2009 WNBA Season

[Dunkin' Dan]

Kristi got her first taste of action as an LA Spark yesterday, in the pre-season game against Connecticut.


Good to see her back playing in the W. Bad to see her in the purple uniform of evil :p

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/luuuc/Kristi_090531.jpg
Photo courtesy of SPM Sportspage.com (http://www.spmsportspage.com/images/WNBA/2009/Connecticut-Suns-77-Los-Angeles-Sparks-80-WNBA-05-31-2009/medium_IMG_-026.html)

LA won by 3, and Erin Phillips top scored for the Sun with 11 (including 3/3 from outside)
Kristi was apparently pretty solid in her 14 minutes, and is still a fair chance to make the final 11. Not great stats, but it is encouraging that she had the best +/- of her team, with +9. (Erin's +10 led the Sun).

Nice to see the WNBA including the +/- column in their box scores this season. Wish the leagues down here would follow suit.

[Dene15]

Does anyone think Batkovic will be getting much court time this season? The storm have a pretty packed front court in Jackson, Burse, Little and Walker and I remember Suzy wasn't too impressed with her court time in her last WNBA experience.

I still think Snell could be a good presence off the bench for San Antonio this season even though she had an ordinary pre-season game.

The most exciting player to look out for in terms of Aussies having a break out season would have to be Erin Phillips. She's had to very good pre-season games and is a player that fits well in the WNBA style of game.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Yeah, apparently Erin has been working hard on her jumper, so if she can keep shooting well then there are opportunities galore for her in Connecticut, as well as probably being the best backup PG option.

I think Snelly will do just fine in San Antonio as well. I expect to see her a more regular part of the rotation than she was in Phoenix, where very few players in the world would have been capable of taking minutes from Taurasi & Pondexter.

As for Suzy, she'll get the minutes she deserves. I'm not sure what she had to complain about last time - she received a decent chance off the bench from memory, but didn't exactly do anything to demand more.
The WNBA has improved its depth as a result of Houston folding and the rosters shrinking, so nothing is going to come easily for anyone, let alone a player who has been with Seattle for so many years but only bothered to show up once prior to this season. She is probably talented enough to be a starter but it's not going to be handed to her.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Nice article about Erin:

Fascinating, fearless ... and fun (http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=20e5aad6-4bb8-4696-8077-fc38d9f37df6)

... and a few about Lauren:

Jackson Rejoins Storm for Practice (http://www.wnba.com/storm/news/jackson090601.html)

LJ happy, healthy, ready to lead Storm (http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/columns/story?columnist=voepel_mechelle&id=4229887)

Why Lauren Jackson came back to Seattle (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/stevekelley/2009302626_kelley05.html)

[Dunkin' Dan]

So, the final cuts have all been made and the aussies all survived them :)
This year we have:

Lauren Jackson & Suzy Batkovic-Brown - Seattle
Erin Phillips - Connecticut
Tully Bevilaqua - Indiana
Belinda Snell - San Antonio
Kristi Harrower - Los Angeles

(and hopefully later in the season if she recovers from her surgery; Penny Taylor - Phoenix)

Congrats to all of them. With roster sizes trimmed from 13 down to 11 and one less team in the league, just making the cut is a very good achievement.

[Andy K]

Aussie Girls WNBA Update,
Jackson, 6 games= Solid as ever, leads scoring average, PPG=23.2, RPG=6.7, BlksPG=1.7
Suzy, Only played 7 mins in 2 games
Tully, 5 games= Playing as well as ever, PPG=9, RPG=3.4, APG=2.2, SPG=2.2
Snell, 3 games, Dissapointing start, PPG=3, RPG=2
Phillips, 5 games, Playing well, starting every match, PPG=8.6, RPG=4, APG=2, SPG=1.8
Harrower, 5 games, Ok stats, PPG=6.6, APG=3.6, SPG=1

[Dunkin' Dan]

Yep, some pretty handy returns from the aussies.

Lauren would be the frontrunner for league MVP at the moment, such is her dominance.

Tully is playing some nice basketball too. She wasted no time in demanding the starting spot back from Briann January with some great play, great leadership, and she is even scoring a few points this season too. The fans in Indy are rapt.

Erin, like her team, had a slowish start, but is starting to roll in recent games. Her & Whalen are becoming one of the better backcourts in the league. This from a player who was expected by most to just be a boost off the bench.

Kristi is shooting poorly, unfortunately, but she has been incredibly efficient for a slow starting LA team. She has an assist/turnover ratio of 7.0, which is unbelievably good (twice as good as the next best point guard, in fact).

Snelly barely left the bench for the first 3 games. Then due to injuries, defections & personal tragedies she suddenly found herself starting, but had a bit of a shocker, shooting 1/4 & turning it over 4 times as her team got smashed. Today she came off the bench & shot 2/11. I'll give her credit for not being shy anyway ;)

Suzy is just getting back into the groove after arriving from her wedding, and I'd expect the Storm to start easing her back into the rotation shortly. They are playing great right now so they're not going to rock the boat too much.

[Andy K]

Yeah, Harrower really is only in LA to do what she does best and that is control the ball and dish out assists, She is in a star-studded team with players like Betty Lennox, Tina Thompson, Lisa Leslie, Milton-Jones and the currently absent Candace Parker.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Ya watch the Mercury-Stars game on ESPN today?
How good was Snelly http://www.ozhoopsboards.com/images/smilies/ausflag.gif

Scoring, passing, interceptions and her trademark attacking of the boards ... it's a great achievement to win player of the game when you come off the bench.
21 points = new WNBA career high for her.
(and most importantly, she got her team over the line for a much needed win)

[Andy K]

Ya watch the Mercury-Stars game on ESPN today?
How good was Snelly http://www.ozhoopsboards.com/images/smilies/ausflag.gif

Scoring, passing, interceptions and her trademark attacking of the boards ... it's a great achievement to win player of the game when you come off the bench.
21 points = new WNBA career high for her.
(and most importantly, she got her team over the line for a much needed win)


Wow excellent, I was at work and missed the game. Im so excited for her and must say "Its about time Snelly". Lets hope she keeps it up, i was scared she would be dropped completly from the league next year if she didn't start performing.

[Andy K]

Snell backs up her great game with another shocker, I wonder if Snell needs to return to Australia for a season to find her shooting touch again.
On another note, Erin Phillips, Lauren Jackson & Tully keep on playing great this season.

[Andy K]

Taylor played her first game for the Mercuary this year and scored 18pts in 18mins on court, also shot at a great %. Im glad to see her back and should really help the Mercuary in the finals. Oh and her return game was against Jackson/seattle who they beat in overtime.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Actually that was her second game. She also played a few days ago and looked extremely rusty, which makes her awesome effort today all the more impressive.
Just waiting on WNBA.com to hurry up and link to the game archive so I can watch it. Hurry up, guys!!
[Edit] Yay, it's up now.

Phoenix are going to be bloody tough to beat for the title if they can stay healthy. :)

[Andy K]

So your right, she played 9 mins the game before and hit 1 of 2 shots.

[Andy K]

So almost all of the Aussie girls teams made the playoffs, Erin Phillips and the Sun miss out after a terrible finish to the year but overall Erin had a decent season, her first half was much better than her second half though where she went from a starting position to limited minutes off the bench.
Jackson is injured again but may play in the first round of the playoffs against Kristi's LA Sparks, Kristi is probably not getting as much court time as she would like either but i expect her to hopefully start in the PG Position during the playoffs. Suzi is getting very few minutes and thats only when the Storm have players missing or injured so she will be ready to shoot big numbers when she comes back to the WNBL you would think.
Snell's form has not been good either and she is struggling to get on court for the Silver Stars.
Penny Taylor is back into regular minutes with Phoenix and will play a big role during the playoffs, and Tully is also having her best ever season in the WNBA starting in every match with the Fever who have been the form team all season but in recent weeks have dropped quite a few games and need to find some form or they may not make it to the second round of the playoffs.

[hellcat]

I'm in the US at the moment and have now managed to see all the Aussies (bar the injured Jackson) hit the court in the WNBA.

Kristi started today's game in Phoenix but only played the first five or so minutes of each half. Penny also got a start today with Taurasi out. It was an interesting match with Coach Gaines playing his bench on for most of the second half and LA (who still had Parker, Milton-Jones and Thompson on the court) still had to work hard for a three point win.

I've seen three Phoenix games so far and have been really impressed with Penny, especially during her game against Atlanta. The trio of Taylor, Taurasi and Pondexter is a joy to watch.

I saw Batkovic play on Thursday, I couldn't believe Ashley Robinson started over Suzy. Coming off the bench Suzy had 8 and 6 in around 18 minutes (with Robinson doing very little in the same amount of court time). I'm looking forward to her WNBL return, I think she'll be in for a big season.

Snelly got a start when I saw her play in Indiana - when Tully and Briann January kept Becky Hammon scoreless - it just seems like Belinda doesn't get the opportunities to make the most of her talent even when she does get on court (the same can be said for Suzy and Kristi too).

Tully was solid for Indiana and she is such a crowd favourite over there, watching her shut down Hammon was great to watch (yes, I know I've mentioned it twice :)).

Erin looked in great shape when I saw her play in NY. She got a decent run off the bench. Connecticut really need a good lottery pick.

Asides from the Aussies, it's been great to see players like Catching, Taurasi and Pondexter out on the court. The venues and game night presentation are just so professional. I think the smallest crowd of a game I've been to was around the 8,000 mark.

Looking forward to the play offs next week, my plan is to see Seattle @ LA and San Antonio @ Phoenix.

[WilloWildWaves]

I'm in the US at the moment and have now managed to see all the Aussies (bar the injured Jackson) hit the court in the WNBA.

Kristi started today's game in Phoenix but only played the first five or so minutes of each half. Penny also got a start today with Taurasi out. It was an interesting match with Coach Gaines playing his bench on for most of the second half and LA (who still had Parker, Milton-Jones and Thompson on the court) still had to work hard for a three point win.

I've seen three Phoenix games so far and have been really impressed with Penny, especially during her game against Atlanta. The trio of Taylor, Taurasi and Pondexter is a joy to watch.

I saw Batkovic play on Thursday, I couldn't believe Ashley Robinson started over Suzy. Coming off the bench Suzy had 8 and 6 in around 18 minutes (with Robinson doing very little in the same amount of court time). I'm looking forward to her WNBL return, I think she'll be in for a big season.

Snelly got a start when I saw her play in Indiana - when Tully and Briann January kept Becky Hammon scoreless - it just seems like Belinda doesn't get the opportunities to make the most of her talent even when she does get on court (the same can be said for Suzy and Kristi too).

Tully was solid for Indiana and she is such a crowd favourite over there, watching her shut down Hammon was great to watch (yes, I know I've mentioned it twice :)).

Erin looked in great shape when I saw her play in NY. She got a decent run off the bench. Connecticut really need a good lottery pick.

Asides from the Aussies, it's been great to see players like Catching, Taurasi and Pondexter out on the court. The venues and game night presentation are just so professional. I think the smallest crowd of a game I've been to was around the 8,000 mark.

Looking forward to the play offs next week, my plan is to see Seattle @ LA and San Antonio @ Phoenix. Wow thanks for the write up Hellcat didn't realise you were attending so many games

[Hoopsta]

Whilst there has been a great Aussie representation in the WNBA this year, I think sadly it could be the last season for a few of them!

Harrower - was a regular starter at the beginning of the season, however her minutes have been reduced significantly - including some DNPs (funnily enough, once Kristi started to be benched, the Sparks started winning)! I'm very curious to know how the relationship between her and Leslie is - she had some scathing things to say about her post-Beijing games... Done and dusted??

Snell - another season where we say " she just hasnt broken out yet"... but how long are coaches willing to wait for it? Another player who started with regular minutes - is now lucky to see any court time and had a string of DNPs. The thing with Snell is whatever league she played in (be it juniors, WNBL, even Opals) she has always had the lisence to SHOOT, allowing her to work herself into a rhythm! However, with players like Becky Hammon around her - she doesn't have that freedom and has had to pick n choose her shots carefully - pity they haven't been going down.

Batkovic-Brown - Most consistent player in the league - consistent DNPs that is! Only in the last few weeks with Jackson and Cash on the sidelines has she been on court. Not getting any younger - will she be around to warm the bench again next season? Cant wait to see her play WNBL though :dance:

[Andy K]

Whilst there has been a great Aussie representation in the WNBA this year, I think sadly it could be the last season for a few of them!

Harrower - was a regular starter at the beginning of the season, however her minutes have been reduced significantly - including some DNPs (funnily enough, once Kristi started to be benched, the Sparks started winning)! I'm very curious to know how the relationship between her and Leslie is - she had some scathing things to say about her post-Beijing games... Done and dusted??

Snell - another season where we say " she just hasnt broken out yet"... but how long are coaches willing to wait for it? Another player who started with regular minutes - is now lucky to see any court time and had a string of DNPs. The thing with Snell is whatever league she played in (be it juniors, WNBL, even Opals) she has always had the lisence to SHOOT, allowing her to work herself into a rhythm! However, with players like Becky Hammon around her - she doesn't have that freedom and has had to pick n choose her shots carefully - pity they haven't been going down.

Batkovic-Brown - Most consistent player in the league - consistent DNPs that is! Only in the last few weeks with Jackson and Cash on the sidelines has she been on court. Not getting any younger - will she be around to warm the bench again next season? Cant wait to see her play WNBL though :dance:


I agree with all this, Even Erin Phillips who started the season so well at the Sun had a slow second half of the season and went from a starter to bench player with few minutes. I wonder wether she will be offered another contract, im not sure if she is under contract for next season or not.

[Andy K]

It looks like Jackson is out for the rest of the playoffs. The Storm lost to the LA Sparks and must win the next 2 games without Jackson. Suzi had her best game of the year in game 1 with 16pts & 7 boards but without Jackson it looks like a tough ask to beat the Sparks.
Penny had 18pts but the Mercuary still lost to the Silver Stars and now must win their next 2 home games to win the series, Snell was dropped and didn't play for the silver stars.

[guest]

It looks like Jackson is out for the rest of the playoffs. The Storm lost to the LA Sparks and must win the next 2 games without Jackson. Suzi had her best game of the year in game 1 with 16pts & 7 boards but without Jackson it looks like a tough ask to beat the Sparks.
Penny had 18pts but the Mercuary still lost to the Silver Stars and now must win their next 2 home games to win the series, Snell was dropped and didn't play for the silver stars.



Don't forget Harrower as well. Both Kristi and Suzi played really well. Even though game was ugly, the aussies are stepping up big in the playoffs.

[guest]

Don't forget Harrower as well. Both Kristi and Suzi played really well. Even though game was ugly, the aussies are stepping up big in the playoffs.

Oh! we forgot the East.

Go Tully! I didn't watch game 1 but Tully stats look good.

[Andy K]

Oh! we forgot the East.

Go Tully! I didn't watch game 1 but Tully stats look good.

Tully is having an awesome season with the Fever, she is in the best form of her life.

[Dunkin' Dan]

So, after we wiped the floor with LA and officially ended Lisa Leslie's outstanding playing career it is down to the final two, and it couldn't have worked out better:

Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever
Penny vs. Tully
Taurasi vs. Catchings - the two MVP favourites go head to head
The best offence in the league vs. the best defence in the league

Intriguing matchup ... can't wait for this one.
And it looks like ESPN is kinda coming to the party ... I see all games listed for broadcast except for game 1? http://www.ozhoopsboards.com/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif Weird.

[Edit] For anyone else disappointed by this, can I suggest doing what I did and dropping the ESPN people a quick note about it by going to their feedback page HERE (http://www.espn.com.au/index.php?section=7)

[Andy K]

I don't understand why so few games in the WNBA were shown this year on ESPN, Last year i watched many matches and it was great. I sure hope they do show the final games live this week, I will defiantly be staying home from work to watch this exciting match-up.

[Andy K]

Live tomorrow (Thursday) morning on ESPN, Tully Vrs Penny. The Fever lead the series 2:1 and can win the championship at home tomorrow.
I want the Fever to win their first championship but im also selfish and want the Mercuary to win so I can watch the live game 5 on Saturday.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Well we both wanted a game 5, and we got it :D (thanks, Penny!)

Go Mercury!!

[Andy K]

Well we both wanted a game 5, and we got it :D (thanks, Penny!)

Go Mercury!!

How Great is Penny, Im surprised she doesn't start the matches. She can get to the basket with ease, takes the bump/foul and makes the bonus time and time again.
If Phoenix win game 5 and the championship they can thank Penny.
Looking very forward to game 5, I would expect Catching's to have a HUGE game, she is a superstar and i actually think she has now taken the Best womens player in the world spot from Lauren Jackson, IMO.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Loz would still have it if she could stay healthy, but that seems to be a thing of the past.
I still reckon Diana is #1, with Tamika at about #1.001

10 hours to go ...

[Dunkin' Dan]

Congratulations to the Phoenix Mercury! :D
2009 WNBA Champions, and ledges, the lot of them.

[Andy K]

Congratulations to the Phoenix Mercury! :D
2009 WNBA Champions, and ledges, the lot of them.

Yeah, It was a great win. They looked like they wanted it more and Indy got nervous.