Official WNBA Random Thoughts - Sides has been fired as Fever coach

[Thavoiceofthevoiceless]

I mean this is basically the same drama that encircle the men's game. Alot of the trending topics are probably more about Bron/Lakers/Bronny drama or Free Agent rumors compared to Conference Finals X and Os.

Yes, people are talking about straight white females ballers vs lesbian black ballers vs whoever else. That can stop. But the fact that people are talking about the WNBA at all should be a positive for the league's growth lol. After this year all these people will settle in. But right now it's fresh so people are gonna get their takes out now.

Nahhhhh one that discourse starts, it’s going to be difficult to reign it back in so nip that shyt in the bud from beginning.

Dudes are in here doing the exact same thing they complain about the NBA doing.

 

[FAH1223]

What the hell happened to Natasha Cloud in DC? She seems hurt. But Mystics GM Mike T is saying something else

PHOENIX — Natasha Cloud buried a half-court shot Thursday morning, held a pose for a moment, then strutted around the floor inside the Phoenix Mercury practice facility. She flashed a wide smile and let everyone know it was her day — using her own colorful language to emphasize the point. New teammate Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time scorer who had been staring Cloud down during the competitive shoot-around, hustled over to give her some dap.

Soon after, Cloud, the Washington Mystics’ all-time assist leader who signed as a free agent with the Mercury during the offseason, finished getting some shots up with another former Mystic in Kristi Toliver — now an assistant coach.

There has been a visible joy radiating off Cloud these days — especially after the Mercury’s 83-80 victory over the Mystics on Thursday night. She spent her first eight seasons with Washington, helping the franchise to the 2019 WNBA championship and twice being named to the league’s all-defensive team. She ranks No. 2 on the Mystics’ all-time list for minutes played. But she has traded the Beltway for the desert.

“It’s always nerve-racking when you leave the only thing that you’ve ever known,” Cloud said before Thursday’s game. “You never know if the grass is going to be greener … and from the minute that I stepped here, I felt valued and appreciated and wanted and seen for everything that makes me. The dog that is me. Wasn’t villainized. The passion that I played with, it was never villainized, it was welcomed.”

Cloud, who posted her second consecutive double-double Thursday with 14 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, was a fan favorite in D.C. and took an active role in community engagement, particularly in Ward 8. But when she hit free agency, the Mystics declined to make an offer.

Cloud and the team disagree on the circumstances surrounding the guard’s departure. But there is no doubt Cloud has found a welcome landing spot, at least thus far. She signed a two-year deal at $200,000 per season, according to HerHoopStats, and was averaging 10.7 points, 7.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds entering Thursday. Those last two figures mark career highs for a point guard on a team with championship aspirations.

The talent surrounding Cloud warrants such belief: Taurasi, eight-time all-star Brittney Griner, 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper and sharpshooters Sophie Cunningham and Rebecca Allen. In her previous game against the Las Vegas Aces, Cloud became the 10th player in league history with a points-assists double-double in a regular season game (11 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds) in a 98-88 win.

“She has been incredible since getting here,” Mercury General Manager Nick U’Ren said. “She is, to me, one of the best point guards in the league. A player that plays both ends of the floor and someone who plays with such force, such pace, gets everyone else involved. She’s everything you want in a point guard, and she has size, strength and athleticism. Everything we’re seeing here is absolutely why we went after her.

“The thing that Natasha doesn’t get enough credit for is her intelligence on both ends of the floor but specifically defensively.”

Cloud acknowledged a higher level of emotion going into Thursday’s game against the Mystics (0-5), adding that she felt she was fired from her job in separating from the team. She has said repeatedly that she appreciates the opportunity coming out of a smaller college program at St. Joseph’s and being drafted in the second round. Cloud matured as a player and person in D.C., she said. But somewhere along the way, Cloud feels, the relationship changed. Using a chip on the shoulder as motivation is common for professional athletes. Cloud carries a big one for this season.


“I have a big f--- you,” Cloud said.

The Mystics view her departure in a different light. General Manager Mike Thibault said the decision was made to let things play out once Cloud made it clear she wanted to test free agency. Eventually, the club felt that a change was best for everyone involved.

Thibault said the organization appreciated her growth as a player and her contributions to the title team. For her part, Cloud said she felt like she was made to be a villain and that her leadership qualities were questioned. Thibault insisted that wasn’t the case.

“She was given free rein to be herself in D.C.,” said Thibault, who was Cloud’s coach for much of her tenure in D.C. “Tash was given every opportunity to be herself. Nobody on our coaching staff, that I know of, was telling her not to be. That doesn’t mean we always have to agree personally on everything.
“If that's how she feels, I'm not going to change that, even though I would disagree with it.”

Ultimately, both parties have moved on. The Mystics are still seeking their first win of the season, while the Mercury is off to a 3-1 start. Cloud said she feels at home despite being so far from her hometown of Philadelphia, where her family is. That was a big concern with the move, but her family has actively made time to visit and those worries have been alleviated.

Cloud said she’s on the verge of ramping up her activism in Phoenix and is learning what the community needs, especially children and the local Native American communities, and is working on plans for All-Star Weekend. And she’s loving the Arizona heat and sunshine.

While there remain hard feelings about the way things ended, Cloud was adamant that her love for the D.C. community remains strong and she looks forward to returning to the area for a July 16 matchup with the Mystics.

Meanwhile, she is embracing her new home.

“I finally get to thrive in peace and [am] being loved and supported in one place,” Cloud said. “And that is why you see the smile. You see the smile because I truly am happy and I feel like I’m home.”

Mystics’ skid continues
Washington fell to 0-5 for the first time since 2007 when it began the season 0-8. Thursday’s contest was tight at halftime with the Mercury leading 43-40, but Phoenix expanded its advantage with a 15-0 run in the third quarter to take a 14-point lead heading into the fourth.
The Mystics’ reserves, led by Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (11 points), helped cut into the lead with an 9-2 run to open the fourth quarter. Washington eventually trimmed its deficit to three points at 80-77 after a Julie Vanloo three-pointer with 34.1 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Ariel Atkins (16 points) sent Cloud to the free throw line with 17.2 seconds left, where she sank 1 of 2 to make it a two-possession game and essentially put the game out of reach.

 

[#1 pick]

Yeah, at the end of the day basketball is still basketball. The closer you can get to 10 ft. tall the better you are.

Tall players with skills and intangibles win games. You want the mismatch for what you can do and Angel Reese brings a lot of mismatches because of her handle, first step and change of direction. Then you throw on the defense which is her main selling point, but I don't even think it's what she does best.

She's a phenom in transition with or without the ball. That part of the game is so natural to her it's like she doesn't even need to think, she just does: nice creative passes, nearly effortless change of direction pushing the ball, fills space, touch passes, etc. It's hard for me to say what's better her defense or transition ability because they're both really good and leap out on tape.


Transition is when she gets right into flow. My theory is she can be an effective three point shooter in transition hitting pull-up threes. Just don't think and launch it, let the body and muscle memory take over.

Half-court settings you want her to have space and play downhill to simulate transition. Iso plays. She'll back down the smaller guards or be too fast for the big players. Get her the ball, give her room and let her attack. She'll find people open or get to the basket.


Crazy that people were really overthinking with her. She's going to really shine playing next to Cardoso who'll basically be a cleanup monster or someone who'll command a double team exposing a 1v1 iso for Reese.

While I completely fukk with your post, saying defense isn't what she does best is extremely false.

She's a really good post defender with terrific hands and understanding of positioning.
She's elite at switches
She's very good at defense on the perimeter
She also defends well in space and makes life a lot easier for Elizabeth Williams.

If we had her in the NBA, ya'll would easily be saying she's the best defender in the NBA. That type of versatility and ability is extremely rare

 

[CarltonJunior]

Boston is in better condition than she was last year. The issue is, she never really had to be a PnR roller and this year, she has to be that and she's not any good at it yet. I think she needs an offseason just working on PnRs

Playing the PnR as the roller isn't rocket science, it's just not.

She doesn't have the skill, she'd be lighting it up if she had a middy/floater and the IQ to know when to make the extra pass. That's why it looks so bad right now. Not to mention she's not setting good screens to force the matchup to switch, shes doing brush screens with her hip and then rolling too deep into help.

They have to make her not the roller and put her to the dunker's spot so she's the one getting the extra pass down low if her man helps

 

[LurkMoar]

I’m happy we actually have wnba discourse lol

 

[Mars]

I find this woman to be annoying and a try-hard...but since we are talking about CC/Wnba...I think posting it in this thread is fitting.

Felt like she was trying to have a viral moment

 

[FAH1223]

Kid looks stressed out. Hope she is getting sleep

 

[aceboon]

I find this woman to be annoying and a try-hard...but since we are talking about CC/Wnba...I think posting it in this thread is fitting.

Felt like she was trying to have a viral moment

which one, Nat or Elle?

 

[Mars]

which one, Nat or Elle?

Elle...Secondhand embarrassment....Her jokes are so forced.......Just saw these videos on TikTok...Take a look.

 

[aceboon]

Elle

yea the whole "why they guarding her so hard" is shyt from twitter randoms and some just trolling, doesn't even need to be addressed

 

[Rev]

Does Clark typically look like this in interviews? Hope she's not on some kind of anti-depressants because of the stress.

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Kid looks stressed out. Hope she is getting sleep

Because the media and white people are pushing her to be something she’s not. It’s overkill at this point.

 

[IIVI]

While I completely fukk with your post, saying defense isn't what she does best is extremely false.

She's a really good post defender with terrific hands and understanding of positioning.
She's elite at switches
She's very good at defense on the perimeter
She also defends well in space and makes life a lot easier for Elizabeth Williams.

If we had her in the NBA, ya'll would easily be saying she's the best defender in the NBA. That type of versatility and ability is extremely rare

Yeah definitely. I take nothing away from her defense. She's probably one of the league's best defenders honestly. She basically can defend 1-5 reliably. When Cardoso comes back and she can roam more out the paint, that team is going to be crazy.

I was only saying I think what comes as easy or maybe even easier to her is pushing the ball in transition which isn't surprising considering she was trained/mentored as a point guard by Mugsey.

You really don't see her make any glaring mistakes in transition as she's a tremendous decision maker there. She knows when to handle the ball herself, when to slow it down, when to throw the ball down court, etc. NBA she'd have been an easy fit for the Showtime Lakers or some of the top transition teams today. People who say she has no offense couldn't be anymore wrong because her handles and courtvision are legit. She waves people off and is a legit floor general.

At the end of the day, I think what makes her an incredible defender is what makes her a great floor general and that's basically really high BBIQ.


If she can build that pull-up midrange or a hop-step rather than all them crazy scoop and hook shots, she'd be nearly heliocentric. If she can make defenders pay for sagging off on her she basically becomes an elite offensive hub.

 

[ReggieFlare]

Kid looks stressed out. Hope she is getting sleep

She definitely looks stressed out here, and I’m sure it’s not just the performance of her team

Someone else here mentioned it…she’s in a place in life where she’s probably never been more uncomfortable. She is a plain jane white woman who grew up in Iowa that is completely out of her element and adjusting to a new environment and lifestyle

 

[O.iatlhawksfan]

Because the media and white people are pushing her to be something she’s not. It’s overkill at this point.

Only overkill for the people who put too much attention to that shyt, you don’t pay attention to that you will appreciate her game