It's Official . . . Lindsey's Gone
Washington is sending its All-Star point guard plus the Mystics' second round draft pick in 2012 to Atlanta, in exchange for newbie Center Ta'Shia Phillips (who was drafted today by the Dream with the 8th overall pick) plus veteran PG (and twin of Coco) Kelly Miller, and the Dream's first round draft pick in 2012.
So . . . more oldies and newbies to the Mystics. And one of the BCs' very favorite Mystics -- ever -- traded to Atlanta. We will really miss her.
posted by BasketCases @ 8:50 PM
35 comments
35 Comments:
Terrible, terrible news. While I am happy we got a real big to play center, I would rather have Harding any day of the week. Now we have no all star PG and this totally changes the Mystics. I am pulling for Marissa. Hoping she won't put too much pressure on herself. This is her year!
Can we assume/hope they are going to trade Katie for a starting point guard? Because I'm not seeing one.
OMG. We passed on guard Jaz Thomas (12th pick)...to have PG (not getting any younger) Miller. We now have Melvin, Philips, Anosike for bigs and a gaping whole at PG?
We trade our all-star 1guard to our biggest competition in the EAST? Dreams 1st round pick 2012 certainly won't be in the top 5. WOW. Hope Mystics don't have #1 pick next year (due to basement dwelling this season).
I will be attending games at Verizon Center as a basketball fan instead of a Mystics fanatic.
My Monday evening (GM) quarterbacking.... if had trade of Lindsay in the works, how about a 1,2,3 way deal to move up and get someone's #2-#5 pick in the first round? Work to get a proven/veteran WNBA Center? Just don't see how today's moves Mystics forward. Arrhhhhhh! Hope I'm wrong.
Don't think I can be forever optiMYSTIC :(
-soozn
... Fantasy GM Soozn just remembered that Mystics traded away 2012 first round pick for Anosike. Wow. Now that could end up being lottery pick.
Hate to see Harding leave but she was determined to go to Atlanta, so the Mystics got the most they could for her: a big center, a serviceable PG and #1 pick next year.
If your All Star PG doesn't want to play for you, you have to move her.
I'm VERY pleased with what Trudi Lacey did today.
I'm waiting for the Katie Smith shoe to drop now.
Well, at least I'll be able to make advance travel plans during the playoffs.
Will certainly miss Lindsey-and to Atlanta. That was like a punch to the gut. Like they need any more help!!! I really want to thank Lindsey and Katie for being so professional and really helping to carry us last season. Can't help but wonder if Julie and Angela were still here, would Linsdsey have stayed? Oh well! "It's a business and fans are not consulted on every move" - quoting Sheila Johnson.
I welcome the new Mystics. I like their skills, especially defensively. Maybe more moves are coming.
Sandra - Section 112
How will we know which Miller actually shows up here?? :)
I hate to see Linsdey Harding go, but if she doesn't want to play here, it's probably best to let her go. Any word on Alana? I saw an article somewhere that she was quoted saying that she "hopes" she will play this year. What is that about?
BCs, you have once again put in to words my feelings exactly. Lindsey was also one of my all time favorite Mystics and I wish her all the best.
Thanks to the Mystics organization for once again breaking this Founding Fan's heart. Why do I keep coming back for more?
Harding wanted to be traded. I'd rather have her get her wish than to poison the locker room with her attitude. Yes, she brought some much-needed stability to that position and it's a HUGE blow. But, again, if your star player doesn't want to be here, you have to move on. Sometimes, you have to go backwards to move forward. This off-season has been a tumultuous one, to say the least!
Stewart,
We think your suggestion that Lindsey, if she stayed, would have "poison[ed] the locker room with her attitude" is an opinion unsupported by fact.
But we agree on one thing: this off-season has, indeed, been tumultuous.
--BC
It feels like the news keeps getting worse. I keep wondering what else would happen and then...something worse happens! I hope we retain our former Terps. I wish I didn't renew my seat for the year already.
Ted said last June when his group bought the remaining shares of the Wizards that he will make sure that the Mystics will not be treated like an unwanted stepsister of the Wizards and Capitals.
Aside from the jersey sponsorship, the offseason has looked like that's exactly how the Mystics have been treated.
Ted has delegated the Mystics entirely to Sheila Johnson. Too bad. I think the Mystics could benefit from his big heart.
BCs, maybe "poison the locker room" was a bit strong. But, all love for her aside, is it really beneficial to have a, for lack of a better word, "disgruntled" player in your team's ranks? That's the only point I was trying to make.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, we have to remember that while basketball is just a game the transactions that they [coaches, owners, stakeholders etc] make are purely about the business. And I have a great deal of respect for that. While I may not agree with some of the decisions of who was traded and not resigned, I would much rather this take place than our team folding. Let’s face it people, our economic times are harsh so we should be thankful that we still have a team with some great players still on it. I look forward to seeing our Mystics play and enjoying the camaraderie I have enjoyed with you all for the past 6 years I’ve been a season tix holder. God Bless and see you on opening day!
Actually, i'm a fan of the former Detroit Shock, and i'll be honest, what's happened to this team in the last six months is much more painful to watch that having my team sold, moved, and blown up.
For you guys, I hope the people responsible for making this franchise such a mess eventually lose that power and things can start to turn around.
Thank You T-Gal. You have put into words exactly how I feel. I may not like what is going on,but I love Women's Basketball and if we do not support this team, they could fold and then were would we be, rooting for New York? Let's give Trudi a chance.
Well said, T-Gal! And thanks for the prespective.
"I think the Mystics could benefit from [Ted's] big heart."
Who do you think controls the budget Ms. Johnson is allowed to work with?
You can't do much if a player wants to leave...really. So although it stinks and will hurt the Mystics tremendously with Harding leaving, it is what it is. What the Mystics could control was Taylor and Plank. I don't have much faith that the Mystics will be very good this year. You can't go far without a good point guard and sorry but Alana isn't enough even with the great contributions from Langhorne. It's just not enough. The loss of Currie was big and again, losing Harding is even bigger. Unless Marissa can really step up or even Dunlap into a starring role, I am afraid we will be close to the bottom once again. I will still support them though. I like basketball and would like to see a women's team remain in DC.
Yeah, I think the Mystics will be a lot like an expansion team this year. If we stay out of the cellar it'll be a great accomplishment.
After being a season ticket holder for l0 years, I really enjoyed the last two winning seasons. Maybe Trudi will do a good job (2 good jobs), but, I just don't get the same feeling of caring about the team as I did from Taylor and Plank. I hope this is not my last year as a season ticket holder. Years ago when the mystakes were always losing, Sheila Johnson used to say, that a winning team would bring the money in. She didn't listen to her own words. I don't want to watch the mystakes anymore. Lindsey will be missed.
After many years as a season ticket holder, I'm done. I'll take that same $1500 I'd have spent on season tickets and instead take a nice vacation.
Sheila knows just enough to be dangerous and Trudi doesn't have a great track record. Anyone remember Charlotte being run into the ground? Maybe the team should spend more time practicing/rehabing and less time tweeting. One Mystic in particular. Lawdy, she sure has opinions. Especially about Kobe's slur. Must be nice to voice all your opinions on homophobia from the closet, even though it's painfully obvious (by other tweets) which team you play for!! Pun intended.
Just think if Plank and Taylor would have been signed back, the starting team this year would have been Beard, Harding, Smith, Anosike, Langhorne. You can't blame Harding or Smith for not wanting to return to a managment and team that appears so undirected and disorganized. Can't we all remember how glad we were that Stanley had left several years ago. Now she is back probably running the team more than our hired coach. What a mess Sheila Johnson put us fans in. A terrible thing happened to our on the upswing team last year. This would have been the year for a run. Oh well, I am glad that I didn't renew my season tickets.
Kristi Toliver needs to be a Mystic!
How about Smith to Seattle, Toliver to Washington, and Jasmine Thomas and Seattle's 2012 first-round pick to Los Angeles?
Toliver would be a step up from Houts but she is no all star either. Harding was an all star point guard.
What's really cruel is the Styx play Atlanta FIVE times this season. It's gonna kill me to see Lindsey playing for the other team. I love her game.
I know! It's going to kill me too. She just made them the team to beat in the East for sure. With her and Angel and then their bigs in the middle, the Dream could be the team to beat for many many years. And since I'm not a fan of Angel M, makes it even worse for me.
What a shame to loose Lindsey. Loved watching the way she plays the game. Can't blame her for wanting to leave after the departure of Julie. They looked so good working together on that court. Think Julie had a way with the players that you will not find again. Too bad Shelia Johnson was more worried about money than having passion for this team and the ones chosen to lead it the last two seasons. Heard her say myself that she had a three to five year plan for this team and they were way ahead of that schedule with Plank and Taylor. I would have payed more money to see them keep Julie and Angela on. Sad to say I renewed my tickets based on what was delivered the past two seasons before this mess occurred.
Sometimes to get a winner, you have to spend on the scouts and training staff and it has paid dividends on the court. You can't just cut costs there or you will likely see worse play on the court.
I like hearing Ted's philosophy on how to build winning teams, but it's clear to me that Sheila Johnson isn't using this same philosophy and I just don't see the other partners wanting to fold the Mystics when they are in a better situation than almost every other team, considering that ownership is rich, seems to have the assets, and they own the Verizon Center. I find it insulting that she would say that right only a few months after she and her buddies just bought an NBA team.
I'm not at all surprised if these departures (Lindsey, and most likely Katie) are a result of the Mystics' failures to retain Angela Taylor and Julie Plank, who I even blindly assumed would be here for at least four or five years.
Does anyone else think it's not a good sign that ther has been no media event introducing our new Mystics to the community, and no attempt to reach out to fans other than infrequent emails?
There seems to be more work on Captiol Hill on next year's budget than this Mystics organization seems to be doing to get ready for this summer's season.
This is an organization that holds its customers in utter contempt. They do not want to expose their management to the anger they have caused among the STHs.
And/or, because Monumental has gutted the Mystics staff, there are not enough people to coordinate a public event while Wizards/Caps were/are playing.
"And/or, because Monumental has gutted the Mystics staff, there are not enough people to coordinate a public event while Wizards/Caps were/are playing."
I have season tickets for both Mystics and Wizards and I think it's the latter. A number of the Wizards' business staff weren't retained after the sale and got replaced for the most part by Mystics staff, and the business staff for both teams are be handled by the same people. So right now, I guess they still are more concerned about the Wizards, given that they had an open house this past Thursday.
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