Houston makes offer to Maiga-Ba

[HoopMatron]

It was buried in an article about the new ownership, season ticket holders, etc.

"When asked about the lack of news coming from the Comets organization regarding any player transactions, Thompson announced that the Comets had made an offer to Sacramento’s Hamchetou Maiga-Ba, and were waiting to hear back on that. "

http://boards.rebkell.net/posting.php?mode=quote&p=278919 http://www.spmsportspage.com/published/spmfeatures/comets-new-owner-ready-to-2.shtml

 

[Purple Reign]

I may be able to live without Buescher, but I odn't know about losing Buescher AND Maiga-Ba.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

As we saw with Phx a couple of years ago with DeMya....I think we're getting a textbook lesson in "how to mess with the two time defending western conference champions without really having to do much on the court"101 from the folks in Texas. But hey welcome to the business of the WNBA I guess...

My sense right now is if Maiga-Ba goes, we just lost a huge chunk of our effective backcourt defense, with our best backcourt defender still unsigned.


I'm interested in seeing how this plays out and how this affects our draft decisions should we lose one or both players. I'm warming to the Williams move, I need something to console me equally as insurance against a Maiga departure....anyone? anyone?

 

[6th]

Hmmmm! Can't say as I'm surprised. Maiga-Ba is an excellent backcourt defender.

The dilemma is that we still have to have enough money to sign Ticha. Whiz will not let her go. So, my guess (and not that I like it) is that Whiz will let Erin go, but will match the Maiga-Ba offer. I want to keep them both.

 

[NothinButHoops]

I'm more sensitive toward losing Erin before Tanti. They both bring the tenacity & are intense players. I'm just not looking forward to having to face them should they play elsewhere. I know I would have to cheer Erin on, no matter. Let her get pumped up & reject some Monarch shot....I might just have to admire that passion & wish we never let them go.

Well we'll see..''.how many more days before we know?

 

[mdme]

if you could only keep 1 from ticha, maiga, and erin who would you choose?

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

Ticha is more of an intergral piece to this team than Maiga-Ba or Buescher. if for no other reason than she's a starter (the fact that she plays a position that has traditionally been EXTREMELY hard to replace in this league and she's the top defensive point guard in league history - you can toss that insignificant trivia aside ) . Are Buescher or Maiga-Ba going to start for this team at any point in the forseeable future? (See: deal Lawson just signed and See Also, drafting of Scholanda Dorrell; and that you'll probably core Walker til she retires to answer part of that question). In basketball salary cap 101 (or at least the book that I'd write based on my limited understanding and gut feelings ) you don't load your roster with incrementally expensive role player contracts. In a cost per minutes played perspective, it makes no sense. Role players are relatively easy to replace, starters are not. At least not for a defending conference champion they aren't. (see: Chelsea Newton's departure).

I think Whiz' cautious comments on the final Monarchs Talk last year speak to his thought process for all of the free agents he's trying to get back into the fold...it's gonna come down to the money. If the money works it works, if it doesn it doesnt. I don't think his choice was can I have one of these 3, I get the sense he said what he said because he saw way to get them all back. Lawson didn't need to sign an offer sheet somewhere else first before she got deal she seemed to want. What if my choice was Ticha Kara Erin or Maiga? Am I as concerned that Maiga or Buescher could be leaving? I'm not sure.

 

[Purple Reign]

if you could only keep 1 from ticha, maiga, and erin who would you choose?

That's easy. it would be Ticha. I am a huge Ticha fan and I am not a huge Ticha fan, if that makes since. Because Ticha is still one of the top 3 or 4 point guards in the WNBA, you have to keep her, even though i wish she could do more things to make her team better. But that ain't happening, and I have to live with it.

 

[mdme]

Those are very good points on the value of Ticha. On the other hand, these same points could be used to show Ticha's value as a trade piece to land us a good player. One thing that the detroit series did is to expose a particular weakness with our team. If you watched the finals closely, Ticha was NOT able to shut down either Tweety or Katie. This might be a case to show the true value of Chelsea Newton. I am not saying that Haynie is a better defender (it is obvious she is not). What I am thinking though is that what Ticha brings to the table may no longer be enough to counterbalance the negatives she brings in with her....unless Sho can suddenly be a true stopper. This is not a knock on Ticha's game or value to any team. Rather, I am just looking at a comparison of keeping her (and all the pro's and con's that go with it), versus trading her for a piece that might make our team "better". I think Maiga-ba is a better defender than her (and definitely better on offense too).

Of course everything that I said might get invalidated if she decides to practice 1000+ jumpshots/day or plays like steve nash.

cheers!!!