was the only one higher.)  I'm a little surprised Chapman played her that much.  Led the game in minutes.  

Edited July 25, 2015 by Randy

[Dnice]

Yeah I did see the 3 for 10 on 3s.

[Randy]

Now that we cut two players, unless Sancho is ready to play we would only have 9 for the San Antonio game on Tuesday, which seems unlike (and maybe against the rules.)  So something probably will happen between now and then.  

[lethalweapon3]

Thanks for the memories, Erika! Hate it that we couldn't get Sylvia out of the deal, but a shakeup seemed inevitable.

 

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Erika's fellow Brazilian Damiris Dantas and power forward Reshanda Gray are the "2" coming to ATL.

 

~lw3

Edited July 27, 2015 by lethalweapon3

[Randy]

The Dream's game intro video is going to be really short now - they already had to cut out Logic and Colhado, now Wheeler, Milton Jones, and Erika have to be cut out to.   Taylor's July massacre continues.....

 

Hey Mule - its your fault for pointing out Erika's no-arch shot.  

 

Can't wait for the Aug 29 game - Erika's homecoming.  I'm sure the fans will give her a great ovation.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Randy

[Randy]

Milton Jones back on the roster.  For real? Typo?  Who knows.  Probably for real.  All these young posts probably need some direction.

 

Watched first half of Sky-Mercury last night to see how Erika did.  She looked a bit lost to say the least....

[Gray Mule]

We will miss Erika.  Great player.  She still shoots at the goal with line drives.

But, when she banks it, it's fine.  Just can't bank shot the free throws!

[lethalweapon3]

So glad tonight's game wasn't on locally!

 

We definitely miss Sancho's D, and Damiris isn't up to the task yet, but my goodness! Getting smushed by San Antonio, who's without Danielle Adams (suspended for drug violation), or Dearica Hamby or Alex Montgomery. And Angel not starting is... interesting...

 

Is the tank on already? Burnout for Breanna? Junking for Jonquel? More losing for Moriah?

 

Swish Appeal blogger writes:

 

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So... tank-ho! (I mean that in the nautical sense.)

 

~lw3

Edited July 30, 2015 by lethalweapon3

[Randy]

Yeah - season is pretty much over as far as contending for the playoffs.  If Parker can turn LA around, the Stars and Storm are our main competition for the celler, and they both just beat us.  They do a lead in the race for pinpong balls, though.  Good new is we won the trade  - we got 19 points and 9 rebounds v. 4 and 4 for the Sky and 11/5 for the Links.  

[Randy]

BTW - this may draw in all those Hawks fans that always want the Hawks to tank....

[Gray Mule]

One of "their" reporters on the televised game on the computer stated

that Sancho had had surgery and would miss the next 6 weeks.

 

In 6 weeks it will be over, won't it?

 

Guess it's all over for the Dream right now.  Our chances were slim and

none and slim just left with the surgery.  The more I see of their head

coach, the less I like him.  And, the Dream just keep on losing.

 

Braves are building for 2017.  Falcons have had a shakeup with their coaching

staff and players and are in the process of re grouping.  Ownership changed for

the Hawks, they won the east and are looking forward to this fall.

 

What have the Dream done?  What do we, the Dream fans, have to look ahead

for?  Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

 

HELP !!

[Randy]

I think it was 6-8 weeks that he mentioned.  Season is over Sept. 13 so the math says its a season ending injury.  As you noted Gray Mule - Sancho is a key to winning games for the Dream.  The season wasn't going well even with her, but without her we are probably looking at a handful of wins.  The worst part of all of this is that our team's owners (never known for patience or tolerance of losing) now can't evaluate how well our coach and GM have done with a healthy team.  I suspect that once the loss of Sancho was known, and the assumption that Erika might leave next season (or spend most the summer preparing for Rio) led to the trade.  Now, we've got a team without two of its main anchors  left only with an Angel who can't do it all herself (but that won't stop her from trying.)

 

So what do we have to look forward to?  Well with the expectation of making the playoffs taken off maybe the team will get a chance to let Budrick, Dantas, Henry and Gray show what kind of players they can be, and maybe get better.  Maybe Shoni will show she can play enough defense to not be a liability, and maybe Angel can decide to lead this bunch to some wins.  Maybe Hayes will prove she still has a 3 point shot, and Ajavon will show she can actually be a PG instead of a turnover machine.  And maybe our GM and coach will show that now that they have a bunch of draft picks (ours probably somewhere from 1 and 5, Minnesota at 12, and 2 more probably between 13 and 18) they can actually pick up some useful players in the draft like the Liberty, Sky, and Mystics have done.  So every game now become a chance for an upset and to play spoiler could still be fun, as long as we don't look final score for too long. Could be a lot of fun to knock the Liberty or Sky out of first place and screw up their playoff position.  Erika was the last of the original Dream players.  The "old Dream" is over.  Time for a New Dream to replace it. 

 

BTW - was looking at the Dream's 2008 (4-30 team) roster.  Amazing thing is - as bad as that team was - 5 of the players are still in the WNBA.  Two became All Stars (Erika and Latta), one became a WNBA Champ (Camile Little).  In addition another became a solid starter (Tam Young) and one was a bench players that lasted 10 years (Jennrifer Lacy).  Pretty impressive growth for a team that was one of the worst ever in WNBA history.  If only the team we are left with now can do as well.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Randy

[Randy]

Well its Dantas' and Gray's night to shine against their old team - punish the Lynx for not loving them enough.  Shoni will have a lot her fans there tonight, so its time for the Dream to give the Lynx a hard time.  And the Lynx may be slightly overconfident.....

[lethalweapon3]

And the tank goes on. We're now further behind the fifth-place Sun (3.0 games) than the Sun are to the top of the muddled East (2.5 games). I just hope we can keep Angel psychologically balanced during all of this losing.

 

Also, thank you, Sparks! Just 2.5 games behind us now.

 

~lw3

[Randy]

Tomorrow is Pink day.  Laurel Richie in town, and we play the Mercury.  We almost always lose when any one of those things happens - and now we are having all three at once.  Its like having ticket on MH370 so that you can catch a ride on the Titanic, sailing to New Orleans the week of Hurricane Katrina.  Well - we can only get beat once, though last night seemed like we got beat two or three times.

 

Anyway, we continue to win the trade - Fowles 12 pt, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, Erika 0,1,0; Dantas and Gray - 16/11/2.  

[lethalweapon3]

#%$^@*&!

 

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~lw3