All Stars and perfect drafts
by Stop-n-Pop on Jul 23, 2009 7:52 AM CDT
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Folks, something special is going on with the other professional basketball team in town. Despite losing their best player for the season (Seimone Augustus), the Minnesota Lynx are 10-7 and earlier this week it was announced that they will be sending two players to this weekend's All Star game in Connecticut: Nicky Anosike and Charde Houston.
What should be interesting about this announcement for those of you who don't pay that much attention to the Lynx is that both players were taken in last year's draft, Anosike in the 2nd round and Houston in the 3rd. If you throw in the outstanding and improving Candice Wiggins, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that before their careers are all said and done with the Lynx could have selected All Stars with each of their 3 picks in the 2008 draft. Had our favorite NBA team had pulled off a similar trick we would all be going bonkers. It's not like the WNBA sends a ton of non-1st rounders to the All Star game. This is the first time since 2001 that 2nd or 3rd rounders have been selected by the league's coaches to participate in the game.
Anosike has been the true revelation with the Lynx in her 2nd season. She is 3rd on the team in scoring and 1st in blocks, steals, assists and rebounds. Not bad from the center position. League-wide, she is just as impressive:
Anosike, a 6-3 center, averages 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and is the only player in the league in the top 20 in all five major statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Houston, a 6-0 forward, averages 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds.
She is also no slouch on the defensive end. Relative to her sport, she's the best professional basketball big in town, or, if you want to bicker about it, easily the most rounded. Oh, she also shoots over 55% from the floor. The only thing she doesn't do is hit from beyond the arc.
If Anosike is at the top of the list on many of the team's statistical categories, Houston isn't far behind. The 2nd year forward from UConn is averaging 14.6 ppg, 1.1 spg, 2.4 apg and 6.2 rpg. In her sophomore campaign Houston has become a reliable performer who is becoming more efficient as the season goes by.
I'll say it again: regardless of your thoughts on women's ball, there is something truly special going on with the Lynx right now. They will probably not win it all this season but they have positioned themselves in a fantastic position with one of the best drafts you could ever hope to see (Wiggins, Anosike and Houston), another solid pick in 2009 (Renee Montgomery) and a future 1st rounder owed to them by the awful New York Liberty. All of this is in addition to the Olympian Augustus. This team has a legit championship core and they play a fantastically entertaining style of ball. They are the best professional basketball team in town. Give the All Star game a peak (2:30 this Saturday on ABC) and do yourself a favor and attend a Lynx game. Here is their schedule. For those of you who have never been to a game before, check out the August 7th game vs. Connecticut. The Sun are a very good team and they are led by former Gopher Lindsay Whalen. If you are a basketball fan, I guarantee you that you will enjoy the game.
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Not to take Props away from the Lynx
Kudos to Nicky and Charde !!!
David Thorpe had some pretty intresting comments on the rookie class in his intial class rankings.
3. Jonny Flynn, Timberwolves
As of today, he’s the starting point guard for a team that has great talent inside (and two big bodies to use as ball screens). Flynn has great charisma on the floor, and he can use his jets in both the half-court and full-court game.
Considering the Wolves don’t have a backup point guard who demands playing time, Flynn may lead this rookie class in minutes played. And with his confidence and talent, he’ll put up very productive numbers. Unless … Ricky Rubio decides to suit up for the Wolves, too.
11. Wayne Ellington, Timberwolves
He’s already a good NBA shooter, and he has the rangy athleticism that will help him defend and rebound. Playing with a dynamo point guard (Flynn) and talented bigs (Al Jefferson, Kevin Love) will help him get easier shots, too. The lack of shooting guards on Minnesota’s roster should guarantee Ellington minutes from the get-go.
Ricky Rubio, Timberwolves
He’s not a project on the court, but getting him to Minnesota seems to be the biggest project facing the T-Wolves. He’s going to make everyone on that team better, once he’s in uniform. One hundred percent of the executives I spoke with felt he should have been a top four selection, and all cited his master set of passing skills. They also said his shooting is underrated and will get much better in time.
Also for Kicks and Gigfles
Hasheem Thabeet, Grizzlies
This much is certain; Memphis knew they were getting a project when they drafted him. And while his attitude seemed positive and his demeanor on the court was professional, his effort level never came close to what it will take for him to have success in the NBA. His lack of strength, balance, or scoring skills are not the issues. Give him those same sets of weaknesses, but replace his passion for the games with Blake Griffin’s, and Memphis would have a center that would be the envy of the entire league.
Along with
7. Stephen Curry, Warriors
On one hand, Curry might have been the second-most disappointing rookie in Vegas (though he was second by a long shot to Hasheem Thabeet), shooting poorly and with seemingly no thoughts behind his actions. But on the other hand, he found a way to contribute in other areas.
Curry will figure out a smarter way to play offense (his coach will help), so it seems likely that he’ll end up performing solidly this season.
The Lynx are improved because
1) They finally got a serviceable “big”. They’ve been outclassed since day one in the pivot. And it seemed like they never tried to get one.
2) They have a coach who’s getting it done.
Currently, and historically, the Timberwolves have the same issues.
The coach...
…has been huge. Gillom was brought in as a bigs coach last year specifically with Anosike in mind and she has really done a fantastic job. If Montgomery continues her development, they will also have a top-flight point. Basically, they’d have everything the Wolves have wanted and needed for years and years.
The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com
I don't watch
I don’t watch the Lynx games, so I don’t have any observations. But I always read about the games in the paper next day and I very much enjoy these articles on canis hoopus. I wanted to be sure to comment as these threads don’t draw as much attention as the Twolves threads.
It’s awesome that this team is respectable, when the last times the Twolves were at .500 (right, when Casey was fired)?
IF you want floor seats at the Target Center
the Lynx are a cheap(er) way to live large.
And the action from up close is far more, um, brutal than you’d imagine.
the athleticism...
…and the physicality of the women’s game is definitely catching up to the men’s game. I don’t know if we’ll ever see a league full of high fliers but the bangers have made their way to both the college and pro levels. The talent level in the women’s game has gone through the roof in the last 5-6 years.
The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com
Absolutely
I’ve been to maybe ten Lynx games, and the fun of sitting down close is…. It’s fun, I guess. You can follow the communication amongst the players better than at NBA games, actually.
That’s partly because it’s also an atmosphere that isn’t calculated to induce insanity in the unprepared visitor. If you’re looking for more of a family thing than the overamped dance team-heavy setting of Wolves games, it’s a good outing.
Well put..
…it’s fantastic to take young players to WNBA games. Not only is it a bit more family friendly in terms of language on the court but, as you mention, the mind-numbing noise isn’t always there. There is also constant motion on and off the ball. On every possession there is something going where you can point to a young player and say “see, this is what they’re doing”. I am working on a WNBA 101 for NBA Fans post and I interview Jim Peterson who goes into great depth about this aspect of the women’s game. I’ll make sure to put a large chunk of that part of the interview into the piece. He calls it continuity basketball; there aren’t just single options on any given set and sometimes the team has to work its way to 2nd and 3rd options. There are similar sets but they they don’t rely on the 3 pointer, above the rim play and the ridiculous levels of power and speed that the NBA players do so they have longer plays with more movement and less isolation. I think it’s a lot like playing tennis with a wooden racket…the game becomes more of a thinking game than one impacted with more power and speed like metal-racket tennis and the NBA game.
The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com
that's why
I don’t like the Kobe-lakers. My bball buddy is a fan of Kobe and The Lakers but I really don’t like that kind of ball. To be honest, the teamplay was probably there, I didn’t watch the games .. but really, the guy threw a pass to HIMSELF … ORLY? there’s 4 other teammates on the field man.
For clarity sake, I’m not saying Kobe is not a good player or even that he is selfish. I just don’t like what his style of play is based on; i.e. not what makes these WNBA games appealing apperently.
We got Rubio!
by Wim (Belgium) on Jul 24, 2009 7:22 AM CDT up reply actions
Anosike's game lines are striking
She really fills the box score, that’s for sure. Not a lot of zeros to look at.
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