Jeff, I’m wondering if you have any insight about the moves that happened around our 2nd DP slot. I had assumed (I think many people had) that when Awa got here we would try to move Grace to that spot. When we signed Taylor Thierry before Grace was waived I was a little shocked, and ofc then we had to waive Grace as Awa was coming in. She got scooped by Indiana, it didn’t seem the plan was to cut Thierry quickly to bring Grace back, which yeah would have been weird, so it seems they knew ahead of time they were cutting Grace entirely. I guess I’m wondering about the logic or any ‘fit’ issues that prompted things going down this way. I know Thierry has a little more experience but I guess I didn’t think that would matter so much with where we are in rebuild and I liked Grace on the Storm.
I’m glad she made a roster (for a playoff contender no less) and certainly think Sonia and Talisa did her a solid. If we hadn’t drafted her and given her so many minutes I don’t think she ends up on the Fever’s 12 woman roster.
Just the whole thing continues to kinda of bug me. I wish I understood it better.
I, too, was surprised when the team signed Taylor Thierry to a development contract, because I thought, like many of you, that they would sign Grace or possibly Mack (if they kept Grace) to that dev spot. When they signed Thierry, I believe it was just after the game Dom had her concussion, and in that game, I thought I saw Mack tweak her knee, so I thought they might be losing two more players (while already being without Ezi, KLS, Awa, etc.). However, Mack was able to return.
As far as why they grabbed Thierry, it's possible they were very high on her potential and wanted to bring her in to get a good look at her. I think Cija also brings up a good point. When healthy, the team has Dom, Awa, Ezi, Dolson, plus Mack. There is a good chance that Grace wouldn't see the floor at all. Even Mack's time will likely be cut way down once everyone is healthy.
In general, the team's roster is probably weakest at the SF position. Jordan Horston is getting better but is still recovering from a major ACL injury. Katie Lou Samuelson still won't be ready for a bit. They're playing Flau'jae at the 3 because of their post depth issues currently, but she'll slot better into the SG spot when everyone is healthy.
They may also have signed Thierry because maybe they had a good read that Grace was going to be picked up by another team. And therefore, they might have known they weren't going to have a chance to add her back to the Dev spot. We'll have to see how it all plays out in the end. If Grace ends up being a significant role player for the Fever, then people can question the Storm's roster decisions. But with Awa's arrival, they were always going to have to cut either Grace or Mack, as they are locked into keeping Lexie.
The lack of depth at SF does make for a lopsided offense. But it also brings me hope we’ll see a Malonga, Ezi, Fam lineup sooner than later!
Thinking ahead to next year, I think Zia/Flau’jae is a pretty good SG duo, but as you say we really could use another slasher and I’d love a great passing/floor general point guard more than anything else.
I say this as someone who was not high on Olivia Miles and was cheering at the draft party as soon as she went 2 knowing we had a shot at Fam… Clearly she’s got game, and I sure wish we had her too somehow!
The cool thing is, we likely will add a top 5 draft pick and a top free agent in 2027 so perfect time to have two needs.
Long term we are way thinner in the guard position. When healthy, we have Ezi, Dom, Fam, & Jordy are all pieces that point to future core…Jade & Zia show flashes and I love them as future *pieces, but Flau is the only G that is franchise future IMO. I think we would have kept Grace if this was not the case.
I think WCB is spot on. She's had two concussions in 2 months. That can be very dangerous. Concussions have literally ruined people's careers. The Storm should 100% be extra cautious with this. Even though we all want to see Dom back on the court, so that she can continue to grow and develop, the team still has 38 games left to play. Even if she missed the next 8 games, that would still be 30 more games to get the experience.
It's true that concussions can be more serious than they seem. Dom hit the floor pretty hard including hitting her head hard. She got up and said that she was fine and she certainly didn't act like she'd had her bell rung which is positive but I understand the abundance of caution and not wanting to put her out there too soon. They're following a protocol but I don't know what the protocol is. I don't know how many days they need to keep her out before she can see game action. I don't know if she's even scrimmaging or practicing with the team at all and that has to come before she can get back in a game.
I’m not being critical or impatient at all. I’m well aware how dangerous concussions are which is why I commented. I really hope she can recover from these. 🤞🏼
If she hadn’t had two back to back, they might be less cautious. I don’t think this is particularly unusual. If she’s out another two weeks or not going to games/traveling I’ll be more worried. The last thing she needs is to get another concussion and be out for the year. Honestly, give her a little foam helmet.
I do think our rotations were way better this game and CT continued to flounder in this regard. They (CT) have players that I believe are solid pieces, but they are not being utilized appropriately.
Jeff, I’m wondering if you have any insight about the moves that happened around our 2nd DP slot. I had assumed (I think many people had) that when Awa got here we would try to move Grace to that spot. When we signed Taylor Thierry before Grace was waived I was a little shocked, and ofc then we had to waive Grace as Awa was coming in. She got scooped by Indiana, it didn’t seem the plan was to cut Thierry quickly to bring Grace back, which yeah would have been weird, so it seems they knew ahead of time they were cutting Grace entirely. I guess I’m wondering about the logic or any ‘fit’ issues that prompted things going down this way. I know Thierry has a little more experience but I guess I didn’t think that would matter so much with where we are in rebuild and I liked Grace on the Storm.
I’m glad she made a roster (for a playoff contender no less) and certainly think Sonia and Talisa did her a solid. If we hadn’t drafted her and given her so many minutes I don’t think she ends up on the Fever’s 12 woman roster.
Just the whole thing continues to kinda of bug me. I wish I understood it better.
I, too, was surprised when the team signed Taylor Thierry to a development contract, because I thought, like many of you, that they would sign Grace or possibly Mack (if they kept Grace) to that dev spot. When they signed Thierry, I believe it was just after the game Dom had her concussion, and in that game, I thought I saw Mack tweak her knee, so I thought they might be losing two more players (while already being without Ezi, KLS, Awa, etc.). However, Mack was able to return.
As far as why they grabbed Thierry, it's possible they were very high on her potential and wanted to bring her in to get a good look at her. I think Cija also brings up a good point. When healthy, the team has Dom, Awa, Ezi, Dolson, plus Mack. There is a good chance that Grace wouldn't see the floor at all. Even Mack's time will likely be cut way down once everyone is healthy.
In general, the team's roster is probably weakest at the SF position. Jordan Horston is getting better but is still recovering from a major ACL injury. Katie Lou Samuelson still won't be ready for a bit. They're playing Flau'jae at the 3 because of their post depth issues currently, but she'll slot better into the SG spot when everyone is healthy.
They may also have signed Thierry because maybe they had a good read that Grace was going to be picked up by another team. And therefore, they might have known they weren't going to have a chance to add her back to the Dev spot. We'll have to see how it all plays out in the end. If Grace ends up being a significant role player for the Fever, then people can question the Storm's roster decisions. But with Awa's arrival, they were always going to have to cut either Grace or Mack, as they are locked into keeping Lexie.
The lack of depth at SF does make for a lopsided offense. But it also brings me hope we’ll see a Malonga, Ezi, Fam lineup sooner than later!
Thinking ahead to next year, I think Zia/Flau’jae is a pretty good SG duo, but as you say we really could use another slasher and I’d love a great passing/floor general point guard more than anything else.
I say this as someone who was not high on Olivia Miles and was cheering at the draft party as soon as she went 2 knowing we had a shot at Fam… Clearly she’s got game, and I sure wish we had her too somehow!
The cool thing is, we likely will add a top 5 draft pick and a top free agent in 2027 so perfect time to have two needs.
S'mya nichols does both of the things you want 🤷♂️
This 👆👏
Great questions. I’ve wondered the same.
Long term we are way thinner in the guard position. When healthy, we have Ezi, Dom, Fam, & Jordy are all pieces that point to future core…Jade & Zia show flashes and I love them as future *pieces, but Flau is the only G that is franchise future IMO. I think we would have kept Grace if this was not the case.
We might have offered her a Dev but she was offered a full roster contract at the Fever.
Very concerning about Dom’s concussion. It seems her recovery is longer than usual.
I think WCB is spot on. She's had two concussions in 2 months. That can be very dangerous. Concussions have literally ruined people's careers. The Storm should 100% be extra cautious with this. Even though we all want to see Dom back on the court, so that she can continue to grow and develop, the team still has 38 games left to play. Even if she missed the next 8 games, that would still be 30 more games to get the experience.
It's true that concussions can be more serious than they seem. Dom hit the floor pretty hard including hitting her head hard. She got up and said that she was fine and she certainly didn't act like she'd had her bell rung which is positive but I understand the abundance of caution and not wanting to put her out there too soon. They're following a protocol but I don't know what the protocol is. I don't know how many days they need to keep her out before she can see game action. I don't know if she's even scrimmaging or practicing with the team at all and that has to come before she can get back in a game.
I’m not being critical or impatient at all. I’m well aware how dangerous concussions are which is why I commented. I really hope she can recover from these. 🤞🏼
If she hadn’t had two back to back, they might be less cautious. I don’t think this is particularly unusual. If she’s out another two weeks or not going to games/traveling I’ll be more worried. The last thing she needs is to get another concussion and be out for the year. Honestly, give her a little foam helmet.
I do think our rotations were way better this game and CT continued to flounder in this regard. They (CT) have players that I believe are solid pieces, but they are not being utilized appropriately.