In Phoenix last night, Diana Taurasi sat out as her Mercury played visiting Connecticut. Phoenix Coach Corey Gaines said Taurasi needed the rest. But rumors on twitter surrounded this:
The Mercury planned to sit Taurasi the rest of the season, but Alexis Hornbuckle was ejected from Wednesday's game for a "flagrant foul-penalty 2" and might be suspended by WNBA President Laurel Richie. Per WNBA rules, the Mercury will need to dress at least eight players for a game. The Mercury have just nine healthy players, as rookie guard Samantha Prahalis (right shoulder) was out for the third consecutive game.
A message to Phoenix Mercury media relations today to confirm whether or not Taurasi would sit out the last five games was not returned.
But I don't remember Team USA having this much trouble readjusting to league play in 2008. Here's how our gold medalists have fared over the last month:
Sue Bird - Had the flu upon returning and missed two games. Missed last night's game for rest.
Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore - Playing for the Lynx just fine.
Seimone Augustus - Has missed the Lynx's last two games with a strained foot.
Tamika Catchings - In MVP form.
Diana Taurasi - Missed several games upon return due to dental surgery. Now may miss the rest of the season for rest.
Tina Charles - In MVP form.
Angel McCoughtry - Slow returning to the Dream, then suspended by new coach Fred Williams before returning to high-scoring form.
Asjha Jones - Out with an Achilles strain.
Sylvia Fowles - Out with a calf strain.
Candace Parker - Visibly tired, possible knee issues, is scoring significantly less.
Swin Cash - So far so good.
Fans always lament that female ballers should rest more, but the opportunities they have at the times of the year that their leagues play doesn't afford that.
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6 comments:
Taurasi played more minutes in the Olympucs (192) than she has played for mercury (168). If the wnba wants to be taken seriously then the league would want their stars to play.
Both Charles , Parker and Bird have been soldiers and fighting through for their teams
I can't disagree.
Charles, Parker, Catchings and the three from Minnesota all have my respect because they have really been - as you said - fighting for their teams despite their fatigue.
Charles actually sat out the last game with a groin strain, and was slowed for the games before that. So I'd say she was affected as well.
I don't see a mystery on this issue.
If these ballers play year around in competitive pro leagues and throw in the Olympics every four years their bodies will break down eventually. The continual wear and tear leads to increased frequency and severity of injury. The cumulative impact of this will lead to shortened careers.
It's too bad. If any of them were my personal friends or relatives I'd try to talk them into picking one league or the other. In the current environment it would be Europe for the money, assuming they could still get a good contract without the WNBA exposure.
The only mysteries to me are:
1. Why the Mercury won't come out and say what Taurasi's plans are.
2. Why they won't return my communication.
I hear that. It's hard to project a positive motive on the Mercury based upon their actions this year.
I'm not a chronic WNBA fan so I try to understand what their perspective is. Reading your blog has helped.
WTS recently had a linked post from Swish Appeal discussing the survival of the WNBA. Frankly I was surprised. They linked a couple sources, particularly Rebkell's blog.
It looks like there a lot of disappointed long term fans which I didn't realize. I don't know if it's the economy in general or something else about the league.
Here's the link.
http://boards.rebkell.net/viewtopic.php?t=73436&start=100&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=6c0886cfeae9b667c356ea964fc32cdc
Challenging times for sure but it seems there are still plenty of WNBA fans out there. I just hope they aren't getting worn out.
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