I feel bad for VJ, but I do think this is the right move.
Whoever coaches the team next needs to figure out how to make sure the team is better when Ogunbowale’s on the floor rather than better when she’s off of it. That probably involves having her be much more selective with her shot-taking…
Last Edit: Sept 19, 2022 15:12:49 GMT -5 by Deleted
She was given two years. In that time the team improved, made the playoffs twice, improved from 8 wins to 14 wins in year 1, 18 wins in year 3 and won their first playoff game against a Finals team. I'll make a bold prediction - the Wings will not be as good next year and won't win as many games or make the playoffs.
If they were going to fire VJ - my question who will do a better job with this team? Part of the reason this team has had only one winning season since they left Detroit is there is never any continuity. Most of what's wrong with it is bonehead GM moves, not bad coaching. So unless they are hiring Cheryl Reeve I just don't get it.
As for Arike - a theory based on +/- is not a lot to fire a coach on.
+/- is a pretty useless stat. It doesn't reflect any actual abilities of a player and it is subject to huge swings based on things out of the player's control.
I feel bad for VJ, but I do think this is the right move.
Whoever coaches the team next needs to figure out how to make sure the team is better when Ogunbowale’s on the floor rather than better when she’s off of it. That probably involves having her be much more selective with her shot-taking…
Agreed...but I don't think Popovich or John Wooden could pull that off!
Post by lynxmania on Sept 19, 2022 17:12:56 GMT -5
I’m honestly shocked. Thought they’d give her one more year to show another step of improvement. I’m not sure what the GM and team think they should be achieving but maybe the GM needs to look at himself and ask some questions too.
formerly pickdiamondmillerchallenge lol formerly dmillerturnprochallenge ha formerly bostonturnprochallenge lol
I feel bad for VJ, but I do think this is the right move.
Whoever coaches the team next needs to figure out how to make sure the team is better when Ogunbowale’s on the floor rather than better when she’s off of it. That probably involves having her be much more selective with her shot-taking…
You’re assuming that the GM, Arike, and Dallas want Arike more under control…
formerly pickdiamondmillerchallenge lol formerly dmillerturnprochallenge ha formerly bostonturnprochallenge lol
I feel bad for VJ, but I do think this is the right move.
Whoever coaches the team next needs to figure out how to make sure the team is better when Ogunbowale’s on the floor rather than better when she’s off of it. That probably involves having her be much more selective with her shot-taking…
Agreed...but I don't think Popovich or John Wooden could pull that off!
I think if a coach worked with Ogunbowale to get her to be more selective and thus prioritize efficiency in her game, it could optimize her skillset. I haven't seen consistent evidence of her being a bad passer, for example. Get her to shoot less and pass more, and it potentially gives her more depth as a playmaker, and unlocks the entire team's potential. I don't think she's a lost cause, even if her natural inclination is to shoot/score for her team.
Last Edit: Sept 19, 2022 17:26:03 GMT -5 by Deleted
I’m honestly shocked. Thought they’d give her one more year to show another step of improvement. I’m not sure what the GM and team think they should be achieving but maybe the GM needs to look at himself and ask some questions too.
Bibb's always been bad, or at least has never been good afaic. The problem is, he's part of the ownership group. If the group doesn't necessarily prioritize winning, he's gonna stay in the GM role and continue to be mediocre at best.
I feel bad for VJ, but I do think this is the right move.
Whoever coaches the team next needs to figure out how to make sure the team is better when Ogunbowale’s on the floor rather than better when she’s off of it. That probably involves having her be much more selective with her shot-taking…
You’re assuming that the GM, Arike, and Dallas want Arike more under control…
Lol nah, I feel like I'm just stating the obvious. It's up to Bibb & the next HC to realize all this for themselves – I have no expectations for them in that regard
Last Edit: Sept 19, 2022 17:26:49 GMT -5 by Deleted
I’m honestly shocked. Thought they’d give her one more year to show another step of improvement. I’m not sure what the GM and team think they should be achieving but maybe the GM needs to look at himself and ask some questions too.
Bibb's always been bad, or at least has never been good afaic. The problem is, he's part of the ownership group. If the group doesn't necessarily prioritize winning, he's gonna stay in the GM role and continue to be mediocre at best.
You’re assuming that the GM, Arike, and Dallas want Arike more under control…
Lol nah, I feel like I'm just stating the obvious. It's up to Bibb & the next HC to realize all this for themselves – I have no expectations for them in that regard
You are stating the obvious but I can also see VJ saying that Arike needs to take less shots to Bibb and Bibb being like we payed her all this money so you’re fired thanks too
Considering how bad Bibb is
formerly pickdiamondmillerchallenge lol formerly dmillerturnprochallenge ha formerly bostonturnprochallenge lol
My question is how many games should the Wings have won this year? They were 18-18 and in the top 6 teams. Should she be fired for not winning 20 games (2 more?) Would a better coach have taken them to 22-14 like the Mystics and Storm? I doubt it because the Wings roster is simply not anywhere near as good as the Storm or Mystics.
I guess we will see next season how much better the Wings do with a better coach.....
I wonder if VJ was fired also to try to get the more disgruntled players (Gray, Harrison, whoever else – allegedly) to stick around and not try to leave Dallas.
Well, the roster could use a couple changes whether the aforementioned players (want to) stay or not. Maybe we see Bibb be a little more active on the trade market with a new HC to start fresh with.
For example, the 2021 number 1 overall pick, Charlie Collier, only averaged 4.6 minutes per game coming off the bench. Rookie Veronica Burton saw more action within the starting lineup due to injury in the regular season and during the Wings' playoff run. Newcomer Teaira McCowan received her first career Player of the Week honors, as she filled a necessary void as a strong offensive and defensive post player for the Wings. But even her emergence happened gradually, and the lack of consistency in roles led to dissatisfaction throughout the Dallas locker room, multiple sources told The Next.
Got an email from The Next. Says VJ was canned because players were dissatisfied. I guess the clown emoji was a warning to her.....
As a Storm fan – and a bit of a Liberty fan – I'm gonna need to know the asking prices for Mabrey (RFA), Harris, and Burton each. Hopefully they were all part of the dissatisfied faction and would luv a change of scenery. 👍🏼
Last Edit: Sept 20, 2022 15:26:10 GMT -5 by Deleted
I wonder if VJ was fired also to try to get the more disgruntled players (Gray, Harrison, whoever else – allegedly) to stick around and not try to leave Dallas.
Well, the roster could use a couple changes whether the aforementioned players (want to) stay or not. Maybe we see Bibb be a little more active on the trade market with a new HC to start fresh with.
Gray certainly is worth keeping but they have her under contract for next season already. Harrison - idk. She is a UFA and might leave if anyone offers her more money anyway. However, I don't think is a player teams would throw a lot of money at. She was paid 159k this year, but I'm not sure the clown emoji thing would help her market value.
That Allisha Gray isn’t a free agent matters not. It sounds like Dallas will have to court Gray to convince her to back down from her trade demand and return to the team, similarly enough to if she were actually unsigned.