Rantings of an Insane Platypus - 7th Feb 2004

Saturday 07 February 2004

Just to get myself more in the habit of blogging, I'll try and post a regular commentary on women's basketball stuff. There's some good material for today but one thing I won't be commenting on is UConn/Tennessee as ESPN International did not broadcast this game despite the fact it is CLEARLY STATED in the TV guide I have in front of me. Shame on you ESPN International.

The Miller trade - is it really that bad?

At first I thought the Kelly Miller trade was a bonehead move by Indiana but after a bit of thought, it's not as bad as it looks. If I was in charge of the decision making at the Fever, I probably wouldn't have done it but I can understand the reasoning behind it. Clearly the Fever are looking to fill several needs simultaneously.

Let's explore what needs the Fever have. Their point guard situation is great - Niele Ivey is a fine young point guard. They do need a "standout" 2 guard as the Fever have three mediocre 2 guards at the moment who are good at one or two things but don't have the whole package. Also it's likely Nikki McCray will leave the team as she's an unrestricted free agent and I doubt the Fever would want to retain her. The Fever are fine at the 3 and possibly the 4 - Catchings fills in more than adequately at the 4 while dispersal draft pick Deanna Jackson slots in nicely at the 3. The 5 may be a spot for concern. Natalie Williams is a fine post but she's not going to be there in the long-term. Olympia Scott-Richardson has shown form in the past but is recovering from a knee injury and is not guaranteed to stay with the team (she's a restricted free agent). Kelly Schumacher is a nice backup but is definitely nothing more. So I identify the Fever's key needs as a 2 guard and a post.

Is Kelly Miller as she is, the 2 guard the Fever is looking for? Based on current form, no. Could she become the 2 guard the Fever is looking for? I think she could. She has the most upside out of the bunch the Fever have. She is an excellent shooter, solid handle, solid passing skills and is the best defender out of the lot. Her sister Coco has proven herself to be a solid player for Washington and considering Kelly has always been considered to be the better of the two, I don't see why she can't develop in a similar manner. Is Kelly Miller going to develop? Who knows - but the same can be said of any draft pick that would be made. At least Kelly Miller is more of a known quantity in the WNBA.

The #9 pick could easily snare a post the Fever would find useful. Knowing WNBA GMs, it's not entirely beyond the realm of possibility to see Ohlde, Brunson or Hayden drop and then there are other mid-tier prospects like Christi Thomas and Stacy Stephens to consider. If the Fever want something else, there are other possibilities. The Fever haven't abandoned the opportunity to exploit the young talent in this draft.

The main complaint is that the Fever may pass up a potential star for two lesser players. This is true but maybe the Fever aren't putting all their eggs in one basket. They've traded down a bit in the draft and gotten a solid young player in exchange. The #3 pick may develop into a star but maybe this trade provides two more pieces that will get the Fever over the line. It's a tough call to make - individual talent vs team needs. The Fever have made a calculated risk (one I wouldn't make) but it's one I can understand.

In conclusion, I think this is a risky trade but it's one that could pay off.

As for Charlotte, well it definitely works for them though I have to wonder whether they have more moves planned. They might go for Powell to use at the 4 but Powell may be a better (and more natural) WNBA 3. They could go for Brunson at #3 though she is projected a bit lower. They could go for Chandi Jones as an eventual replacement for Stinson. I think there's still some intrigue left in this situation and it will be fun to see it play out.

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Bitchin' about Spoon (no, not me)

I don't really get why some New York fans are criticising Teresa Weatherspoon for signing with the Sparks. Some say she should know when her time is up and retire gracefully. WTF? Who are these fans to tell Spoon when it is her time to retire? If she wants to play on and NY doesn't want her anymore, naturally she'll look elsewhere. It's a win/win situation for Spoon and the Liberty - she gets to play on, for a title contender no less and the Libs can start the rebuilding process. Now whether this is a good move on the Sparks' behalf is another story...

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WNBL semi-final results

Dandenong 85 def Sydney 68

Apparently Dandenong ran circles around Sydney and led 51-29 at the half! Sydney did miss guard Michelle Musselwhite who has a wrist injury of some sort but that doesn't explain the piss poor defence (then again, the Flames' D is sporadic at the best of times). Belinda Snell shook off the Dandenong D to scored 36 points but the rest of the Flames didn't come to the party. Dandenong's bench outscored Sydney's 41-6. Shooters Caitin Ryan and Jessica Bibby combined for 35 points (which included 7 three pointers between them).

Adelaide 72 def Canberra 63

A shocking result but not so shocking at the same time. It seems like the Capitals have forgotten that basketball is a TEAM sport. Yes ladies, Lauren Jackson is not a team (30 points, 9 rebounds though). Kristen Veal had another solid game (12 points, 7 assists) but no one else really turned up. For an ex-Opal, Jo Hill has been disappointing this season and I think the Caps really miss Eleanor Sharp's shooting and DEFENCE. Adelaide played solid team ball and had four in double figures.

So the Caps won't have a chance to three-peat and I bet no one would have predicted their demise at this stage of the finals when we were making predictions at the start of the season.

Next week, Sydney at home to Adelaide for the right to face Dandenong in the grand final in Melbourne. Sydney have owned Adelaide the last couple of times they've played in Sydney so it should be interesting to see whether Adelaide can step it up.