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gia · Guest

Please please please REBOUND!

Hoping Sharp shakes up the starting lineup tonight to make a point. A very Sharp point! ;)

Gaucho_Don · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 223

Rebound Rebound Rebound (maybe if we all chant it the team will start doing it?)

G - another nice change to your avatar :!:

Gaucho_Don · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 223

Down 4 to 1 on rebounds already? and Adrian has 2 fouls :cry:

Send in Kayte :D

eaction83 · Guest Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 130 Location: Fremont, CA

Once again, looks like nobody showed up to play tonight. <sigh>

Will someone give this team a good yelling, please, and wake them up? :evil: This is appalling!

caune · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1562 Location: Phoenix

Who are these imposters that are supposed to be basketball players?
Could this be more painful?
First we have to listen to Tim "the stiff" Kempton on the radio, then we can't rebound, and now our defense is non-existant!
Lawdy, these girls need to make a basket :oops:

Gaucho_Don · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 223

It looks pretty ugly from the courtside live, I'm skipping the audio tonight(at least I missed the first half, and it sounds like I should skip the second half)

What did Kayte due to only get 2 minutes, seemed like there was a boost there from Reid or Jay or Kayte (however short-lived the boost was).

skew11 · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 372

close game :roll: I'm listening to 610 am on their network. Real loud and clear...interesting getting their view of the game of course they are happy no doubt at this point :!: I'm now gettin real worried about this road stretch.. :? :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

:D one of their crew's favorite players is our own Kayte. The announcer says he is "smitten" :D :shock: :wink:

Gaucho_Don · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 223

It's a confused 5 :shock: game? maybe we can get that down to one :shock: by the end :?:

eaction83 · Guest Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 130 Location: Fremont, CA

Getting worried about this road trip? I've been worried about the rest of this *season* ever since the coaching change was made, and trust me, I was very much hoping I was worrying about nothing. But when Miami :!::!::!: comes in and blows you out of the water, especially given how tight the two preseason games were between these teams, something is seriously wrong. :cry: Even on their best nights Miami doesn't blow *anyone* out of the water, much less a team that is theoretically contending for a western conference playoff spot.

skew11 · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 372

:( just glanced at rebounds as of 18:45 left 2nd.... merc 11 rebounds/sol 25 rebounds.. :oops: :cry:

Gaucho_Don · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 223

Go Kayte :!: Too bad it's too late already :x

3 rebounds in about 20 seconds at one point and tied for the leading rebounder in the game (on both teams) in 8 minutes :!:

I know she had a quick turnover each time she came in, but why was she out for so long when we obviously needed the boards :?:

skew11 · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 372

:D The Sol announcers just said --"makes you wonder why Kayte didn't play more in the first half.... " :D :D :shock:

kharris · Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2002 5:56 pm Post subject:

I think this coaching staff has got to look at starting Kayte against Orlando on Saturday. She seems to be the only player on the team with any desire to play right now.

Gaucho_Don · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 223

I agree the rebounding statement will be made on Saturday, Kayte should get to start :) :) :D :D

Player of the Game! Way to go Kayte! Too bad it didn't come in a better game :(

skew11 · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 372

I agree when all is said and done and coaches look at those stats....they really tell the story.....

:D as Im typing Kayte scores and then steals the ball.... :D 8) :) she really is building off that Sting game :shock: :wink:

Sol announcers said " She(Kayte) has just got to play more...espec. when its crunch time (first half)"

eaction83, not good :cry: getting blown out by Miami (with a still not 100% Ruth)..

eaction83 · Guest Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 130 Location: Fremont, CA

I'm afraid it's even worse than that.

86 points = highest scoring game ever for Miami (previous high: 78 in OT) :(

+25 = largest victory margin ever for Miami (previous high: 20 vs. Charlotte last season) :( :(

I was so disgusted I turned off the audio at halftime and went to get dinner. So I missed Kayte's big second half, but I sure am happy to see her bust out like that. :D

Ohio Gaucho · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 65 Location: Salem, OH

Shaking up the starting lineup may have found five starters ready to play. Well, at least one, anyway.

Kayte had a quick TO on entering the game in the first half. It must have been a really bad mistake, because she was yanked 2 minutes later. :? She had only played those 2 minutes in the first half, when she FINALLY reentered the game with 13 minutes to go in the second half with the Mercury playing poorly & trailing by 32. Coach Sharp had tried everything, except Kayte! :roll: Kayte grabbed six rebounds & scored 4 points in one 2 minute interval. She also had 1 assist & 2 steals. She made 3 of 4 FG, 5-5 FT. With Kayte playing the final 13 minutes of the second half, the Mercury outplayed the Sol, with Kayte being an important difference.

Next time, with more than 20 minutes playing time and a double-double, maybe the Mercury can salvage a winning game on this road trip. Kayte's line is very impressive:

Kayte Christensen 15 3-4 0-0 5-5 5 3 8 1 2 2 2 0 11

Yes, I know, I'm just a biased, old Gaucho, but Kayte gets it done, and other players play better with her in the lineup.
Go Mercury! (Please, :? )
Go Kayte! :)

box & playXplay links:
http://www.wnba.com/games/20020703/PHOMIA/boxscore.html

eaction83 · Guest Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 130 Location: Fremont, CA

She bobbled a pass, or something like that, and Debbie Black reached between her legs and stole it away. That was her first half turnover. Only someone as short as Black could pull off a steal like that. :lol: She also got badly faked out once on a basket by Riley. Those are the two mistakes I remember from the audio feed.

cbibat · Guest Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 232

eaction... remember, we don't like people yelling at our players..... it embarasses them

eaction83 · Guest Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 130 Location: Fremont, CA

Frankly, tonight's final score is much more embarrassing than any amount of yelling. And the players had better be thinking that way too, or this team is in trouble.

Keegan · Guest Joined: 13 Jun 2002 Posts: 977

How come Grubin and Moises got so much time while Vealy got nothing? Grubin and Moises were a combined 2/15 from the field... Vealy was 2/2!

I intend to erase this game from my memory...

Mat H · Guest Joined: 24 Jun 2002 Posts: 168 Location: Glendale AZ

Ummm...let me be the first to say we needed Cooper and disagreed with her absence. I know the team would not be losing like this if Coop were at the helm. ( And no I wasn't her biggest fan, but for the most part she got it done!) This team is playing weak and needs someone to dig in their a**es! Sharp needs to not start Williams and maybe put in Kate cause Williams ain't cutting it. GG needs t be moved to shooting guard and maybe bring Moises or Veal to start at point.
But these games way beyond embarrassing. I was embarrassed for listening. Also, where is the D?? Where is the rebounding? Everyone, even my girl Gillom, needs to start jumping for the rebounds like there is no tomorrow or sit down because all that comes down to is lack of heart or depending on your teammates to get a rebound they should have. All I know is, if we suffer another blowout like this on this road trip, playoffs will quickly become an after thought. We did need Brandy Reed, but a sane Brandy.

SportsFan48 · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1135

How quickly we forget!! Like many of you, I have been following the Mercury since they started 5 years ago. They have always had road trips like this. Not only road trips, but slumps where it seems they are all pressing, not playing as a team, and especially, not having fun on the court. At some point, they wake up and start having fun and begin to win again. It happens every year.

This team can turn things around. They have the ability to do it. When we are losing; especially the way we are losing, it is natural to try and analyze what is happening. It is natural to try and find things that are wrong and suggest ways of fixing them. When we do that, it is easy to lose sight of the positive. I think this team has lost sight of some of that as well.

All of our starting five are having better seasons than last year. If we continue in this trend, that may not remain true, but right now, it is. It isn't too late to get it back. We have the strongest bench in the WNBA. We have a good coach. We have players right now that are getting better each game.

My own natural reaction to the last couple of games is to say we need to do some major restructuring, but my experience and common sense say, that major changes may not be the best move.

I don't know what this team needs to wake up and play to their potential. If I could invent a magic pill that would help them get their confidence back and help them overcome what ever it is that ails them, I would do it. I would be willing to bet that on one on this board is working harder on a solution to all this than the coaches and players. The only thing I can do is say that I still believe in them. I believe that they can come home from this trip 3-2.

I think I need to stop doing this at 1:30 in the morning.

caune · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1562 Location: Phoenix

What this team needs is defense and rebounding which creates easy offensive opportunities....at this point I don't know if our starters can even spell defense :oops:

Kayte definetely needs more time, at least it will serve to shake Adrian up, geez did she loose her favorite toy or something? shes sleepwalkin' shes like a zombie out there, she needs to play more emotionally, use all her dam fouls and REBOUND! I was so ready to jump on her bandwagon after the first couple of games, but I am back at where I started, as her toughest critic, wake up Adrian!

gia · Guest

Kayte & Kristen need to start. Period. Grubin needs to move to SG and Adrain needs to come off the bench. Maybe start Tracy over Lisa for the short term. We need energy and a true point guard. Enough with this working Kristen in slowly. Throw her in there and let her go. 5 minutes a game is only hampering her.

The skid started with the beating they took in LA. The Seattle win after that was driven by pure emotion.

Ohio Gaucho · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 65 Location: Salem, OH

"It's going to be a very long season if we don't pull out of this," said rookie forward Kayte Christensen, who had 11 points and eight rebounds. "It is embarrassing and degrading to lose any game by 25 points, especially to a team we beat in preseason. It's because they came out ready to play and played harder, with better intensity, and we did not do any of those things."

Republic online articles at:

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mercury/0704mercury0704.html

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mercury/0704mercnb0706.html

Kayte & Kristen starting is worth trying. Grubin should move to 2. Moises can back Kristen and Grandmama can back Kayte at the 4. Lisa & Tracy should alternate at the 3, as Tuvic & Williams should at the 5. Who starts & who backs up should vary with performance & practice.

It seems, just from stats & live audio (sorry, I don't make it to many games, but maybe when they play the Rockers ... :)) that most of the players pick it up when Kayte is in the game. She needs more minutes, whether as a starter or a backup. Substitution tactics need to be discussed between the coaches, and then with the players.

Go Mercury

Bob
UCSB '61

gia · Guest

Kayte needs to start over Adrain. You have to have your best group of scorers out there. Kayte and Jen on the floor is much better than Kayte and Adrain....otherwise, your back to where you started.....one strong and unfortunately one weak (sorry Adrain)

Ohio Gaucho · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 65 Location: Salem, OH

gia wrote:

"Kayte needs to start over Adrain. You have to have your best group of scorers out there. Kayte and Jen on the floor is much better than Kayte and Adrain....otherwise, your back to where you started.....one strong and unfortunately one weak (sorry Adrain)"

I defer to your expertise & 1st hand knowledge. I suppose Jen's experience & knowledge becomes even more critical when you start younger players. Kayte's role may not yet be best as a starter, but she should at least enter early & often, to spark the team and grab some boards. Now that she is regaining poise going for the basket, her shooting average should settle in the mid to high 50s, where it was for 4 years as a Gaucho. (The UCSB career record belongs to her.) That being the case, she will maker her contribution to scoring, thank you. :)

I suppose both Kayte & Jen are able to play as an undersized 5 against some opponents, so some sort of Kayte-Jen-Tuvic-Adrain rotation can be worked out, and adjusted to fit the situation & mood. Kayte quickly adjusts, and can defend against much bigger girls, but she needs to work on her evasive moves against a bigger defender. For 21 years of age, she already has considerable game savy, to complement Jen's.

One thing I've wondered about: Have the play book & defense patterns changed with Sharp in charge? It seems the big girls are less likely to have position for rebounds now, offensively & defensively. Kayte seemed to put the lie to that theory in the Sol game, for a few minutes, anyway, but rebounding does overall seem more problematical now. Do we just need more hustle?

Lets win three on this trip, ladies. :)

Regards,
Bob
UCSB '61

Gaucho81 · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 147 Location: Ventura, CA

I think the skid began with the disappointing loss to the Comets, a game they were in control for the majority and sqandered away by trying to out last the Comets burst, rather than putting their feet down and continue to play as they did in the early going.

I would like to see Kayte given the opportunity to start, with Adrain coming off the bench. I think Kayte is getting more comfortable with each game she plays. As evident with her initial play the past couple of games, she seems to have the emotional gitters when she first makes an appearance. More importantly, she has shown that the gitters seem to disappear after a few minutes and she's ready to play. Her comfort factor seems to be increasing and that will bring better consistancy to her game. Her shooting percentage has now reached her college norm. If she does get the start in Orlando, we should expect her first few minutes to be a little less controlled, but then Kayte should be able to re-instate her worthyness of a starting position.

Maybe Adrain will reassert herself and get back on track. I sure hope so.

I also agree with Veal or Moises starting at point, with Grubin starting at SG. Lisa and Jen to make up the rest of the possy.

We seem to be missing an exceptional number of shots. How many of those missed shots are good looks at the basket? Are we taking poor shots? If the majority of missed shots were from poor shot selection, then we need to do better in our offensive sets to get better shot selections. On the otherhand, if the majority of missed shots are from good looks, then we need to try and notice who on the floor is having a better night and work the ball to them more often.

Most likely our less effective defense is making inroads to the effectiveness of our offense, making us rush shots or take shots we shouldn't. For those that have attended the games, do we need to be more patient on offense or do we need better shot selection?

Here's to a new fresh perspective beginning this Saturday with a win against the Miracle :!: :o :D

cc · Guest Joined: 26 Jun 2002 Posts: 11

I think the team will wake up. I still have hope. I think they need to let Lisa set up the plays, when she did in previous games off the bench, it seemed to work. She drew double team to herself, that freed up one of the three pointers or an inside play. Would have been a blast if she could dribble like Moises. I think Lisa works well with Moises. How many people can she defend at once? The whole team needs to pitch in. Give the ball to whomever has the hot hands that night instead of just waiting for the go-to players, sometimes their balls are not going in.
Go Mercury. We're still cheering for you. :shock: :? 8)