WNBA

[DrMongoose]

The skill in women's hoops is definitely on the rise. That said, it will still take a decade or so to be truly watchable for the casual hoops fan.

That and who wants to watch basketball in the summer?

[Barton Fink]

It's a filler sport

[animal]

Go look at some recent Big 3 league highlights and there's more people in the stands watching that stuff than there is the WNBA at least in a lot of those clips. 

[The Whyte Boar]

WNBA said that Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kayla McBride turned down invitations to the 3 point contest.  Ionescu, winner of two of the last three, said "Not so fast.  I was not invited."

LOL...what a fucking ridiculous league.  All three of those players lack melanin and are straight, by the way.

[Barton Fink]

Fever put up 70 in the first half tonight (20 mins). Impressive for any level.

[The Whyte Boar]

Fever put up 70 in the first half tonight (20 mins). Impressive for any level.

Clark is the only player to ever hit 25 points and 10 assists in fewer than 30 minutes playing time.  She has done it twice this week. She didn't get a single minute in the fourth last night.

[DirkPiggler]

The skill in women's hoops is definitely on the rise. That said, it will still take a decade or so to be truly watchable for the casual hoops fan.

I've never understood why women's basketball doesn't scale the court and goals to match the difference in size between women and men.  They do it with the ball but should go further.  Well, I guess I do get it at the junior high/high school level because of the expense of changing goal heights/extra floor markings. 

Imagine softball being played at Baum with the same dimensions, mound distance, base paths, etc.  It would be as unwatchable as women's hoops.

[SwahiliSteve]

I've never understood why we have women's basketball

[BleedinRed]

I've never understood why we have women's basketball

I don't understand why the good looking ones don't wear skimpier uniforms.  It would be great if they would adopt the womens beach volleyball dress code.  Not for the ugos though.  That is my take for the day.

[The Whyte Boar]

I've never understood why women's basketball doesn't scale the court and goals to match the difference in size between women and men.  They do it with the ball but should go further.  Well, I guess I do get it at the junior high/high school level because of the expense of changing goal heights/extra floor markings. 

Imagine softball being played at Baum with the same dimensions, mound distance, base paths, etc.  It would be as unwatchable as women's hoops.

Meh...women's hoops in high school and to some degree college has always been in some ways more enjoyable to basketball purists than men's ball because they were more sound in the fundamentals.  But that kind of changed over the last few decades with just getting giant goons to bully people inside. 

And in the WNBA they've never had the skill to deal with the guards.  So they just beat the shit out of them and called it "physicality".  Then these lesbians built a whole mythology of toughness around it and thought they were playing basketball.

Clark became so popular not just because she was white but because she played ball like no woman ever.  But there are so are other good guards who can shine if they play by normal basketball rules and not this shit the WNBA has been selling.  If they get over themselves and structure the rules and officiating to scoring like the NBA has done, they can make money.

Will they ever be the NBA or NCAA?  No, but there is nothing on TV this time of year.  And the games are short.  If you can show me a chick or two shooting logo threes and dropping ridiculous passes, I'll watch because major league baseball puts me into a coma.  And that's basically the only other thing on TV on a weekday right now.

[DirkPiggler]

Meh...women's hoops in high school and to some degree college has always been in some ways more enjoyable to basketball purists than men's ball because they were more sound in the fundamentals.  But that kind of changed over the last few decades with just getting giant goons to bully people inside. 

And in the WNBA they've never had the skill to deal with the guards.  So they just beat the shit out of them and called it "physicality".  Then these lesbians built a whole mythology of toughness around it and thought they were playing basketball.

Clark became so popular not just because she was white but because she played ball like no woman ever.  But there are so are other good guards who can shine if they play by normal basketball rules and not this shit the WNBA has been selling.  If they get over themselves and structure the rules and officiating to scoring like the NBA has done, they can make money.

Will they ever be the NBA or NCAA?  No, but there is nothing on TV this time of year.  And the games are short.  If you can show me a chick or two shooting logo threes and dropping ridiculous passes, I'll watch because major league baseball puts me into a coma.  And that's basically the only other thing on TV on a weekday right now.

The "fundamentally sound" thing was always a myth in my opinion, based on having to watch games in between boys' games in high school between 8th and 12th grade.  Junior high basketball in particular was an abomination...four year old boys playing Upward basketball without keeping score were more fundamentally sound.  Literally never saw more than 10-15 seconds elapse between turnovers or fouls.  Boys games would be over in a little over an hour at that level...girls games took closer to two.  I saw some talented individuals (Sha Hopson from Hot Springs comes to mind first), but for the most part it was a turnover fest because most of the girls couldn't dribble, pass or shoot. 

Some of the old school college teams (La Tech under Hogg/Barmore when Mulkey was a PG, Summitt's UT teams) were definitely playing a fun style and doing it well.  But even then the talent level was so uneven that those teams played 1-2 competitive game per year and just embarrassed everyone else who lacked their skill and discipline.

I can't agree on baseball being more boring though.  I won't watch two random teams in a regular season game or anything, but I'd watch static on a loop before I'd watch the WNBA finals game seven. 

[BleedinRed]

Watch a Ladybacks game and tell me there are solid fundamentals being deployed.  

I could watch Clark play all day.  She plays like a guy and she should be the Michael Jordan of the WNBA.  She is simply a great basketball player.  But they won't allow it.

[DirkPiggler]

Watch a Ladybacks game and tell me there are solid fundamentals being deployed. 

I could watch Clark play all day.  She plays like a guy and she should be the Michael Jordan of the WNBA.  She is simply a great basketball player.  But they won't allow it.

You're literally disrespecting the memory of Emmitt Till with that last line you racist.

https://x.com/ClayTravis/status/2080287421741101281?s=20

[Barton Fink]

The women's game involves more offensive sets and passing, but that is starting to change too. That is the only "fundamental" argument that exists.

[DirkPiggler]

The women's game involves more offensive sets and passing, but that is starting to change too. That is the only "fundamental" argument that exists.

I could agree with that, that the best college teams ran more plays and defined sets. 

To me fundamentals are shooting, dribbling, passing, positioning, etc.  The women's game is massively inferior to the men's at every level in those areas. 

[Barton Fink]

They are getting better. I'll admit that. Clark, Buecker. and Miles are pretty skilled, but the overall product is still a tough watch

[HOGSRUNWILD]

I think the problem for the WNBA is the women's body and age. 

For explosive muscle power, one of the main things for basketball, women peak at 19, men at 27. 

That means that once women hit the WNBA, they area already in deep decline for peak explosiveness vs even college.  In short, they can't fucking jump or make explosive plays like they could even in college.  Thus, the game loose slower and more planted than even the college game for a reason.  Then add in weight gain and the game becomes bruising.

[buff2.0]

Watch a Ladybacks game and tell me there are solid fundamentals being deployed. 

I could watch Clark play all day.  She plays like a guy and she should be the Michael Jordan of the WNBA.  She is simply a great basketball player.  But they won't allow it.

Bruh she's only the 11th best guard in the league.

(according to players polled)

[The Whyte Boar]

Lots of good guards.  Sabrina Ionescue and Kelsey Plum come to mind.  Sonia Citron is a killer.  She is really good and pretty nice to look at as well.

[The Reverend SnoopHogg]

Watch a Ladybacks game and tell me there are solid fundamentals being deployed. 

I could watch Clark play all day.  She plays like a guy and she should be the Michael Jordan of the WNBA.  She is simply a great basketball player.  But they won't allow it.

100% correct.  She makes everybody on her team better.  She's fun to watch.