Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Western Conference Preview

 
 LOVIN THE WNBA
With Bell Fuller 


In my debut blog I previewed the Eastern Conference. Now I will preview the conference that most would say the WNBA champs will come out of. There will be some fantastic basketball played this season and watching to see who will come out on top will be as fun as it gets. Take a look at this preview and let me know your thoughts. Feel free to comment below. Check it out!

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Los Angeles Sparks- There's a 3 horse race for the conference and probably league title and the Sparks are all up in the mix. So, so much talent of course led by the most diverse superstar talent in the league- just BAD- Candace Parker. And she's joined by Nneka Ogwumike who in a year or so will more than likely be a top 10-15 player in the world. She's super! And a very Stephen Curry like talent in being able to shoot from anywhere and make it look easy in Kristi Toliver. Much respect to Alana Beard and watching her still play at a high level despite those years of injuries. Lindsey Harding is a very good point guard but I can’t say I understand that pickup. Be interesting to see how Carol Ross uses her. The Sparks could've easily been in the championship last year. Meant a lot to me to see how much it hurt them not to make it. Those tears they shed were passion and I appreciate that. It's hard to go against Phoenix but I can't wait to see these two teams collide. Candance Parker and the L.A. Sparks are gonna be on a mission and they have the players to get it done.

Minnesota Lynx- How did you NOT win the title again last year?!?!  I thought it was automatic, I guess the problem was that the Lynx probably thought that too. They had an all-star team and still are very loaded.
 Maya Moore should be really coming into her own this year. She’s been really good but I think now she should be beginning to approach that great status. (Please keep in mind that words like ‘great’ or ‘amazing’ people have begun to just throw around. To me those are precious words that if thrown around doesn’t make anything great, just makes it average. So when I say great I mean you really are among the elite). Seimone Augustus has already been a great player for sure. I’m interested to see how much longer she can play at that level. She has to have a big year for this team to compete for the top spot. They lost Candice Wiggins but this should be a great opportunity for Amber Harris to be more of an impact player. Since Xavier I’ve really believed she’s a big time talent. And reuniting Janel McCarville and Lindsey Whalen was a tremendous move. Janel is sort of a Marc Gasol type in that she can shoot, rebound and is a superb passer as well which will be invaluable with so many options to give the rock to. Minnesota still has the weapons and could certainly reach the Finals. I still put them a step behind L.A. and Phoenix but they’re certainly capable. Yes indeed, they are capable. Oh, and I’m definitely a Cheryl Reeve fan.

 Griner and Taurasi ready for fun!

Phoenix Mercury- Cue music for Darth Vader coming- dun, dun, da dun, dun, dun! That’s how imposing this super team is. Now we’ve seen super teams/athletes fall in the past- Tyson to Buster Douglas, Patriots lost to Giants when Patriots were undefeated, heck Louisville beating Baylor this past year. So anything can happen. But when you put Taurasi with Griner with Penny, Candice, Dewanna, Prahalis and more…you got a juggernaut. Obviously the first 2 alone- Taurasi and Griner- present a MAJOR problem but along with the rest it would seem to be a championship on lock. This will really be fun to watch but still it’s so crucial that they truly develop the necessary chemistry and stay hungry. Because of course the Lynx are former champs and up the road a bit Candace Parker is salivating for her first ring. I’m a big fan of Prahalis and she’ll need to really be a general on the floor and I think she will. Plus she makes it exciting with all of the hot sauce on the dishes. Phoenix is gonna be tough to beat. On paper they’re probably better than any team the WNBA has ever assembled, even the great Houston Comets dynasty. That’s on paper. I’d still take Swoopes, Coop and Tina T all day over any team that’s played in the league and Laimbeer’s Shock squads would be a close second. But perhaps in a few years this Phoenix team will be mentioned in that same breath or perhaps even surpass those legends of the past. The Merc are definitely built for it, but again nothing is guaranteed. But this is without a doubt gonna be fun!

San Antonio Silver Stars- Man I really wish Becky Hammon could get a break. They couldn’t quite win the championship when she was in New York, she had to go to Russia to play in the Olympics and because everyone else seems to get stacked with talent The Silver Stars are just never quite good enough to get a ring or even get to the Finals for that matter. Phoenix has been a thorn in their side and now with the reloaded roster they’re a whole tree in their side so to speak. But Dan Hughes does a good job and San Antonio has a quality team but they’re still missing a few pieces. Not to mention that they probably will receive very little if any contribution from Sophia Young who’s one of the games top forwards. But Danielle Adams is gonna be solid, Shenise Johnson has to step up and be a player and I think that Kayla Alexander will probably give them the presence in the middle that they’ve been searching for the past few seasons. And Danielle Robinson will continue to grow and help the squad quite a bit as well. But though they’re solid, this may have to be chalked up to a rebuilding year. Because Becky is so great and plays so hard, this team will fight for the 4th spot to reach the playoffs. But with the top 3 teams being so good, I don’t know if that will be a reward or a punishment. Somehow San Antonio has to get better players to compete with the elite.

Seattle Storm- No Lauren Jackson, no Bird…is it worth even having a season? Of course! The show must go on. Hey I’ve loved watching the Storm since my Detroit Shock folded but now it’s a bit different. I can still watch them but without Bird and Jackson I’ll have to jump off the bandwagon. (Sorry) But they have a core of very solid players, that’s for sure. Camille Little and Tanisha Wright have been truly great supporting players, future Hall of Famer Tina Thompson still plays tough, Temeka Johnson plays well wherever she goes, Noelle Quinn is solid and I really think Tianna Hawkins will be a good player for the franchise. Now Shekinna Stricklen is who to keep your eye on in terms of development. She’s solid- the problem is as the number two overall pick last year there is no room for ‘solid.’ They need her to be a star. Not necessarily a superstar, but at least a star of some sort. Average 14-16 ppg for the next 5-6 years. That would be a big win for her and for the Storm. I’ve always been a Tennessee Vol fan so I’ve watched for her for a while and she can play for sure, but while she was there she was never that consistent big time player that they needed. Anyhow, the Storm won’t be an easy night for anyone but without two of the top ten players in the world playing this year they’re going to struggle. But in terms of the future, if Tianna and Shekkina play good this season then it will bode well for the future when the big dogs return next year. Btw, love Agler as a coach.

Tulsa Shock- (Cue crowd roaring- Aggghhhhhhhhhh!) ‘And at point guard, from Notre Dame…’ That will be the scene for quite a few years in Tulsa as they drafted one of the most charismatic, talented and competitive players in the game- Skylar Diggins. The city should be buzzing because it’s been a very rough ride for the franchise so far. But now they have a true leader in Diggins and she is supported by some very strong, talented players. Bringing in Candice Wiggins and Nicole Powell were wonderful for the franchise and for the league. I hated seeing a star, and best believe that’s what she is, a star in Candice Wiggins come off of the bench in Minnesota. This is a player that needs to be showcased and now she will be. Powell is going to play tough too.  And they also have two phenomenal athletes in Glory Johnson and Riquana Williams.  If you built a basketball player, she’d look like Glory Johnson. She’s imposing. Glory will be a great defender, rebounder, jack of all trades type for them. Now Riquana has the potential to be a star. She and Skylar together in the back court could be the most lethal combination in the league in time. All that being said they should be in the thick of things for that fourth spot for the playoffs. The top 3 spots are untouchable in the Sparks, Lynx and Merc but the 4th spot is an attainable goal and the Shock should be in the running for it. Kudos to Gary Kloppenberg’s work thus far. (Shaking my head at Liz Cambage not coming back to the WNBA. She should be salivating for the chance to play Tina Charles, Sylvia Fowles, Candace Parker and Brittney Griner. How exciting is that?! But she turned her back. Maybe it’s something we don’t know)

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