Sparks Trade McWilliams-Franklin for Milton-Jones

[Purple Reign]

http://www.wnba.com/mystics/news/MYSTICS_ACQUIRE_TAJ_MCWILLIAMS-268626-230.html

Wonderful. This trade clearly improves Los Angeles, like they needed anymore improvements. What is Washington thinking about.

Monarchs...........come out and plaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!!!

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

This move does nothing for me...this is insignificant in the overall scheme of things. LA will have probably three players who will be playing through the Oly break. Parker presumably already made them better, as did Leslie's return.

I don't want somebody to steal cap space and minutes from Brunson. I have nobody I'd want to give up for DMJ that the Mystics would have presumably wanted as an exchange. If we were to package people and picks to get somebody who is now extraneous somewhere or wait til all these extra posts get waived (see: DC, Chi, NY, LA rosters) then we'll talk. But I'm not concerned about this move. If LA pounds Seattle everytime they see them and we beat both those teams a couple of times, I'll even perhaps applaud this move by LA.

 

[Purple Reign]

I don't want Delisha either. But maybe I would like to see some move, that is going to improve the squad. I disagree, this move makes Los Angeles even better. Milton-Jones is an extension of Michael Cooper on the floor. Tough, gritty, defender who is now motivated and back home. And she can score a little bit.

Maybe I see what the other teams in the West are doing, and kind of wonder if the Monarchs are going to keep up in 2008.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

I thought we already had this discussion though, are you ready to give up your core to make that deal? DC traded post for post, or starter for starter. Of the core, who do you want to give up to make any one of the deals that somebody else made in this conference - who is worth parting with to get a player?

I guess where I am is I'm willing to roll with the group of 13 that emerges from camp to start the regular season. Can it compete for the playoffs this year, certainly it should. Will it compete for a title? I dunno, a lot of things have to go right for any team to win a title so that's hard to say right now. I'm not sure we were doing backflips over the 2005 roster either that had been rebuilt.

 

[creative one]

Temeka Johnson and Delisha Milton-Jones don't like each other very much, stemming from their days as Mystics teammates. Milton-Jones and Alana Beard teamed up to get Johnson booted out of DC because they did not like Johnson's poor attitude. Well, look who's back in Tinseltown...

Unless Johnson's going to be traded soon, this could be a chemistry-killing move for the Sparks. Couldn't happen to a better team, IMO.

 

[HoopMatron]

Milton-Jones had requested a trade out of DC, and had already vetoed one with Minnesota, I believe.

McWilliams-Franklin is a warrior, but an aging warrior. Is her husband still in the military and if so, is there any chance he's stationed in the DC area? If so, this deal works for her, too.

I don't think this trade really boosts either team, although DC would have been in trouble with Milton-Jones on their roster. I'll miss Taj, though. She was one of the bright spots on the Sparks.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

They now have room to move TJ if they want to run with a young back court. Only reason that could possibly explain why they drafted two point guards a couple of weeks ago.

If that's the reason they dumped Johnson for Teasley, how crazy an organization must the Mystics be to no longer have either of the two point guards they used to have?

 

[creative one]

They now have room to move TJ if they want to run with a young back court. Only reason that could possibly explain why they drafted two point guards a couple of weeks ago.

If that's the reason they dumped Johnson for Teasley, how crazy an organization must the Mystics be to no longer have either of the two point guards they used to have?

I don't pretend to know why Michael Cooper drafted two point guards in the draft. Maybe he thinks both will be of use to him now and possibly in the future. Maybe he drafted one with the intention of not being able to draft the other, only to somehow end up with both. Maybe he thinks they're attractive (one of them is, at least). I have no idea how Coop-a-loop's brain works, and I'm not about to find out!

This much I do know. Milton-Jones demanded a trade to get out of LA the first time around because she didn't like how Michael Cooper treated her and how he utilized her on the court. He was extremely "hands on" with her, and she claimed that made her feel uncomfortable. He would also, according to her, force her to be a "thug" player on the court. She went to Washington with the intent of being "the star", but ran into Alana Beard. Shortly thereafter, Temeka Johnson was drafted and began causing a stink in the Mystics locker room. Beard and Milton-Jones took exception to Johnson's attitude problems, so they got together and found a way to get her traded at the end of the season. Two years later, Milton-Jones finds herself back in LA with Mr. Touchy Feely and Little Miss House of Horrors.

Aren't you all glad that the Monarchs don't have to deal with this level of drama? I know I am.

 

[StevenHW]

...Aren't you all glad that the Monarchs don't have to deal with this level of drama? I know I am.

Me too! This is more drama than a daytime soap opera!

The ironic part of it is...Delisha came to Washington a few years ago in exchange for a player who's had lots of problems on her own: Chamique Holdsclaw!