FallingThe Mystics fell to the Indiana Fever at home tonight, 89-80. With this loss, Washington's regular season record fell to 1-5. And with Atlanta's win earlier today, the Mystics fell into last place in the Eastern Conference standings.
posted by BasketCases @ 9:40 PM
41 comments
41 Comments:
so glad we traded that 1st round pick next year for Nicki A. Brilliant move Mystics.....
I've got no complaint about Anosike. She's in there pounding away in the paint throughout thbe game, and able to make a heck of a lot more free throws than our previous big.
I wish the organization would just stekkp up and announce that Alana won't be playing this year. I'm not wasting any time waiting for her to return, and have no expectation that if/when that happens that she'll make any significant contribution to the team.
Even though we lost tonight, we looked way better than we had been. Great energy at the phone booth, too.
I'm really pleased with Nicki.
Our starting frontcourt of Anosike and Langhorne looks good, at least statistically. If we kept either Smith or Harding, perhaps the backcourt would not be as shaky.
They looked and acted more like a team last night - we saw some nice assists, more communication and more energy.
I know this is taboo--but how many seasons will we have Alana on the bench? We would be doing a lot better with 11 players (I'm a huge Mo fan and don't want her going anywhere). It's been almost 2 years with no Alana. While the rest of the team learns to work together she's not getting that experience.
What's up with the all star game? Why are we already voting only 4 games into the season? Do the BC's know why they start the voting so early in the season. Doesn't make any sense.
Where was the DEFENSE last night? I thought that was our focus this year???????????
The post game interview? This is a rebuilding year? After winning the Eastern Conference League Championship, why are we rebuilding?
@Anonymous 8:07. It's what we do!
You can win too many games when your bench consists of 4 rookies and 2 players that are basically on injured reserve. I would be pleasantly surprised if Beard was able to play this season.
We just don't have a good team. Not enough scorers, turn the ball over, and we don't play good defense. I am guessing we win 1 more game against Tulsa and then we lose the rest.
Watched Kristi play last night. So happy for her that she is playing well. Candidate for most improved I am guessing.
Does anyone think we might see Christmas in the starting lineup. I liked her agressiveness last night. Wasn't afraid to take it inside.
Christmas did look good, notwithstanding some rookie mistakes and lapses. Matee had to tell her where to go on defense a couple of times.
Why no Dunlap? She in Trudi's doghouse?
And no way that crowd was 7900 as reported.
why to the have to make up attendance numbers? Anyone at the game can tell how many people are attending. The mystics management needs to grow up and tell the truth like adults do. Such childishness.. for what?
They don't make up attendance numbers. They report PAID attendance. Lots of people buy tickets but don't use them, for various reasons.
AB responded on Twitter to question about when she would return to playing:
46 minutes ag
Alanabeard20
hopefully soon. Working everyday to get back!
Re Attendance: Buying a ticket and not showing up does not count as attendance. Otherwise, I would have received my perfect attendance tee shirt at the end of every year since I have had season tickets for years. But I have missed getting a shirt for 3 or 4 years. Its like school, if you don't show up you don't get the grade
I am late to this blog and just wanted to blow off some steam. I have been a season ticket holder (with two seats) since the beginning of the franchise. I have attended games through the building years, the Nikki McCray/Chamique Holdsclaw rivalry, the Holdsclaw mini-dramas, the annual coaching changes, the 'we can't understand the play book' BS, the bad coaches, Alana trying to carry the whole franchise on her back year after year. With the addition of Julie Plank and Lindsay Harding, it finally looked like we were going to be something. Last year, despite losing Alana, we added Katie Smith and it was pure joy attending the games - finally! Everyone came together, acted like a professional team and it seemed like we were on our way. Then we lost Julie Plank, Lindsey, Katie. And how was our new coach picked - did anyone look at her past performance in Charlotte? We have coaches in our local community league who could do a better job of motivating and developing a winning strategy. The worst insult to season ticket holders was that all of this happened AFTER we paid for the 2011 season. And Sheila Johnson just made it worse - or at least revealed her contempt for season ticket holders - by saying these decisions were 'just business' and that the fans didn't need to know the day to day dealings of the organization. Really? Take my money first and then decimate the team? That's Johnson's business plan? It seems to me that the Mystics front office is just looking for a reason to fold...and is doing what it can to drive away customers...well, good job, Ms. Johnson - it seems to be working.
Attendance is counted by paid attendance. Skins gmes are sold out every week, but there are a lot of empty seats. ut the scanner of your ticket when you enter is what they go by for perfect attendance.
Dear "late to this blog"
Your analysis and sentiments are spot on. We feel the exact same way. And so do a lot of other folks. Well said!! Take our money and then destroy the product we thought we were buying into - isn't that the "old bait and switch?"
A Forbes blog post from last month about sports attendance figures:
http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2011/05/25/how-sports-attendance-figures-speak-lies/
Well said "late to this blog". I would have paid more money for my season tickets if it meant Julie could have kept her job. What a joy the last two seasons were. I do not agree that coaching is a "crap shoot" to use Sheila's words. I have noticed that Sheila has been attending the games. Have also noticed that as the fans are walking up the stairs after the game,she has been turning her back. She should face forward and give a big thank you to the fans. You don't see them showing her face on the center court screen anymore either. The team isn't standing in the middle of the court and waving up to her as I have seen them do before. Can only imagine why these things are happening! Trudy doesn't seem to have the connection with the players that Julie had and that is something I greatly miss seeing.
The attendance figure at Caps games is based upon tickets sold and not the number of occupied seats at the game. I went to several Caps "sell-outs" this past season where the number of empty seats was quite noticeable.
Not like the Mystics games though this year. Serious drop off in attendance it seems. I did go to a Orioles game recently and I felt like I was at a Mystics game--no one there.
They know not to show Johnson on the jumbotron because she'd get booed!
Can I just boo her here? Boo Shiela! and boohoo to me.
Let the record show that I predicted a "rebuilding year" post game press conference and look...there it was. What a lame management strategy - blame it on the players needing to build themselves up.
The Mystics are a joke across the league. It pains me to say it but we're the laughing stock of the WNBA. I will be tickled pink if they pull out some consecutive wins and make a run at the playoffs. It would be exciting to watch. However I just don't see that happening after what I've watched in the last few games.
Shiela Johnson is nowhere to be seen. She was in her (dimly lit) owners box for one game. Maybe, like many fans, she finds it painful to watch and instead catches it on tv, Only difference is she's watching it on a giant tv while counting our money.
So again, let's focus on the positive...the walk from metro is less crowded, no lines for pizza and the restrooms are always empty!
I've been to each of the games this season and I've noticed that Sheila doesn't walk on the floor anymore. I saw her up in her box and it's very disappointing to hear that she turns her back on the fans after games. I really admired her for a long time, and starting with her "we don't have to tell the fans every little thing" statement, I've been very disappointed by her. I might add that the vibe at the games just isn't the same. I'll continue to support the team this season, but my expectations are MUCH, MUCH lower now. It's really sad.
Yea,
I am sure many of those in attendance would not be happy to see Sheila J. face on the big screen. What about the face of Greg Bibb. Don't you suppose he was part of these decisions??????
Talk about incompetence.
I don't think Bibb has anything to do with Taylor's or Plank's departures. He may be in the war room for the WNBA or the NBA draft, he may be in an interview room when basketball people get hired, but it's unthinkable that he is there to hire and fire such people.
Dear dcsportsfan:
Greg Bibb is the Chief Operating Officer of the Mystics, which means that he oversees the operation of the entire franchise. In fact, he was responsible for hiring Angela Taylor in the first place. He invited the BCs to meet Angela when she was first hired, and he explained in detail the process he had gone through to find a new GM. See our post about this:
http://dcbasketcases.blogspot.com/2008/10/believe-this-evening-basketcases-had.html
While she was here, Angela reported to Greg in his capacity as COO (which is different from the way the Wizards are structured). Given Greg’s responsibilities, we would find it rather astonishing if he had no role whatsoever in what happened during the off season.
-- BC
Thanks BC's for the link. Given that Greg has more of a role with the Mystics than with the Wizards, while he may have more influence on things, he alone probably couldn't be responsible for the GM situation last offseason, since such a move has repercussions, for better or worse.
I still remember the town meeting held last year about not leaving anyone out to dry and I feel they have given more attention to the Wizards than the Mystics to the point where the Mystics have become an afterthought. The organization must assume that Mystics fans are just glad to have a team at all, rather than to have a team with a strong core that could have taken another step this year. That is unacceptable.
As a season ticket holder for both the Mystics and the Wizards, I am very happy with the pragmatism, and the transparency Ted, Sheila, and friends are doing for the Wizards which I expected. They also need to make the same commitment with the Mystics, or the organization may lose my financial support for both teams.
It is again a rebuilding season. We have one returning starter and injuries to two key starters and we have 4 rookies. There was no indication that Lindsay or Katie planned to return even if Julie remained. Katie said at the end of last season she didn't know if she was coming back but said in a recent interview that she knew at the end of last season that she would play this season (I guess just not with the Mystics). Lindsay has already given her reasons for moving on none of which appear to have anything to do with Julie's leaving. Given all the injuries and departures we would not have had our core back even if Julie remained which means "rebuilding." Julie was a good coach even though she got outcoached in the playoffs last year but even she would not have been able to overcome all the bad luck of this team. Despite this the team has actually been competitive in 3 of the 5 games. We played Connecticut, Chicago and Indiana tough so all is not gloom and doom. The players played hard in those games. The Indiana game was a step in the right direction after a lousy game against Tulsa. Its funndy that the top 3 teams in the East from last year (Wash, ATL and NY) are struggling. Connecticut, Chicago and Indiana are the stronger teams so far. ATL will probably make some strides when Sancho returns but I don't think they are the best in the East. Hopefully Marissa will turn her game around before Karima takes her spot. Nicky started out strong and as a vet will need to make the adjustments Crystal had to make after having two lousy games. I think she'll figure it out as will the rest of the team as they learn to play with each other. I'm still a sth, still going to the games and still cheering for the Mystics and hope that the Mystics front office learns to treat their fans better otherwise I'm out as a sth. I also hope the Mystics will not continue to have the bad luck that all the other Washington teams seem to have. What is it about DC teams? Can't catch a break.
Dear Anon at 5:55pm,
Not sure about Katie, but Lindsey would be here if Julie were still the Coach.
--BC
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Anonymous 5:55pm for what you wrote. You have said what I think a lot of people have tried to say.
Remember, Smith and Harding can't say anything negative about the Mystics organization when talking about why they left, because they'd be likely to face punishment under the "conduct detrimental to the league" clause. But pay attention when Smith uses a phrase like "how much I trust the people here (Seattle)" this year. She's used it a couple of times already.
I'm with the BC's on Gregg Bibb -I think his hand was in all of this. I imagine from 8:51pm's post that Katie figured out the Mystics management pretty quickly.
Truly believe that Lindsey would have stayed if Julie were here. Also don't think she would ever say she wanted to leave because she couldn't play for Julie anymore. They had a great chemistry on that court. If you watched them interact you could see it. Not sure if they are friends off the court now but they sure worked well together. That is something I am not seeing this year-the coach doesn't seem to have great chemistry with her players. Think Katie had the right idea that this was a group she couldn't put her trust or energy into. So what if she isn't the high scoring player on another team she plays for. She is a great leader and teams don't want her because of all the points she puts on the board-they see more than that in her. As for Greg Bibb,I can't even look him in the eye anymore after years of speaking to and being friendly with him. Hope he still has a phone number where he can reach Julie if she would take a coaching job from them now! Who knows, Marianne came back-guess anything is possible.
I still think the key to the success of the team is Marissa Coleman. She has such an opportunity this year to put her mark in this league. Maybe it's just too much pressure for her. Not sure. I don't think we can be good unless she can score consistently 15 pts a game with some good rebounding numbers also. Mattee is great but can be very streaky. Lang puts her solid games in every time they play for the most part. Marissa has to step up in order for this team to be good.
Greg Bibb originally had just one job, COO of the Mystics. He was deeply involved in everything, particularly the search for GM and hiring Angela Taylor, who then hired Julie Plank.
Then he also became EVP for the Wizards. I guess that was the first signal that Mystics personnel have to fill more than one role. Greg hasn't been nearly as involved with the Mystics since he's also had the bigger job with the Wizards.
That said, I'm sure he had some role in the Angela/Julie mess, but Sheila Johnson appeared to be the driving force.
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