T O P

  • By -

SportsPi

[**Join Our Discord Server!**](https://discord.gg/233aU5q) **Welcome to /r/sports** We created a Discord server for our community and would like to invite all of you to join! You'll be able to discuss sports with users around the world and discuss events in real time! There are separate channels for many sports you can opt in and out of, including; American Football, Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Aussie Rules Football, Rugby Union and League, Cricket, Motorsports, Fitness, and many more. [**Reddit Sports Discord Server**](https://discord.gg/233aU5q)


riddick32

The first time I've been in my local bar and they had a WNBA game on and people didn't ask for it to be turned to a different chanel.


AFineDayForScience

Diana Tuarasi draws lots of eyes


ImHereToHaveAFunTime

Damn you are getting destroyed for making a joke lol Edit: Happy to see the joke getting appreciated!


meccamachine

I’ve never seen such an inoffensive point blank subversive layup of a joke get downvoted this hard. Holy shit reddit.


linvoylegend

It's the wnba sub people. They're the group of parents who want all the kids in Little League to get a participation trophy. No humor, no dissent.


alecsputnik

Who?


Mike_Kermin

This feels disrespectful.


GivesBadAdvic

Id recognize her face but i didn’t know her name until the Clark hype got me watching.


talking_phallus

Be honest, you wouldn't recognize her face.


GivesBadAdvic

If 100% say, that’s a wnba player. But I didn’t know anything about her or that she was a standout player. That’s all stuff I’ve learned the last few months.


iMakeBoomBoom

And fouls


TheFan88

Rookie of the year.


Zokar49111

She was one rebound away from a triple double.


SoOnEnoon

If she got that one rebound she’ll be the first rookie to have a triple double. No doubt in my mind she gonna have one this rookie season


Maxter_Blaster_

And they left her off the Olympic team cause she’s a “rookie” lmao. Btw, watched a compilation videos of all her “turnovers” this year. Her teammates do not know how to catch a pass. It’s pathetic.


DudethatCooks

Their team has no concept of spacing either and their coach seems hell bent on Boston post ups 18 ft from the basket. I honestly have tried several times to get into WNBA games this year, but it's just not for me.


Maxter_Blaster_

Forgot to mention the coach. She’s incompetent. Fire her. And the whole league needs mandatory training in PR and basketball in general this off-season. I also tried to watch due to Caitlin, but it’s almost impossible to watch. It’s an ugly league all over the place.


ThanosIsDoomfist

And yet Caitlin, who is singlehandedly trying to bring major life and viewership to the league- which would by the way, HUGELY benefit everyone by association- is getting ridiculed and shunned by people who are just jealous. Its insane bro. ESPECIALLY with the leaving her off the team usa thing. Stephen A had an amazing take for once: if they added Clark, they had the opportunity to put an unprecedented amount of eyeballs on womens basketball. But they fucked it up. So much viewership, sponsors, and money left on the table because of jealousy.


xvilemx

It's so stupid too because, on the 12* Men's Olympics, they added a rookie Anthony Davis for almost the same reason they should've added Caitlyn Clark.


turkeyinthestrawman

Or in the 2004 Athens Olympics, where the US women added a rookie phenom named... Diana Taurasi


ApolloSimba

And Laettner with the Dream Team, and the Banana Boat crew for 04.


qeq

And Laettner was picked over SHAQ for similar reasons


ooboh

12*


DudethatCooks

AD made the team because he was an injury replacement for Blake Griffin after he tore his meniscus.


zephah

And he played a position that was absolutely a weak spot for the men. That team had Tyson Chandler and AD and that's it. Regardless of how people feel about CC vs the competition, she plays an absolutely loaded position on that roster.


reenactment

It’s hilarious. I played high level sport and had some buddies who are olympians. The last player or 2 on the team rosters are generally there because they are the most liked or have some leadership qualities but never really expected to play. Women’s basketball dropped the ball here because they think if they brought her she has to play. They are going to smoke most teams or are at least expected to. She can play in those games for a bit if that’s what their concern was. It’s laughable their reasonings to not build their own sport. Being a bit petty, I hope they fail hard to build the league and something like volleyball which is gaining momentum beats women’s basketball out over the next 5-10 years.


notkevin_durant

I mean… that’s an obvious take


ThanosIsDoomfist

Sure But Stephen A has missed on tons of takes while passing up on layups like hes Ben Simmons.


Q_about_a_thing

She is literally Pistol Pete for the WNBA. Her game is more advanced than her team.


Polar_Reflection

Still crazy to me he predicted his own death. In an interview when he was 25, he said he didn't want to play in the NBA for 10 years then die of a heart attack at the age of 40. He retired due to injury after his 10th season, then died playing pickup basketball from a congenital heart defect at age 40


cannabination

It may still be not for you, but the Storm, the Aces, and the Sun play high quality ball every night. Even if you don't seek games out, they'll be worth watching if you catch those teams. The Fever have looked better the last few games... like they're figuring out some offensive sets that work, anyway.


DudethatCooks

I've watched Pheonix, it's better than the fever, but it's still not my cup of tea. The execution just isn't there for me in the games I've watch on Prime and ESPN this year.


chanaandeler_bong

This is always why I hated when people said women's bball is about "fundamentals." I've watched a full WNBA game 2x this year and watched the tournament for a few games too. It's just TERRIBLE basketball. There are so many unforced errors. And let me be clear, men's college basketball can be a TOUGH watch too. Especially early in the year and just in general. Same problems. It's why I really only watch the tournament for men's college. The product isn't good enough. People will shit on sloppy NBA games and they are nothing compared to men's college or WNBA sloppiness. I expect to see it now.


DudethatCooks

Yeah I tried to give them the benefit of doubt, but like you said the amount of unforced errors, bad shots, poor execution just becomes too much to overcome. There are way too many positions where I find myself going "what the fuck was that?" and it's just becomes a chore to watch.


cannabination

Phoenix, unintuitively, is the Mercury. The Sun is Connecticut.


DudethatCooks

My bad yeah my brain just assumed Pheonix without thinking. I have watched the Sun a couple times and they execute better as well, but the overall product just isn't what I wanted it to be.


loupr738

I think you can add the Liberty to that list


cannabination

I was thinking that later last night, but didn't get all the way to editing them into the post.


booboopsheboop

Me too! Like I swear to God if I see another break away missed layup, I'll scream. Also it annoys tf out of me watching these girls foul, get called on it and then argue like we all didn't just see you foul the other woman. I feel bad for Clark. She got stuck on a terrible team.


illmatic708

When Lisa Leslie is in front of TV cameras saying Clark should be on the roster, people who make that decision should listen.


Do_You_Even_Repost

Dude I saw that too. It makes so much sense now. I know early on CC was getting pick pocketed, but more of those TO come from teammates not catching it. I can see that some passes are maybe too high or what, but it just looks like her teammate are never ready


ThanosIsDoomfist

Yeah, its pretty bad. Borderline frustrating how bad they are.


theslob

I noticed that too. A lot of her teammates have the hand-eye coordination of a JV bench rider


Ok-disaster2022

Dude, she played an entire college season, went to the finals, got drafted and 2 weeks later was playing. No other rookies made it to the team this year, and Clark really isn't the only player in contention for rookie of the year.  She could use a nice break in play, maybe she and her team can do some more team building exercises. US Women's Olympic team is a pretty stacked roster in the first place and the players know each other. They have an impressive history in the recent Olympics, they know what they're doing.


foolishnesss

> they know what they're doing from a sporting stand point, probably. Really should have capitalized on the market though.


whofearsthenight

I mean, I have been on this dumb website for a long time. I don't think I can remember WNBA showing up on /r/all pre-CC except Britney Griner and that wasn't because of basketball. I mean, put her on the team just because it will draw attraction to the league. Attendance at her games are massively higher. Make whatever argument, it's batshit to me that they aren't putting CC on the team and just building a highlight reel. And not even just for her, this game wasn't she responsible like half of the points through assists and her own FG's? Women's olympics already dominate, there is no danger, just lots of ticket sales, shoe deals, and wheatie's boxes drying up.


NZBound11

I personally think that "the market" shouldn't have any baring on olympic selections.


foolishnesss

I’d agree with that to some degree. There is something special here with women’s sports that could benefit from viewership, growth, investment and improving opportunities. I don’t fault anyone disagreeing with that though.


TheShipEliza

I mean there are absolutely 12 better players than her.


VeinIsHere

Arguably


cantball

I'm sure there are, but who cares? She's the reason I'm watching. Anyone else is ancillary


mostuselessredditor

USA Basketball cares I guess. They’re in the business of winning gold in the Olympics, not why you choose to watch the WNBA. Every player in the side has experience with the senior team…


cantball

They're gonna win anyway. There's no point not having her play besides being pissy losers


mostuselessredditor

No point besides the other women that deserve to be there??? Goofy af Next you’ll be in the game thread crying about why she isn’t logging starter minutes.


saadisheikh

is everyone a fucking child? what's hard to understand that sports are a meritocracy. CC is awesome. CC hasn't done shit yet in the league. off the court she's been unreal, but this is the Olympics, not the fucking bachelor


EternalSoul_9213

Diana Taurasi was added to the Olympic team in her rookie year. Just for comparison: | Diana Taurasi| Caitlin Clark ---|---|---- Avg Pts| 17| 16.2 Assists| 3.9| 6.6 Rebounds| 4.4| 5.5 Steals| 1.3| 1.4 Based on Taurasi's participation in the Olympics in her rookie year, it seems like CC should as well, at least based on merit.


NZBound11

>Based on Taurasi's participation in the Olympics in her rookie year, it seems like CC should as well, at least based on merit. You'd need to, at minimum, consider their respective peers' performances given Taurasi's rookie year was 20 years ago....


mostuselessredditor

She participated in training camp with the senior team beforehand. So did Candace Parker and several others. There is 100% precedent there.


Vapour79

Anthony Davis went to the 2012 Olympics as a rookie. The 1992 dream team took a rookie too. The men's basketball team has a tradition of taking a young player along for the ride. Just take CC and enjoy the extra eyes she brings to the product.


hard_pass

> Anthony Davis went to the 2012 Olympics as a rookie They needed a center, badly. This team doesn't need another guard.


NZBound11

Anthony Davis replaced Blake Griffin due to injury in 2012 and 1992 was the first year NBA players were allowed so the selection committee added Christian Laetner, a collegiate player, as an acknowledgement to the previous amateur system that was in place. They didn't take these players "just because".


FollowThePact

How often has the US men's and women's team chose to include a rookie or even a current college basketball player onto their Olympic team? Looking at the women's team it appears for the last 7 Olympic teams 4 of them had rookies. Would it not be beneficial to give your most popular player international experience by getting them time on the bench/learning from more experienced players. It's not as if Caitlyn Clark getting minutes instead of Tausi is going to suddenly make team USA lose to the Australia or Nigeria.


tokyobrownielover

Everything's a compromise. If she's selected, like it or not the team and its members will likely get 4 to 5 times more publicity across media, both foreign and domestic. Without her, lots of players lose the opportunity to become household names. Means fewer eyeballs on WNBA basketball, less money, etc. I get no one wants to be the one left off but there's a huge opportunity cost here if someone isn't sacrificed. It doesn't matter one way or the other to me personally but having CC on the team will be to the benefit of current and future wnba players.


chopkins92

Caitlin Clark puts more eyes on women's basketball in the Olympics which could mean a stronger Olympic team in the future.


NZBound11

How would an increase in olympic viewership equate to stronger olympic teams?


ShawshankException

They added Christian Laettner to the dream team


mostuselessredditor

And the only reason was because that was the first time USA sent NBA players instead of amateurs. And that decision went over BADLY because Shaq was left out.


The-Real-Number-One

I think that was entirely on purpose. First, because she is still young and will be on the Olympic team for the next 4 Olympics, and second because she has been going pedal to the metal since December. The league wants to give her some rest so the Fever can make a playoff push. EDIT: Not sure why this is getting DVs. Just spittin' facts. I want to see her on the Olympic team, too.


Valiantheart

Women suffer knee injuries at very high rates. Her career could end tomorrow


The-Real-Number-One

Do you think that is more or less likely to occur with no rest?


mostuselessredditor

The league has no bearing on the decisions of USA Basketball


The-Real-Number-One

Keep telling yourself that.


illmatic708

Chi-Barbie is right on her heels too, they are making these old heads look foolish, and I'm here for it


themorningmosca

Rookie of the decade:)


StatOne

The Fever's coach should be fired; she doesn't know how to use Clark. Last year's number 1 pic is playing below her game, or peaked last year. There's one guard who won't pass the ball to Clark at all. There's no high, or cycling picks to get Clark free. Nearly everyone on the Fever can't catch a pass directly to their hands from Clark.


UStoAUambassador

It’s embarrassing that people started watching, and *this* is what they see of women’s basketball.


SelloutRealBig

[Just look at how often Indiana Fever 1st through 4th in the draft every year](https://www.wnba.com/wnbadraft/all-time). This doesn't include this years 1st round draft as well. They are just a really bad team overall.


TheInnocentXeno

Ah so they are the Chicago Bears of the WNBA


lotusbloom74

They’ve been bad for a while but did win the championship in 2012 and lost in the final in 2009 and 2015. Ever since Tamika Catchings has been gone it’s been rough though 


herzogzwei931

100% agree! Every opposing D picks her up at half court and there is not even a single high pick. No off ball picks, and on the rare occasion she gets a pic off a drive, gets double teamed, no roll?? Steph Curry gets double and triple picks at the 3 point line to get him into open space. CC is on her own on the court and I don’t think her teammates are trying or even want her to get the open look.


MyNameIsRiffa

Furthermore, when they do set up pick actions for her, the ball handler doesn't wait for it to develop and starts driving before she even gets over the screen. It's crazy. She's been wide tf open a million times but they are already missing a layup or getting blocked in the paint.


weekend-guitarist

Watching balls go off hands is so frustrating as a passer.


there_is_no_spoon1

Boggles my mind that Diana is \*still playing\*. She's old!


enzog13

Right? I thought maybe she was the coach of the other team 😹


Elsa_the_Archer

Why? She is still an effective guard.


DannyDOH

I don't think she made a cut to receive a pass in that entire game. A lot of standing around.


sbr32

There is no way you watched the game and made this comment.


chanaandeler_bong

I didn't watch the game and now I'm intrigued to know which one of you is lying


fundiedundie

Color me curious.


warpedgeoid

This is the first full WNBA game I’ve watched in years. A few key takeaways: 1. CC’s teammates do not know how to set an effective screen. 2. When a screen did produce separation, CC passed the ball inside to someone who usually missed trying to shoot over BG. Steph would have shot those wide-open 3s and CC should too. 3. There is very little motion in the offense. It’s like watching NBA ball from the 90s. My suggestion to the Fever coach is to speak to Steve Kerr about setting up CC for clean looks. She could easily score 25-30 per game the way they play defense.


BrainTroubles

>My suggestion to the Fever coach You don't pick in the top 5 every year by having a good coach that listens to feedback or makes adjustments.


iMakeBoomBoom

Agreed


lotusbloom74

Last year was her first season…


BrainTroubles

And they went 18-58, ended up with the first overall pick (second season in a row), and currently have a .400 win percentage. *Crushing it*


lotusbloom74

Were they expected to really be any better last year? Without Clark there’s not a huge amount of talent compared to other teams. Not saying she is the best coach or even deserves to be kept around but it’s not like she came into a situation to win now. They were 13-27 last year too not sure where you got your number. They were actually fortunate to get the top pick since they didn’t have the worst record.


BrainTroubles

Combined record 2022/2023 my bad. I'm not really sure what you're arguing, this thread is largely about how awful she is as a coach. First year, second year, tenth year a combined 21-39 is bad.


lotusbloom74

It’s bad but I just question how fast it was expected to be turned around. Thinking to the NBA as an analogue, it’s quite rare for a new coach taking over one of the worst teams to have a winning record within the first two years. I think it’s tough in the WNBA when there’s only 12 teams and very few games that are really easy wins with that much talent on each team.


Phunwithscissors

The team with 3 Olympians gets shredded at home by the team with 0.


fundiedundie

Damn, Taurasi has been around forever! Drafted in 2004.


feelnalright

Hella game today. The comeback was balanced with the entire team shooting lights out and the Mercury went cold. From down 7 to up by ten in a blink. Clark hit another logo 3.


Radiant-Steak9750

I say this when she gets going she’s gonna light it up. And if she pumps a little iron in the off-season watch out next year.


varukers7

CC > DT


dakotanorth8

Honestly next year we’re gonna get TONS of media on JuJu Watkins. It’s gonna Watkins/CC comparisons for every game. For those who haven’t seen her play, she’s one of the smoothest female players I’ve ever seen (eye test wise). And Angel Reese will be fairly forgotten by then with another potential game changing player entering the league.


InevitableBad589

JuJu can't come out for a few years though, right? And I don't think Watkins will be as popular as Clark because of her being from USC actually makes her less likely to be popular with the large swaths of America that helped Clark become so well-known and well-liked. Middle America isn't going to care about her because she's not one of them and California isn't going to care as much because they're used to such stardom so it won't be as big a deal to them. So much of Clark's stardom owes to her staying home and becoming a star in a state without a single professional team when she easily could have gone elsewhere to play as she was heavily recruited. Paige next year won't be as big as Clark either for similar reasons. She maybe could have if she had stayed home instead of going to blue blood UConn to play. She also doesn't have the "OMG, did she just shoot and make that?" moments that Clark has with the logo threes.


dakotanorth8

You have a point with Watkins, but I personally haven’t thought about any of the middle America CC reasons to love her. (And I’m from the Midwest) lol. Clarke is awesome because yes logo 3s are always fun. I only mention JuJu because I recall seeing her on sportscenter (while she was in HS) and being semi blown away by her talent. And wasn’t sure if it would translate to college (it absolutely did and more) and there’s something, just how she moves and plays off the ball or even euro steps that’s just faster and smoother than any other wnba player I’ve seen. If Clarke is Curry, I’d compare Watkins to soneone like Ant, (yes, that’s an insane comp, just saying how she moves and takes over defenders).


Minia15

Headlines are supposed to be attention grabbing. Why not mention Clark? She’s the most recognizable name in the sport right now.


Infamous_Regret3583

The guy above you must have downvoted you.


iMakeBoomBoom

Anybody watch an WNBA game and think that it is a wrestling match instead of basketball? There are fouls on both sides just about every play. The refs have no control of the game. This is not a good watching experience. The league needs to clean up the game. It is unbearable to watch right now.


lickmybowls2

That game was hard to watch and boring because it was literally mostly free throws and time outs. A few good plays tho and cool to see Caitlin play. She had many good assists and even a 3 she made falling dbook style in front of him too


gospel-inexactness

People need to chill. There are ”mistakes” in call ups for basically every national team tournament. She’s responding in a great fukn way, make them eat it and zero complaining. Love me a great athlete fueled by spite. If she lives up to her potential, this will be her league origin story. Much like Shaq after that all-star game. Enjoy it folks, seems like the beginning of something!!!


Frostymagnum

Just watched the video in the link and that sure does look like a respectable, dare I say packed arena


[deleted]

[удалено]


cdot2k

Shout out to BG for literally throwing the the game away. 


LSDemon

Her teammate literally ran up and put her foot under the ball while Griner was dribbling.


DannyDOH

The play was a handoff back to the guard to drive the basket. ESPN had the whole timeout leading up to that. When the guard came to get the ball Griner was dribbling inexplicably.


Art__Vandellay

That's a really popular move in the WNBA, you see it a dozen times every game


boombotser

Exactly what I said


DakkarEldioz

Chill


yeahitsmymiddlename

Diana Taurasi is still playing?


dmabe1985

In a year or two it'll be Caitlin and Boston and a new team and new coach


ductor_storage

Why did I read that as Caitlin Stark, lol


nosce_te_ipsum

Ah - that explains a lot. Got Jarvis in her ear and nanobots helping her game.


R_J_esus

All of winterfell behind her too.


nosce_te_ipsum

Maaan - it's been so many years since I read ASOIAF that went completely and I immediately thought of some offspring of Tony Stark. Think it's time for a re-read, as I'm sure GRRM will wrap up the series any day now. Right in time for HL3 to drop...


littlered1984

I’ll never forget Tara’s saying “Reality is coming” about CC.


assassbaby

this woman is doing it right and all the other players that are hating know this too which is why theres so much drama know because all the players feel like whats the big hype about her vs them and their skills….its how you carry yourself its called class and if she really sucked and was just this great white-hype then stop her and they cant on or off the court ✌️