WNBA/ G League Thread

[jeebs9]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

Kia Nurse not going back to Phoenix.

With rumors of a possible Toronto team (maybe in 2024?), I wonder if she'd do a 1 year deal for 2023 somewhere and then go play basically at home.

An expansion team in Toronto led by Kia Nurse would be big for the WNBA.

You run this idea a few times....

They’re barely doing much over here financially with very little support yet you think they’re ready to expand?

Hmm interesting.

.... But I agree with Pack here... They are just getting by down here. I'd be really surprised if that happened.

[jeebs9]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

Sorry looks like Kia is going to the stor
G Kia Nurse will sign with Storm - Philippou; Nurse missed last season (torn ACL)

[Majingir]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

They're having a preseason game here in a few months, guess we'll see how popular it is.

Not saying Toronto will lead the league in attendance or interest, if they do get a team I see them playing out of the GLeague arena, but it wouldn't hurt to add another team (I'd imagine expansion money helps the league too).

The team would get coverage in Canada, no issue getting games on TV, and they have a home. Worst case it doesn't work, but everything needed for a team is there.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

They're having a preseason game here in a few months, guess we'll see how popular it is.

Not saying Toronto will lead the league in attendance or interest, if they do get a team I see them playing out of the GLeague arena, but it wouldn't hurt to add another team (I'd imagine expansion money helps the league too).

The team would get coverage in Canada, no issue getting games on TV, and they have a home. Worst case it doesn't work, but everything needed for a team is there.

I think you underestimate how “bad” their current situation is, if you think expansion is going to help them in the next year.

They have low attendance, low ratings, very little interest, especially when you consider the time of the year the season runs and you have Owners who don’t even want to pay for basic stuff like Charter Flights and a decent medical staff.

They’re really not in a position to even be considering expansion right now.

[jeebs9]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert attended event Monday that demonstrated community support for expansion team in Portland

Maybe we were wrong?

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

Memphis Hustle F Kenneth Lofton Jr. wins G-League Rookie of the Year after averaging 20-11 in 17 games.

What you think of his game translating to y’all, OJ?

[ojandpizza]

WNBA/ G League Thread

Memphis Hustle F Kenneth Lofton Jr. wins G-League Rookie of the Year after averaging 20-11 in 17 games.

What you think of his game translating to y’all, OJ?

So I wanted him on the roster day 1 after summer league lol. I think it was me and Jeebs talking about him back then. But with JJJ out I wasn’t really expecting Aldama to step in as a starter (and them basically jump out to first in the West with him) and Clarke staying on the bench. I was envisioning them having a bigger gap to fill.

I’m not sure how his game translates honesty. I think he’s got the talent and skills, and he knows how to abuse mismatches with his size when needed. I just don’t know if you start playing him 25-30 minutes or whatever if teams can exploit him on switches. Honestly haven’t seen enough minutes from him to have a grasp on that yet. He has the size and guard skills I feel like to really punish teams on screens/hand-offs with Ja.. Similar to what Adams does, or Draymond with Steph.

It also somewhat hurts Lofton that David Roddy is somewhat similar where he’s 6’6 and thick also, and Jake LaRavia is 6’8 and solid. But both those guys seem more equipped to playing some at the 3 spot. Where Lofton is basically always going to be a 4 or really small 5. They’ve both played well in spurts this year with the main guys.

Part of the reason I was all in on Grizz making a trade of Brooks + Clarke was that I actually think all of Roddy, LaRavia, and Lofton can play decent sized roles at this level. You add Aldama and Konchar who’ve both played big minutes for stretches over the past two years now and they really have an abundance of depth that you could swing a couple of the higher value guys to something closer to a star-caliber starter and just let all those guys eat up the minutes.

Guess we’ll see this off-season how all that goes. But given they didn’t take a swing at the deadline I’m not sure that won’t mean losing Brooks for nothing this off-season unless it’s a situation where nobody really wants him and they lock him up without really having to overpay and just see how it plays out going forward.

[Majingir]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

The Toronto game is next week, and looks like they could set a record for most attended WNBA game ever. Tickets are sold out.

[jeebs9]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

The Toronto game is next week, and looks like they could set a record for most attended WNBA game ever. Tickets are sold out.

Really??! That would be an awesome experience.

[Majingir]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

Really??! That would be an awesome experience.

The record for WNBA I believe is 19,839

19,800 is the Raptors capacity for ticketed seats.

21,800 is the ticketmaster listed capacity (I imagine this includes standing room only, which is the only available tickets left) So there's a good chance they break that.

[Majingir]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

The official attendance is listed as 19,800.

I don't get how it's accurate though.

The ticketed seats are 19,800 and that sold out.


Unless you're saying not a single person bought the standing room only ticket, I think they would've broken the record.

[jeebs9]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

Damn.. That sucks.

WNBA strips Aces of 2025 first-round draft pick and suspends coach Becky Hammon after finding franchise violated league rules

[Majingir]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

Damn.. That sucks.

WNBA strips Aces of 2025 first-round draft pick and suspends coach Becky Hammon after finding franchise violated league rules

It gets worse.

Sounds like it's all surrounding Dearica Hambys pregnancy. She signed an extension last summer and got pregnant right around that same time.

Team seemed to call her out about knowing she was pregnant when signing the deal (so she'd knew she would be off and didn't tell the team), although she says that's untrue (even if it was true, that's none of any employers business).

Hammon also confronted her about this too.


Not a good look for the league as a whole.

I also wonder how (if at all) this impacts Hammons chances at getting an NBA job. Maybe teams did take back offers? She just so happened to recently comment that she doesn't need to be on an NBA team for validation and all that stuff, just to get suspended in the WNBA a few days later? Timing seems weird.

[jeebs9]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

It gets worse.

Sounds like it's all surrounding Dearica Hambys pregnancy. She signed an extension last summer and got pregnant right around that same time.

Team seemed to call her out about knowing she was pregnant when signing the deal (so she'd knew she would be off and didn't tell the team), although she says that's untrue (even if it was true, that's none of any employers business).

Hammon also confronted her about this too.


Not a good look for the league as a whole.

I also wonder how (if at all) this impacts Hammons chances at getting an NBA job. Maybe teams did take back offers? She just so happened to recently comment that she doesn't need to be on an NBA team for validation and all that stuff, just to get suspended in the WNBA a few days later? Timing seems weird.

Oh damn your right that's worst!

Na I think the timing is perfect.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: WNBA/ G League Thread

Without pay in the WNBA goes crazy because they barely making any money over there as it is lol