2015 Atlanta Dream and WNBA Previews

[lethalweapon3]

NFL Kickoff Sunday! A perfect afternoon for WNBA basketball! lol

 

Not sure, but today's final dress rehearsal for the Dream claims to be on SportSouth (4:00 PM Eastern), so peek around the dial since the Falcons are off today. Atlanta has put together a more competitive effort of late, albeit against shorthanded competition, but this game could be a positive morale-booster to conclude what was The Lost Season for the Dream.

 

As fans, we've been spoiled with six consecutive postseason runs (thanks, Angel and Sancho) after missing out during our inaugural season, so it will be good to see how the organization finishes up and rebuilds going forward into 2016. At least for today, it may be good to see if Carla Cortijo was worth all the trouble.

 

~lw3

[Randy]

I don't know how well Carla plays but she's the first player we've had that brings her own drum section.  Her fans were in force Friday night.  

 

If you want to see the Greatest Spectacle In Basketball tune in (NBA TV I think, Live Access otherwise) the Briana Stewart Bowl Tonight at 9 PM.  San Antonio and Seattle are battling for the Top Lottery Odds in the upcoming draft.  This one is for "44% of the ping pong balls" rather than all of the marbles.  The loser tonight wins.  Rumor has it Stewart herself will be flown in to coach one of the teams and the likely No. 2 pick, Mo Jefferson will be coaching the other, to be determined by a coin toss.  This may be the only game in history where Seattle home fans will be rooting for the Stars.

Edited September 13, 2015 by Randy

[Randy]

Well seasons over - we finished with the same record as last year 15 and 19, just the W's and L's were reversed.   Some more sobering numbers:  Dream were 5-4 against lottery teams, 2-0 against the 14-20 Sparks (neither  game featured Parker, and some other key players) 4-0 against the 18-16 Mystics and 1-1 18-16 against Tulsa.  So that's 12-5 against teams that were mediocre or terrible.  Against the teams that won 20 games or more (Indiana, Chicago, NY, Phoenix, and Minnesota) the Dream were 3-14.  Bottom line - this team is a long way from being a contender.  Big changes are needed, so I'd have to think that a few people are on the hot seat right now.  Changes in the coaching staff, Front Office, or player addresses all seem possible. 

 

Having a lottery pick couldn't come at a better time - if the Dream can nab No. 1 or No.2 - the bad news is we have only a 25% of that happening.  The lottery drawing will be next week (24th during one of the playoff games)  - can't wait to see what happens. 

Edited September 15, 2015 by Randy

[lethalweapon3]

(A couple days late on this stuff. I see @Randy already has the scoop on the GM job! ~lw3)

 

2015 DREAM SEASON POSTSCRIPT

 

The final minutes of Atlanta’s 2014 playoff collapse proved to be a foretelling of woes to come during the 2015 season. An inability to contest shots and hit clutch interior baskets proved to be the Dream’s undoing this year. Atlanta connected on just 43.8% of their two-point attempts this season (3rd-lowest in WNBA), while their opponents hit 47.3% (4th-highest in WNBA). As usual, the Dream did a solid job of crashing the offensive glass (11 O-Rebs per game, 2nd in WNBA), but that often came at the expense of defensive cohesion in transition.

 

Still, plenty of silver linings abound heading into 2016. The backcourt of Shoni Schimmel and Tiffany Hayes struggled mightily out of the gate, and Hayes and Aneika Henry’s mid-season vacation in Baku did not help matters. But both players provided offensive sparks after the All-Star break. While Schimmel is not ideal as a starting point guard, she was Top-10 in the league for assist percentage and 3-point percentage. She has a sound future as she can play a Jamal Crawford-style role for a WNBA contender. If she returns under contract next year, Hayes must rediscover her range, and consistency on drives to the hoop, that had her leading the league in offensive rating in 2014.

 

Things eroded quickly for Atlanta once it became clear longtime mainstay Erika DeSouza no longer had the quickness needed to hold down the starting center position on a high-paced team. 2016 will give the Dream ample opportunity to see what it can develop out of the trade haul for DeSouza in Reshanda Gray and Damiris Dantas, plus a forthcoming lower-first-round draft pick.

 

Dantas will probably be limited at the outset, due to her obligations for host Team Brazil’s run through the Rio Olympics. Gray has the potential to become an offensive dynamo, but will continue to serve as an understudy behind Sancho Lyttle, who remains one of the top on-ball defensive stalwarts in the game. While holding out for Dantas’ return, the Dream will have to spend the offseason seeking out a starter-caliber pivot (preferably via free agency) that can help protect the rim but also keep up on the offensive end of the floor.

 

It will be nice if Atlanta can get some production out of its late-season acquisition Carla Cortijo, who is all-too eager to make a name for herself in the WNBA. Matee Ajavon got up from the ground floor and is at least a serviceable veteran backup guard going forward.

 

Ultimately, Atlanta’s ability to sink-or-swim will depend on whether they continue to press forward with its star player. Angel McCoughtry remains the Dream’s best option in many ways, but they cannot continue to rely so heavily upon the perennial All-Star if they plan on returning to championship contention.

 

Angel’s long-range shooting improved remarkably (career-best 36.3 3FG%) as she was the league’s third-leading scorer in 2015. Her usage rate of 32.8% led the WNBA for the fifth time in six seasons, and she led the league in total steals for the third-straight season. Unfortunately, McCoughtry gives up as much as she gets, ranking first in total turnovers for the third-straight year, and Atlanta’s backcourt defense isn’t good enough to impede opponents in transition, particularly without fouling.

 

Atlanta basketball teeters from energetic to frenetic, as a lack of steady point guard leadership keeps them disorganized on the floor, and while the team scuttled development of the young players that could have helped in this area. Thanks largely to its league-high pace, Dream opponents were treated to 2.7 more free throw attempts per game than the next-highest WNBA team, 4.8 more per game than the league average. The Dream induced a league-high 15.1 turnovers per game but committed a WNBA-high 15.3 turnovers themselves, offsetting any momentum they could possibly build in a game.

 

Organizationally, Atlanta has to decide if it’s possible to field a competitive team, built around a 29-year-old McCoughtry, that can abandon its spells of recklessness and dysfunction. It must decide whether Angela Taylor continues to be a GM that can make that happen, and whether the father-son team of Coopers can properly develop the talents management brings in. If those answers are negative, it’s quite possible we’ll see a significant shakeup before WNBA 2016 tips off in Atlanta.

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

2015 WNBA PLAYOFFS ((Almost!)) PREVIEW

 

The Minnesota Lynx remain atop the Western Conference, but the league’s odds-on favorite hasn’t been overwhelmingly impressive along the way to their 22-12 regular season record. Which begs the question as the path to the WNBA Championship tips off on Thursday: If NOT Minnesota, Who?

 

The WNBA West hasn’t had much to write home about in 2015, but there are reasons to believe a team could give Maya Moore and newcomer center Sylvia Fowles fits in the WNBA Playoffs. Against the Phoenix Mercury, somebody will have to figure out the defensive riddle of Brittney Griner, and not allow DeWanna Bonner and Candice Dupree to get off the shots they want on the other end.

 

That assumes Phoenix gets by the Tulsa Shock. Fred Williams’ team is riding high after righting the ship with eight wins in their last ten games, and Odyssey Sims, league-leading rebounder Courtney Paris and the electric Riquna Williams are eager to give the Oklahoma faithful a victorious going-away party. Then there’s the always-dangerous (and well-rested) Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks.  Jantel Lavender, coming off a career-year, and Nneka Ogwumike combine with Parker to form a potent postseason frontline for L.A.

 

Out of the East, could it be the New York Liberty, the team with the league’s top record (23-11) who surpassed expectations all season behind super-rebounder Tina Charles and efficient-scoring Epiphanny Prince? Could it be the Chicago Sky, with WNBA-leading scorer Elena Delle Donne and top assist-maker Courtney Vandersloot hitting their strides?

 

Might it be the Indiana Fever, with sharpshooters Shenise Johnson and Briann January getting Tamika Catchings one more shot at championship glory? Or how about the playoff-hungry Washington Mystics, who lurched into the postseason but have clutch-scorer Ivory Latta and do-it-all forward Emma Meeseman to lean on?

 

If Moore and the Lynx turn it on in September, the WNBA title is theirs for the taking. If they don’t, it’s a veritable crapshoot.

 

WNBA PLAYOFF PICKS

 

First Round – New York over Washington (2-0), Indiana over Chicago (3-2); Minnesota over Los Angeles (2-1), Phoenix over Tulsa (2-1)

 

Conference Finals – Indiana over New York (3-1), Minnesota over Phoenix (3-2)

 

FINALS – Indiana over Minnesota (3-1)

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

WNBA 2015 SEASON AWARDS

 

MVP: Elena Delle Donne, Chicago – It’s tempting to go with New York’s Tina Charles, who was a steady anchor despite a lack of career-best marks, or Minnesota’s Maya Moore, who struggled a bit at the season’s start but did enough to keep the Lynx on top out West. Still, the steadiest player all season was Charles. But Delle Donne was the league’s most efficient two-way player and contributed a full season to keep the Sky well in contention for the WNBA title.

 

Rookie of the Year: Kiah Stokes, New York – Jewell Loyd was the top rookie scorer, but has much to expand upon going forward with Seattle. Stokes was the leading shot-blocker and rebounder among rookies, and her defensive presence took a lot of pressure off of Tina Charles. The Liberty’s Brittany Boyd was also sound coming off the bench.

 

Coach of the Year: Bill Laimbeer, New York – The job first-year coach Stephanie White has done with the Fever is commendable, and Fred Williams’ ability to help Tulsa bounce back from a tough mid-season is also noteworthy. But the story of Laimbeer, who was fired from his job at the end of 2014 but hung around long enough to get called back, pushing the Liberty to the top of an improved East despite the front-office distractions, proves to be too great to ignore.

 

Most Improved Player: Jantel Lavender, Los Angeles – Pressed into leading the league in minutes played, Lavender ably held things down for L.A. until Parker’s mid-season return. Is there room for Atlanta’s Matee Ajavon to get a vote or two here? A cynical vote, at least?

 

Defensive Player of the Year: Brittney Griner, Phoenix – Four blocks per game! ‘Nuff said. Her ability to improve on that end of the floor despite her self-imposed off-court distractions stand out as well. In a world without Griner, Atlanta’s Sancho Lyttle (1^st in SPG, 5^th in RPG) would get votes in this category.

 

All-WNBA First Team:

 

G – Courtney Vandersloot, Chicago

G – Epiphanny Prince, New York

F – Maya Moore, Minnesota

F – Elena Delle Donne, Chicago

C – Brittney Griner, Phoenix

 

All-WNBA Second Team:

 

G – Odyssey Sims, Tulsa

G – Ivory Latta, Washington

F – DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix

F – Tamika Catchings, Indiana

C – Tina Charles, New York

 

WNBA All-Defensive First Team:

 

G – Alex Bentley, Connecticut

G – Maya Moore, Minnesota

F – Tamika Catchings, Indiana

F – Rebekkah Brunson, Minnesota

C – Brittney Griner, Phoenix

 

WNBA All-Rookie Team:

 

G – Jewell Loyd, Seattle

G – Chelsea Gray, Connecticut

F – Ana Dabovic, Los Angeles

F – Ramu Tokashiki, Seattle

C – Kiah Stokes, New York

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

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So, with Taylor on the outs... I have no idea what they'll be seeking for a GM!

 

Would it be surprising if they go Marynell-style, and just make Coop the Coach/GM?

 

I do wonder if Gary Kloppenburg (currently an assistant at Indiana) would be interested in the gig. Also, Fred Williams might be interested in coming back, if Texahoma cuts him loose. A Carol Ross+DMJ pairing would be nice, too.

 

~lw3

[Randy]

Great info there lwl3.  I grew up in Indy, so I'm pulling for the Fever, but they are now facing an elimination game.

 

I really think there is no need for both a coach and GM in the WNBA, though Cooper said he didn't want both jobs when he was first hired.  But, given the choice of doing both jobs or looking for a new one he might reconsider.  I think Cooper is on pretty thin ice, so he probably has one more season, at most, to make good.  I would not be at all surprised if the GM they hire is someone who has good coaching credentials so that his replacement is waiting in the wings should the team get off to a rocky start.  I could see Ross, or Williams.  Williams does seem to have a pretty good eye for talent so if he were to become available, I think he'd make a good GM.  Kloppenberg also occurred to me as a GM, but he didn't accomplish much in Tulsa as a coach.  One thing I've noticed - the teams who did best in the draft were the ones whose coach was out there a lot looking at college talent.  Laimbeer, Thibault, Dunn, Hughes, and Williams were frequently spotted.  Cooper may have been out there as much as anybody, but I've not heard much about that.  We have 4 draft picks - the lottery pick (to be decided next Thursday), No. 11 (from the Lynx trade), No. 13 (for Logic) and No. 16 (our second rounder.)  The Dream need to make sure those picks are not wasted.  Now, everyone cross your finger for the lottery drawing.

 

BTW - Kristern Bernhart is apparently the mastermind being NY's draft picks and other off-season moves.  She may not be available, but sounds like a great choice if she wants to move.

[Randy]

Add one more possible candidate to the Dream GM search - Sun Coach Ann Donovan.  Don't know if it was Donnovan or Sun GM Chris Seinko who fleeced us on the Bentley and Thomas trades, but she's no longer with the Sun and fits my idea of a GM who could take over as coach should Cooper falter.  She's not the greatest coach, but not the worst, and did a pretty good job of rebuilding the Sun after it fell apart in her first year when players defected after Mike Thibault was fired.  (Injuries really made the Sun a lottery team this year.)

[lethalweapon3]

I didn't do to bad on the Playoff Picks, for once!

WNBA Game 5 Winner Take All tonight! (8 PM, ESPN2)

 

~lw3