The first quarter saw Australia jump out of the blocks quicker with a 7-0 run in the first two and a half minutes, but the US responded with a 11-3 run, fueled by tighter D and aggressive moves to the basket from Thompson, Parker and Smith. The rest of the half saw the teams settle into their respective offensive styles: the US looked to pound it inside and post up their interior players, while Australia ran a motion-type offence, looking for the open jumper or cutter. The US threatened to break away several times, with Parker, Thompson and Davenport causing problems in the paint, but Australia hung on due to some strong outside shooting and Lauren Jackson’s persistence down low. Jan Stirling’s bizarre substitution patterns didn’t help the Opals either - running Grima, Whittle and Hibbert at the same time? In +/- terms, it was a -6 for the Opals. The US went into the half-time break up, 38-34.

The third quarter saw the Opals come out with a big adjustment: they switched to a zone defence. This seem to bamboozle the Americans and they struggled to adjust to the zone and Australia upping the defensive intensity. It also didn’t help that their starting guards were having a bit of a shocker and that nobody could seem to shoot from beyond 10 feet. In contrast, the Opals were unbelievably hot from outside. They shot 6/8 beyond the arc with four different players hitting the treys (LJ hitting three of them). The Americans managed to keep in touch with Australia for most of the quarter until the final minute. With the US down by 5, Beard picked up her 4th foul and was sent to the bench, replaced by Cappie Pondexter. After another LJ three which stretched the Australian lead to 8, Belinda Snell stole the ball from Pondexter and drove the length of the floor an easy layup, and was fouled in the process by Seimone Augustus. Snell completed the 3 point play and suddenly the lead had ballooned out to double digits. Augustus made up for her silly foul with a gorgeous slicing floater at the other end, to reduce the lead to 9 at three quarter time.

The final quarter saw both teams initially trade baskets. The United States had figured out the Australian zone and were pounding it inside to Thompson and Parker, who dominated Hollie Grima and Jenny Whittle with ease. The problem for the Americans was that their D was breaking down as well and the Australians were repeatedly finding the open player and converting. Still down by 9 with 4:36 to go, Anne Donovan called a time-out to try and break the stalemate. It worked, with the Americans going on a 8-2 run, sparked by a rare three pointer from Katie Smith (the only American one of the night). Within this run though, was an interesting incident that had a strong effect on the endgame.

With 2:55 to go, Jenny Whittle got called for a tech for tussling with Parker in the post on an inbounds, after the two of them had been issued a warning by the officials. A chorus of boos followed the tech and this, with the tech, seemed to rattle Parker. She nailed 1/2 free throws from the tech and in the following possession, was fouled again. This time, she missed both free throws badly and disappeared for the rest of the game.

With the margin down to 3 with about 2:11 to go, Jan Stirling called a time-out to regather and plan the endgame. The resulting offensive sequence was messy, due to frenetic defence from the Americans, but Belinda Snell got a good look from three and true to form, swished it. The Americans panicked at this point and the result was a Lawson misfire from deep. Australia got the rebound and Jenni Screen hit a shot clock beating three to finish the Americans off. Donovan called a time-out but it was all academic, America’s 59 game international game winning streak had come to an end.

I think there were two keys to Australia’s victory: superior guard play and their torrid three point shooting. Bevilaqua frustrated Beard all game and took her out of the equation. Lawson and Pondexter had to play more minutes than they would have had to ordinarily and they weren’t effective. More surprisingly, Snell and Screen both did a good defensive job on Katie Smith on D and shot very well from the perimeter. Australia took care of the ball reasonably well (10 turnovers) and that prevented the US from getting a lot of transition opportunities. Another positive thing from this game was how the Australians managed to withstand a comeback from Americans and finish out the game with a couple of clutch shots.

It was an encouraging sign that Australia shot well (mainly because they usually shoot poorly against any American lineup), but 58% three point shooting is a rare occurrence full stop and it reinforces the fact that the offence needs diversification. I don’t think it’s solely a talent thing; it seems like the offensive structure is designed around perimeter passing and shooting. Australia does have several players who can drive (Taylor, Phillips, to a lesser extent Snell, Harrower and Bevilaqua) and post up (LJ, Batkovic) and they need to be encouraged to do so.

Something else that needs to be worked on is interior D. The Americans are usually just too good down there but there are several things that can be done to limit the damage. Firstly, appropriate matchups - Whittle on Parker is ridiculous. Then again, Whittle on any American post player is generally ridiculous and she should be playing very limited minutes against the Americans. Secondly, there should be more pressure on the feed. Bevilaqua did this several times during the games with some success but the Australians usually let the American guards feed the post without any pressure and by the time they get the ball, too late. Thirdly, I don’t think they utilised the double team very well, especially with the Americans’ poor shooting and indifferent ball movement.

The Americans can be reasonably happy with the way they played and in the end, it was this incarnation’s personnel limitations that were exposed; they were over-reliant on their post players and didn’t have the perimeter depth to counter Australia’s guard play. I don’t see any long-term ramifications for the United States team from this defeat and they’ll probably be the better for it. The ease with which Thompson and Parker dominated is particularly worrying and they’re only a taste of what’s to come. I was a bit surprised that Donovan didn’t try harder to get good outside shots for her guards, especially during the third quarter.

Finally, it was great being there in person. It was a veritable emotional roller coaster, with the sense of anticipation building in the third quarter; the edge-of-your-seat nerves of the 4th; the fist pumping adrenalin whenever clutch shots were nailed and the explosion of excitement after the final siren. Yes, it wasn’t the best US outfit and the game was meaningless but any time you beat the best nation in the world in women’s basketball, it is an experience to remember (especially when you consider the various win/lose streaks).

Australian player reviews - the good

Lauren Jackson: The best game she’s played against the US for a while. Her D was quite solid, with a couple of nice blocks and forced Thompson and Parker into a lot of tough fadeaway jumpers (which all seemed to go in, but it happens). The only thing I’d like to see her do is demand the ball more in the paint because few can stop her once she’s found her rhythm down there (and she was feeling it)

Belinda Snell: Yes I’m biased, but I thought she was the best player on the floor last night and possibly the best player of the tournament. She came alive in the second half and nailed clutch three after clutch three. The biggest improvement in her game has been her D. She helped to shut down Katie Smith and she had three very impressive steals at the half court, which resulted in three easy scoring opportunities (though one of them ended up being the Candace Parker block). Given the chance, I think she will shine in the WNBA this year.

Jenni Screen: She gave Smith her infamous brand of defence (i.e borderline legal) and Smith struggled under the physical pressure. She also knocked down a couple of important three pointers. I think she’d be frontrunner for backup 2 guard. She’s shown more than Wilson, Hibbert or McInerny.

Tully Bevilaqua: Last night and tonight, Bevilaqua has won the mental battle with the opposing point guard and has shown why she was voted onto the 1st All-WNBA defensive team. Tully owned a player seven inches taller than her. Beard was held to 2 points, 5 turnovers and 5 fouls in 16 minutes. There is no way Tully can be left off the team.

Erin Phillips: She was surprisingly aggressive off the dribble. Jan even played her at the 2 for a while and she held her own there. Thibault will be pleased to see his young charge put in a solid performance against a WNBA-calibre backcourt.

Jacinta Hamilton: A brief appearance but she played some good D in Thompson in the third quarter. Why isn’t she playing more? Injuries/illness or just the dodgy rotation?

Australian player reviews - the bad

Katrina Hibbert: I repeat, why is she on this team again?

American player reviews - the good

Candace Parker: Once again, she was spectacular. She was a ESPN highlight reel in the paint and the fast break block on Snell was the most spectacular play of the night.

Tina Thompson: Like Parker, she dominated inside and played great interior D on LJ.

Jessica Davenport: She caused problems down low in the second quarter but her inability to shoot free throws hurt the team.

American player reviews - the bad

Katie Smith: She seems to have left her jumpshot up in Cairns (with the koalas maybe?). As mentioned above, Snell and Screen did a good defensive job her and reduced her to shooting wonky looking jumpers. In addition to her offensive woes, she frequently lost Snell and Screen on D.

Alana Beard: Atrocious night (thanks to Tully) but she is being played out of position. She did not look settled at all during the game. This should dispel any “Beard at the point” discussion.

Ruth Riley: The Jenny Whittle of Team USA? Granted, she’s more talented than Whittle (though Whittle had more of an impact in this game than she did) but she’s in a similar sort of position.

Kara Lawson: Played the majority of minutes at the point when Alana was out and showed that she’s not a particularly strong point guard either.

Other notes

• The officiating - one of the officials seemed to like charges a lot but they let a lot of off-ball stuff go. It felt more like a WNBA game than a FIBA game.

• The Canberra Times said the crowd was about 3500. I’m not good at estimating crowds but I’d say they’re about right, maybe a bit less. The crowd was certainly better than the game against China.

• It’s sad that three point baskets, time outs and half time have naming rights? “Price Attack Three Pointer”?

• Way too much cheap drink bottle merchandise being thrown at the crowd but the kids loved it.

The second half was like the second half of the previous game, except without the entertainment aspects. Australia continued to build on their lead in the third quarter, as China continued to flounder at both ends of the court and Tom Maher continued on his game-long tirade. China did win the final quarter 17-10 but this was their starters against Australia’s young bench warmers.

Australia’s defence was the main story of the game; they clogged up the passing lanes and the paint and contested almost every shot. China’s offence never got going and their figures of 2 assists to 23 turnovers sums up Australia’s stifling D quite nicely. Special mention must go to Lauren Jackson, who held China’s post star Chen Nan, to 2 points off 1/10 shooting and no rebounds.

Australia’s offence was solid but I’m still not convinced whether it would hold up against better defences. China’s D wasn’t very good and Tom Maher did have a point with his repeated ranting and raving about the lack of Chinese D. Australia did get the ball to LJ in the right places and there were some nice aggressive moves from other players (e.g Laura Summerton), but there was also some poor decision making, the general inability of many players to generate their own offence (i.e everybody but LJ, Erin Phillips, Belinda Snell and Laura Summerton) and too often, the offence would have a directionless feel. Maybe this is something that will improve when Penny, Suzy and Kristi are added to the lineup, but once again, it shows our lack of depth at the international level.

There is a big question about whether China has the temperament to become one of the better teams in the world. The behaviour of their point guards was farcical: Xiaoyun Song blatantly flopped several times and Jia Guang protested almost every call against her, despite the fact that it was quite obvious that it was a foul. Both of them tried to start Erin Phillips several times and did the cheap push/shove routine with a few Opals players. Tom Maher’s behaviour on the sidelines was also disgraceful and I am glad he is no longer coaching in Australia. If one of the players did something wrong, he would sub them off and rant at them for a bit. Of course, Tom does not speak Mandarin so you’d have him ranting at these players in English, while a translator would translate it and rant at the player in Mandarin. It’s like coaching/abuse by correspondence. The killer is that China didn’t really seem to improve over the game, despite his tirades.

Australian player reviews

The good

Lauren Jackson: Brilliant performance from LJ last night. She displayed her full offensive repertoire – turn-around jumpers, sealing the opponent for the easy layup, three point bombs, taking Chen Nan off the dribble from the three point line for the two and even a breakaway layup (a couple of us screamed out “Dunk It” and were disappointed when she went up for the half-arsed layup). She still doesn’t look fully match fit though and was puffing noticeably after five minutes on the court. The real test will come tomorrow and hopefully she’ll bring it and not psych herself out of the game like she has in the past.

Belinda Snell: her perimeter jumper was off but played her usual, smart brand of basketball. She and LJ are the on-court leaders of the team.

Jenny Whittle: Played well, especially on the defensive end, but she’s still not going to be of much use against the US.

Laura Summerton: I continue to be impressed at her newfound aggression. Coach Thibault is going to be a happy man if Laura brings this to the WNBA.

The bad

Erin Phillips: Erin had a decent game scoring wise but she was one of the bad decision makers throughout the game. As a point guard, she’s just not there yet. I am puzzled why Jan refuses to play her at the 2 because Erin shines at creating her own offence and I think she’s currently being stifled at the 1. Here’s hoping the WNBA stint does Erina lot of good.

Carly Wilson: missed all her shots and was invisible for most of the game (nice block on a fast break though).

Emily McInerny: embarrassing performance on the offensive end. She passed up an open three, did a half-drive (drove the lane, then pulled backed out), travelled when trying to do a layup and then dribbled the ball off her foot when trying to do a post move. That’s just unacceptable and her D isn’t anything special at the international level. You can compensate for defensive liabilities with zones and matchups but you can’t hide the fact that somebody cannot score.

Katrina Hibbert: she didn’t have a bad game (still cold from outside though), but why is she even on the Opals roster? She’s slow, unathletic, not particularly strong and is just another one-dimensional shooter at the international level, which is the last thing the Opals need.

The meh

Hollie Grima: Solid performance from Hollie but most of it was in garbage time. I’d like to see her get good minutes against the US over Jenny Whittle. It would be a great learning experience for Hollie and she’d be just as effective as Whittle.

Other notes

• I find it amusing how Jenni Screen views opposing players slapping at the ball when she has it as some huge personal affront. Then she does it herself on the other end!

• Once again, line violation issues with the Chinese team.

• When Laura Summerton fouled out, she didn’t seem to realise she had fouled out and thought she only had a couple. Did nobody look up at the scoreboard and keep track of fouls?

• Jacinta Hamilton sat out last night’s game for reasons unknown. I hope it’s a rotational thing, as opposed to an injury.

The second half was garbage time but both teams still managed to entertain: the US with their transition play and stifling D, Chinese Taipei with their shotmaking and the pinpoint passes they had to pull off in order to break down the US defence. Chinese Taipei were noticeably tired at the end of the game; the US just wore them down but they can hold their heads up high.

The American combination of stifling D and the resulting easy transition points is a simple and effective winning formula and I’m not sure whether any team in the world has the tools to counter that. The half-court offence looked a bit shaky, but considering they weren’t playing a proper PG most of the time, I think it’s an issue that will be solved with personnel additions. Chinese Taipei are a fun team to watch with their ball movement, backdoor cutting and feisty defence. They’re like a light version of the South Koreans. I hope they do well at the World Championships in Brazil.

Player reviews

The good

Tina Thompson: unstoppable. She owned the Chinese Taipei interior D from the start and was a monster on the boards as well. It should be a great matchup with LJ tonight.

Candace Parker: She’s not going to revolutionise the game but she was very impressive last night and she should be on the World Championships teams in September. Great combination of length, athleticism, court vision and moves in the middle. A 6’5” player running the break with those handles is quite scary. I think she is a natural 4 and should stick to playing there (as opposed to the wing, which I’ve seen suggested elsewhere)

Katie Smith: She is ripped! Her shot wasn’t there last night but she looks in much better shape than last season.

Alana Beard: Her long arms troubled the Chinese Taipei ball-handlers. However, she is not a point guard and hopefully her various coaches realise that.

Seimone Augustus - She didn’t do much in the “regular” rotation but in the final quarter when playing with her fellow young guns, she entertained the crowd with her smooth mid-range jumper.

Jessica Davenport - Basically what Ruth Riley wants to be. Initially, she had problems dealing with the double and triple teams. However, she adjusted as the game went along and in the end, she just overpowered the Chinese Taipei players in the end. I think she’s going to be a solid WNBA player.

The bad

Ruth Riley: she just wasn’t mentally there. She did two nice things in the game, a head fake and drive and a nice block, but besides that it was just sloppy passes, turnovers and fouls. I can see why nobody wants to take Bill’s trade bait.

Shameka Christon: Baby Swoopes? More like ovum of Swoopes. Actually, I don’t see much resemblance to Swoopes’ game at all. I can see upside but she needs good coaching (very wild off the dribble) and she needs to hit the weight room.

Kara Lawson: Looks like she has put on a bit of weight and didn’t do much with the limited court time she had. Even worse, she was being raucous off the bench (disputing ref’s calls, cheering on team-mates quite vocally) with two minutes to go in the game. It would be understandable if this was a close game against a good team but when you’re beating Chinese Taipei by twenty plus, it seems a bit crass.

Other notes

• Cappie Pondexter suffers from height inflation. Listed at 5-9 at some locations, she is more like 5-6/5-7. She is definitely shorter than Kristin Haynie and only slightly taller than Dawn Staley.

• Refs were calling everything tight initially but then relaxed as the game went on. A few too many bail-out calls though.

• The Chinese Taipei players got away with several blatant line violations by blatantly boxing out the American players before the free throw had even left the taker’s hand. They even got away with one where the free throw missed.

• It was interesting to note that when Anne signalled for Cappie to run down the clock with 16 seconds to go, the crowd were a bit bemused and there were even a few boos. In Australia, teams will often play “normally” to the final siren. It’s just a sign of a cultural difference.

• Anne Donovan spotted talking to Jessica Bibby during the Aus/China game.

I may do one more mock draft, if I have the time and new info comes to light. I really can’t be bothered doing all of the three rounds as it’s heavily based on combine performance and the like and that info won’t be available till very close to before the draft and I’ll be busy around that time.

#1 Minnesota - Seimone Augustus, LSU, wing

Seimone or Cappie? I’m guessing the Lynx hitch their ride of the Seimone hype machine. Not that the hype is necessarily unwarranted and I think the Lynx think they can get a decent PG later in the first round.

#2 Phoenix - Cappie Pondexter, Rutgers, guard

Rumours have been swirling about whether this pick will be traded or not. Nothing concrete has come out it though and I think Phoenix will still have this pick on draft day. Phoenix gets the athletic combo guard they need.

#3 Charlotte - Sophia Young, Baylor, forward

Charlotte needs guards but I think they’ll view Young’s talent as too good to pass over.

#4 San Antonio - Monique Currie, Duke, wing

Ferdinand is out for the year and Wecker is no guarantee. It’s quite possible that Currie could end up better than both of them.

#5 Los Angeles - Candice Dupree, Temple, post

Yes, this one isn’t particularly logical but certain teams seem to be quite enamoured of Dupree and have told her so. There is a reason why she’s not turning up to draft camp…

#6 Chicago - Tamara James, Miami, wing

Can James make the transition from the 4 to the wing? She’s better equipped than many others and she’s one of the few in this draft with the ability to generate their own offence consistently.

#7 Minnesota - Erin Grant, Texas Tech, point guard

Minnesota gets the PG they need here.

#8 Washington - Latangela Atkinson, North Carolina, forward

With UNC’s performance this year, Atkinson’s stock has skyrocketed. She’s a great athlete, defender and has a good floor game. She does need to develop consistent shooting range if she wants to elevate her game to the next level.

#9 Indiana - Ty’esha Fluker, Tennessee, post

Indiana does need a big player and in a draft bereft of many, Fluker may get the call-up this early.

#10 Charlotte - Nikki Blue, UCLA, guard

Blue has the skills but her decision making is suspect. If she can improve her decision making, she may be a steal down here.

#11 Seattle - Lisa Willis, UCLA, guard

Willis has what Seattle needs - size, defence and shooting. Whether she’ll put in 100% every time is another story but you can’t afford to coast in the WNBA.

#12 New York - Barbara Turner, Connecticut, forward

Turner has raised her stock by good numbers in the NCAA tournament. We all know Blaze likes picking ‘obscure’ players from ‘small’ schools in big conferences.

#13 Sacramento - Sherill Baker, Georgia, guard

Baker will be a decent replacement for Newton and will complement Lawson nicely at the 2 guard spot.

#14 Sacramento - Liz Shimek, Michigan State, forward

Maybe undersized at the 4 for the WNBA but Shimek is the cliched hardworking forward and Whiz likes that sort of thing.

• Interesting to note that nearly the entire Canberra, Dandenong and Adelaide roster is off contract. There are rumours that Dandenong’s squad will be decimated by departures for Europe (Hamilton confirmed while Randall, Wilson and Richards are potentially gone). Adelaide’s Jenni Screen is also rumoured to be off to Europe.

• Bulleen have WNBL MVP Katrina Hibbert, Hollie Grima and Desiree Glaubitz under contract.

• Sydney have Kristen Veal, Michelle Musselwhite, Eva Afeaki and Natalie Porter under contract - that’s possibly 4/5 of their starting five next season.

• Townsville have 4/5 of their current starters under contract: Rohanee Cox, Jennifer Crouse, Rachel Flanagan and Kelly Wilson.

• Perth’s star guard Deanna Smith has signed another deal with Perth - good news for the rebuilding club.

The Nikki Teasley/Temeka Johnson trade

Ah yes, the trade that has inspired furious debate on the messageboards and even the subject of a feature by some WNBA team staffers.

Who’s better - Teasley or Johnson? From my vantage point, it’s hard to say. I think both of them are solid floor leaders and have good playmaking skills. In terms of scoring, Johnson is the bigger threat off the dribble but Teasley is the better outside gunner. Teasley’s size is an advantage but she doesn’t really take advantage of it; it does allow her to see over her defender but she rarely posts up or drives. Defensively, I’d say Johnson is the more effective defender as she commits to it but her size is a liability. Teasley’s defence is best described as “indifferent” but she doesn’t have the size disadvantage.

There are also other issues to consider. Teasley has injury concerns, suffering from plantar fasciitis. She’s playing in Russia at the moment but is she really over her injury probs? Will she fit into Adubato’s halfcourt system where there’s no Lisa Leslie to make running the halfcourt look so easy? How will the inexperienced Johnson deal with a nebulous situation at L.A?

I personally rate Johnson a bit higher at the moment but Teasley has proven herself in the past and I think she has more upside (whether Washington is the right situation for it to be tapped fits into the issue discussed in the previous paragraph). In the end, I’d rate the exchange of these two point guards as close enough to be rated a wash.

Where Los Angeles wins out is in the other terms of the trade. No not Murriel Page, who was probably traded to balance out salaries. She’ll make a nice benchwarmer in L.A and might make the Claw happier. Why did Washington trade down three places in a shallow draft? Teasley is not significantly better enough than Johnson to merit this. With the #5 pick, there’s a chance of snaring one of the big four if they somehow manage to slip and in any case, there’s a good chance of getting a rotation player. At #8, well the chances of getting that are lower, especially in this shallow draft.

However, there have been murmurs that Johnson was the cause of some chemistry problems in Washington and that’s the main reason why she was shifted. It could explain why Hargrove was willing to accept such dubious terms.

Tamecka Dixon to Houston

Weirdness aside (much disliked player goes to conference rival), a healthy Dixon is what the Comets need - a guard with good on-court instincts and a solid all-round game. The problem is, Dixon hasn’t been healthy for a couple of years. I’m not sure what the current status of her injury is but plantar fasciitis is something that hangs around and it’s clearly affected her performance in the last couple of seasons.

The Comets do have to be worried about their backcourt. Staley and Dixon are good guards when they’re healthy but they’re prone to niggly injuries and their recent performance has reflected their struggle with that. Canty has improved but is only a “plug in the gaps” player at best. Canty and Dixon don’t have range and are streaky, while Staley’s scoring has steadily decreased over the years. Looks like Swoopes and Thompson will have to burden a lot of the perimeter load.

Liberty sign Kiesha Brown and Barbara Farris, sign and trade for Kelly Schumacher

Blaze’s hopper - brimming with mediocrity?

Farris is a hard-working player and while a nice signing, she’s not a difference maker. Kiesha Brown - even less so.

Is Schumacher worth a near-max deal? Not if she continues to produce 4 points and 2 rebounds per game ala 2005. In a post deprived market though, mediocre posts will command top dollar. The trade of picks occurred because Indiana is apparently interested in Tye’sha Fluker and want the best possible shot at her.

So the Libs now have a frontcourt of Kraayeveld, Schumacher and Farris, which is essentially everybody else’s scraps. Maybe Davenport in ‘07 is Blaze’s gem at the bottom of the hopper.

Storm re-sign Betty Lennox, sign Palmer-Daniel

There were a couple of rumours about Lennox looking at other teams but in the end, Seattle offered her the contract she wanted (multi-year max) and she took it. Lennox’s situation in Seattle is ideal for her - she’s not expected to carry the team but she’s basically got free rein to do what she wants on the perimeter because nobody else is willing or capable of asserting themselves on the perimeter. Unless her decision making improves, that’s not a good situation for Seattle. I think Donovan has to change the way the perimeter offence operates and get the others more involved.

Palmer-Daniel is a good pick-up for the Storm as Batkovic is not likely to return for the 2006 WNBA season. Palmer-Daniel is even an upgrade over Batkovic with her experience, interior D and efficient post scoring.

Other transactions

• The Ras to Phoenix. A good fit - Rasmussen is similar to Kayte Christensen but with a bit of offence and more experience.

• Byears to the Mystics. Controversies aside, Byears could add some much needed toughness to the Mystics frontline but it’s hard to measure where she’s currently at because she’s been absent from the WNBA for a couple of years and big numbers in Europe doesn’t mean anything.

• Seattle signs Toccara Williams and Tiffani Johnson. Can Donovan be the one to motivate Johnson? I’m betting no. She may make the team though if Edwards has had enough. Williams could be an interesting complement to Bird - quick, good defender but questionable perimeter and halfcourt game.

Link to article is here

Let’s play “spot the mistake”.

Incorrect. Australia beat Korea for the bronze. Once again, another factual mistake in a WBB article. It’s not that hard to do a bit of fact checking.

Update for 6/3/2006: I’m going to the games in Canberra now!

Guards

Tully Bevilaqua
Jae Cross-Kingi
Erin Phillips
Belinda Snell
Carly Wilson

Forwards

Jacinta Hamilton
Katrina Hibbert
Lauren Jackson (co-captain)
Emily McInerny
Laura Summerton

Centres

Hollie Grima
Jenny Whittle (co-captain)

Nothing particularly shocking here. It was interesting to hear Michele Timms mention yesterday that Jae Kingi-Cross was considered by the powers that be to be the "senior" guard of the team. She's barely done anything since 2004! The presence of Summerton, Grima and Wilson was expected by their appearance in Black & White. I'm puzzled why Carly Wilson was picked over Jenni Screen - Screen is the superior shooter, defender and has a better floor game. Wilson is a streaky player whose only real advantage over Screen is a couple of inches she doesn't even really use.

Jenny Whittle being selected as "co-captain" basically guarantees her presence on the World Championships team *big sigh*. The choice of having two captains is an interesting one and it appears that Jan doesn't have faith in LJ's leadership ability yet. Actually, I have to agree with Jan on this one but somebody like Tully Bevilaqua deserves to be captain, despite being a national team "rookie". Choices likes these are all about internal team politics though, as opposed to actual leadership ability and I don't really have much knowledge about the Opals' internal workings.

I hope Summerton and Grima use this international experience as an incentive to improve themselves. They've already had several bites at the cherry and haven't made much of it.

So the great exodus of New York begins. More coverage on that on a future Libs article.

VJ looks to be insurance for Ferdinand this season and will at least make SASS' perimeter D stronger. Robinson is an excellent signing for the Mystics and will give them better perimeter D, much needed outside shooting and will allow Milton-Jones to move back to the 4 full time.

San Antonio re-signs Dalma Ivanyi, signs Agnieszka Bibrzycka

Ivanyi is a star point guard in Europe but is no better than a backup in the WNBA. She can stick an open three but she's only effective in spurts at running a team in the WNBA. As for "Biba", well she's got size and is a decent shooter but is poor defensively and struggled with the physicality of the WNBA in her rookie season. Hughes has an interesting mish-mash of players at San Antonio and I'm curious to see how he puts it together.

New York Liberty signs Asjha Jones to a three year max offer sheet, Connecticut matches

Terms were "not disclosed" but the max offer was described in this thread. This is not surprising in the slightest and I don't think the Sun will have any cap problems out of this, considering Taj's impending retirement and I don't think Margo is going to last that long either. Whether Jones deserves a max contract at this stage of her career is another story but at this time, young players with upside (especially points and posts) will have offers matched and be overpaid.

The rest

Libs have signed Cathrine Kraayeveld and Ashley Battle - Kraayeveld is a good backup forward, Battle is training camp fodder

The Monarchs have signed Cisti Greenwalt and Dionnah Jackson. Greenwalt could stick as a post backup with Walker out and Scott gone but I don't expect her to make much of an impact on court. Jackson is more training camp fodder.

Indiana has signed Linda Frohlich. I've liked Frohlich's game since I saw her in college but she's never seemed to stick in the WNBA for whatever reason (probably because of dubious defensive skills and a tweener like game). She's been playing well in Europe as of late and it will be interesting to see how she goes this time.

A solid move by the Lynx. Coco is a decent guard backup and has shown in the past that she's a solid rotation player. Chandi Jones is still a bit shaky and I think Coco could fill in quite admirably. She could even play a bit of point, but only in spurts.

Will the Mystics match? Depends how high the offer is (obviously) but the coring of Milton and the possible signing of Crystal Robinson, "no" is a real possibility. Miller hasn't had the best of showings on the Mystics since a good 2003 season. They may try to sign and trade her to another team though.

Here is a list of top prospects for the 2008 draft. Feel free to make suggestions and add comments.

Point guards

Camille LeNoir, 5'6", Southern California
Sharnee Zoll, 5'7", Virginia
A'quonesia Franklin, 5'3", Texas A&M
Angela Tisdale, 5'5", Baylor
Erica White, 5'6", Louisiana State
Kimberly Beck, 5'8", George Washington

Shooting/combo guards

Candice Wiggins, 5'11", Stanford
Alexis Hornbuckle, 5'11", Tennessee
Wanisha Smith, 5'11", Duke
Matee Ajavon, 5'8", Rutgers
Jolene Anderson, 5'8", Wisconsin
Mel Thomas, 5'9", Connecticut
Janese Banks, 5'10", Wisconsin
Allie Quigley, 5'11", DePaul
Tyeisha Jackson, 5'9", Houston

Wings/forwards

Erlana Larkins, 6'1" North Carolina
Charde Houston, 6'1", Connecticut
Morenike Atunrase, 5'10", Texas A&M
Essence Carson, 5'11", Rutgers
Dionne Marsh, 6'1", New Mexico
Ta'shia Walker, 6'0", Michigan
Kieraah Marlow, 5'10", Georgetown

Posts

Sylvia Fowles, 6'6", LSU
Tasha Humphrey, 6'3", Georgia
Crystal Langhorne, 6'3", Maryland
Chante Black, 6'5", Duke
Crystal Kelly, 6'2", Western Kentucky
Marcedes Walker, 6'3", Pittsburgh
Laura Harper, 6'4", Maryland
Nicky Anosike, 6'4", Tennessee
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, 6'2", Purdue
Brittany Hunter, 6'3", Connecticut
Natasha Williams, 6'3", Minnesota
Natasha Bogdanova, 6'4", Purdue
Sarah Elliott, 6'6", Kentucky
Vaida Sipaviciute, 6'4", Syracuse
Jenna Green, 6'4", UCSB
Jackie McFarland, 6'3", Colorado

Guards

Diversity of skills in the backcourt was an issue for Phoenix but I feel this has been partially rectified with the trade of Anna DeForge for Kelly Miller. Anna DeForge is one of the best pure shooters around with the ability to light up for thirty every night, but I always thought she was too similar to Diana Taurasi in terms of game. A good backcourt needs a variety of skills, as the successful teams in the WNBA have shown. While Kelly Miller is not as strong a scorer as DeForge, she brings a whole range of useful complementary skills that would help out Phoenix a lot. Miller is a better ball-handler, better penetrator, better decision maker, more athletic and a better defender than DeForge and unlike DeForge, she can play extended minutes at the 1 and give Taurasi the chance to play at her natural position at the 2.

I think a move to the 2 for Diana would help her game immensely. She's had to worry about ball-handling, initiating and running the offence as well as scoring in her first two years and while she could do it in college, it's much harder to do everything in the more athletic, more physical, more talent-concentrated WNBA.

With regards to backups, I think Niele Ivey makes a solid backup but she does have to work on being a scoring threat. She used to have a jumpshot - what happened to it? She's a good steady influence off the bench though and has good court smarts. I'm not sure how Belinda Snell would fit into Westhead's system: she's not particularly quick around the court but she's good in transition and is a fantastic streak shooter. Like Ivey, Snell has great court smarts and I hope Westhead gives her more of a chance than coach Graf did last year.

Forwards

Penny Taylor (or as I like to call her "The Money") has developed nicely over the last couple of years and is one of the most well-rounded players in the WNBA. I hope that the subtraction of Anna DeForge will enable her to get more shots in the offence and she'll fit nicely into Westhead's offence because she is one of the best finishers around.

There are several backups at the wing. Shereka Wright is a useful utility perimeter player off the bench. She sounds like a good fit for Westhead's system with her versatility and solid court game. One thing I'd like to see her do is be more aggressive off the dribble, like she was in college. Angelina Williams is the Mercury's current long term project. She has a lot of potential but got almost no coaching in college at Illinois. I've heard comparisons to Deanna Nolan bandied about and it will be interesting to see how she's progressed over the offseason. I'd say both of them are pretty safe, unless we get a good perimeter defensive player.

There's a glut of players at the 4, led by Czech star Kamila Vodichkova. It looks like Vodichkova's international career might be over, after she chose the WNBA over training with the Czech national team in for the last couple of major tournaments (Athens Olympics and Eurobasket 2005). She set career highs in almost every single category last year, which goes to show that age doesn't weary all and also that a change in scenery can do wonders for your career. I'll be happy if she can keep up a similar level of production this year.

Backing her up are Sandora Irvin and Gwen Jackson. Irvin's rookie year was a bit underwhelming but I still think she has good upside. She is a good rebounder and shotblocker but her offensive game is raw and I think she wasn't quite prepared for the big step up. I think she could eventually become a solid rotation post but I think Irvin one of these players who needs a bit more time to adjust.

Gwen Jackson spent most of last year on the injury list after she tore her ACL. In her short time at the Mercury so far (played under one season), Jackson has shown she's big body who can hit the offensive boards and has some nice moves. I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with Gwen's game but she just has to elevate her game. I hear she tears it up in practice a lot but she's often too tentative in games.

Centre

Well currently there's nobody here and barring Maria Stepanova appearing on our doorstep again, Kamila will play here. I have no idea about Maria's status - core money may be a good incentive for her to come but the Russian Basketball Federation throw money at her to stay with the team and train. I wonder about Maria's status with the Russian team if she does choose to go to the WNBA. The Russians have shown no compunctions in the past about dumping/punishing players who choose not to train with the team (Abrosimova, Baranova) but Maria is the anointed golden girl of Russian basketball and her combination of size, skills and (especially) experience makes her invaluable at the international level. Come on Maria, test the Russians' nerve!

Phoenix lost their backup centre to the expansion draft and while Ashley Robinson did make some good progress last year, I think it was the right call to leave her unprotected. Robinson has the makings to be a solid rebounder and shotblocker but is ineffectual on the offensive end (33% shooting for a POST? And a lot of them were missed putbacks/layups) and her player to player work on posts isn't that good either. I hope she'll continue her development in Chicago. The Mercury will miss her presence at the defensive end but I think it's replaceable.

Coaching

I am a bit worried about Westhead's system. It sounds demanding and inflexible and those two things aren't really compatible with the short WNBA season. Our team isn't the quickest around so it will be interesting to see whether he tries to alter the team to suit his style, or whether he adjusts his system a bit to suit the team. Regardless of whether this experiment succeeds or fails, it will be a spectacle to behold.

Needs to be addressed

#1 Starting-calibre post

Current post situation: Maria's unreliable, Kamila's nearing the end of her career and Sandora's probably a couple of seasons away. The Mercury needs another inside presence in order to compete night after night in the Big Bad West. The problem is that considering the free agent climate, any decent Restricted Free Agent post is going to have large offers matched, probably up to the max (see: Tamika Williams and Asjha Jones) and Unrestricted Free Agent posts are going to be overpaid by a fair bit. I would not be surprised to see Tamika Whitmore get close to max offers and Barb Farris and La'Keisha Frett offered fairly high amounts. I wouldn't mind having Farris or Frett in a backup role but I wouldn't get into an intense bidding war for them. I think the #2 pick could be excellent bait, considering the need for a PG is not so urgent anymore.

This year's draft doesn't look particularly appealing with regards to post players (though Debbie Merrill could be a sleeper) but 2007 and 2008 look to be better.

#2 Backcourt defence

The addition of Miller improves it but the Mercury's perimeter D is still pretty average. I would love to have a Chelsea Newton type stopper off the bench, who isn't a *total* offensive liability. Looking at the draft, Sherill Baker and Latangela Atkinson comes to mind but they'll probably be gone by the #19 pick. Looking at free agents, there's Stacey Thomas, Nikki McCray and current Mercury player Lisa Harrison but they fall into the "total offensive category". We might have to wait and see on this one.

#3 Real point guard?

This isn't really a high concern anymore but Phoenix might want to get a starting-calibre "real point guard" down the track. However, it might not be needed in the current system and a Kelly Miller/Diana Taurasi backcourt is nothing to sneeze at.

Outlook:

Unless the Mercury find some post help this season (through Maria or a trade or an unlikely FA signing), they look like a borderline playoff team at best. However, I'm sure they'll be entertaining to watch no matter. In the long term, it looks good for the Mercury, especially since their primary players are young and there will be a good influx of inside players in the next couple of years.

For Indiana, they needed somebody who was confident in stepping up as a second option to Tamika Catchings. Tan White's not quite there yet and the other options on the Indy team are really role-player types with limited offence. DeForge is certainly not shot-shy and she would complement Catchings better than she did DT (mainly because DT was the same type of player as DeForge).

For Phoenix, they needed a guard with a slightly different skillset than DT and Kelly Miller can provide that. She's stil a good outisde shooter but she's a better handler and penetrator than DeForge and would allow DT to play the 2. Hopefully, this means that Penny Taylor will see more shots as well. Even if the Mercury drafted another guard, Miller would make a nice guard off the bench, especially since Westhead's system seems to be quite demanding.

Indiana sign Charlotte Smith and Olympia Scott

Well Smith is a tweener who can shoot and defend - an upgrade over Deanna Jackson in offence but also older and a bit slower nowadays. Scott is a post player who has seen better days and she may struggle to crack the roster (another case of hoping players will relive their better playing days)