[Hieronymus]

Dreadful and horrible are pretty absurd adjectives to use to describe an All-American and future WNBA lottery pick.

That said, I'm just going to say what I've said several times this season: this team doesn't feel very hungry, game in and game out. Whatever their weaknesses were, the Hulls and Wilson went at 100% all the time. Brink and Jump are the only players I see with fire in their bellies, and Jump has a limited repertoire and what seems to be a now-well-known scouting defense profile. So we rise and fall with Brink. Today she was sick, and we sunk. 

I really love so much about Jones, but honestly, I think she's just too good natured and happy-go-lucky to push through to the next level. She barely tries to take threes anymore, and it feels like she plataued her sophomore year. That's still enough for some stellar games, press awards, and a lottery pick, but I just don't get the sense she'll do anything necessary to avoid losing. Her rush to hug Boston immediately after they won the final four says everything about her character and spirit but also her competitive fire to win at all costs. 

Ultimately, I fear Tara has a cornucopia of good pieces but not the ones to construct a dominant lineup. Sometimes them's the breaks. It is what it is, and I hope we can get hot when it counts and Jones does her thing when all the chips are down. In the mean time, I'm prepared for a few more weekends like this one, where we rise one day and fall the next.

Yes it may be that the pieces just don't fit this year. As the team is currently lining up 2 of the following need to happen:
1. Brink gets consistent on the elbow jump shot
2. Any of Lepolo, Emma-Nnopu or Nivar starts hitting 3's
3. Another of Lepolo, Emma-Nnopu or Nivar starts hitting 3's
4. Demetre can be acceptable on defense and defensive rebounding so she is more than a situational player

Cam hitting the elbow shot seems most likely - she is just a tad off right now. On the other hand, nobody out of the 3 guards has shown any real signs of stepping up. And I am not thinking Demetre can fix her athletic limitations this year. 

Otherwise, you are talking more radical ideas, and it is getting awfully late for that. The problem though is some of the better outside shooters are bigs - Prechtel and Demetre. I could imagine something extreme like a Iriafen, Brink, Demetre/Prechtel, Jump/Bosgana, Jones line up to just pulverize teams and still have outside shooting, but that line up would probably get pressed to death.

No easy answers right now.

Courtyard Denver Gol den/Red Rocks

14700 West 6th Avenue Frontage Road, Golden, Colorado, USA, 80401

[Hieronymus]

Dreadful and horrible are pretty absurd adjectives to use to describe an All-American and future WNBA lottery pick.

That said, I'm just going to say what I've said several times this season: this team doesn't feel very hungry, game in and game out. Whatever their weaknesses were, the Hulls and Wilson went at 100% all the time. Brink and Jump are the only players I see with fire in their bellies, and Jump has a limited repertoire and what seems to be a now-well-known scouting defense profile. So we rise and fall with Brink. Today she was sick, and we sunk. 

I really love so much about Jones, but honestly, I think she's just too good natured and happy-go-lucky to push through to the next level. She barely tries to take threes anymore, and it feels like she plataued her sophomore year. That's still enough for some stellar games, press awards, and a lottery pick, but I just don't get the sense she'll do anything necessary to avoid losing. Her rush to hug Boston immediately after they won the final four says everything about her character and spirit but also her competitive fire to win at all costs. 

Ultimately, I fear Tara has a cornucopia of good pieces but not the ones to construct a dominant lineup. Sometimes them's the breaks. It is what it is, and I hope we can get hot when it counts and Jones does her thing when all the chips are down. In the mean time, I'm prepared for a few more weekends like this one, where we rise one day and fall the next.

Yes it may be that the pieces just don't fit this year. As the team is currently lining up 2 of the following need to happen:
1. Brink gets consistent on the elbow jump shot
2. Any of Lepolo, Emma-Nnopu or Nivar starts hitting 3's
3. Another of Lepolo, Emma-Nnopu or Nivar starts hitting 3's
4. Demetre can be acceptable on defense and defensive rebounding so she is more than a situational player

Cam hitting the elbow shot seems most likely - she is just a tad off right now. On the other hand, nobody out of the 3 guards has shown any real signs of stepping up. And I am not thinking Demetre can fix her athletic limitations this year. 

Otherwise, you are talking more radical ideas, and it is getting awfully late for that. The problem though is some of the better outside shooters are bigs - Prechtel and Demetre. I could imagine something extreme like a Iriafen, Brink, Demetre/Prechtel, Jump/Bosgana, Jones line up to just pulverize teams and still have outside shooting, but that line up would probably get pressed to death.

No easy answers right now.

Courtyard Denver Gol den/Red Rocks

14700 West 6th Avenue Frontage Road, Golden, Colorado, USA, 80401