Caitlyn Clark

Par4QC

garyt1957 She better get the eyes checked. Been poked too many times.

garyt1957

Par4QC If she doesn't get it straightened out pretty soon the Fever are in for a boatload of trouble.

johnnydoom

I don’t know about the WNBA, but I’m pretty sure that in most serious professional leagues the owner would be planning a sit down soon with the coach and GM and asking why he shouldn’t fire them right now. But I guess he’s a little tied up with the Pacers at this time.

Par4QC

johnnydoom Certain teams have figured how to stop/slow down Caitlin. The problem is that Caitlin has not figured out how to beat that, but she can.... if she would watch films afterward. Plus, it would cut down her TO count by not passing so often.
Driving layups. We saw it late in this game today. She gets them late when they are down due to the other team not chancing a 3 point foul. But she can also get by doing it in the 1st quarter, and others.

I'll send off a text......😆

johnnydoom

Par4QC It's not just Caitlin that needs to watch the films. The coach needs to as well because when the other teams see someone setting up a pick they aren't trying to get around the pick, they are blitzing Caitlin with other players and none of her teammates are getting back there to give her an outlet and if they do, most of them don't have the passing ability to take advantage of the numbers when they get it. The current offense the Fever is running works pretty good if someone (anyone) is popping them from 3 point land, but when they aren't, they have no chance. However, it's not all their fault. When they do try to run, the other team just bumps and grabs Caitlin all the way down the court without fear of having any fouls called. So I can see why they've adjusted strategy, but if I was them I would try to blunt force the ball down court at speed and make the league call fouls either for or against Caitlin. If she fouls out of 3 or 4 games in the first half, the fans will leave and the league will either change or return to obscurity. If she shoots 20 free throws in the first half the other teams will complain that she gets a "special" whistle and then they will change their strategy. I understand that Caitlin doesn't play in a vacuum and needs a league to play in, but I also understand that right now, she is the league. 70% of the people currently watching and showing up to fill NBA arenas are doing it only to see her. The league needs to change as much or more than Caitlin or the Fever needs to.

garyt1957

Par4QC Driving layups. We saw it late in this game today. She gets them late when they are down due to the other team not chancing a 3 point foul. But she can also get by doing it in the 1st quarter, and others.

I tend to agree, but like you said they don't care that she gets to the basket when the game is decided they just don't want to foul. It's much harder to do earlier in the game. Clark's problem is she has no pull up game. She either shoots a 3 or must get all the way to the basket and get a layup. She can't pull up at 5 feet and shoot a jumper or floater. I thought that would be something she would have worked on in the offseason. She actually tried a step back from about 15 feet and another going baseline from about 10 or so and missed both but at least she shot them. Right now she's too predictable. Overplay her at the 3 point line and leave a big to meet her at the rim. That's all you have to defend.

johnnydoom

garyt1957 You must be watching different games than I have. Caitlin has made plenty of mid-range shots this year, just not in the past two games. She can make them from all ranges and now going both to her left and to her right, but this offense demands 3 point shots in order to open anything up. Two games in a row with less than 30% of 3 pointers and everything inside gets shut down. Her two problems outside of a slump are that the talent around her is also not good in traffic and tend to only have great games when Caitlin can open things up for them, and her coach continues to run an offensive strategy that will keep that happening. As far as I can tell, Howard is the only decent isolation player they have. Everyone else needs Clark to have at least a decent shooting game. I think Boston has it in her, but is more into playing team ball. Bonner may have it, but has been AWOL whether actually in the games or not. I don't know if that is her fault, Caitlin's fault, or coaches fault.

Par4QC

johnnydoom Everyone else needs Clark to have at least a decent shooting game.

1st.....they have to shoot the ball in order to have a decent shooting game!!

The other gals are not shooting, either inside or outside. Only Clark, Boston & Mitchell are doing the shooting. The other 4 players, that had a lot of play time, only took 6-4-2-3 shots yesterday. And they had the ball in their hands plenty often.....CC was not holding the ball or shooting all the time.
They need to realize that when they start throwing the ball up it takes people off others. Just shoot the damn ball....you can see that CC is 'off'. Someone has to take up the slack.

garyt1957

johnnydoom We are definitely watching different games. Please show me a couple videos where she makes a pull up jumper or a floater. Heck, I'll take one example, I don't know if she can make them because she never takes them. And maybe I'm not being clear, I'm talking about shots in the paint, where she gets in there but doesn't pull up and shoot. She either gets to the basket for the layup or just dribbles back out. I'd like to see her shoot from thete. She'd draw fouls if nothing else.
And going right? She can't make any outside shot going right. She shoots across her body from left to right, you just can't do that going right.

johnnydoom

garyt1957 I'm not going to waste my life looking through game footage to show that she "can" do something. Highlight reels don't exactly focus on 10 foot jump shots and defenses rarely afford her the opportunity to take them. Pretty hard to stop and pop when someone is chasing you hard from behind while a big is coming at you from the front - which is what happens when Caitlin penetrates the 3 point line with the ball. Here's a couple from the first game I pulled up. One at 3:25, another at 6:05.

Don't confuse can't with doesn't. Yes, she doesn't feel comfortable making 3 pointers moving to her right, but I've seen her do it.

Par4QC

garyt1957 They had her doing different things in pre-season training camp. Jumpers, etc. Not quite sure as to the why of it. They have inside players for those shots, and others that can already do it quite well.

You have watched her for years, doing what she does, playing as she played. You drafted her at #1 for those reasons. You'd best be getting coaches that use those reasons you drafted her at that spot! Not coaches that try to change the way she plays/has played since a small child. Yes, I'm now questioning White and the way she is 'instructing' instead of 'coaching'. Let the players use the abilities they have, that got them where they are. And migawd, quit slowing down a fast paced team.

Imagine a coach telling (back in the day) Sosa to lay down a bunt every time he came to bat.
Let's go back and have Usain run a few 5000M.

garyt1957

johnnydoom First one was legit, second one was a step back, that's not what I'm talking about but whatever. She will struggle shooting only 3's and layups, gotta expand her game.

johnnydoom

Par4QC Not quite sure as to the why of it.

They were going to play her off the ball in order to take some of the pressure off. They've since found out that no one else can run the point well enough to make the other players effective (IMO). Edit to add - actually they found out that Aari McDonald could, but decided they need to keep the roster they have. Not sure if they are still trying to work something out.

Par4QC

johnnydoom They were going to play her off the ball in order to take some of the pressure off.

And that is not what she is known for, nor does she like that. She wants the pressure. She wants (& needs) the ball in her hands. The style of play is not what is best suited to her, nor maybe the whole team. Eyes better open quickly or there will be no post-season for his team. They have been beat by teams they should have pummeled.

No chatter I can find anywhere about this game, except that most are saying CC has a severe sinus problem going on. She did seem 1/2 dead at the post game interviews yesterday. And not real sure that her and White did not 'get into it' during the game at some point.

Then again, no chatter about the Sky game yesterday either(major whuppin again!). Angel pulled down 19 rebounds, scored 10....the world should be all over it, I'd think. Suspicious to me though as the game was against the Dream with Griner in there....who only had a couple rebounds.🤨

Par4QC

johnnydoom Edit to add - actually they found out that Aari McDonald could, but decided they need to keep the roster they have. Not sure if they are still trying to work something out.

1st off, they still can't sign her until next month, from what I've read. At that time they will have to let someone go before being able to sign her, and they have a Cap problem. Only way to make room is for Turner to go(which she def should).
But, if/when they do that, how does she figure in? Only from the bench, when CC is sitting? That's only a few minutes each game. When Kelsey is sitting....again only a few minutes. She can play, she can shoot, but she's only 5'6", so really cannot play forward. And Kelsey is getting over 200K, so she ain't sitting.

Might be nice to grab her anyway as I suspect Kelsey will be leaving next year. Other teams have been picking up players recently but none went after MacDonald. I think she is waiting for/has been told to wait for the Fever.

johnnydoom

Par4QC CC has a severe sinus problem

That's interesting. That could explain a lot or be the cover for a couple of really bad games - not sure which. I do agree though, the ball needs to be in Caitlin's hands and her team needs to run. Yeah they got knocked out of the playoffs doing that last year, but that was also after an even more flagrant eye poke than happened this year. I actually thought White was putting together a team that would have shooters at every position that other teams couldn't guard while ganging up on Caitlin, but that hasn't seemed to work out. She needs to go back to Caitlin's strength for now, and have the GM working on roster updates if she wants to retry the other vision.

garyt1957

THIS is what CC either can't do or won't do

johnnydoom

garyt1957 That’s impressive to be sure. And who knows what the difference in team makeup is. But do you really want to take a point guard that averaged 28.4, 7.1, 8.2 at .462% in college and make her into a point guard that averaged 10.9, 4.5, 6.2 at .395% in college? Again, maybe Rori has a lot more and only did what her team needed, but unless I just need that fit for my team, I’m going for more if I can get it.

Par4QC

garyt1957 She can't. And seldom will try. It is what White has been after her to do....without having her (White) eyes open to see why she cannot.

It is a hard thing to do when double/tripled teamed most games. Only way she can get inside is the driving layup.
It's why she has so many assists every game.

I don't even want to see her doing it. With the 'hounds' on her at all times, she'd not be able to try many of them, & maybe just get some FTs. That would take away an assist to someone who is way more open and can make points easier.
jmo, but if CC starts trying those shots, they will lose every game.

garyt1957

johnnydoom obviously it's not about trading the two of them it's just showing the one piece CC needs to become damn near unstoppable.

johnnydoom

garyt1957 Caitlin does do it, she just does it from 25 feet because that is where the defense meets her. If you look at the Rori video, the defense is packed in as though they are much more concerned with her teammates than they are with her. If Caitlin goes inside, she has to get past her defender and then she has someone chasing from behind her, plus someone else that will be rushing up to meet her in front. She’ll get stripped or blocked from behind almost every time she tries it.

garyt1957

johnnydoom totally disagree but ok

garyt1957

Par4QC again, totally disagree, but ok

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