And Now Katie's Gone Too . . .
The Mystics have just
In exchange for Katie and Jacinta, the Mystics will receive guard Jasmine Thomas, who is about to graduate from Duke and was selected by the Storm with the overall 12th pick in the WNBA draft earlier this month. Jasmine worked as an intern last summer for the Mystics, and now she'll be back competing for a roster spot in training camp. The third team involved in this trade is the Indiana Fever, who've acquired veteran guard Erin Phillips from the Storm. Future draft picks are also part of the overall deal.
Well, the reinvention of the Mystics continues . . . hmmm. And to think that last September we thought this would be a quiet off season.As for Katie . . . when she signed as a free agent with the Mystics in 2010 (the biggest free agent signing in franchise history), the BCs weren't sure how long we'd have the pleasure of seeing her play here in Washington. Between Katie's health issues and her age, there was a distinct possibility that 2010 could be Katie's only year with the Mystics . . . and her final season in the WNBA.
But what we didn't expect was that 2010 would be Katie's only year with the Mystics, not because she was retiring, but because she was going off to play for another team. We were wrong.
Photo Credit: DC BasketCases
posted by BasketCases @ 5:00 PM
21 comments
21 Comments:
Yuck! NO more dukies please! making the team very hard to cheer for here.
Good Luck Katie.
All the best to Katie. Thank you for all your hard work last season. We'll miss you.
I'm no Duke fan, but I welcome Jasmine Thomas. She is no Harding, but an improvement over Houts.
Jasmine maybe better than Harding. This will be a new level of competition for her and she'll have to adjust.Lindsay put up good numbers in Minnesota her rookie season before she was injured. Hopefully, Jasmine will learn quickly and can do the same.
Okay, Thomas is not better than Harding. Thomas is a good player but I'm sorry, she is no superstar.
I'll just say I almost feel like crying over the total destruction of a team from top to bottom. I can't foresee this new team making it to the playoffs. I hope I'm wrong.
It was a fun year following the Mystics because Katie was playing for them.
But as she moves on to Seattle, my allegiance goes with her. Thanks Mystics fans for a good year of rooting together.
Well this trade was in the works for months so it's no surprise. But I loved watching Katie play here and will miss her. She is truly a champion.
Interesting tweet from Chastity Melvin tonight:
Kindsey [KatieLindsey] is gone alright already the show goes on....the show must go on..
Well, for all the "upheaval" that has taken place, I give props to Trudi for doing the best she can in this situation, making "lemonade" out of it all. Now, we just have to put it all together. 2011 will definitely be a season of transition. That's a shame after the last two seasons.
Jasmine is a rookie but will be an impact player. Like Harding, she has incredible speed. She also has a sweet jump shot that she used to very effectively to take over games at Duke. And don't forget that she will have Alana Beard, Crystal Langhorne and Marissa Coleman to feed the ball to. This team will be better the cellar-dweller everyone is expecting given the changes.
I understand having loyalty to your school, but after someone graduates, can we just accept someone for what skills they have?
I know that the BCs and followers of this blog dislike Duke, but can we accept players from any school who can help us get through this painful season?
And no, I didn't go to Duke, or any ACC school.
Dear 101:10AM Anon:
We can't speak for our readers, but as far as we are concerned, once a player gets to the WNBA, we don't care where she went to school.
In fact, as should have been pretty clear to anyone reading this blog over the past two seasons, Harding was one of our favorite Mystics, ever.
Dear 9:58AM Anon:
We've made no cellar-dweller predictions for the 2011 Mystics. Our point has been that the 2010 Mystics did not need to have been reinvented. Frankly, we have no idea how well the Mystics will do this season.
-- BC
I totally agree with Chas. As for Jasmine being better than Harding, we'll have to wait and see. She as good as Harding was when she came out of Duke. Lindsay wasn't a superstar at Minnesota. It took her a couple of years to get there after her injury. Her numbers during her two years here are comparable to her first year in Minny. It'll be interesting to see what happens in Atlanta. She'll obviously still be in the PG position but her role will be very different. I am excited about Thomas coming on board.
In 2007 Harding was first team All-American, Lieberman Award winner, ESPN Player of the Year, and winner of a host of ACC awards.
She was a much, much better point guard than Jasmine Thomas at equivalent points in their careers.
Thomas might be able to help the Mystics in some fashion but she's no solution to their PG problem.
There is no disputing Lindsay's talent or that she was a star coming out of college. Although despite her being a star coming out of college she was drafted and immediately traded by Phoenix to Minnesota. She was then traded by Minnesota to Washington after her 2nd year. Fortunately, Julie and Angela saw her potential and gave her an opportunity in Washington. Jasmine's not the answer to the PG problem but given the fact that Katie, like Lindsay, wanted out and we risked getting nothing for Katie then we are much better off at the PG position then we would be without her. There are not many true PG available. I hope that Jasmine, Maurita or any of the other guards we have will step up and show they can also be a star in this league as Lindsay eventually showed everyone. The bottomline for me is Lindsay is now with the Atlanta Dream. Jasmine is currently with the Washington Mystics. I support the Mystics.
It's hard to like a player after you've hated her for 4 years...
If you are talking about Thomas, get over it and start cheering for her. After all, she will be throwing the ball into Lang and Coleman just like Harding did. I am hoping Thomas turns into a great PG in the WNBA.
Wow - it sounds as if you hate all players for rival programs.
I may not like individual players, but it's because of their individual characteristics, including their level of effort, not what school they're at. E.g., I dislike what I know about Taurasi as a person. I like what I know about Maya as a person. I dislike many of the actions of their college coach - (we don't need to go into all the rule bending that has gone on, and the good things he has done). Therefore, I root against the Connecticut program, but gladly applaud the accomplishments of players from that program.
Remember - It's a game.
As a Duke and Mystics fan, I can say I completely agree with the BC's about disregarding the college they went to once they join the Styx. Lang is now one of fave post players (and I had to GLADLY eat a lot of crow when I dissed the Styx for picking a Terp).
Regarding Jasmine, she's a very different player from Lindsey. She has a few more moves to create her shot on offense and has a killer 'stop and pop' in the lane. Like Alana, I think playing off the ball shows off her skillset better. However, I know she'll come in and give it everything she's got. Also, she only gets better when she knows the game is on the line.
We can only hope this new team will be as fun to watch as the last one. I am excited for Lang to have some help in the post as Nicky and Ta'shia are both strong rebounders and defenders. And Nicky LOVES to set her teammates up for shots!
Is Thomas really a PG or more of a 2 guard?
Post a Comment
<< Home