Why Charlotte is nothing special - an analysis of the Sting's roster/signings

Tuesday 12 April 2005

Charlotte have been quite active throughout the offseason with trades and signings and for some reason, this has some people predicting they'll be top of the Eastern Conference and even WNBA champions. It's all smoke and mirrors.

Point guard

Here's a statement to mull over.

Dawn Staley is the best point guard in the WNBA.

Her numbers aren't quite as good as Taurasi's, Bird's or Teasley's but she did manage to lead the league in assist/turnover ratio. Her play at the Olympics certainly set her apart from the streaky Shannon Johnson and the lacklustre Sue Bird. It's not her fault she has a bunch of underperforming team-mates and coach.

Helen Darling is good backup material, nothing more and nothing less. When Dawn goes, Charlotte will need a starting-calibre point guard.

Shooting guard

Stalwart Andrea Stinson is gone, leaving a big gap for the Sting to fill. Potential contender Tynesha Lewis is yet unsigned and I haven't heard anything about her status. Lewis would have been a frontrunner for Sixth Player of the Year award in 2004 if there was one (and there should be) and impressed many with her scoring and steadiness off the bench. How would she do as a starter with a couple more minutes a game? Hard to say but it would be worth giving her a shot.

Other players at this position include Kelly Mazzante and Jia Perkins. The Mazz has a quick release but hasn't proven she can hit consistently in the WNBA yet and unless she improves her all-round game, she'll spend her career as a 10 min a game zone buster/shooter. Perkins was a solid college player and might have been a steal in the third round. However, it's hard to say where she'll fit into the rotation if Lewis re-signs and the Sting draft White.

Small forward

Allison Feaster is not one of the most underrated players in the WNBA; she's in fact one of the most *overrated* players in the WNBA. For what she's getting paid (the max or close to it), she doesn't perform up to scratch. As a primary offensive option, she hasn't shot above 40% from the field for the Sting and is streakier than most shooters out there. Her rebounding figures have gradually decreased over the years and her D isn't anything to rave about anymore. Maybe her efficiency will increase now there's a few more options around but the Sting have put her into a role she cannot fulfill.

To complement their underperforming wing, the Sting bring in another one! I'll give Sheri some credit - she did play a role in the Storm's 2004 championship but that was more in the regular season as opposed to the playoffs where her shooting percentages plummeted and she let her defensive assignments take her to the cleaners (Nykesha Sales in Game 2 being the perfect example). How will Sheri fit into the Sting? Her rebounding and passing will help but she shares Feaster's offensive inconsistencies and lacks Feaster's work ethic.

It's possible the Sting might try to play one of these two players at 2 guard but why? Both are too slow and don't have good enough handles. Opposing perimeter combinations will be licking their lips if both are on court at the same time.

Power forward

Tangela Smith could provide some spark to an anemic Sting offence (though that's a coaching issue as well) but she's rather one-dimensional. It worked well in the Monarchs system where everybody had their assigned role but Tangela will be asked to do more in the Sting's system. She'll no longer have Yolanda Griffith clearing space for her and Tammy Sutton-Brown is certainly no Yolanda Griffith. Even if she does bump up her production from 2004 (where she was at career lows or close to it in almost all categories), she's not really the multi-dimensional player the Sting needs at this position.

There's no shortage of backup candidates here. Shalonda Enis and Rushia Brown return after a year away from the WNBA and provide different looks - Enis is an offensive minded player who crashes the offensive glass well while Brown does the cliched "all the little things". I think there's a decent chance both could make the team. Frohlich and Aziz are training camp fodder while Charlotte Smith-Taylor will have a new home in 2005.

Centre

Tammy Sutton-Brown is the sleeping giant. She briefly woke up in 2002 but Anne left and she promptly went back to sleep. She's got the tools to be a strong force in the WNBA but she's not for whatever reason (mainly mental). Until she wakes up again, she's serviceable in the middle but needs a proactive partner at the 4 who will do the dirty work and score some points.

Teana Miller is a nice surprise from the class of 2003 - she wasn't even drafted and I think she could end up being a nice backup in the WNBA (provided the weight is gone). Tera Bjorklund doesn't have much of a chance.

What the Sting needs

#1 A new coach

Trudi Lacey is the essence of mediocrity - her coaching is uninspired (the plod is tedious) and her talent selection is uninspired (why are you signing role players when you need a focal point?). She can stick with the pack but she's not someone who's going to break away from it.

#2 Guards

When Dawn Staley rides off into the sunset to coach full-time at Temple or wherever (busy interviewing at the moment), the Sting will have a bunch of bit-players at guard. Yes, the Sting need a power player out front but what's the use if there's no guards to relieve the pressure or even deliver the ball. I have come to support the notion of Tan White being taken at #1 - she's an offensive sparkplug, a good defender and her energy is a nice complement to Dawn Staley's smarts and steadiness (the backcourt would be a bit small though). The Sting will also need a point guard type to eventually replace Staley because Darling is not a starter and White at the point is an iffy proposition.

#3 Strong post

If TSB realises she can be nasty (where's that Rutgers spirit gone?), this will be less of a priority. This strong post needs a bit of speed though - McCarville is still a legit candidate for #1 and while a McCarville/TSB combo sounds imposing, it's also dreadfully slow and all you'd need to do is drag one of them out of the paint and exploit the speed advantage.

Conclusion

The Sting will probably make the playoffs this year but I can't see them exceeding their usual mediocrity. I think they're still inferior to current East champions Connecticut - the Sting would have a quicker backcourt but the Sun have a better perimeter combo overall, a better post combo and most importantly, a much better coach. Same with Detroit (provided they're healthy). It's more of the same for the Sting - with a rejigged lineup.