Jeff, the question around Leite’s selection is even more interesting, given that Portland’s GM had her in Golden State last year. She obviously liked enough of what she saw of her there, but that also clearly left some questions around Leite’s upside. Okot might have fulfilled a much greater need than a draft/stash PG.
Last night was disappointing because, again, there didn’t seem to be any traction and it felt like the Storm gave back some progress, losing at home to a team that plays hard, but just isn’t good. Reintegrating Ezi and Jordan has been bumpy, as I had suggested it might be.
Yeah, the continued paint issues are a bit of a bummer. Those second (and third, and fourth, and….) chances for PDX and PHO are something they’ve got to work on. I know I’m a banging drum on this but rebounding and missing those little dinks inside are two of our biggest issues.
Please keep banging the drum until they get it right (good thing your arms are strong; you could be at it awhile)! I have a soft spot for Emily Engstler, but there’s no universe in which she should neutralize the Storm bigs.
This was a very thoughtful article. Thanks Jeff. The backstories on Veronica Burton and Carla Leite make me reflect on the tremendous difficulty involved in evaluating young talent. Especially when that young talent doesn’t get enough playing time. And that leads me to hoping that the Storm knows what they have in Taina Mair. I’d hate to see her leave and turn into the next Burton or Leite on another team.
This is a great point, Norm, and I appreciate the kind words. It is really fascinating to see players who become reclamation projects or just finally develop into a much better player than people initially expected. There really are so many different players who have had this path. Not every player is a superstar like A'ja Wilson or Skylar Diggins from Day 1. I'm sure if I really thought of it, I could come up with a huge list of players who weren't great early on or maybe had to move teams before they really blossomed.
Obviously, we talked about Burton and Leite. Marina Mabrey is a good example. Even someone like Jackie Young. For a few years, she looked like she was only going to be an average player and certainly not worth the #1 overall pick. Then she developed a 3-point shot and learned to use her physical gifts to bully smaller guards, and she's become one of the best wing players in the entire league.
Natasha Howard was a player buried on the bench in Indiana and Minnesota. It wasn't until her time in Seattle that she developed into an All-Star, a Defensive Player of the Year, and the Most Improved Player.
I think Jade Melbourne will be an interesting player to watch. Similar to Jackie Young or Jordin Canada, she can significantly increase her ceiling and potential if she can consistently knock down a three-point shot. It's a very small sample size, but in her last 3 games, Melbourne has connected on 5-7 FG from beyond the arc. Of course, the six games before that, she was 0-14 FG from 3-PT range. But that is something I would pay attention to over the team's final 22 games.
Last night's game was difficult to watch because we seemed so disorganized on both offense and defense. However, it was thrilling to watch Ezi get in position and grab her rebounds. It's also fun to watch Ezi take shots. Some of her "easy" buckets didn't go in, but she seemed to be determined to play both offense and defense. This is a good sign.
Jeff: I have a couple of non-Storm front office questions that I’d love answers to; perhaps you can enlist some help from your connections (I kinda wish you had a mailbag for this stuff, but, hey, anyway)…
First, I recently saw that Alissa Pili had been practicing with LAS - despite rejecting their qualifying offer - as part of her rehab. I have no particular interest in her, but her recent signing did displace Laura Ziegler (unapologetic fan). I’ve long assumed that players not under contract can’t practice with a team (or use their facilities). I’d think there’s major liability risks with allowing either. Are my assumptions incorrect?
Second, do you have any sense of what players such as Ziegler (but not specifically her) do/have done when they are in roster purgatory? I’m especially curious about internationals.
I think because I answer as many questions as I can in the comments section, I don't always think to do a Mailbag. But over the past couple of seasons, I think I have done a couple of Q&A mailbags throughout the season. But it's a good reminder that I haven't done an official one this season, and we're at the midway point, so it's time.
From what I saw with Alissa Pili, she has officially signed a Development contract with the LA Sparks as of a day or two ago. I'm not sure if she was practicing with them before then. I know WNBA teams in previous seasons haven't been able to have non-male practice players. That sorta changed this season with the development squad spots. But they still primarily use male practice players.
For your last question, are you talking about what a player does once they're cut/waived and if they stick around, etc.? I feel I have had a couple of conversations, but I'm pretty certain they often just go home. I think when I talked with Mackenzie Holmes, she told me they didn't give her any reassurance that they would bring her back. And she returned home not really knowing if anything would happen.
Regarding the second question, yes, that was essentially what I was asking, but now with the D-contract option, there’s more realistic hope from sticking around. I’d think internationals might be in stickier
situations if they don’t have “jobs.” Going home overseas to wait on a phone call might be tricky. Just pondering. I’ll be interested in seeing how all this gets refined in future years.
It also brings up the questions about foreign players with work Visas. If they aren't on a team, they probably can't just hang around hoping to get another spot. Especially, with how that's being handled these days.
The easy bunnies and ticky tack fouls were rough, but the lazy passing disappointed me the most. Heidiman is a great shooter and can create her own shot but the one arm fling pass just isn't working. Jade is playing great but I do hope we get a star PG to pull us together in the next draft.
Jeff, the question around Leite’s selection is even more interesting, given that Portland’s GM had her in Golden State last year. She obviously liked enough of what she saw of her there, but that also clearly left some questions around Leite’s upside. Okot might have fulfilled a much greater need than a draft/stash PG.
Last night was disappointing because, again, there didn’t seem to be any traction and it felt like the Storm gave back some progress, losing at home to a team that plays hard, but just isn’t good. Reintegrating Ezi and Jordan has been bumpy, as I had suggested it might be.
Yeah, the continued paint issues are a bit of a bummer. Those second (and third, and fourth, and….) chances for PDX and PHO are something they’ve got to work on. I know I’m a banging drum on this but rebounding and missing those little dinks inside are two of our biggest issues.
Please keep banging the drum until they get it right (good thing your arms are strong; you could be at it awhile)! I have a soft spot for Emily Engstler, but there’s no universe in which she should neutralize the Storm bigs.
Thanks!
Perhaps the world where big Syl is her coach?
This was a very thoughtful article. Thanks Jeff. The backstories on Veronica Burton and Carla Leite make me reflect on the tremendous difficulty involved in evaluating young talent. Especially when that young talent doesn’t get enough playing time. And that leads me to hoping that the Storm knows what they have in Taina Mair. I’d hate to see her leave and turn into the next Burton or Leite on another team.
This is a great point, Norm, and I appreciate the kind words. It is really fascinating to see players who become reclamation projects or just finally develop into a much better player than people initially expected. There really are so many different players who have had this path. Not every player is a superstar like A'ja Wilson or Skylar Diggins from Day 1. I'm sure if I really thought of it, I could come up with a huge list of players who weren't great early on or maybe had to move teams before they really blossomed.
Obviously, we talked about Burton and Leite. Marina Mabrey is a good example. Even someone like Jackie Young. For a few years, she looked like she was only going to be an average player and certainly not worth the #1 overall pick. Then she developed a 3-point shot and learned to use her physical gifts to bully smaller guards, and she's become one of the best wing players in the entire league.
Natasha Howard was a player buried on the bench in Indiana and Minnesota. It wasn't until her time in Seattle that she developed into an All-Star, a Defensive Player of the Year, and the Most Improved Player.
I think Jade Melbourne will be an interesting player to watch. Similar to Jackie Young or Jordin Canada, she can significantly increase her ceiling and potential if she can consistently knock down a three-point shot. It's a very small sample size, but in her last 3 games, Melbourne has connected on 5-7 FG from beyond the arc. Of course, the six games before that, she was 0-14 FG from 3-PT range. But that is something I would pay attention to over the team's final 22 games.
Agreed! I guess one positive of not playing Mair is that nobody can scout her. So, there’s that…
Last night's game was difficult to watch because we seemed so disorganized on both offense and defense. However, it was thrilling to watch Ezi get in position and grab her rebounds. It's also fun to watch Ezi take shots. Some of her "easy" buckets didn't go in, but she seemed to be determined to play both offense and defense. This is a good sign.
Jeff: I have a couple of non-Storm front office questions that I’d love answers to; perhaps you can enlist some help from your connections (I kinda wish you had a mailbag for this stuff, but, hey, anyway)…
First, I recently saw that Alissa Pili had been practicing with LAS - despite rejecting their qualifying offer - as part of her rehab. I have no particular interest in her, but her recent signing did displace Laura Ziegler (unapologetic fan). I’ve long assumed that players not under contract can’t practice with a team (or use their facilities). I’d think there’s major liability risks with allowing either. Are my assumptions incorrect?
Second, do you have any sense of what players such as Ziegler (but not specifically her) do/have done when they are in roster purgatory? I’m especially curious about internationals.
I think because I answer as many questions as I can in the comments section, I don't always think to do a Mailbag. But over the past couple of seasons, I think I have done a couple of Q&A mailbags throughout the season. But it's a good reminder that I haven't done an official one this season, and we're at the midway point, so it's time.
From what I saw with Alissa Pili, she has officially signed a Development contract with the LA Sparks as of a day or two ago. I'm not sure if she was practicing with them before then. I know WNBA teams in previous seasons haven't been able to have non-male practice players. That sorta changed this season with the development squad spots. But they still primarily use male practice players.
For your last question, are you talking about what a player does once they're cut/waived and if they stick around, etc.? I feel I have had a couple of conversations, but I'm pretty certain they often just go home. I think when I talked with Mackenzie Holmes, she told me they didn't give her any reassurance that they would bring her back. And she returned home not really knowing if anything would happen.
https://www.stormchasersbasketball.com/p/mackenzie-holmes-wnba-experience
Regarding the second question, yes, that was essentially what I was asking, but now with the D-contract option, there’s more realistic hope from sticking around. I’d think internationals might be in stickier
situations if they don’t have “jobs.” Going home overseas to wait on a phone call might be tricky. Just pondering. I’ll be interested in seeing how all this gets refined in future years.
Keep up the terrific work, Jeff.
It also brings up the questions about foreign players with work Visas. If they aren't on a team, they probably can't just hang around hoping to get another spot. Especially, with how that's being handled these days.
Exactly!
The easy bunnies and ticky tack fouls were rough, but the lazy passing disappointed me the most. Heidiman is a great shooter and can create her own shot but the one arm fling pass just isn't working. Jade is playing great but I do hope we get a star PG to pull us together in the next draft.