Around the W: Coaching changes, Draft Lottery, and Sue Bird appearances
It's been a while, let's catch up ...
There’s been some important news in the WNBA over the past couple of weeks. On December 6th, both the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty announced that they are moving forward with brand new head coaches for the 2022 season. The timing of the announcements is certainly curious as they were announced two months after the Chicago Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals in early October. Most coaching changes occur either right after the regular season or certainly shortly after the finals. It was a little eyebrow-raising that these two were announced two months later and on the exact same day as each other. You can read the announcements below.
The Phoenix Mercury
Of the two coaching changes made this month, the Sandy Brondello move is certainly more confusing. Brondello coached the Phoenix Mercury for eight seasons from 2014-2021 and finished her time there with a 150-108 record (.581 winning percentage) during the regular season. Phoenix made the playoffs every single season during her tenure and the team won the 2014 WNBA Championship and reached the Finals in 2021. Brondello and the Mercury won at least one playoff game every single year except for 2019 when they lost in a single-elimination game to the Chicago Sky. In total, Brondello had a 22-19 record in the playoffs over her eight seasons with Phoenix. The Mercury reached the WNBA Finals twice (winning in 2014) and reached the Final Four/SemiFinals an additional four times.
Very few WNBA organizations can boast such an impressive record over these last eight years.
It should be noted that Brondello was not fired and that the organization simply opted to not renew her contract after it expired at the end of the 2021 season. It was announced as a mutual parting of ways. But that seems a bit odd when the team played so well after the Tokyo Olympic break (going 10-3) and reached the WNBA Finals with a 6-5 playoff record (1-0, 1-0, 3-2, 1-3).
Because it was listed as a mutual parting of ways and with knowing that the 2022 FIBA World Cup will be held in her native country of Australia where she coaches the National team, my initial speculation was that Brondello wanted to focus solely on her National team and their success especially being that the event is being held in Australia and after the team’s disappointing performance in the Tokyo Olympics (being eliminated prior to the medal games).
Although, according to sources speaking to Howard Megdal, this decision was not mutual and Brondello expected to return to coaching the Mercury in 2022.
The New York Liberty
With the Liberty, their decision to change coaches was less surprising but not entirely expected. Walt Hopkins was given two seasons with the Liberty franchise but struggled to find success. He compiled a 14-40 record (.259 winning percentage) during his two seasons as the Liberty’s head coach. Despite starting 2021 with a 5-1 record, New York would finish the rest of the regular season with a 7-19 record. They did manage to squeeze into the 8th and final playoff spot but that had more to do with other teams losing multiple games than the Liberty really earning that spot. I believe the 12-20 record was the worst record of any WNBA Playoff team in the history of the league. The 12-20 record in 2021 was a 10 game improvement from the previous season where the Liberty finished with the worst record in the league going 2-20 during the shortened bubble season of 2020.
The team was marred with some significant injuries during both of his seasons. Sabrina Ionescu, the number one overall pick and presumptive rookie of the year entering the 2020 WNBA season, played in just three games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. In 2021, the Liberty’s biggest acquisition was Natasha Howard from the Seattle Storm. Howard played at an All-Star level since arriving in Seattle in 2018 and was expected to be a major piece to the Liberty’s rebuild in 2021. However, multiple injuries caused Howard to miss 19 of New York’s 32 games this year. The team also lost Jocelyn Willoughby to a season-ending Achilles tendon tear that occurred shortly before the first games of 2021. Willoughby was a bright spot on the team during her 2020 rookie season averaging nearly 6.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG.
Hopkins was hired away from the Minnesota Lynx where he worked as an Assistant Coach under Coach Cheryl Reeve for three seasons between 2017-2019. Hopkins was brought to New York with the expectation of creating a high-functioning offense that emphasized the more modern NBA game surrounding the three-point shot. Not all that dissimilar from what we’ve seen in Seattle over the last handful of years. Fun Fact: The Storm led the WNBA in 3PT FG makes for three consecutive seasons between 2016-2018. Setting a new WNBA record in 2018 with 307 three-point baskets made. That record has since been broken twice by the Washington Mystics in 2019 (316) and the New York Liberty in 2021 (321). Sami Whitcomb who played for Seattle in 2018 and the Liberty in 2021 may or may not have been a factor.
One can argue that Hopkins accomplished at least some of his goals as the Liberty significantly improved their three-point shooting and set a new all-time record for made triples. However, New York finished 10th overall in Offensive Rating at 96.1. I’m sure Hopkins would argue that injuries played a large factor in the team’s struggles. But ultimately, the team’s performance was not good enough for team owner Joseph Tsai and General Manager Jonathan Kolb to keep him around for a third season.
Where do they go from here?
It’ll be interesting to see who becomes the new head coach in both Phoenix and New York. From what I’ve gathered there is nothing imminent announced for either team and it’s mostly been speculation. Names like Becky Hammon, Teresa Weatherspoon, Pokey Chatman, or even Sandy Brondello (to New York) have been discussed amongst WNBA fans and media.
The Liberty have failed with inexperienced head coaches in their last two hires of Katie Smith and Walt Hopkins. They haven’t had a long-tenured head coach since Bill Laimbeer was with the team for five seasons (between 2013-2017). The team should look for a more established veteran coach like Sandy Brondello, Brian Agler, Pokey Chatman, Michael Cooper, etc.
Teresa Weatherspoon (New Orleans Pelicans) and Becky Hammon (San Antonio Spurs) are both currently working as NBA assistant coaches. As is former Storm head coach Jenny Boucek (Indiana Pacers). All three could be options but I’m not sure any of them would want to leave the NBA. Hammon, especially, has long been expected to be named the first-ever woman to become the head coach of an NBA franchise.
The Phoenix job is a bit tougher to predict. There are a lot of holes in that roster and Diana Taurasi likely won’t be around much longer. But the team still has cornerstone pieces to build around in Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith. Griner was the best player in the WNBA at times this season and finished 2nd in MVP voting. Diggins-Smith earned first-team All-WNBA honors this year as well. Those two players should make the Mercury job appealing for several candidates. But the next head coach will have large shoes to fill because apparently winning a championship and reaching at least the WNBA semifinals in six of the last eight years isn’t good enough for the Mercury anymore.
Let me know what you think in the comments section? Were you surprised by either coaching change in Phoenix or New York? Who would you like to see be hired in these locations?
The WNBA Draft Lottery
The WNBA Draft Lottery took place this week and once again the Indiana Fever (6-26) did not win. Only one of the four spots in the draft lottery went as expected with the Dallas Wings staying put at the fourth overall selection via trade from Los Angeles (12-20). The Atlanta Dream (8-24) were expected to select second overall but fell to the third spot. The Fever then dropped from 1st to 2nd which meant the Washington Mystics (12-20) somehow ended up with the number one overall pick!
Losses in the final week of the regular season to New York and Minnesota knocked the Mystics out of their playoff spot. Heading into that final week they were the favorites to clinch the final spot. But those losses now result in a gigantic win for the franchise. The Mystics had a disappointing season overall in 2021. Many predicted they could be a legit finals contender if Elena Delle Donne was healthy and with the additions of Tina Charles and Alysha Clark to a core that already had Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud. But Delle Donne was not healthy for most of the season, needing another back surgery shortly before the season began. Ultimately, Delle Donne played in just three of the team’s 32 games. Alysha Clark missed all 32 games after suffering a Lisfranc foot injury while playing overseas.
The team has just four players under guaranteed contracts for the 2022 season. Those players are Elena Delle Donne, Alysha Clark, Ariel Atkins, and Natasha Cloud. It’s unclear if Tina Charles will re-sign with the franchise. Or if they could afford to bring Emma Meesseman back over next season.
Coach Mike Thibault will need to decide which player to take number one overall. Does he look for a player that can fit in right away to help the team win a championship in 2022? Or does he look at the selection with eyes towards the future? Possibly a future in which Elena Delle Donne has had to retire due to her back injury. A team that has probably moved on from Tina Charles. A team that may have to take a couple of steps back before they can contend for another championship.
The group of players that will be available in 2022 is generally considered better than the lackluster rookie class of 2021. Rhyne Howard (Kentucky), NaLyssa Smith (Baylor), Naz Hillmon (Michigan), and Shakira Austin (Ole Miss) are generally considered the top prospects to go in the Top 5 of the WNBA Draft. Howard and Smith are the two players most often considered for the number one overall pick.
It’ll be interesting to see what Coach T decides to do. And as we saw last season, the number one pick could also change hands prior to the draft.
Completed WNBA Draft Order (first round)
Washington Mystics
Indiana Fever
Atlanta Dream
Dallas Wings (via LA Sparks)
New York Liberty
Dallas Wings
Chicago Sky
Minnesota Lynx (via Phoenix Mercury)
Seattle Storm
Indiana Fever (via Minnesota Lynx)
Las Vegas Aces
Connecticut Sun
Sue Bird Appearances
When the Seattle Storm season ended in an OT loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the 2nd round of the playoffs there were immediately chants of “One More Year!” from the crowd. And for what feels like the first time in her career, some uncertainty on whether or not Sue Bird had played her final WNBA game. Bird admitted that she wasn’t sure if she’d be back next season. That she would need time to think things over and ultimately see if her body was ready to go through another grind at the age of 41 years old. One of my favorite lines from Bird this past year was when she told the media, “I’m not trying to beat father time. I’m just trying to tie him.”
With Bird’s historic career and her charismatic personality, the sky is the limit for Sue once she decides her playing days are done. But hopefully, that will have to wait until at least 2023.
In the meantime, Sue Bird has been popping up around Seattle in both Kraken and Storm media. I noted this a while back on Twitter but Sue Bird is part of the Seattle celebrity hype video at the start of every Seattle Kraken (NHL) game that is played at Climate Pledge Arena. The video features former Sonics coach George Karl, former Sonics player Xavier McDaniel, DeeJay Dallas and Cliff Avril (retired) from the Seahawks, Stefan Frei from the Sounders, and Ann Wilson of Heart (band) fame. Sue Bird pops up last in the video to hype up the Kraken/Seattle Sports fans and the crowd goes wild every time they see her. It puts a smile on my face seeing the Seattle sports legend get her due and be recognized by fans of other male-dominated leagues.
At one of the last Seattle Kraken games I attended, they used a new hype video from Bird late in the game that was different than the intro one that plays at every game. The Kraken DJ/Host introduced the video giving Bird credit as a huge reason why Climate Pledge Arena was built. Once again, the fans went crazy cheering both the Kraken and Bird on the video board.
But it isn’t just Seattle’s newest sports franchise that is using Sue Bird in their media and hype videos.
The Storm featured Bird in their scheduled release post for 2022. While that could be a little presumptuous they likely ran it by her first before using her image to sell the 2022 season of games.
Sue was also recently featured in the NBA’s Christmas commercial to advertise their big slate of games on Christmas Day alongside other NBA greats!
Lastly, it was recently announced that Sue Bird was honored as the 2021 USA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Year after earning her 5th Gold Medal at the 2020/21 Tokyo Olympics. In many ways, this was a lifetime achievement award. Bird has been one of the biggest leaders with Team USA basketball since 2004. She started all six games and played the third-most minutes of anyone on the Olympic team. Sue Bird had never won the award previously.
“I’ve been so lucky to be a part of the USA Basketball program and to play alongside our country’s best,” Bird said. “This award is a reflection of that, and I couldn’t be more honored to be named the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.
“Winning gold medals is never about one player, and so I’d be remiss if I didn’t give the bulk of the credit to my teammates and coaches. Again, I’ve been so lucky to put this uniform on as long as I have, and winning gold in Tokyo couldn’t have been more of a team effort.”
Sue has been showing up at a lot of places lately. Hopefully, she’ll be showing up to Climate Pledge Arena a lot more in Storm green and gold next season. She is a free agent and Seattle will have to construct their roster with signing Bird in mind while also trying to build a successful roster around their younger core pieces.
Editor’s Note: As always, thanks for your support of my WNBA and Seattle Storm coverage! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! Be safe. Be kind. Be your best!
Thanks for all that you do, great and insightful writeup as always. Happy Holidays.
Great issue, Jeff. You touched on all the important topics -- a joy to read, as usual. Happy holidays!