2005 WNBA draft analysis Part 1

Monday 18 April 2005

Charlotte

Janel McCarville, F/C, 6'2", Minnesota
Jessica Moore, F/C, 6'3", Connecticut

The Sting have impressive depth but I'm not sure whether it fits together very well. McCarville will help the Sting out with her post offense and passing but doesn't help the Sting's weak interior D - she's a bit short to guard 5s and would have trouble guarding 4s with range and driving ability. I think Irvin would have been a better fit with her defence but McCarville is a solid pick.

I think Jessica Moore is training camp fodder - she's not strong enough to play the 5 and she's not likely to beat out the pack of 4s the Sting have.

Charlotte have had an ok draft but I think they have too many pieces with nothing to build around. Feaster hasn't been an effective focus the last couple of years and I don't think Sam, Smith or McCarville (not that anybody in this draft could) can provide it either. They should consider a trade of depth for some marquee power.

I bet the Sting were really disappointed when Mo Currie chose to stay at Duke for one more year. It would have been a lot better to have the #1 next year.

Indiana

Tan White, G, 5'7", Mississippi State
Yolanda Paige, PG, 5'6", West Virginia
Ashley Earley, F, 5'10", Vanderbilt

Tan White is an explosive offensive player and a nice complement to Kelly Miller but Indiana should have gone for a post player here - Nat Williams is aging, Hoffman won't amount to anything much and Schumacher is a nice bench player but nothing more. As it stands, Indiana has a lot of perimeter depth but barely anything in the middle. Poor Catch will probably have to play a lot of 4 again.

Paige had an impressive career at West Virginia and her pass-first game will be welcome on a team already full of scorers. She might find it hard to get minutes this year especially if the Fever start Miller and use Tully off the bench but Tully will probably retire after this year and an "easier" year might be good for Paige's development and body (the college straight to pros thing can be very taxing).

Ashley Earley is an interesting player - she was dominating at the 4 in her senior year but is only 5'10". If she shows some toughness in the paint, she could stick in Indiana as a 4 as a White/Byears type because they are sorely lacking in the post at the moment. I'd rate her a decent chance to stick.

I think Indy should have gone for Irvin or even Braxton instead of White. She does provide them with a good second option but the post is lacking at the moment. I do like the other two picks.

Phoenix

Sandora Irvin, F/C, 6'3", TCU
Angelina Williams, G/F, 6'0", Illinois
Jamie Carey, PG, 5'5", Texas

Irvin or Braxton? That was the question and Phoenix went with the 'safer' option. Irvin is a great fit for Phoenix - a prolific rebounder and shotblocker with good defensive presence. Her offence can be spotty but the Mercury won't need to rely on her as a primary option. All she'll have to do is hit layups, putbacks and the occasional jumper to keep opposing defences on their toes.

Angelina Williams is a small forward sleeper with a good offensive skillset. I can see her beating out Shereka Wright (who is a bit short) but she'll probably find it hard to get minutes. A lot of Mercury people are keen on her though and I look forward to seeing how she does.

I don't give Carey much of a chance of making the roster. She and Cross have similar games but Cross is bigger, more athletic, more experienced and doesn't have issues with concussions. Carey could be the better shooter but so what - the last thing the Mercury needs is another 3 point shooter and Carey doesn't do much else on the offensive end.

I would have liked Phoenix to have taken a defensive stopper, probably in the second round. Somebody like Nikita Bell or Chelsea Newton who can come off the bench and bring some defensive energy. Besides that, good draft from Phoenix.

Connecticut

Margo Dydek, C, 7'2", Poland (I know she's not a rookie)
Erin Phillips, PG, 5'7", Australia
Megan Mahoney, G/F, 6'0", Kansas State

Some people really like the Margo trade and some don't. I lean more towards the first option. Yes, Margo isn't everything she could be and she's only useful in certain situations but she can be really effective in those situations. If you zone and/or the game slows down to a halfcourt grind, Margo's your player. She'll block shots, rebound on the defensive end, hit the high post jumper and is a good post passer.

Erin Phillips is a BIG draft steal. If she was American, she would have gone high first round. Some things to note about Erin is that she is tremendously strong for a guard and very built but yet, she is also quick on her feet and very athletic. She plays hard on both ends of the court, rebounds well for her size and has a very Lake-like mid-range jumper. She's not coming over just yet but when she does, she will be an impact player in the WNBA. A future starting Opals point guard and one to look out for.

Megan Mahoney is a player a lot of people like but I've seen her a couple of times and wasn't that impressed. A nice college player but that's about it.

A pretty good draft for Conn. They got a centre who can put up numbers and a PG for the future (I think she could end up better than Whalen).

New York

Loree Moore, PG, 5'9", Tennessee
Tabitha Pool, F, 6'1", Michigan
Rebecca Richman, C, 6'4", Rutgers

I'll cut Blaze a *little* slack for the Loree Moore pick - the Libs needed PGs and posts and all the first-round types were gone by #10, but they shouldn't have been in that position in the first place. Trades? Free agent signings? Moore has good size and is a solid defender but decision making and shooting is very suspect. Not exactly the sort of player you want in the first round, even in this weak draft.

I don't know much about Pool except that she had to do a lot on a very poor Michigan team. Richman is not WNBA-calibre. Sure it's a third round pick but at least pick somebody who might have a chance at making the roster (like Blackmon?)

Yup, another poor draft from the Liberty front office (called the FFO at bjka.net - I'll leave it up to your imagination as to what the 'F' stands for).

Seattle

Tanisha Wright, G, 5'11", Penn State
Ashley Battle, F/G, 6'0", Connecticut
Steffanie Blackmon, F, 6'2", Baylor

The Storm needed perimeter D and they got it. Wright and Battle are both premiere perimeter defenders. Wright also has a good floor game and is a decent penetrator but is lacking in range. Battle has better range but the less said about her offence, the better. Only one of them will probably make the roster.

A lot of posters are wowing over Blackmon dropping to the third round and saying what a steal it is. I do think it is surprising Blackmon dropped so far because she had a bit of buzz around her after Baylor's championship but I can see why she dropped so far. Blackmon isn't particularly big and is lacking in power. She is athletic and aggressive but a lot of posts are like that in the WNBA and there's nothing in her skill set that particularly stands out. She'll compete with Frierson and Vodopyanova and whoever else for backup 4 and might make it but she'll probably warm the bench and basically be a practice player. An admirable role on a team but not worthy of any particular mention (and yes, I think the term 'draft steal' is a bit overused when it comes to latter round picks).

Note: I am aware that there are height inflation issues at work here.

The Storm still need a wing and Angelina Williams may have been a better choice at #12 but overall, solid draft for the Storm.

Los Angeles

Dee Dee Wheeler, G, 5'6", Arizona
Heather Schreiber, F, 6'2", Texas

Wheeler is a nice pickup for L.A and could fill either guard position nicely, given Teasley's size. She's capable at both ends of the court and provides L.A with some much needed bench scoring. Schreiber is not going to make the Sparks if she continues to play like she did in the college season. Even at her top form though, she's essentially a tweener who can shoot but not do much else.

Good job by L.A on picking up Wheeler and of course, they have the Claw.