WBB Gossip

A little more on that:

www.ajc.com/sports/basketball/atlanta-dream-drafts-brianna-turner-first-round/aAvldejQBrEfzF4MeoYT1J/

I don't follow WNBA closely enough to know what this means to Atlanta or Phoenix, but if a team is trading for Marie, that has to be a good sign in terms of the level of interest they must have in keeping her on the roster.
(I am amazed at how few players "stick" in the WNBA very long, at least from following the careers of the recent Beaver draftees)

Go Beavers!

You nailed it with "WNBA very long",  as in Will Not Be Around very long", not unlike the NFL (Not For Long)

Nice OSU mention....



Go Beavers!

On the surface this seems to be a good move for Maria. I watched a few of Phoenix's games and Marie was not getting that much playing time for possibly a variety of reasons. To start with the Starter was Griner and she seldom came out of the game. She was used more often as a 4 and Alana Smith is more of a 4 than a five, so she would fit in better. I also felt ( even with my homer glasses off ) that for some reason the coach did not really like Marie. She seemed to give her an early hook even when she was playing really well on both ends of the court. Sometimes that just happens. A player just doesn't click with the coach or the style the team plays.

As has been mentioned while it is very difficult to be drafted by a WNBA team it is exponentially far more difficult to stay on a roster. There are fewer roster spots and for some reason, top players seem to play longer so there are not that many openings every year. They the size of team rosters are limited so the teams do not have the luxury of carrying developmental players. If you do not produce they replace you very quickly. 2nd round picks seldom make a team. And once you have not made a roster one year, you get a rep as training camp fodder and that's how they see you from that point forward. They also play very few preseason games so players have little chance to prove themselves. Even doing well in training camp will not guarantee you a spot. Teams will not keep a non-elite rookie around long because in a few years they will have to pay them twice as much. If they do not see them as a valued rotational player they will cut them because there are plenty of players coming out of college every year. They need to have a certain amount of players on a rookie salary to keep under the cap so they have to play a financial numbers game that is not always geared to ability.

The good thing is that a player does not need to rely on the WNBA to make a living. In fact, the better money is paid overseas. Getting a spot in the WNBA is basically good for rep and that will increase their overseas value. One thing Maries has going for her is that Overseas teams are limited to the number of American players they can carry on their rosters. So as a European that increases her value in the venue where the money lies.

So can I ask a question about overseas play? I guess this would be both men & women. Where is the league/team money coming from? Is there that much interest & fans showing up to see Women's Pro BB? What is attendance like? Is the money made on sponsorships? Is the US players skill level higher than the Euro players so as willtalk is pointing out about the WNBA the skilled Americans would travel overseas and be top dog for several years.

Then the men. Same thing?

Hard for me to see significant money in the Euro circuits

Wnba doesn't pay it's its players very well.

It is really hard for a rookie to get time on the court.  The bad thing is how sloppy they play.  When the beavs started getting players in the league I watched several games, still do but now I record them since their playing time is so limited. It seems like there is a lot of traveling and other basic turnovers called, more than in the college game.  

Wow, Louisville just added 3 transfers, all former McDonald’s All-Americans including Cal’s Kianna Smith.