You do realize one of the ones you compared to her literally has a higher efficiency by .2?! Also, most stars on the team take the most shots. None of the guards you mentioned are the stars for their respective teams. Cheryl wants the ball in O's hands and told her to shoot whenever. So you can keep this bs about efficiency, but post players and secondary guards tend to have higher efficiency because they shoot less.

At the end of the day the day a coach will take the player that avgs 15ppg with a 40% efficiency than the 8ppg with 45% efficiency.

zt1014 said:

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You do realize one of the ones you compared to her literally has a higher efficiency by .2?! Also, most stars on the team take the most shots. None of the guards you mentioned are the stars for their respective teams. Cheryl wants the ball in O's hands and told her to shoot whenever. So you can keep this bs about efficiency, but post players and secondary guards tend to have higher efficiency because they shoot less.

At the end of the day the day a coach will take the player that avgs 15ppg with a 40% efficiency than the 8ppg with 45% efficiency.

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Well, I'm a believer in that efficiency bs. You're a believer in that volume-shooting bs. We will just have to agree to disagree.

But you make a good point. Odyssey takes the tough shots at the end of the shot clock when nobody else wants to shoot, and those are often very difficult shots.

Griner Named 2019 WNBA All-Star Starter
July 11, 2019

"2014 WNBA Champion, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and 2017 WNBA Scoring Champion Brittney Griner was named a starter for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019, the league office announced today. It marks the sixth career selection for Griner, every season the game has taken place during her career (2013-15, 2017-19).

Griner remains one of the league's most dominant players, this season leading the league in scoring (20.0), ranking ninth in rebounding (7.5), third in blocks (2.2) and fifth in field goal percentage (53.4). She is the only player in the WNBA this season averaging at least 20 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game.

Griner's production has improved even more over the Mercury's last six games, a stretching during which she has led the Mercury to a 5-1 record, and averaged 23.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. She has scored 20 or more in a career-high five consecutive games and this week was named the WNBA's Western Conference Player of the Week.

Griner added yet another milestone to her resume this season, becoming just the third player in WNBA history to reach 600 career blocks on July 7 against Atlanta, joining Margo Dydek and Lisa Leslie."

- Phoenix Mercury website

Last sentence. She played her college career at Baylor University.

Hope I run into you slimcap

I am here! Hope to see you!

Chloe is going thru pre-game warm ups on bench side of court next to Diamond DeShields.

Didi and te'a sitting on front row courtside, Karen Austin sitting second row courtside

buildabear1 said:

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Didi and te'a sitting on front row courtside, Karen Austin sitting second row courtside

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Didi looked sharp in yellow-rim sunglasses ! She looks ready for prime time with those matching accessories.

Any word on DeCosta? She missed Espys and this game also??

Meladee said:

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Any word on DeCosta? She missed Espys and this game also??

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She might be home in California - not entirely sure. Hoping she isn't having any more issues with her foot.

i hope both DeCosta AND her place with this team are doing well. I see her as an integral cog for next year's team. With her ability to shoot the three and also drive to the basket, she is a true weapon on offense. With her length and rebounding ability, she has the tools to be a really good defender. As we get shorter down low, a player like DeCosta could help our game evolve.

In the last two games Griner has taken 23 shots to Bonner's 40. Phoenix will not win with stats like that. Until Phoenix runs its offense through Griner they will continue to struffle.

I totally agree.

Leaving LA was a good move for her. Although her two years there helped her in respect to developing her game. Her numbers were good enough to even be voted as a starter this year, but she finished in 20th in fan voting so the distance was too much to make up by the media and player vote. However, she was rightfully given a spot by the coaches vote.

As I stated last season when she was, rightfully, not voted as an All-Star, circumstance plays a big role in being selected. It was never going to happen in LA for a number of reasons.

I agree that Sims was toiling away in LA with very little opportunity and recognition. It is good to see her in an environment where her talents can be rewarded. Way to go Odyssey!

I also think it has to do with coaching. Reeve has gotten something out of Sims that we haven't really seen since she played for Mulkey.

Agler did help her and hurt her. I don't think she ever felt fully comfortable with him and possibly teammates which makes it hard to play your best game sometimes.

zt1014 said:

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I also think it has to do with coaching. Reeve has gotten something out of Sims that we haven't really seen since she played for Mulkey.

Agler did help her and hurt her. I don't think she ever felt fully comfortable with him and possibly teammates which makes it hard to play your best game sometimes.

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Odyssey has never been given full freedom to be herself until now. Like I said in another post, Odyssey is an alpha player and needs to be given full freedom to take over a game when necessary. When she is determined to take over she is devastating!

Totally agree with you TXtoCO.

Her first season with the Sparks was a really good year as well. It was about as good a season as she is having this year. In fact it got her back on track. Her time in Dallas was not very good. The problem in LA happened last season. It was because Parker, who came back late, decided that she was going to be a major ball distributor. And the person who was hurt most ball handing wise was Sims. She seldom had the ball and was basically reduced to catch and shoot.

Sims did not play well with Diggins, but her first year she with the Sparks she was very productive. She had an All Star year but was not going to make it because the Sparks all ready had 3 All Stars on the team. Her and Gray were considered the top guard tandem in the WNBA. Playing with Gray helped to revitalize her game. She was not under pressure and it allowed her to find her game. It gave her the opportunity to discover what part of her game was suited to the WNBA and what part was not.

Up until that time, Sims problem was she still tried to do what she did in college, but the WNBA is a different animal. Every player has to adjust. For some reason she never did till she came to LA. As I said it was in her best interest to spend the time she did in LA. It was also in her best interests to get out this year. Although with Parker out except for a few games her and Gray would probably have played well together again. Although Williams is a better fit for them than Sims.

The reason she wasn't a great fit in Dallas was the same reason Tulsa (same team) was the Coach in my opinion.

KALANI BROWN
Los Angeles Sparks

zt1014 said:

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The reason she wasn't a great fit in Dallas was the same reason Tulsa (same team) was the Coach in my opinion.

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I would disagree! It was a number of reasons. To begin with, it is a real challenge for former ball-dominant high volume shooters ( who rely too much on their ability to drive ) to adjust to the WNBA level of play. Second she was drafted by a team who already had a very good point- Diggins. Diggins had already had her adjustment year so she was the incumbent point. Diggins was also more of a cerebral point than Sims who contrarily relied more on her quickness and athleticism. Sims needed to first recognize what part of her game would work and what parts would need adjustment. She was not going to do this with Diggins at the point.

Although she has point guard skills, Diggins is more of a scoring guard than a true point. In some ways very similar to Sims. Both are more 2's than ones. She was never going to develop playing with Diggins. Now it was different with Gray. Gray is actually a pass-first point who can score when she needs too. Playing with her allowed to get comfortable and get her mojo back along with finding her own level. Except for last season when Parker decided she wanted to return to her previous role as a ball-handling playmaker. Parker is often a real handicap in that respect in that she makes other players adjust to her game rather than adjusting to theirs as a playmaker is supposed to. Except for Parker, Sims and Gray could have been a top-level tandem for years. But Parker has too much pull on the Sparks so she would never be traded. So it was in Sims best interest to leave the team. Much of a players success has to do with the players on your team.

Fred is no longer a Coach. I think he was still a huge part of it. He didn't know how to use any of his players.

At least Agler found a way to use her and Gray that first season.

I agree with a lot of what you have said, but still think Williams was not a good Coach nor a great Coach to start with in the W.

Friday night, July 26

slimecap said:

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Brittney Griner is Della Donne's 1st pick for her All Star team

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That says a lot about Brittney that one of the best players in the league would pick her first.

Sylvia Fowles & Odyssey Sims

Odyssey Sims at the 2019 WNBA All-Star game in Las Vegas