[Mick]

I'm really torn on this one. Christian Laettner had an incredible college career, a budding superstar, and everyone thought that he would be a long time Olympian when they put him on the Dream Team. Didn't work out that way. Caitlin's situation is similar in a way.  She's simply not good enough yet to displace the other guards, so she likely just sits on the bench and plays garbage minutes. Maybe the committee thought that could backfire and hurt her current popularity and long term career? Doesn't seem like it would help her to have her be that end of bench player.

Different philosophy, I suppose. Rookies have been on the Olympic team before: Rebecca Lobo in 1996, Diana Taurasi in 2004, Candace Parker in 2008 and Breanna Stewart in 2016. But the selection committee leaned toward experience this year: Sabrina Ionescu, in her fifth year with the New York Liberty, is the youngest player on the roster at 26.

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I'm big on meritocracy when it comes to most things, especially sports. Caitlin needs to earn time, position, and respect of her peers throughout the league with her play. Those things shouldn't be handed to her just because she had a great college career. As others have posted, so far she's been a bit too whimpy and whiny. Yes, the rest of her team needs to have her back, but she also needs to stand up for herself. When she was hip checked by Chennedy Carter, instead of falling down and complaining she should have stayed up and pushed her back. There's no way Magic and Larry would have fallen down and looked to the ref for help.

Two minor points: she was shoulder-checked from the blind side, not hip-checked. Hip check implies blocking out, it was a cheap shot. And Clark didn't complain, despite the ridiculous common foul call (later upgraded to a flagrant), Clark didn't complain. She have any reaction other than to look at the ref. She's taking the Jackie Robinson approach. She basically said the same afterward, said she grew up tough with two tough brothers.

One other minor point...Bird and Magic could depend on their teammates to intervene, or at least participate. Clark can't.

[Mick]

I'm really torn on this one. Christian Laettner had an incredible college career, a budding superstar, and everyone thought that he would be a long time Olympian when they put him on the Dream Team. Didn't work out that way. Caitlin's situation is similar in a way.  She's simply not good enough yet to displace the other guards, so she likely just sits on the bench and plays garbage minutes. Maybe the committee thought that could backfire and hurt her current popularity and long term career? Doesn't seem like it would help her to have her be that end of bench player.

Different philosophy, I suppose. Rookies have been on the Olympic team before: Rebecca Lobo in 1996, Diana Taurasi in 2004, Candace Parker in 2008 and Breanna Stewart in 2016. But the selection committee leaned toward experience this year: Sabrina Ionescu, in her fifth year with the New York Liberty, is the youngest player on the roster at 26.

---

I'm big on meritocracy when it comes to most things, especially sports. Caitlin needs to earn time, position, and respect of her peers throughout the league with her play. Those things shouldn't be handed to her just because she had a great college career. As others have posted, so far she's been a bit too whimpy and whiny. Yes, the rest of her team needs to have her back, but she also needs to stand up for herself. When she was hip checked by Chennedy Carter, instead of falling down and complaining she should have stayed up and pushed her back. There's no way Magic and Larry would have fallen down and looked to the ref for help.

Two minor points: she was shoulder-checked from the blind side, not hip-checked. Hip check implies blocking out, it was a cheap shot. And Clark didn't complain, despite the ridiculous common foul call (later upgraded to a flagrant), Clark didn't complain. She have any reaction other than to look at the ref. She's taking the Jackie Robinson approach. She basically said the same afterward, said she grew up tough with two tough brothers.

One other minor point...Bird and Magic could depend on their teammates to intervene, or at least participate. Clark can't.