Coaching Vacancy Shockers & Semifinals Reactions

Summary

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No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show

Episode: Coaching Vacancy Shockers & Semifinals Reactions
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Hosts: Zena Keda, Chantel Jennings, Sabrina Merchant, and Ben Pickman

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1. Introduction

In this episode of No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show, host Zena Keda welcomes listeners to a deep dive into recent coaching changes within the WNBA and provides comprehensive reactions to the ongoing semifinal matchups. The discussion is enriched by insights from Athletic women's basketball writers Chantel Jennings, Sabrina Merchant, and Ben Pickman.

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2. Coaching Changes in the WNBA

a. LA Sparks and Kurt Miller's Departure

At [06:52], Ben Pickman discusses the unexpected exit of Kurt Miller from the LA Sparks. Miller was hired in 2023 with the mission to revitalize the team after two consecutive playoff misses. However, his tenure was marred by a series of player injuries, including Cameron Brink's ACL tear and Alicia Clarinton's retirement. These setbacks hindered the Sparks' progression toward contention, leading to Miller's dismissal shortly after the regular season ended.

Ben Pickman [07:56]: "The playoff drought extends for two more years. It's apparently getting to be something, an embarrassment for the ownership group of which Magic Johnson, a Laker legend, is part of."

b. Chicago Sky and Teresa Weatherspoon's Departure

Chantel Jennings provides an overview of Teresa Weatherspoon's surprising firing from the Chicago Sky after just one season ([10:50]). Despite leading a young team with promising talent like Camila Cardozo and Angel Reese, the Sky finished the season with a disappointing 13-27 record. The abrupt decision raised questions about the organization's criteria for success, especially given Weatherspoon's reputation and previous experience as a legendary player.

Chantel Jennings [12:36]: "When you see two coaches who were let go, you know, in situations that were never going to be that successful because of the roster around them, I think it raised a lot of eyebrows as to why those decisions were made."

c. Implications for the League

Zena Keda draws parallels between the firings in LA and Chicago, highlighting the emotional impact on players like Dericka Hamby, who voiced strong support for Miller ([08:40]). The dismissal of coaches who had built strong relationships with their players underscores a broader issue of management's strategic decisions versus player-centric leadership.

d. Potential Coaching Candidates

The hosts explore potential candidates for the vacant coaching positions, considering both current assistants and retired players. Names like Bri January and Christy Toliver emerge as frontrunners due to their strategic acumen and experience. Additionally, Lindsey Harding from the Lakers and Karima Christmas Kelly from the Indiana Fever are discussed as promising prospects.

Ben Pickman [25:20]: "Lindsey Harding... just moving to LA. It's right there."

Chantel Jennings emphasizes the growing pool of coaching talent within the WNBA and the potential for former players to transition into coaching roles, fostering a robust future for the league's leadership.

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3. Expansion Draft for Golden State Valkyries

The upcoming expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries is slated for December 6th ([67:08]). Ben Pickman outlines the basic mechanics of the draft, where each existing team protects six players, and Golden State selects one unprotected player from each team. The process mirrors the 2008 expansion draft for the Atlanta Dream.

Ben Pickman [68:00]: "It's very similar to the last time that there was an expansion draft in 2008 when the Atlanta Dream entered the WNBA."

Zena Keda highlights the strategic decisions GMs will face in protecting key players and the potential strategies Golden State might employ to build a competitive roster from scratch.

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4. Semifinals Reactions

a. Connecticut Sun vs. Minnesota Lynx

The game between the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx was a defensive showcase, concluding with a tight score of 73-70 in favor of Connecticut ([35:51]). Chantel Jennings recounts the intense atmosphere at Target Center, praising Connecticut's elite defense that effectively neutralized Minnesota's offensive strategies.

Ben Pickman [36:58]: "Connecticut's really good in game ones. It's the game twos that have given them."

Key highlights include Connecticut's ability to limit Nafisa Collier's impact and Minnesota's challenges in adjusting to the Sun's defensive prowess. The discussion delves into the tactical adjustments both teams may need to implement in upcoming games.

b. Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty

The matchup between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty was marked by New York's dominant defensive performance, leading to an 87-77 victory ([46:15]). Sabrina Merchant shares an entertaining anecdote about Sabrina Ionescu's interaction with celebrity fan Spike Lee, highlighting the electric atmosphere at Barclays Center.

Chantel Jennings [48:20]: "Leonnie Feebish... she is kind of the piece that is unlocking New York in a way that they were not unlocked last year."

New York's length and defensive versatility proved too formidable for the Aces, who struggled with spacing and defensive assignments. The hosts analyze key player performances, including Brianna Stewart's stellar 34-point game and Kelsey Plum's contributions despite Las Vegas's attempts to stifle her impact.

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5. Conclusion and Future Outlook

The episode concludes with predictions for upcoming games. Chantel Jennings anticipates Minnesota and Las Vegas to rebound in Game Two, while Ben Pickman remains hopeful for Las Vegas's resilience. The hosts also express excitement about the upcoming expansion draft and its potential to reshape the league.

Chantel Jennings [63:46]: "I think New York is going to win game two as well of this series."

Zena Keda emphasizes the strategic challenges ahead for both teams and the importance of continued accountability and investment in coaching roles to foster the league's growth.

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Notable Quotes

• Ben Pickman [07:56]: "The playoff drought extends for two more years. It's apparently getting to be something, an embarrassment for the ownership group of which Magic Johnson, a Laker legend, is part of."

• Chantel Jennings [10:50]: "Chicago finished 13 and 27 this year. In her first season, they failed to make the playoffs."

• Ben Pickman [25:20]: "Lindsey Harding... just moving to LA. It's right there."

• Chantel Jennings [48:20]: "Leonie Feebish... she is kind of the piece that is unlocking New York in a way that they were not unlocked last year."

• Chantel Jennings [63:46]: "I think Minnesota will end up getting game two of that series for some of the reasons you guys talked about and the adjustments that they can make."

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers an in-depth analysis of the WNBA's evolving coaching landscape and the strategic intricacies of the semifinal games. By addressing recent managerial shifts and providing detailed game breakdowns, No Offseason ensures that both die-hard and casual fans are well-informed and engaged with the sport's ongoing developments.

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For more detailed coverage and additional insights, visit The Athletic's website. Stay tuned for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

Transcript

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[Zena Keda]

For the Athletic. I'm Zena Keda and this is the Athletic Women's Basketball show brought to you by AT&T. Welcome back to the Athletic Women's Basketball show where we are here to talk all things women's hoops. Whether you're a die hard fan that eats, sleeps and breathes the game or just a casual fan to looking to find out where the heck did Connecticut learn that defense. Don't you worry, we got you. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast wherever you get your pods to stay up to date. And if you haven't noticed there's a lot of written content folks on the website so make sure you subscribe to the Athletic as well for that year round in depth coverage. I am joined today by Athletic women's basketball writers Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pickman. Yeah, we got them all folks I love when we have a full three on one situation. I just feel like the dumbest person in the room in the best way. Okay, we got a lot to learn today and we are going to talk about coaches. I know it's the playoffs. There's some exciting games that happen. Don't you worry. We're going to get to those games. But we got to talk coaches, folks, because a lot has happened since the end of the season, particularly for the bottom portion of the wnba. Teams that didn't make the playoffs started making some decisions around who they wanted to keep in their organization, particularly at the top, at the coaching position. So we're going to get into some recent firings that have happened and make maybe talk about what the process could look like for the hirings or at least who we think people should be hired for. All right, Chantelle, Sabrina, Ben, let's get into it. The first firing that went down this off season happened out on the West Coast. Kurt Miller leaving the LA Sparks. Sabrina, I'm going to turn to you. Can you walk us through what happened with Kurt Miller's leaving the LA Sparks?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah. So Kurt Miller was hired in 2023 after the Sparks had missed the playoffs for two years in a row, but they were pretty much devoid of any assets and like young talent, because of just a horrific general manager stint by Derek Fisher in the previous. Previous three seasons. So the understanding was that it was going to be something of a Runway to get the Sparks back to contention. And unfortunately for Kurt Miller, that was hampered significantly in the last two years by just a rash of injuries. You know, Cameron Brink tore her ACL this year. Alicia Clarinton was out intermittently each of the last two seasons. Ended up announcing their retirement recently. Lexi Brown's dealing with Crohn's disease, just on and on and on. A lot of roster instability. And, you know, the playoff drought extends for two more years. It's apparently getting to be something, an embarrassment for the ownership group of which Magic Johnson, a Laker legend, is part of. He gives an interview to the LA Times saying that he needs to be more involved. That's on him. Would not give a goat of a vote of confidence to Kurt Miller going forward. And lo and behold, a week after the regular season is over, there goes Kurt Miller's tenure in Los Angeles.

[Zena Keda]

And it seems as if it was a bit of a surprise. There were comments around Twitter from fans and such that said, particularly after that last playoff, the, excuse me, the last regular season games in the way that Rekia Jackson was Utilized. Some people had thoughts about Kurt Miller's usage of her throughout the second half of the season, et cetera. But the thing that stood out to me was particularly Dericka Hamby's comments around Kurt Miller's firing. And for those of you that don't know there was a connection built between the two of them in the way that Kurt Miller defended her. Can you shed a little bit more light on that kind of dynamic between the two of them? Yeah.

[Ben Pickman]

So it's been a really emotional time for Derek Gahamby since she arrived in Los Angeles, which coincided with the start of Kurt Miller's tenure in la. She was traded from the Aces while she was pregnant and proceeded to file a lawsuit against the Las Vegas Aces for discriminatory treatment, you know, while she was pregnant, and has been dealing with the fallout of the WNBA investigation and the lawsuit over the last two seasons. She played the entirety of last season, about two months after she gave birth to legend, was when the season started in 2023, and she ended up playing the full 40 games, the only member of the Sparks to actually do so. She ends up having the very best season of her WNBA career in 2024 under Kurt. Develops a really good relationship with him, even just personally. The way that he supported her throughout this entire ordeal with the Aces in the lawsuit clearly meant a lot to her. The way that her family was involved with the team. You know, you always saw her daughter around, you always saw her son around. So clearly there was a very deep personal bond that was formed between the two of them, in addition to the fact that Kurt was able to bring out the very best in her as a basketball player. So, yeah, I think all of that sort of came to the fore in Deorica's statement on Twitter after the firing that, you know, this is. This is deeper than just you being my coach. Like, this is a man who is in my life. I'm going to ride by him. And, you know, it's just. It's too bad that those personal connections have to be severed in, like, the name of basketball.

[Zena Keda]

And what's so interesting and, like, why I bring up that Derick and Hamby connection is because the situation in LA is actually quite similar to the other situation in the Midwest, in Chicago, in terms of these coaches that were brought upon a team with unstable rosters and, you know, difficult circumstances around the team and built these really deep connections with their players and then ended up being fired. Now, the other team I'm talking about, folks, is Chicago sky and Teresa Weatherspoon who had very similar sentiments around her firing. Ben, can you walk us through what happened with Teresa Weatherspoon and the Chicago Sky?

[Chantelle Jennings]

So last week, at the end of last week, on Thursday night, Annie Costell of the Chicago Sun Times first reported that the sky were moving on for Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season. Frankly, it was not even a full 12 months. She had been only employed for around 11 months, having been hired in October of last year. News then became official on Friday morning when Nadia Rawlinson, their operating chairperson, released a statement announcing that the team had moved on from Theresa Witherspoon. You know, Chicago finished 13 and 27 this year. In her first season, they failed to make the playoffs. But it was a team that was a young team. It was largely rebuilding, though that was a word they were hesitant to always use. It had two top 10 picks in Camila Cardozo and Angel Reese. It had Kennedy Carter having, you know, I think what is a career year for her, at least finding a home in a way that she didn't in some of her prior WNBA stops. And yeah, I think it was a shock because, like, la, like a decision was made based on some kind of evaluation, but about a team that didn't really have expectations to win a championship or go on a deep postseason run. And so when you see then a coach, you know, it's the unfortunate part of the business, which is what a lot of coaches this weekend kind of talked about when they were fired or when they were asked about the firings. But when you see two coaches who were let go, you know, in situations that were never going to be that successful because of the roster around them, I think it raised a lot of eyebrows as to why those decisions were made. What management thought, who's making the decision? Is it a gm? Is it ownership? There was just a lot of fallout from each of those respective positions. With Weatherspoon, though, more so because, again, she had, you know, been an assistant in the NBA for a little bit. She's obviously a legendary player as well. So that was also some of the context with that move, too.

[Zena Keda]

And that's the thing. I appreciate you mentioning that there was hesitancy and surprise because I'm not gonna lie to you, I don't remember how or when I first saw it come through my phone, but when I saw Teresa Weatherspoon was fired, I don't think I've ever done this, but I literally went like the comic, like, gasp. Like, I really. What? What? How? Why? And I, I want to ask you guys in the reporting that you've done in the conversations that you're having it. If you read the Chicago Sun Times piece, there was conversation about the exit interviews with players, there was conversation about how Teresa Weatherspoon was received. Can you give a little bit of light as to like, what were some of the factors that may have influenced this decision?

[Chantelle Jennings]

Yeah, I mean, I think that is, you know, frankly, one of the broad looming questions that nobody has definitive answers to. Xena. So I appreciate you asking the question, but I think, you know, when a decision like this is made, as I was saying, it's hard to think it is only made because of a record. Right. Because this is a coach who is put in a position with a roster that they are given and you know, it is a team in that also traded away one of, if not their best player mid season in Marina Mabry, who's currently starring for the Connecticut Sun. And that was not a move that made them better. It made them worse. Right. And they dealt with a lot of injuries. And so it's a coach who, you know, in theory, from an on court product perspective, this past season was probably not set up in the best position to succeed. Especially when you compare Chicago's roster to New York, Las Vegas, Minnesota, Connecticut, any of the teams in the postseason. So look like I think that is the question right now that a lot of people have is why was this decision made? Was it purely because of encore performance this year? Was it because of factors we're not sure about? Was it because of internal relationship matters between a team? Was it because of something that no one has suspected? Those are some of the looming questions right now that I think people have because we just don't know. And when you see a move like this after just one season, you know, I think it creates some pause because again, it wasn't a spot that had championship expectations. Right. If you think to like the NBA and some of the surprising recent firings like Adrian Griffin, he was the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks last year and he was fired after not even a full season. He didn't, I want to say it was half of a season, but that was a team that management deemed, you know, was not on the path to championship contention as they hoped. Right. Milwaukee hoped to, you know, win the NBA title or make the Finals last year. And they did not seem, or management deemed that they did not seem to be on that path under Adrian Griffin. And so they made a quick change and brought in Doc Rivers. This situation in the WNBA was not like that with Chicago. Again, so that I think is why this situation and this firing was so puzzling to so many around the league.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, that Adrian Griffin example is very interesting, particularly because he was in a. He had a winning record at the time that he was terminated. And it was. That was particularly puzzling for folks. But with Teresa Weatherspoon particularly, it seems as if the number one thing circling around that conversation is the emotion around it. The way that she galvanized the Chicago sky to be this really, really great team despite having all of these issues facing them in terms of injuries, in terms of instability. Marina Mabry leaving, she. She was that coach that you quote, unquote, could run through a wall. Now, this was her very first WNBA coaching stint. Kurt Miller had previously coached at the Connecticut Sun. What do you think that the rest of the league, in terms of what she was able to do this year, maybe from conversations you've had or maybe your own personal opinion, what do you think Teresa Weatherspoon has done for herself in terms of creating a resume that another team would want to pick up?

[Ben Pickman]

I would say it's something of a mixed bag because the Sky, I would argue for most of the season exceeded expectations. You know, they were in the top eight from July 1st all the way through, you know, the final week of the regular season. And I think you could forgive most of the shortcomings based on just the talent pool and the roster. Right. Like once they traded Marina Mabry, once Kennedy Carter was out with injury and health and safety protocols, just they didn't have enough talent to compete with the other teams. And that's not really her fault. Whereas you could point to the development of Camila Cardoso and Angel Reese and the fact that Carter was finally utilized and seemed to buy into a WNBA situation for the first time since she was really drafted in 2020. Then you also look at the fact that it was reported that Marina Mabry asked out of Chicago, and Dana Evans also said that she had made a trade request at one point that wasn't honored. And, you know, there's reports of dysfunction. And the fact that, you know, she was let go after one year doesn't exactly speak the greatest of how that season went in Chicago. So I'm not sure what this really does for her in terms of getting her another head coaching job right away in this league. I think you'll probably have to see her maybe like, be a lead assistant somewhere or find another way back because, you know, if this job in the right, in theory with Chicago, which didn't have the expectations of competing right away, she couldn't hold on to this job. I'm not sure what other role is immediately ready for her in the W.

[Zena Keda]

Well, I know there's a lot of talk amongst fans about maybe having an opportunity for her to learn more offensive strategy and being able to be a lead assistant somewhere where that that's something that she could develop and things of that sort. But again, you really never know until a person is in the right position in the right mix. And I think that that is what all of these organizations have the challenge of finding in the next person who can we put into this situation where you've got players that have publicly said they're disgruntled about the fact that their coaches are gone, but they still obviously have championship hopes and they want to be in a position where the next coach does come in and make a difference. It's going to be a very interesting process. Of course, everyone remembers the process with Phoenix Mercury finding their newest coach in Nate Tibbets. Now he came from the NBA atmosphere. Chantelle, I'm going to bring you in here because the the pool of trying to find women's basketball coaches for the wnba, I don't know how big it is and I'd love to get a little bit of context. You can look in the NBA world, you can look in the the rest of the WNBA world, but there's also the concept of looking in the coaching, the college coaching world. How attractive is a job in the WNBA right now as a head coach, especially considering all the visibility that the league is getting right now?

[Magic Johnson]

I think the job is as attractive as management makes it. And that's probably specific to the number of commas in the paycheck, I would assume. You know, I've been texting with some agents and people I know asking about these jobs and they said if Chicago or LA is anteing up some Nate Tibbets or Becky Hammond money, those are great jobs. The thing about WNBA contracts that I've learned is that they're a little bit shorter than college contracts though. And so there's not as much stability, I guess at the WNBA level as there is at the college level where you have coaches first time head coaches signing five or six year deals like we've seen in this last off season. And so you're really looking at sort of there is the money part, but there's also the values part. And I think in order for a coach to go from the college level specifically to the pros to the wnba, it's going to be interesting because College just currently pays better. You've got 57 coaches at public schools that we're aware of where their finances are public to us that make half a million or more every year. 75% of coaches in the W probably don't make that. And so for them to become competitive for these head coaches at the college level, they either need to pay more or you need to have a coach who sort of is willing to take a pay cut for reasons outside, outside of, you know, the obvious. And there aren't a ton of coaches that I've thought of that really fit into that category, the one I'll throw out there. And it's, you know, this isn't based on reporting. I don't think that she's being pursued currently. But it's just an example of someone who would have other reasons perhaps to look at a WNBA job would be someone like Joanie Taylor, where she's at Texas A and m. She makes 1.5 million a year there. So if a team came after her and, you know, brought her up to a Nate Tibbets or Becky Hammond like salary, that's not that much different. But then she also is married to Darius Taylor, who's the GM of the Connecticut Sun. So she and her husband could sort of be on the same schedule. That might be kind of attractive to her. But also, as we know from our reporting last year with the anonymous coaches poll, 54% of coaches that we talked to said that the changes in college basketball recently with a transfer portal in NIL has made them think they'll stay in college basketball shorter than before these changes. And so you can imagine a world where a college coach says, I will take a little bit of a pay cut in order to not have to deal with the transfer portal, to not have to deal with nil. I'm not saying that these are specific to Joni Taylor. She is just an example of someone who might have, when you're looking at those examples of someone who might see the WNB as an attractive place, she could. And we should also, you know, point out the fact that she has so many ties to USA Basketball, I think she'll probably be in the running to be the coach of the 2028 team. There is better lineup with the national team and the WNBA schedule in a lot of ways than the college basketball schedule and the Team USA schedule.

[Zena Keda]

That's interesting. And I mean, I, I always love a speculation. If Joanie listens to the, to the podcast, you know, we're not putting you out there. A officially but it'd be very interesting to see. And it's true. I mean if I am a college coach, I think there's a lot of people that are starting to see the line between the amateur game and the pro game blur a little bit when it comes to the way that teams are structured teams, players are basically choosing their teams even after they've been recruited. So it does feel a little bit of pro ish. Now you guys know I'm always throw out a little bit of a hype, hypothetical, a little bit out there of a question. We all saw Steve Nash go from being a player to a coach without really any experience in between, that it wasn't a great or a positive out turn up, you know, with the Brooklyn Nets. But it happens. Is there a player right now that is either retired? I'm. I have one in mind but is retired, maybe doesn't have any coaching experience. But you'd be like, hey, they could be a really good coach in LA or in, in Chicago. Because I feel like, you know, Teresa Weatherspoon kind of was that outside of her stint as a coach, you know, at Louisiana Tech, any players come to mind that you guys would have as a potential player coach.

[Chantelle Jennings]

I mean, Zena, you kind of gave us an out when you phrase this question by throwing in the word retired. Because frankly the two names that I think are, you know, future head coaches to be, whether it's in this cycle or in future cycles or beyond. January. January, who's a current assistant coach for the Connecticut sun and Christy Toliver, who's a current assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury. You know, both I think have played instrumental roles in the success of each of their teams this year. Bri January in her second year under Steph Whitestaff. I think it's a staff that is highly regarded around the league for both player development but also what they do strategically on a night in and night out basis. Christy Toliver played a really important role on Nate Tibbetts staff. I mean he was a first year WNBA head coach coming over from the NBA. I think she played a huge role in kind of being a go between or being a voice in that locker room as a former player in the league. But she also, you know, this was a new WNBA full time coaching gig for her but she had some past coaching experiences with the Washington Wizards in the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks as well during her off season. So someone who again has been in the coaching seat for a while. So those are two names that you know, when we ask people around the league, like, are often thrown out as future head coaches. You know, it's unclear if that's going to be this year, in this cycle or in future years. But as first timers go, like, those are definitely two names to watch, for sure.

[Zena Keda]

And Sabrina Ben didn't pick my person that I'm thinking of. And as a Duke grad, I am hoping you'll know who I'm talking about.

[Ben Pickman]

I assume you mean Lindsey Harding, right?

[Zena Keda]

Yes, yes, yes. Thinking about Lindsey Harding.

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah. G League Coach of the year for the Sacramento G League team this past season. Newly minted assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers this year. I know she was in the running for the Duke women's job before Carol Lawson ended up getting that back in 2020. So been in these circles for a little while. The fact that she just took a new job is a little interesting to me in terms of, you know, getting a W job. But hey, like, nbsp she's just moving to la.

[Zena Keda]

You know, it's right there.

[Ben Pickman]

It's right there.

[Zena Keda]

Magic Johnson, do your job, sir. Do your job. Lindsey's already in town, people. She's already there.

[Ben Pickman]

That's a name on my list for sure. And there's two jobs in California that are open, you know, not just the LA job. The Golden State job is also going to be available.

[Chantelle Jennings]

So you could have also thrown out another Duke alumnus for future head coaching candidates in Karima Christmas Kelly, who has been a former player Duke grad and who's been on the Indiana Fever staff for each of the last two years. Obviously a staff that is priding itself on player development and getting the most out of young talent. So again, she is someone who last year when we did some anonymous polling with some GMs, her name came up in some conversations as a potential future head coach. So again, who knows if she would actually be interested in any of these opportunities in the short term. But another former player, retired player and Duke grad to watch in this conversation.

[Zena Keda]

Oh, I like it. I like it. I just think there's always just a little bit of an extra add on when you've got a person that also played. Right. I think that that's what people were so excited about with Teresa Weatherspoon in terms of her players. They felt like they could run through a wall for her because she had ran through walls as a player. She was that. That was her charisma as a player. Now, I'm going to wrap this up and asking you all about, you know, which one is particularly when you're thinking about the the next three open WNBA jobs that would be the LA Sparks, the Golden State Valkyries and the Chicago Sky. I definitely want to get your opinion, all three of you, on which one is probably the most attractive job. But I also want to get from you guys an idea of what these organizations need with the rosters they have in the situations that they are in and the history that they've had in the last two, particularly two to three seasons. What do they need in order to be successful with this next coaching position? So out of those three, which one is the most attractive and what does each one of those teams need?

[Ben Pickman]

Well, I'll start with Golden State, which I think is the most attractive job just because you have a very deep pocketed ownership group with Joe Lacob and the warriors staff that are, you know, also owning the Valkyries and have already projected a five year timeline for when they win their first title. So clearly there's a lot of, a lot of momentum and excitement and enthusiasm into this, which we don't always see with the Sparks in Sky ownership. So I think that is the most exciting job. But I think because of the way expansion works, there's going to be an expansion draft. They have to build an entire roster from scratch. I don't necessarily know that you want a veteran head coach right away unless they decide to just forego all young players and take only veterans in the expanded draft, which is fine. That's totally a valid strategy. I just think that you'd probably want more of a player development type in Golden State just to make sure that you know, you're going to have presumably a lot of young players coming in, making sure that this is an atmosphere that they can grow in and you know, not setting enormous expectations upon them right away.

[Zena Keda]

I like that. That's good insight. Chantel, what about you?

[Magic Johnson]

I agree with Sabrina. I think even in the brief conversations that I've had with folks since LA and Chicago became open, like the Bay Area job is just sort of like outside of that. Like obviously it's a little bit different because it is an expansion team and we have no idea who's going to be there. We won't know for a little bit. But I just think that it's like new and shiny and different and there's an opportunity to mold it into something that it hasn't been. And I also think that in that way whoever walks into the LA and the Chicago job is going to be sort of repairing things that they didn't necessarily break. They're going to have to be, you know, a fixer in some ways. And whoever comes into the San Francisco job is there's a clean slate. It's. Everyone's going to be new. Everything is new. Everything is bright and shiny. And so I think in that way, there's just sort of, you know, it's just a different opportunity. I kind of put that in a different. In a different grouping from LA and Chicago.

[Zena Keda]

That makes sense. But it's so interesting the way you say that in terms of the coaches for Chicago and LA are gonna have to be fixers, because that's essentially what. But Kurt and Teresa Weatherspoon were. They were fixers, and it just didn't work. So now they're gonna have to find a different type of a fixer. Ben, which job do you think is the most interesting and attractive?

[Chantelle Jennings]

Yeah, I think we're all on the same page here about Golden State. I mean, for me, it's Golden State, then LA and then Chicago. And I guess, you know, on the front of Chicago, like this will be their, I guess, third head coach in as many seasons, James, fourth. Excuse me, James Wade, Emre Vatensever, who, you know, served as the interim and Also the interim GM during the end of, I guess, last season, 2023 season, Teresa Weatherspoon, and then whoever is the replacement. So Sabrina corrected me on my math smartly. You just have organizational instability in a way that you don't in some of these other jobs. I think, you know, LA remains to be certain. But, you know, even with someone like Angel Reese, even with a building block in Cardozo, like, it starts with ownership. And I think, as Sabrina wrote about on the site for. For Monday, like, there's so many questions. And Chicago right now, like, you know, yes, they're going to eventually, sooner than later, move into a new facility, but there's still questions about investment. It's a franchise that historically has invested less than some of its other counterparts around the league. There's been a talent exodus, whether that as a coach in James Wade, whether that has been players in Courtney Vandersloot and Candace Parker and Kalia Copper and Emma Misiman. You could go down the list of players who, you know, have been key contributors for Chicago in recent years who are no longer with the franchise. So, you know, from that perspective, I think that job is one that it's going to be really interesting to see who takes it. What kind of coach is it? A veteran coach who's just looking for another head coaching opportunity and views the challenge as someone exciting. Is it A first time coach who says, you know, who looks at Teresa Weatherspoon getting fired after one year and says that's not me. You know, I can be here longer than that and you know, maybe bet my whole future in this fit. Like I don't know. And that's the question. I think with the Chicago job in particular, that loom is pretty large here.

[Ben Pickman]

The only thing I will say about the LA and Chicago jobs that makes them slightly more attractive is that the coaches who were just fired were hired before their general managers. But now at least the organization have the order right. Like the general managers are in place, they will be the ones hiring the head coaches. So that's like a little bit, you know, a little bit more incentive potentially that maybe these organizations have a little bit more going in their favor than they did during the last hiring cycle.

[Zena Keda]

Now, Chantelle, Ben and Sabrina are reporters, proper journalists, so they can't say the things that I'm about to say. But I think Kurt and Teresa being fired was the wrong decision. I think you need a little bit more ramp up time and a little bit more lead time in order to build or fix the things as you know. Chantelle beautifully said, fix things that they didn't necessarily break. So I am going to say that for the record and whoever else is coming in to these roles, they're going to have their challenge ahead of them. But it is a good thing that the way that the WNBA has had eyeballs on it this season particularly, there is a lot of people are going to be held accountable to making sure that these teams are in the best position they can be. So I appreciate Magic Johnson saying that he wants to get his hands more involved. I'm happy GMs are in position to be able to make the decision for their head coaches so that they're all on the same page. And I'm all excited about the Golden State Valkyries, obviously because I'm in the bay, but obviously more roles for teams to have players and obviously another opportunity for, you know, a coach to come in and be able to make an impact. So Chantelle, Ben, Sabrina, thanks for giving us that insight. Chantelle, I'll let you have the last word.

[Magic Johnson]

I think the other exciting part of this is that you now have three head coaches who are going to hire three more staffs. And we were talking about the potential coaching pool for the future of the WNBA for head coaches. And you see in other leagues sort of assistants becoming head coaches. And the more teams there are, the more franchises there are, the more this League continues to grow, the more coaches they add to their staff. You know, the NBA, it's limitless. WNBA is limited. And so, you know, it'll be really interesting to see not only who the head coaches are that are hired, but who they choose to put on these staffs. Especially in LA and Chicago, you know, you have those young building blocks. You have Angel, Reese, Camila Cardoso, Rekia Jackson, Cambrink. These players that you can have player development coaches really pour into and sort of prove their worth and metal and, and really make their resume as expansion teams come down the pike and put themselves in position to really step into the head coaching seat.

[Zena Keda]

You just said that way more beautifully than I can. And I will say if I can look on an NBA, on a WNBA roster and see nine seats for coaches alone, not even players. Okay? Just like I see every single time I turn on an NBA game and I'm like, is that the team or just the scouts? Like, this is crazy. That's the level of seats I want for a WNBA team. So that's, that's definitely the goal. Well, I appreciate you guys giving us that insight. Let's shift our attention now to the playoffs because of course that's the big thing that's happening right now. In our faces. Huge, huge matchups between the Las Vegas Aces in the New York Liberty and the Connecticut sun in Minnesota. And as always, I'mma push the Aces and the Liberty to the side for a second. I gotta talk about Connecticut and Minnesota. What a crazy game. A game under 73 points for both teams at least you know, Minnesota got 70, Connecticut got 73. Connecticut stealing a game on the road to open up. They must have listened to this pod cuz we didn't give them that credit. We ain't give it to em. We said that they would lose the two at Minnesota. Wait, wait, Ben, why is your face confused?

[Chantelle Jennings]

I mean, I, I picked them to win in five games which involves. You did, but did game in the. I didn't provide an order. But don't make it seem like I.

[Zena Keda]

Gave them no credit here. Okay? Okay.

[Ben Pickman]

Connecticut's really good in game ones. It's the game twos that have given them.

[Zena Keda]

It's the game twos that are questionable. But they showed up in game one. So. Chantelle, I'm going straight to you. You were in the building for that game and Minnesota, I think, you know, I think I heard Ryan Ruko talk about just them being a knowledgeable fan base and I feel it, I feel it through the screen of just like how passionate they are about screaming. They are literally a sixth woman out there on the court. And it was a tough environment for Connecticut to show up in. And that's exactly what they did, set the scene for us. What was it like in Target Center?

[Magic Johnson]

It was a lot of fun. It was one of those games where, like, midway through the third quarter, I was like, why am I sore right now? And then I realized I was like, clenching every muscle in my body through the first, like, hour and a half of the game. And I had to remind myself, like, relax, like, have some water.

[Zena Keda]

You're not playing.

[Magic Johnson]

I'm not playing. But it was just like, I wrote about this in the story that night.

[Ben Pickman]

But it.

[Magic Johnson]

It had the feel really from early on of a game that was going to be low scoring. And so every play really mattered. There weren't going to be, like, you could sense every turnover was like, oh, it was like three turnovers. Or like, every missed shot was like, oh, like. And, you know, the bunnies that were missed and those sort of things. It's. It was almost like negative points because players knew that there were just going to be fewer opportunities in a game like this where the defense was so elite. And I think the other thing I'll say about it was that I was talking to Ben and Sabrina about this today, that you appreciate the defense in the moment. I think you watch the game and you're just like, these are two excellent, active, smart defensive teams. But I think I've rewatched that final offense from Minnesota and the defense from Connecticut like, 20 times today. And just watching the activity of Connecticut and the switching and how everyone is just so active on the sun for those final 11 seconds, like, it's just elite. It's really fun to watch. And, you know, I'm someone like, I love offense. Give me 110 points. Like, let's put it up. But this is a series that's been really, really fun to watch because it's just everything matters. And I think that brings the best out in players. And I think it's why we're going to see Minnesota really respond in game two for sure.

[Zena Keda]

Now, talking about, you know, these are the league's two best defensive teams. Is there any, like, history on low scoring games in the wnba? Is that the lowest scoring? I'm not sure if you guys know any of that.

[Magic Johnson]

It's not the lowest scoring. I know in 2022, Connecticut beat Chicago 68, 63. So that was lower scoring and that was in the semis. But this definitely isn't the rule, it's more of the expectation, I would say, as we get to playoff basketball.

[Zena Keda]

There you go. Okay, now thinking about that last play, Nafisa Collier putting up that very failed three smothered by Connecticut defense. I'm not going to say that this was the story of the game, but when you think about the fact that Nafisa Collier had freaking 80 points in the first two games of the playoffs and had 19, which isn't bad, but had 19 in comparison. You know, I want to talk a little bit about the defense aspect of this game, Sabrina. When you look at the Connecticut defense and what they were able to do not only for Nafisa Collier, but also limiting Minnesota's three point game, like, how did they neutralize Nafisa Collier coming into this game and really focus on making her less of a factor?

[Ben Pickman]

You know, I think Collier actually brought this up really well in one of those in quarter interviews where they were sending a second defender or basically right when Collier caught it a lot of the time, unless she was like in perfect spacing, you know, like one in, four out, which Minnesota, for all of their gifts, like, just couldn't get to that configuration as often as they wanted to. And then like the help was just everywhere. Like the hands were everywhere. I think, you know, I mentioned this in the preview. Like Minnesota, I believe, has like one of the most modern offenses in the wnba. Just like with the way they move the ball around, the way they space, everybody's taking threes, they shoot threes at the highest clip in the wnba. Connecticut, like, has the most modern defense because they're so switchable, they're so versatile. They can, you know, get everywhere, they can defend every kind of action. And one thing I didn't really realize until this game was Minnesota's a little bit smaller. Like I look at the way, like the Liberty are able to navigate the Connecticut defense and it helps. Their players are just taller and can see through windows a little bit better. And you know, Alyssa Thomas is still only 6:2 for all of her gifts. And you look at Minnesota and Alana Smith is a little undersized and. And Fisa Collier is only 6:2. Like all of their players, I wouldn't say they're among the biggest for their position. So the windows just get smaller when Connecticut is guarding you. And because like it's harder for Courtney Williams to see above a trap than it is like for Sabrina nescu, who's about 3, 4 inches taller than her. So that was something that just stood out to me. Like, I Never thought of Minnesota as a particularly undersized team, but Connecticut didn't necessarily make them look slow, but they made them look a little bit smaller. And that just made every decision a little bit rushed to try to make it through those windows.

[Magic Johnson]

Yeah, I think to follow up on that, like, the windows specifically were really, really small. When you looked at the high ball scre action, like they were getting switches where Nafisa was getting some mismatches in the post, but then whoever was guarding, you know, if it was Courtney Williams up top, who is, you know, initiating the screening action, like there just was, like there wasn't enough time to get it into the post before Connecticut could switch back or before the double could come and get on Nafisa. Like, I think what was there in the Phoenix game where she was getting, you know, some of those easier inside buckets, like it was just three or four seconds later, two or three seconds later, because kinetic, it was so good and so long on the perimeter defense that it was like they just weren't allowing the entry passes quite as easily.

[Zena Keda]

They weren't allowing much. Okay. Particularly, I mean, that last play was very much indicative of the type of defense they played all game, but it was just unrelenting and definitely a lot more difficult than. I don't know if I would say that Minnesota was probably prepared for it, but now I got to think about how is Minnesota going to bounce back knowing that this is. Is the other best defensive team in the league, knowing that they've got their length, knowing that they're at full strength and that they've got the offensive power firepower of Marina Mabry on the other end of things? How does Minnesota bounce back offensively? How do you take that, that modern offense and shift around the fact that Connecticut is long, they're tall, they're active, they're. They're focused, they're. They're locked the hell in.

[Ben Pickman]

I mean, I think part of it is you would just expect Minnesota to shoot a little bit better. You know, they shot really well.

[Zena Keda]

Just one point range, one to two more threes, they would have been in, right?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, yeah. That basically is the margin of the game right there. Like, I know we're talking about Minnesota losing a game, but as it has been the case every time these two teams have met over the course of the regular season, one possession swings a different way. It's an entirely different outcome. But yeah, you know, Minnesota made 38% of their threes during the regular season. They shot 5 of 20 against Connecticut on Sunday. Marina Mabry made more threes than Minnesota as a team altogether. Some of those were just like open looks, like Cale McBride missing from the corner. Like there was a one corner three pointer that like somebody shot off the backboard and it went out. And like, I realize Connecticut rushes you into things. It makes you think about those shots a little bit quicker. But I do think that in general, Minnesota is just going to shoot a little better. Like they have been making shots at a very high rate all season. I don't think that that's going to sustain, you know, at this pace during the entirety of this five game series. But also like, Connecticut made an adjustment from their last regular season game. Like what Chantelle talked about with the high ball screen coverage is like, they were sending the help to the roller a lot quicker than they were during their last regular season game. And that clearly messed up Minnesota. So now Minnesota has to make an adjustment of like, okay, well if the roller is going to get tagged, then maybe we have to skip it out the other way. And like, if Atlanta Smith is, you know, out on the wing open or Caleb McBride or somebody, like, there just has to be a second decision point there so that they're not just consistently doing exactly what Connecticut wants them to do.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, Connecticut, I felt like this kept reading their, whatever triangle offense they were trying to have in terms of angles and getting themselves, getting themselves in position to get the ball in and out. Connecticut was taking away that option completely. Yeah, this is going to be very, very interesting to see Cheryl Reeve, you know, cook some stuff up, up. I wanted to ask you guys if there was any unsung heroes because of course when you look at Connecticut on the, on the Connecticut side, Marina may be going six of 11 from three, you know, at being one assist shy of a triple double. 17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists. I mean, it. Those, those players stood out in their impact on the game. Was there any, anyone that particularly stood out to you that may have not gotten the spotlight?

[Magic Johnson]

I mean, I think Dijonay Carrington's 13 points, nine rebounds. Like, again, this is a game that's decided by three points, where it feels like any play could have made a difference. And so every single rebound really, really matters. And when you have someone rebounding from the guard position like that, including two offensive boards, like, those plays really can make a difference. But I think one thing I want to call out in terms of looking Forward to Game 2, specifically for Minnesota, when we're thinking about that ball screen action, is that Chechy Zander Lasini sat out and She's a player who comes off the bench for Minnesota and gives them a little bit more length on the perimeter. And when we're thinking about getting the ball into Nafisa Collier, but also being a three point shooting threat, that kind of clears space a bit for the post to work more. She's a 44% three point shooter through the regular season. She's someone that could really make a difference. Cheryl Reeves said after the game that holding her out was more precautionary, that they were taking a long term approach with it. And so I would expect her. Though we don't have any definitive word yet from Minnesota on her availability for game two. But if she's available, that's one other player, another perimeter player, someone with more length that can maybe get those passes wrapped around 2ft in the post. That could make a really big difference coming off the bench for Minnesota.

[Zena Keda]

All right, let's switch it on over to the other series. Las Vegas Aces vs. The New York Liberty. Ben, you were in the building for that game. Don't know if you got a perfect look at Spike Lee talking crap to kp, but give us a little bit of an insight of what the feeling was like out in Barclays Center.

[Chantelle Jennings]

I mean, my favorite Spike Lee story so far that I've observed or a little factoid is that there have been a lot of celebrities who to go to these games at Barclays center throughout the year. Musicians, actors, comedians, different kinds of entertainers. Spike is one of the few people who I've actually seen stay on the court, like at his courtside seat through halftime. So a lot of people of the famous people who go to Barclays center end up going to the Crown Club where they schmooze and have food and drinks and whatever else happens in the Crown Club. I don't really know for the 15 minute half, but you know, Spike was out there. He was watching Ja Rule, who was the halftime performer at game two of the Atlanta Series and at Game one, Slick Rick was the performer and Spike was into it, you know, supporting fellow musicians, you know, who are delight in the crowd. So that's a Spike Lee story for you. I think the one you were really asking for, Xena though is about his connection to Sabrina Ionescu. He showed up wearing a Sabrina Ionescu jersey jersey to game one after not wearing a Sabrina jersey when he showed up to the prior game he attended. And look, there was a great moment in the fourth quarter in which Sabrina Unescu paused for a second while she was on the left wing just in front of Spike Lee. She paused for a second. She checked her feet to make sure she was behind the three point line. She buried a three pointer, she kind of skipped backwards. New York, you know, had just now led by 11 points. And Sabrina, as she did like, she pointed right at Spike Lee as she moved backwards down the floor. And it's clear that there is this kind of like fun bonding connection between the two. I mean, she said after the Atlanta game that when she had to high five Spike Lee before a basket, she scored, that she felt like New York was just injected into her veins. She mentioned post game on Sunday night that Spike was actually one of her first, the first people that called her after she was drafted by the New York Liberty. And that was kind of an anecdote that Unescu volunteered, she said for the first time. So. So, you know, Spike Lee definitely becoming a big Liberty fan through this postseason run, a clear supporter of the team, and it's been fun to see him out there. I think the players have really enjoyed it.

[Zena Keda]

I just loved Sabrina saying that she felt like New York was injected into her veins after Spike Lee dapped her up. And I would feel like that too. It does feel like a rite of passage to be on the sidelines or be running down a sideline with Spike Lee chirping in your ear. I feel like this series between the Aces and the New York Liberty is a perfect setting for the chirping because of this dynamic between the two of them. And this game was the final score, of course, with 87, New York Liberty, Las Vegas 77. I personally feel as if the Vegas Aces couldn't have played worse, but I know that they've also lost to the New York Liberty three times this regular season already. And I think the New York Liberty couldn't have played even better than they than they did. I think they played electric, they played connected, the ball was moving. They were just all over the place. So I'm kind of like, okay, maybe this is a great thing for the next game, that if the Aces play a little bit better and the Liberty stay where they're at, we're going to get an even more competitive game like the one we saw with Connecticut and Minnesota. But let's talk a little bit about that. The way that New York Liberties showed up and how perfect they were, Briana Stewart went the hell off. And it wasn't even apparent from the beginning. It was slow, methodical scoring. Then towards the end of the game, I think in the second quarter, third quarter, it was like, okay, this Is Brianna Stewart. How does this performance to open up this series compared to her performance in the playoffs last year versus the Aces? And how should the Aces react, slash, adjust to her?

[Chantelle Jennings]

Yeah, I mean, Stewie struggled throughout last year's postseason. Now, she would tell you that she had a lot going on in her life around that time. Her wife, Marta, was pregnant with their second child. Marta's father died. I believe it was in early October, right around the time of the Finals as well. And so, you know, she was immediately thrust into the grief process and the grieving journey. I think they flew out to Las Vegas, New York did on the day of his death or on the day right after or shortly around there. So, you know, she was certainly working through a lot as the Finals came about, and she had struggled a little bit in the lead up throughout the postseason. You know, I know you said that you thought New York probably couldn't have played much better. I mean, I thought there's still plenty of room for improvement for New York overall. I mean, Stewie, she scored 20 points in the first half. She was great. I mean, awesome in the first half. And she ends up with 34 overall. For me, though, this was a team win. And I wrote about this on the site. Like, the word is length. That was kind of the buzzword for me on Saturday and Sunday. And I had kind of asked Brianna Stewart, like, to clarify what her wingspan was. The New York Liberty media guide initially listed it at 6, 10, and 3/4. And so I asked her postgame because I had read in some other interviews, you know, it's listed at 7:1. And I asked her for a clarification there. And she said, I thought my wingspan was 7:1. And she kind of extended her arms and made a joke about how hard it is to find long sleeves that fit her. And everyone in the room kind of laughed. And look, she's not alone in having some incredible length, right? Benija Laney has a positive wingspan. Six three, six foot three and three quarters. She stands at only six feet tall. Johns, her wingspan is nearly 610. She stands at around six feet. Leonie Feebish is six foot four. And so, you know, New York is able to just throw long, strong bodies at the Las Vegas Aces, they could switch everything. They could rotate, you know, and not have to over rotate or over help or rotate back to their original matchups because they have such positional versatility on the defensive end. And you really saw that frustrating different players on the Las Vegas Aces. Yes. Kelsey plumb finishes with 24 points. Yes, Jackie Young finishes with 17, but Becky Hammond said that she felt like Jackie wore down a little bit as the game went on. Kelsey Plum, you know, she really had an incredible Spurt in the third quarter when she scored 12 straight points, but she was relatively quiet in the fourth. And Asia Wilson and she finishes with 21 and six. So, you know, by a normal person standard, not a bad game by any means. But I think New York did a pretty good job of making things pretty difficult on Asia throughout the night. Crowding her, throwing Jones, throwing Stewart, throwing Kennedy Burke at her. The six rebounds she grabbed, that's tied for her season low. And I think that tells you a lot of what you need to know about how New York's length was able to disrupt Las Vegas in the series over opener.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, and you think about the fact that Las Vegas shot 28% from three and only grabbed two O boards, right? Like when you're putting up bricks, you know those things are coming off. You would think that you would be in position to be able to grab them, especially with, you know, the way that Las Vegas is known to offensive rebound and they just weren't able to get around the length, get around the size of New York Liberty. I think something that was of note was Chelsea Gray, you know, Chelsea Gray only finishing up with four points and not her normal point God maestro type of performance that you would expect out of her. But Najeelemy Hamilton was on her for the most part. And then of course, you just talked a little bit about that long and strong defense coming from New York. You know, how much, Sabrina, would you say that the game of New York Liberty's defense shut her down versus, you know, Chelsea Gray just not being able to find her spots and being able to let the game come to her?

[Ben Pickman]

Well, yeah, we've talked at length about Chelsea Gray's recovery from this injury that cost her the first 12 games of the season. You know, that extends back to game four of the finals in 2023. She was a little limited, I think even during the Olympics, even though she was a starting point guard for Team usa, she's been limited over the course of the second half of the season. Had a really nice series against Seattle, but I don't know what it is about Seattle. Chelsea Gray's numbers against Seattle during the playoffs are just outstanding. Every she plays them dating back to the sparks that series that she had against them in 2022. It's just you'd think you were watching like the greatest basketball player ever generated in a lab. The way Chelsea Gray performs against the Seattle Storm. So it was on the one hand, like I. You could choose to believe that, like, Chelsea Gray is getting better, her health is getting better. This is just, you know, her returning back to form. On the other hand, it's like, maybe Chelsea Gray is really good against Storm, and that's something that happens. And, you know, she's still dealing with the fact that she broke a bone in her foot and had a hip injury and, you know, had to get stem cell recovery to just to get back and play this season. And I think it's all part of it. Like, she just doesn't look like she's moving as well. And the Liberty defense aggravates that. Right. Like, you really have to be moving well and thinking the ball, thinking the game at a really high level to be able to play against this New York defense. And then I also think, like, Vegas just didn't do themselves any favors at the start of the game because they were playing Kiesta Stokes in the starting lineup and New York just doesn't guard her. And yeah, New York has a lot of length and it's very hard to navigate them, but that's even when you're playing 5 on 5, when you're playing 4 on 5 and Kia Stokes is just hanging out in a corner or on the wing and Brianna Stewart's like, I got nothing. I don't need to guard her. I don't need to put any attention to her. That just makes things even more difficult. Like, you know, single game, plus minus. I think it's an overrated stat. But, like, whenever Alicia Clark was in the game, everything looked a little bit more smooth for Las Vegas. You know, they were able to get to their preferred spots and, you know, she was a plus five in a game that they ended up losing by 10. She got a little bit of foul trouble, and every time she stepped off the court, there goes another New York Liberty run. So I think the Aces, their spacing really just played into the hands of what New York was trying to do defensively. So I would believe that they're just going to start Alicia Clark. They already did in the second half of game one. They'll probably do it, you know, to begin in game two, maybe play a little bit of Megan Gustafson, just some player that New York has to guard off the bench if you need more bigs off the bench. But yeah, I definitely think that, like, New York stents set the tone. Their length is going to be a problem going forward, but Vegas has to Be able to counteract that. It's not just with, like, moving the ball better, you know, moving their bodies better. They also just have to have players who New York is going to guard on the floor.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, I was wondering, do you guys know any, any reason why Megan Guston was a dnp? Was she hurt or it was just a dnp?

[Chantelle Jennings]

No, it was just listed as a DNP cd. Coach's decision.

[Zena Keda]

Okay, got it. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything behind that. I think that's. That was definitely a player I was surprised did not make it off the bench, particularly because of that Kia Stokes aspect. Ben, I know you wanted to follow up on what Sabrina just said.

[Chantelle Jennings]

Yeah, I mean, I think Sabrina kind of hits the nail on the head there with how Las Vegas is going to respond in Game two. I mean, Becky Hamlin was pretty open, frankly, leading into the series. And again, coming out of game one that, you know, to counteract length, she believes you have to take advantage of space and speed. Right. That you got to space the floor, you got to have space, and that the basketball has to move. And if the ball doesn't move, she said, and we grab it and we analyze, then New York's length and their size has ability to reset and recover in a way that it doesn't if you keep the ball moving from person to person to person. So, you know, I think what Sabrina calls out is a very reasonable adjustment. I think, frankly, if I'm New York's coaching staff, I'm also expecting that kind of adjustment heading into game two. And that, you know, brings upon the chess match of a series. It's going to be really interesting on the other end. Like, I think Las Vegas is also going to make some even more clear choices about who they don't want to guard. They were sagging off Courtney Vandersloot, for instance. Every time she was on the floor, they were daring her to take three pointers. She did not attempt one. And I thought, you know, Vandersloot played very well and gave New York, you know, a good boost of energy coming off the bench. She finishes with four assists. She added two steals, three points. But I think she's going to have to attempt and make shots from the perimeter as well when she's in the game to really have Las Vegas guard her. And I also wouldn't be shocked if, you know, Las Vegas sagged off benijelaney Hamilton again. She was one of six from the field. She missed her one three point attempt. You know, you got to make choices at this point in the season and in this point of a series and they're not going to sag off Brianna Stewart, we know that they're not going to help off John Qual Jones. We know that Leonie Febish can be a knockdown shooter from three and Sabrina Unescu. Becky Hammond is effusive in her praise. Every single time she talks about Sabrina Unescu, she repeatedly calls her the head of the snake for New York, you know, even acknowledging that Sabrina did not shoot it as well as she did in the regular season. Like Becky Hammond knows how good of a shooter she is and can be. And she was 3 of 6, 6 from 3, 9 of 15 from the field in game one. So you got to make these choices, you got to make these sacrifices. And if I'm the Las Vegas Aces, I would expect them to sag off of Andersloop, I would expect them to sag off of Laney Hamilton. And I think Sabrina hits the nail on the head. We're going to see a lot more Alicia Clark. We're going to see a lot more Tiffany Hayes as well. And you know, I think both teams are going to shorten their bench and you know, we're going to see what happens in game two.

[Zena Keda]

This is why I love talking to you all. Now I know what to look for. I definitely expect a little bit more Alicia Clark. I would hope to see some Megan Gustafson also come out just to give him some size and an opportunity to stretch the floor with her shooting. I want to ask, you know, for me with the New York Liberty as we close this conversation out, my, my unsung hero for the New York Liberty was bet Nigelaney Hamilton because even though she was not an at all an offensive producer in any way, I think she disrupted so much of what the Las Vegas Aces were trying to do. Picking up even maybe not almost full court, but definitely at least 3/4 of the court and making everything difficult for whoever had the ball in their hand and being able to switch onto whomever and holding her own when she got stuck in the post. I was very impressed with that. Who were some of your unsung heroes? For the winning team?

[Chantelle Jennings]

Yeah, I mean for me it's again, Leonie Phoebus. I think so far this postseason for New York is one that I will most remember for Sandy Brandello inserting Fibich into the starting lineup, the 64 German, 24 year old rookie, first year in the WNBA, but someone who right now through three postseason games for New York, she has led them in plus minus in all three of those games, she can. She's making her shots from the perimeter. And more than anything else, as we talked about, you know, she can guard guards because she moves her feet really well and she's really long. And she can also guard forwards because she is 6 foot 4. Like, she is as tall as some of the bigs that you think about in this league. And the positional versatility she provides. New York, I think, is why they have been so successful this postseason. And I think it is what makes them, frankly, such a daunting opponent right now going forward. Like, yes, there's Brianna Stewart, yes, there's John Quail Jones, yes, there's Sabrina Unescu. And Las Vegas knows that. But at this point in the series, like the old adage, you can't teach height well, at this point, you can't teach length either, right? Like, Vegas isn't getting any longer. They're not bringing any players in. Becky Hammond, she compared the Liberty's wingspans to an NBA roster, right? And the big separator, I think more than Stewie, who has a crazy wingspan, even, you know, the plus 6 inch, plus 7 inch wingspan, it's that Feebicz can start at the two and provide them with the defense and versatility that she can. I think she is kind of the piece that is unlocking New York in a way that they were not unlocked last year. Overall.

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, I hate to disagree with Ben, but I almost felt like we were overhyping Leo Fibich heading into this series. Just Becky was saying, you know, God, I love Feebich, her game, just how long she is, how solid she is. And, you know, we're having this discussion about how New York completely changed their ceiling, putting Feebic into the starting lineup against Atlanta, yada, yada, yada. And yet, like, like, you know, Ben mentioned the plus minus stat. They've been outscored when Feebich is not on the court. It's not even like they've just been better when Feebage has been on. Like, she's a plus 19 in this game. That means in her minutes off the court, they were outscored by nine against this Las Vegas team, they were outscored by 20 in their second game against Atlanta when Feebich was off the court, like, you replaced 5, 8 Courtney Vandersloot with 64 Leo Feebic. You haven't really diminished your playmaking in the starting lineup because you still have Stewie, you still have John Quell D doing so much in addition to sabrinascu and you know, you're able to add this extra length, this extra defender, another knockdown shooter, which is actually an improvement over what Courtney Vanderstlit was bringing because she's been reluctant to shoot in a lot of these situations. So I just, I don't think it's possible to overstate really what Leo is bringing in this series. And if I just had to bring like another, you know, potential Unzersung hero, I think Kennedy Burke was really good in those minutes. I thought like she was the best big wing off the bench for New York. Just super solid, getting rebounds, providing good interior defense.

[Zena Keda]

You know, New York, it just isn't playing fair. I'm looking at their roster and I'm looking at what their players are categorized at. They played two technically categorized guards, the rest are all forwards. So everything that Ben is talking about in terms of length, you can't teach length. I mean, you've got all four forward level players that are playing guard and center. You got John Quail Jones, who's fully a center, who's also capable of passing like a guard and shooting like a guard. It's, it's absolutely surreal what's happening out there with them. But Vegas Aces definitely have some adjustments to make. Becky Hammond, don't know if you listen to the pod for advice, but I think Sabrina laid it out pretty beautifully there. All right, I appreciate you guys walking us through those last few games. Let's preview to the next one. Thoughts on what's going to happen with Connecticut and Minnesota in the next game and thoughts of what's going to happen to the Aces and the Liberty, who's going to win the next games.

[Chantelle Jennings]

Yeah, I think Minnesota will end up getting game two of that series for some of the reasons you guys talked about and the adjustments that they can make. And I think New York is going to win game two as well of this series. I think Las Vegas knows it has to come out desperate. Becky Hammond used the phrase it's do or die, you know, for this situation, and I think she recognizes what's at stake. But, you know, while I expect Asia Wilson to play even better than she did, I think, you know, some of the issues, some of the questions, some of the things we just outlined, like they're not going to get solved just through some film study. And I think that is kind of the reality of the roster situations of each of these teams. And New York's been the best team all year and you know, they won pretty convincingly over Las Vegas on Sunday and, and you know, I expect that again on Tuesday.

[Ben Pickman]

Just so I don't 100 agree with Ben, which appears to be happening a lot over the course of this podcast. I'm gonna go Minnesota, weird Vegas in game two, which I also think is the most fun outcome. So that's. That's what I'm, you know, gonna root for. I think Las Vegas has a lot of experience in the postseason. I think Asia Wilson is capable of putting up some really big numbers, and I think just a little bit of extra spacing is going to juice them a little bit. I mean, I know New York was up for long stretches of that game, but there was just enough of, like, Vegas getting to their rhythm, getting through a tempo, that I'm like, I think they can do this for longer stretches of one game. And it being a do or die situation. Like, we just haven't seen the Las Vegas Aces succumb in a do or die situation under Becky Hammond yet. So I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna call it until it happens. So, yeah, Minnesota and Las Vegas and Game two.

[Zena Keda]

I'm with you.

[Chantelle Jennings]

Can we just call out that? You know, one of the charming moments of post game in New York in Las Vegas on Sunday came from Kelsey Plum and Becky Hammond, who remembered the last time they felt like they were in this situation, which was game one of the, I guess, 2022 semifinals. It was when they played the Seattle Storm. And, you know, Seattle won game one in Las Vegas. 76, 73. And, you know, Kelsey Plum remembered exactly that. It was Sue Bird who had such an impactful night that night.

[Ben Pickman]

Ten, zero turnovers.

[Chantelle Jennings]

Now, I should say, Sabrina, I did do the research on this one. It was actually 12 assists and zero turnover. So Plum was off. But, you know, we're going to give her credit on that one after scoring 21 points and playing a basketball game. But, you know, that certainly served a. That The Las Vegas Aces remember things. They know things, and they know how to react to things. So that's why I think your case is a sound one, too.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, it's my favorite quality of athletes. They don't let these type of memories drift away. They store them in the back and use them for motivation later. So I'm going to be with you, Sabrina. I think the Aces come back, and I think the Minnesota Links come back and they. They get their wins in the second gain. All right, before we go, folks, we just got one little tidbit of cool information that dropped today of the day that we're recording for our WNBA roundup. Things going on around the league. Things are expanding in the league, folks. The Valkyries finally got a date for their expansion draft. The WNBA came out with the press release explaining what the process is going to be like for when the wnba, Golden State team, Valkyries get to add players to their roster. Sabrina, walk us through that process, please.

[Ben Pickman]

So I don't want to get into all of the minutia, but just really quickly. Each team gets to protect six of their players. So that includes people who are going to be free agents, players that they have rights to, that they have drafted, who are just playing internationally right now. So anybody who is potentially connected to your roster, they get to protect six of those. And then Golden State can pick one player from each of the 12 teams who is unprotected. And there are some rules regarding unrestricted free agents and how many of those Golden State can select. But the basic bulk of it is that the top six players or prospects on any WNBA team they're going to protect. And then Golden State gets to select from the remainders. They can choose to pass. They can negotiate trades with each teams to try to unprotect somebody or get them to not take somebody else. But those are the very basics. It's very similar to the last time that there was an expansion draft in 2008 when the Atlanta Dream entered the WNBA.

[Zena Keda]

And remember, guys, that date is going to be December 6th, that the WNBA will have their expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries. I cannot wait. And I am particularly excited about all of the speculation around who, who teams are going to protect. Ben, if you're a gm, what is your MO like, basically? How are you going to be looking at the six that you want to protect?

[Chantelle Jennings]

Yeah, I mean, look, I think not to punt on your question, Xena. It just depends on what kind of team I am, right? Like if I'm the New York Liberty, if I'm the Minnesota Links, like these are champ Las Vegas Aces, these are championship contenders, right? You're protective, your star players. You're protecting the players that are going to help you win in the short term. First and foremost. You know, if I'm a developmental team, I'm protecting some young players or I'm protecting prospects who might be international players even, because, you know, who knows what they could be in the future. So, you know, that is kind of my general thesis. It just depends on what kind of team I am. That then indicates what kind of protections I'm making.

[Zena Keda]

You didn't put on the question. You answered it perfectly from the perspective of different GMs. So this is going to be really, really interesting. You know, the. The route that they go. Now, Sabrina, if you're Ohama Nyanen, the GM for the Golden State Valkyries, what's your mo? Who are you hoping to be able to pick up, knowing that's probably the best players on teams are going to be protected?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, I think you just have to be really aggressive, you know, Like, I. I kind of think the gold standard for how an expansion draft can be conducted was by the Vegas golden knights in the NHL back in 2017, which I'm not sure if a lot of our listeners are familiar with, but they decided to just make a lot of trades, give up all of their draft picks, and just get a bunch of veterans to compete right now, and they end up in the Stanley cup finals in their debut season. So I think you can, you know, obviously try to get some young talent, like, see if you can take some flyers on prospects who aren't getting a lot of playing time in their current situations. But if I understand Joe Lacob's philosophies, I'm thinking that this is a Valkyries team that wants to play winning basketball right away. And with the, you know, uncertainties of a new collective bargaining agreement, you don't even know what these contracts are going to mean going forward. Let's just. Let's just have some fun right away, you know, let's get some good players in Golden State. And that's what I would try to do.

[Zena Keda]

I respect that and I'm actually really happy you brought up the Golden Knights, also the Seattle Kraken. I feel like the NHL expansion teams have been doing it right in the way that they've been finding talent. They actually, I think with the opposite route and did a lot of young players in Seattle, but definitely interesting parallels between the two leagues here. Either way, it will be very exciting to see what happens. It'll be very interesting to see the dynamics that are kind of exposed on different teams as players are protected or, you know, up for the expansion draft. Either way, lots of fun things happening. December 6th. Mark your calendars. Expansion draft is happening. All right, folks, there's so much more on the two matchups that we talked about today and the series in general for the semifinals on the site. There's so much written, written. Make sure you subscribe to the Athletic. Go check out that content. It's amazing. Appreciate you all tuning in today for now. Chantelle, Ben, Sabrina, always grateful for your insights. Now only for you guys being at the games, you breaking down the games, you giving us things to look for in the game. We are always incredibly grateful. For now, on behalf of Chantelle, Ben and Sabrina, I'm Zena Keda thanking you all for your ear and encouraging you to keep listening, keep watching, keep learning and keep loving the game because that's the only way we're going to keep growing it until next time.

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