We Regret to Inform....The Houston Comets Will Cease Operations

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

In 2011, screw the viable options behind star #1, I want star number one and I'm pushing allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll in on that hand. Simply because we're going to get hosed out of somebody in the 12 expansion drafts that will take place between now and then. Give or take.. Well, that and because I want her here.

 

[creative one]

Don't look now, but Shavonte' Zellous is quietly (well, not so "quietly" anymore) having an outstanding season for Pitt. She's a scary athletic 5-11 shooting guard who can shoot. Who knew that guards could be athletic yet have the ability to make shots as well? Did I mention that she can play defense as well?

This is probably the ONE 2009 guard that I would even remotely consider for the Monarchs at #7.

 

[Purple Reign]

In 2011, screw the viable options behind star #1, I want star number one and I'm pushing allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll in on that hand. Simply because we're going to get hosed out of somebody in the 12 expansion drafts that will take place between now and then. Give or take.. Well, that and because I want her here.

Call me slow but is this whom we are speaking of???

If so, somebody break down her game (for those who are College Basketball Novices). What is it that makes this young lady so special and sets her apart compared to the other "so-called" greats (Holdsclaw, Taurasi, Parker and even in the future Britney Griner).

Why should I sacrifice my whole 2010 season, for the chance to select Maya Moore?

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

Maya Moore is Candace Parker + Tamika Catchings, only more gifted in places each of them arent. All that and stupid athletic ability that allows her to dunk as a SF. I saw her as a high school senior effortlessly nearly triple double in a game and she's only gotten better since then.

I saw her recently nearly triple double against BYU almost as effortlessly, she was 2 assists shy of that, and probably would have gotten it had they not been blowing the Cougars out.

 

[creative one]

Call me slow but is this whom we are speaking of???

If so, somebody break down her game (for those who are College Basketball Novices). What is it that makes this young lady so special and sets her apart compared to the other "so-called" greats (Holdsclaw, Taurasi, Parker and even in the future Britney Griner).

Why should I sacrifice my whole 2010 season, for the chance to select Maya Moore?

I'll give it a shot.

Let's start off with the basics. Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw, and Diana Taurasi are far superior to Moore in terms of skill-set and winning at that same age, so Moore is battling Parker and even Griner for 4th place in women's basketball's lore.

That said, Moore has a motor that just won't quit. What she lacks in pure skill (compared to Holdsclaw, Taurasi, and Miller) is made up through sheer determination and will. She's an elite athlete (can dunk at 6-0) who can legitimately play and defend multiple positions. She can hit the three-ball at a 40% plus clip and is capable of getting to the hole. She's a good--not great--passer. As I hinted to earlier, she's one of the top two players in all of college basketball today, and it's debatable whether she's #1 or #2.

I'd call her Tamika Catchings-lite. Should be a franchise player.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

I think she's better than a "lite" tag...only reason I'd rate her on a lower pedestal than Catch is Catch is built SOLID and Moore's body is not built like that - not sure she has the same strength. Catch is the better pure defender, but Moore's offensive skills make up for what she doesn't prevent.

 

[creative one]

Moore is not better than Catch was offensively. On offense, Catch could play the 2, 3, and 4 at Tennessee while Moore is really just a 3 with the ability to play the 4 in stretches (she was a four in HS). Catch didn't have consistent 3-point range like Moore does, but she could hit from more areas on the court than Maya can right now. Catch also had more of an offensive array of moves prior to going down with a knee injury her senior year.

Defensively, it's not even a debate. Catch is and will always be better than Moore in that regard.

That's why I call her "Catchings Lite" and I'm not as convinced as some that she will lose the "Lite" tag.

 

[uncommonclay]

candace parker, of the sporks, was roy and mvp ... maya moore is better ...

 

[creative one]

candace parker, of the sporks, was roy and mvp ... maya moore is better ...

Better than Parker? Yes. Let's be honest. If Candace was playing with the Atlanta Dream or Washington Mystics, she wouldn't have that MVP trophy. That she won it in her first year is impressive, but she's still a beneficiary of circumstance.

Better than Miller, Taurasi, Catch, or Holdsclaw (and even Griner)? Debatable, and I'm leaning towards "NO".

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

Zellous? When I brought her up last time, you said we already had her in Allen. I'm glad to see her get some love now.

 

[creative one]

Zellous? When I brought her up last time, you said we already had her in Allen. I'm glad to see her get some love now.

I still wouldn't draft her, so don't get it twisted. I'd much prefer to draft a forward in this draft. There are guards better than Zellous in 2010, but she is worthy of discussion as a top candidate in this extremely weak draft.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

Ok, just checkin' Zellous has always been worthy as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

This goes back to a conversation upstream in this thread....

The Arena Football League, probably one of the longer lasting niche sports after perhaps NASCAR is the first economic casualty in some respects. They are shuttering up for what they hope is a restructure of the league in 2010.


http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-football11-2008dec11,0,5807295.story

 

[samq]

I still wouldn't draft her, so don't get it twisted. I'd much prefer to draft a forward in this draft. There are guards better than Zellous in 2010, but she is worthy of discussion as a top candidate in this extremely weak draft.

Just curious, aside from Wright and Prince who are the other good guards, assuming we don't nab a top 5 pick next year?

Any good point guards? I'm not a huge fan of Riley...

 

[creative one]

Just curious, aside from Wright and Prince who are the other good guards, assuming we don't nab a top 5 pick next year?

Gray-Lawson, Arriaran, and Barlow could all be first-round picks as well. Brittany Ray and Allison Hightower look like decent second-round prospects. Barlow is a stud who should challenge Prince and Moore for Big East POY next year. Arriaran is coming off a couple of knee injuries, but she's showing improvements under Gail Goestenkors' leadership (which is HUGE for her development). All of these guards are able to generate their own offense--a WNBA prerequisite. With the exception of Hightower, all of these guards have WNBA physiques that would allow them to generate offense against strong foes and defend WNBA guards. Hightower does have long enough limbs to bother some opponents on defense.

Any good point guards? I'm not a huge fan of Riley...

Not really.

Riley's the best I've seen by far in this class, and she's had a good floor game so far this year (shooting's not so good). I expect her to be a back-up in the WNBA (she will be drafted high--possibly in the mid-first round--because of who she is and what she's done thus far in her career). Cortijo's okay (but again, she's working with Gail so improvement can be expected). Houts has been a major disappointment this season, but her team has like zero talent this year (we'll check back in with her next year).

 

[samq]

Gray-Lawson, Arriaran, and Barlow could all be first-round picks as well. Brittany Ray and Allison Hightower look like decent second-round prospects. Barlow is a stud who should challenge Prince and Moore for Big East POY next year. Arriaran is coming off a couple of knee injuries, but she's showing improvements under Gail Goestenkors' leadership (which is HUGE for her development). All of these guards are able to generate their own offense--a WNBA prerequisite. With the exception of Hightower, all of these guards have WNBA physiques that would allow them to generate offense against strong foes and defend WNBA guards. Hightower does have long enough limbs to bother some opponents on defense.



Not really.

Riley's the best I've seen by far in this class, and she's had a good floor game so far this year (shooting's not so good). I expect her to be a back-up in the WNBA (she will be drafted high--possibly in the mid-first round--because of who she is and what she's done thus far in her career). Cortijo's okay (but again, she's working with Gail so improvement can be expected). Houts has been a major disappointment this season, but her team has like zero talent this year (we'll check back in with her next year).

Thanks. I'm not too high on Gray-Lawson, from the few games I've seen, but that was last year.

What do you think about JJ Hones? I was thinking she might be a decent 2nd rounder, she has size, decent handles, good IQ, can shoot, but her speed/defense may be a problem. But, then again, the quality of PG's in this league is bad, so she may still be a good pick up. However, I'm not sure how she'll come back from her injury.

 

[Luv13fan]

Thanks. I'm not too high on Gray-Lawson, from the few games I've seen, but that was last year.

What do you think about JJ Hones? I was thinking she might be a decent 2nd rounder, she has size, decent handles, good IQ, can shoot, but her speed/defense may be a problem. But, then again, the quality of PG's in this league is bad, so she may still be a good pick up. However, I'm not sure how she'll come back from her injury.

JJ is a junior and May be eligible for Red Shirt. So she is at least a year away. I actually liked what I saw from her when she finally started to get her strength back in the middle of last year.

She has suprisingly good court vision and can deliver a 3/4 court pass with amazing accuracy. So even with her speed compromised, what she lacks in speed she can make up in passing ability.Plus she has a jumper. I actually hope she can red shirt cause I would like to see what she can do 100% healthy not rushing to get back. Not to mention the fact that she is 5'10 which put her on this Monarch fans radar. She is very do-able if she can stay healthy.

 

[creative one]

Thanks. I'm not too high on Gray-Lawson, from the few games I've seen, but that was last year.

What do you think about JJ Hones? I was thinking she might be a decent 2nd rounder, she has size, decent handles, good IQ, can shoot, but her speed/defense may be a problem. But, then again, the quality of PG's in this league is bad, so she may still be a good pick up. However, I'm not sure how she'll come back from her injury.

I think she would be a high second-rounder in 2010, if healthy, for the reasons you named. She is an outstanding ballhandler (almost 3 to 1 A/TO ratio) for a college kid and has the ability to knock down the jump shot. She has good size at 5-10 and a good WNBA body build. She showed some ability to penetrate in the NCAA Tournament, but that came against some very weak defenders. With this latest injury, though, it's possible that she may not recover (I hope she does, though--I've grown to love her game). Had she been healthy and in this 2009 class, she would've been a first rounder for sure. As it stands, she's probably a late second rounder in 2010 or 2011.

As for the quality of PGs in the WNBA, well, blame nepotism (and bad scouting). There's no way that you can convince me that a kid who barely had a 1.2 A/TO ratio and barely shot 40% from the field in college--all while playing alongside the best player in the country--deserves to start for a WNBA team. Said kid turns the ball over six times a game in Turkey (without Parker).

 

[Luv13fan]

I think she would be a high second-rounder in 2010, if healthy, for the reasons you named. She is an outstanding ballhandler (almost 3 to 1 A/TO ratio) for a college kid and has the ability to knock down the jump shot. She has good size at 5-10 and a good WNBA body build. She showed some ability to penetrate in the NCAA Tournament, but that came against some very weak defenders. With this latest injury, though, it's possible that she may not recover (I hope she does, though--I've grown to love her game). Had she been healthy and in this 2009 class, she would've been a first rounder for sure. As it stands, she's probably a late second rounder in 2010 or 2011.

As for the quality of PGs in the WNBA, well, blame nepotism (and bad scouting). There's no way that you can convince me that a kid who barely had a 1.2 A/TO ratio and barely shot 40% from the field in college--all while playing alongside the best player in the country--deserves to start for a WNBA team. Said kid turns the ball over six times a game in Turkey (without Parker).

AMEN!!!
FO's say they work year around but based on their picks they are Tourney Only Scouting coaches. Well Not all of them. But it seems to me that they depend on sites like Scout.com to get a concensus about the top 20 kids then basically find a kids that managed to be on the floor late in the tourney from there.

I got a chance to see a kid named Rego out of U of San Diego. Now I only got a chance to see her once, and her team didn't play well. I wish I had seen her more, but I would bet Dollar to Donuts she was better than "Said Point Guard" and her counterpart here in Sac. Not to mention that Kimberly Beck (GWU) who was undersized and underweight managed to get drafted and make a ball club (Storm) and I would wager that Rego was better than her as well. But GWU beat Cal and got a national audience when they played Rutgers. So there you go.

Rego was in a Mid major conference, and her team lost when they got to the Show. So GM's pass on players like her. It's unfortunate really.

 

[creative one]

While I'll admit that I didn't see a whole lot of Rego, I can say that I don't know if someone who averaged over 7 apg in college is THAT much worse than three midgets who didn't average near that amount as collegians AND didn't shoot above 30% from the field in the WNBA. Maybe she was a snail on defense against the better teams. Dunno. I just find it hard to believe those Oompa Loompas (ours, the one in LA, and the one who should get cut from Indy this summer) offer more than just a cheap bench option with some name recognition to WNBA teams. Same goes for that overhyped kid in Connecticut who rode pine much of the summer.

I also never understood the Beck gushing that went on here (this forum) and nationally. It was obvious to anyone who'd scouted her that she was too small (not really 5-8) and too thin (125 pounds is GENEROUS) to play in the WNBA, yet every ESPN women's basketball analyst I had correspondence with said otherwise. I watched her many times and was never really impressed with her skill. Sure, she played hard and sure, she seemed to be a well-rounded college point guard (i.e. didn't do anything exceptionally well, just did a lot of good things). But it sure did seem like the awards showered upon her (conference POY, HM AA, Lieberman award finalist) were based more upon where she played as opposed to what she did when she played. In all honesty, she didn't look like a major conference player which is why she didn't play for a major conference. But she put up good numbers for a well-established and well-liked mid-major and was given the benefit of the doubt by the media. I'm not surprised she dropped as far in the draft as she did because her performance in the NCAA Tournament was downright awful and, as said before, she lacked the measurables. I am, however, surprised that Seattle let her go and then turned right back around and picked her up. Talk about a wasted roster spot.

 

[creative one]

As an unrelated rant of sorts, I really think Steve Nash should allow the top college female PGs to attend his elite camp much like he does with the young men. The late great Pete Newell's camps were open to male and female post players alike and it was known to pay dividends to the development of professional female post players. C'mon, Steve! Help these ladies out!

[And please don't bring Point Guard College into this argument. Dena Evans was a good college player, but she played less than three professional seasons and none of those seasons was spent playing in the WNBA. Some of her more well-known clients still don't display good basketball fundamentals at the COLLEGE level! I think the smaller, not-so-athletic HOF guards like Mark Jackson and John Stockton should consider working with women because there definitely is a need for better PG play in women's basketball.]