Kenisha Bell becomes a Lynx !

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Christmas-Kelly is also a guaranteed contract.
 


Bell was pretty chatty in this interview, which had good questions and she had great answers.

Interesting to note that Sheryl is having her change up her shot a little bit. I wonder if the Lynx’s Noah electronic shooting feedback system https://www.noahbasketball.com/products http://m.startribune.com/shooting-f...ah-technology-to-sharpen-every-shot/491123031 is helping with that. The Gophers will have that practice system next year, courtesy the Fast Break Club (thank you FBC!)

For those of you who like to support your former Gopher players but don’t keep close tabs on the Lynx, tomorrow nite (Fri May 10) at 7 pm is your chance to see Keke Bell playing in a Lynx uniform. Be there or be square.
 

Preseason Game 1: Keke Bell ices 2 free throws with 10 seconds left to protect the win, putting the Mystics behind by two scores.

She received a ton of applause from Gopher fans when she checked in with about 2 minutes left.

She penetrated the paint several times, and showed good basketball IQ. Sheryl went with all subs to close out the game after Fowles went in for a stint to help re-secure the lead.

I kinda feel sorry for Sheryl Reeve since she’s blessed with the riches of so many good players in camp that I don’t know how she’s gonna decide who she’s gotta cut (unless maybe she flips coins). Among the other rookies, most were playing quite well, and Jess Shepard impressed a lot with her hustle.
 

She has a good-bad problem. IIRC, they cut a very good player go to Seattle that one year that came to haunt them with Brunson's knee problems. I don't remember the player's name.

It will be nice to have Keke Bell make the cut, but she is facing an uphill battle with many good players.
 



The player they traded to Seattle was Natasha Howard and she has been a top tier player for them. Brunson sounds unlikely to return given she is having post concussive symptoms. Really hope Bell makes the cut.
 





Shades said:
Dillard was picked up by the Sparks. :p
Click to expand...

We got Odyssey Sims from the Sparks, I believe, and the Sparks hadn’t used her much for her shooting, as of late. But Reeve wants Sims to shoot.

https://lynx.wnba.com/news/the-lynxs-new-point-guard-rotation-looks-unstoppable/

And Reeve thinks Sims is a good contrast and fit with D-Rob.

Anyway, it’s as if we traded Dillard for Sims. That gives the Sparks some extra shooting, as Dillard is good from deep. With Cheney joining her sister, Sparks might be good this year in spite of injury to Candace Parker in preseason game. The Lynx/Sparks rivalry will continue.
 






Watching Keke over the last two seasons I can see where she has potential to develop as a good WNBA player.
 

whalenfan said:
Wasnt any hate, just the truth.
Click to expand...

Don’t just jump to the conclusion that Dillard won’t make the cut on the Sparks. She’s a good guard, and honestly I wish (in some fantasy world) that the Lynx could have kept and developed both Bell and Dillard - but that was not possible.

Nevertheless, both Cierra and Kenisha probably still have their work cut out for them to make their respective rosters (albeit Bell’s odds of being a Lynx just went up with Dillard moving to LA). New Sparks coach Derek Fisher maybe has some looming roster decisions that are about as tough as Cheryl Reeve’s. After two cuts the same day Dillard joined their training camp, here’s the 16 players (4 must be cut) remaining on the Sparks roster:

Kalani Brown C
Rachel Holivay C
Candace Parker C/F
Cheney Ogwumike C/F
Jantel Lavender C/F (returning after intl play)
Maria Vadeeva C/F
Nneke Ogwumike F
Ashley Walker F
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt F/G
Alana Beard F/G
Chelsea Grey G (returning after intl play)
Karlie Samuelson G
Sydney Wiese G
Marina Mabrey G
Alexis Jones G
Cierra Dillard G

They are Center and Center/Forward heavy which they partly need with the Parker injury). Of course they want to keep Kalani Brown who was instrumental in the NCAA win. (Her 6’7” presence is important with inflation in WNBA Center heights - even if she rebounded at a rate far below Taiye Bello - who averaged 12.3 rebounds/game (8th place) to Brown’s 8.2 rebounds/game (119th place).) So who is poor Derek going to cut at the C position?

Yet the Sparks still have 6 guards on their roster (not to mention two combo F/Gs), and I can’t think of a single one of them I’d want to cut.
 

CutDownTheNet said:
Kalani Brown C

Candace Parker C/F
Cheney Ogwumike C/F
Jantel Lavender C/F (returning after intl play)
Maria Vadeeva C/F
Nneke Ogwumike F

Tierra Ruffin-Pratt F/G
Alana Beard F/G
Chelsea Grey G (returning after intl play)


Karlie Samuelson G
Sydney Wiese G
Marina Mabrey G
Alexis Jones G
Cierra Dillard G
Click to expand...

Hollivay no way makes the team.
Walker has a chance but I’d be surprised.

That leaves choosing 3 out of that last group of 5.

It won’t be easy for Dillard since there’s less than 10 days to make a good impression. But I would hope people would wish her the best of luck.
 

Shades said:
Hollivay no way makes the team.
Walker has a chance but I’d be surprised.

That leaves choosing 3 out of that last group of 5.

It won’t be easy for Dillard since there’s less than 10 days to make a good impression. But I would hope people would wish her the best of luck.
Click to expand...

LOL, is she reading this forum? I wish her the best of luck!!!
 

On Wednesday the Lynx scrimmaged the Chinese national team (minus captain Shao Ting who played for the Lynx). The Lynx won 94-53. This was intentionally an opportunity for the subs and new drafts/acquisitions to get some playing time, as Fowles, Augustus and Christmas-Kelly didn’t play. The post-game note focused on Napheesa Collier, Damiris Dantas, Jess Shepard, Shao Ting, D-Rob and Lexie Brown. No mention there of Bell (nor in an earlier guard-focused report that mentioned the (presumably) top four guards, D-Rob, Augustus, Sims and Brown).

However, in May 14’s Lynx training camp report https://lynx.wnba.com/news/training...he-right-three-pointers-sims-pushing-the-pace the following comment is made ...

“Kenisha Bell still looks good and has continuously shown off her ability to finish. She’s one of the best in the business at the rim.”

That’s a pretty good complement. If you didn’t know the context (and Bell’s game, which Gopher fans would know), one might mistakenly think that the author was talking about Sylvia Fowles or Brittney Griner.

Obviously the author is not talking about post moves or rebounding, but rather the ability to slip into the paint and get a decent shot or pass off without it getting swatted by the trees. Knowing how to appraise the (taller) WNBA trees is something she is learning as we speak.
 
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If you’d like to give Keke Bell a high-five and mingle with Lynx players (not sure what subset, actually) and coach Reeve, there’s a special event at 5:30 Thursday at the Pourhouse. It’ll set you back $25 that goes to a good cause (Lynx Fastbreak Foundation).

See https://lynx.wnba.com/auction
 

On Lynx Media Day (last Thursday) they posted 2+ hours of press-conference questions put to Sheryl Reeve and a selection of players (and lots of dead-air time) - you can watch the whole thing here https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...wnba.com/news/watch-lynx-media-day-2019/&_rdr or individual segments on the Minnesota Lynx YouTube Channel https://m.youtube.com/user/MinnesotaLynx under “Media Day 2019 | name”. In particular, Kenisha Bell was interviewed from minute 2:00:00 through the end, and posted here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg7zaIAlx-c . Among the things discussed ...

Seimone Augustus has been tasked to “take under her wing” several of the rookie SGs (including Kenisha) and SFs (including Napheesa Collier, who - like Maya when she arrived - is being largely switched from a PF to a SF - believe it or not, 6’2” is considered too short for a WNBA PF these days http://m.startribune.com/rookie-napheesa-collier-arrives-with-lynx-ready-to-learn/510039682 ). Sounds like Kenisha’s having a blast working with ‘Mone - and learning from the master as well. Seimone told Kenisha that she wishes she had her speed. And now it’s become a standing joke between them, after the two practiced a fast-break drill from half court, and Keke left ‘Mone in the dust.

In her brief time so far playing against WNBA players, she’s impressed by their basketball IQ level. But with support by her team-mates, she feels like her confidence level is growing. She’s been told to shoot by coach Reeve, so she noted that she has to more or less put the fact that she’s a rookie out-of-mind, and just focus on playing as well as she can.

Per that, she got a bit more playing time in the scrimmage against Team China, and she apparently took and made a triple in that game.

When asked her reaction to Taylor being cut, she made the point that there’s just not enough WNBA teams for all the talented players out there. And if you get cut, it’s not really because you’re not good enough, it’s just because there’s only 12 players allowed on a team and so few teams. For herself, she’s just ignoring that issue (of the possibility of being cut) and keeping “focused on doing what she’s doing” and enjoying the blessing of “being here.”

There’s also a couple minutes of interview at a May 10 shoot around https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SFbny-xEt0o .
 
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T[Note: I started composing this last Friday, but waited to post until updating with 2nd pre-season game results, covered at the beginning and end.]

In the final pre-season game, the Lynx defeated the Las Vegas Aces 79-75. Liz Cambage, who was just traded to the Aces, did not play. That makes the Lynx undefeated in preseason play. Discussion of this game, including whatever this game might have to do with Kenisha Bell's prospects, is covered at the end of the post. This next part is re the situation as of late last week - most of which still holds true early this week.

My best guess is that (minus some complexities mentioned below) the following Lynx players are contending for the last roster spot:
Kenisha Bell
Erlana Larkins
Shao Ting
Jillian Alleyne

The article "What waiving Taylor Emery means for the Lynx’s roster" https://highposthoops.com/2019/05/17/what-waiving-taylor-emery-means-minnesota-lynx-roster by Derek James contains several observations that I have to agree with, but other than that, contains some sloppy journalism. For instance, he claims there are 7 guards left on the roster, which is not true, there are only 5 left. He talks at length about Emery's game play, when there was only 10 seconds of it (he states "under 2 minutes" and 10 seconds is a lot under 2 minutes).

He doesn't come right out and say it, but it seems implied in the article, and (if so) I agree that the pecking order among the guards is: Seimone Augustus, D-Rob, Sims, Brown and (#5) Bell. I also agree with his observation of the general principle that the less you play in pre-season games, the more likely you are to be cut (and Bell has played the least of the players on the bubble, now that Emery is cut). Actually, Taylor Emery played 10 seconds in the first game, and was cut. Derek points out that Cierra Dillard was DNP-CD in the first game and was cut. However, I'm more inclined to believe that by that time it was already determined that she would be cut so that the LA Sparks could pick her up. In other words, more of an additional part of the trade for Sims. BTW, Dillard was just cut by the Sparks.

Derek James comments on the Lynx rookies, seemingly belittling (wrongly) Bell's contribution, having this to say about Bell: "As for Bell, she played just two minutes and committed one turnover and one foul. In all fairness, Bell did hit both of her free throws." I'll add to that comment a couple key footnotes. First, Bell made the two free throws when it counted (with 10 seconds left) to ice the game. If she had missed those, it might have been tie ball game after the next Mystics possession. Emory made an additional two free throws in the waning seconds off an intentional foul, but the Lynx had chalked up the win at that point. Cheryl Reeve had the confidence in Bell to put her in there and take us home for the win, and Kenisha did just that. Also, although I suppose it's true by the books that Bell had a turnover, in my mind it's questionable whether the fault was on Kenisha or the intended receiver in the low post. Bell had made a nice Keke-like penetration into the paint, but felt it better to pass than shoot it. I forget who the intended post receiver was (I think Syl was out by then). It could be that the pass was not quite high enough. Then again, the fault could have been on the side of the receiver for not being ready enough. Who knows. But even if the pass was not quite perfect, the basketball IQ was spot on in that play - just what Sheryl Reeve wanted out of Bell. So whereas James paints Emery's 10 seconds as significant and Bell's 2 minutes as insignificant, it was actually quite the other way around.

Let's look at the entire remaining training camp roster (as of early Monday morning, May 20, before the next roster announcements), segment by segment - 18 players in total.

The Suspendeds: The following two players are in suspended status ...

Maya Moore (F) 8 years
Kelsey Griffin (F) 5 years

An earlier Lynx post established that Maya is in suspended state - obiously due to her taking (at least?) a year off for personal reasons (to do missionary things, we think). I'm not sure why Kelsey Griffin is in suspended state. It's not 100% clear what "suspended" means, but I think it's largely a category used for players that are either injured for a full year or are taking a year off to have a baby, etc. It's also unclear whether being put in that state is decided by the coach, or decided by the player, or decided jointly. In any event, the key points are that (a) the player is temporarily off the roster for player-count purposes, thus not wasting the 12th roster spot with an empty chair; and (b) the player forgoes their salary - although it's unclear whether they do or do not get benefits.

Note the following Hartford Courant article by John Altavilla https://www.courant.com/sports/bask...nn-sun-media-day-0427-20170426-story,amp.html in which he explains the Connecticut Sun's 2017 decision to suspend the injured Chiney Ogumwike (precisely for the reason not to bring the team head-count down to 11 from the normal 12). [Note: I periodically read John's articles as a good way to keep tabs on how things are going for Rachel Banham and her fellow Suns.] In that case, it sounds like it was a tough decision made by Suns coach/GM Curt Miller - albeit with concurrence by Chiney (they also extended her contract even though they didn't need to since she was a rooky then). By the way, although Chiney was OK with it at the time, that's what led to her getting a start in TV broadcasting, which eventually (just this year) triggered her demand to get traded to the LA Sparks, not only to play with her sister, but also to be closer t the main TV studio that she'd work out of. With that as background, we get to the second category ...

The Injured Under Concussion Protocol:

Rebekkah Brunson (F) 15 years

Rebekkah got wacked in the nose twice last year, the second time breaking it and giving her a concussion. People wonder whether she's coming back this year or not. In her Media Day interview, coach Reeve stated that she "still didn't know." She added that they're in touch regularly, but there's been no real improvement in the concussion symptoms. She is still on the official training camp roster as of this point, but unlikely to play any time soon. Eventually there's got to be a decision point. Does Rebekkah go on "suspended" mode like Maya (and Cheney, back in the day)? It would be a shame if she just plain quit. She still loves basketball and still loves to play. I'd love to watch her again, since she's a rebounding hero, the unsung soul of the Lynx machine. But nobody knows what the concussion recovery timetable will be. Right now, it's just a big question mark.

I suspect what will happen is as follows. Sheryl and Rebekkah need not make any joint decision regarding still-concussion/no-concussion and suspended/keep-an-empty-roster spot-for-her. I think they will hold the empty roster spot for now - at least until early July. At that point the last overseas forward comes back. That will force the issue, and one would think by that time it will be clear whether Rebekkah will be healthy enough to play the rest of the season. I also heard that Brunson was a free agent. Perhaps they could do what the Sun did for Cheney - put her on suspended for this season (assuming she proves not healthy) but compensate by renewing her contract for the following year. Then we can (hopefuly) see Brunson play out a healthy year, and (probably) retire with honors similar to what was bestowed upon Whalen.

The Missing in Action:

Temi F@gbenly (C) 2 years
Cecilia Zandalasini (F) 2 years [we need her shooting from deep]

That's because from "Minnesota Lynx: 2019 season preview" https://highposthoops.com/2019/05/17/minnesota-lynx-2019-season-preview by Jared Hines we know some details surrounding Cecilia Zandalasini's schedule. Zandalasini (who we think definitely makes the team) is currently playing basketball overseas and won’t initially take one of the limited 12 roster spots (presumably - unsure about that). The team is expected to have Zandalasini back in early July once her international season is completed. I suspect what will happen is that the decision on whether Rebekkah can/wants-to/will play will be postponed until about early July when Zandalasini is scheduled to return. Essentially, the same "saved roster spot" could (I think, anyway) be used for Brunson and Zandalasini. When she comes back, then the issue comes to a head as to whether or not a player has to be released from the active roster to make room for both Brunson and Zandalasini. Or whether Zandalasini will just take the 12th roster spot saved for Brunson, and Brunson put on the suspended list.

Temi F@gbenle will also not start the season on the Lynx roster as she is also playing overseas. But I don't know her schedule. She will definitely make the team though, having had a great overseas season.

The Made Its:

There are 11 players that I'll say "made the team." This leaves a spot for Brunson to be figured out later. No particular order (ordered by jersey number, actually).

Karima Christmas-Kelly (F) 8 years
Odyssey Sims (G) 5 years [high point scorer in first pre-season game]
Danielle Robinson (G) 7 years
Lexie Brown (G) 1 year [played very well against the Aces]
Jessica Shepard (F) Rookie
Napheesa Collier (F) Rookie
Seimone Augustus (G) 13 years
Sylvia Fowles (C) 11 years
Damiris Dantas (F) 4 years

Notice that's 9 plus the two late-returners = 11 players, plus possibly a placeholder for Rebekkah Brunson. That leaves the following players hoping for a roster spot.

The Wanting the Last Roster Spots:

Kenisha Bell (G) Rookie
Erlana Larkins (F) 9 years
Shao Ting (F) Rookie (but aged mid-30s)
Jillian Alleyne (F) Rookie

Ironically, these players might better be described as competing against the empty roster spot held for Rebekkah Brunson, as opposed to competing against each other. That might mean that up to three-out-of-four of these players may continue to get Rookie time on the Lynx as the two international players continue to play overseas and/or Brunson continues to be evaluated against the concussion protocol. It could be that most of these players will play at least a third of a season before being cut. I'm not sure what the rules are to hold a slot for an international player who has not returned yet. But I'm sure the rules are obscure. So I can't call what will happen with these four players.

The optimum scenario for Bell would be if Brunson didn't return, and Reeve decided she needs a guard more than an extra forward. Right now she's only got 4 guards. You'd think she would want 5 guards, given Seimone playing reduced minutes and the injury to D-Rob last year. We'll see. But at
the moment (assuming an empty slot as placeholder for Brunson and none of the Wanting the Last Roster Spots make the team, Reeve faces the same predicament that Whalen was in last year: only 11 (or less) healthy players and only 4 healthy guards, which as we saw, could easily go to 3 guards with another injury.

To my way of thinking, there are 5 reasons why coach Reeve ought to keep Kenisha Bell on the team:

1. This is the Pros, and you need 5 guards since if one of your 4 guards is injured, then you’re down to 3.
2. On the other hand you have two great rookie forwards plus three good forwards coming into their prime. Do you really need a 6th forward?
3. Keke has great speed, she’s mastered the paint, and her jump shot is improving. You can teach shooting. You can’t teach speed.
4. After maturing to WNBA caliber (and who better than Reeve to finish the process started by Stollings and Whalen), I can see Bell evolving into a fast/great stop-and-pop shooting guard, similar in style to Rachel Banham’s team-mate Courtney Williams (https://www.wnba.com/video/courtney-williams-puts-up-27-pts-8-reb-vs-mercury).
5. If you don’t keep Bell, you’re probably going to have to play against her some day.

In the last pre-season game against the Aces, Lexie Brown played very well, so I think she's in. Erlana Larkins played 8 minutes in that game, whereas Bell, Ting and Alleyne played 2 minutes each. It could be that Reeve feels she needs the tough rebounding of Larkins - at least for the duration that an empty spot is being held for Brunson. If she's the one that's kept, then there is still a chance of Bell being recalled if it is later deterined that Brunson will not return.

In the 4th quarter, the Lynx pulled ahead against the Aces in Sunday's game. Former Lynx player Sugar Rogers had done some damage, making two treys so that the Aces were threatening. Coach Reeve again went with the "youngsters" down the stretch of the last couple minutes of the game. Alleyne and Bell entered the game at the 4Q 2:08 mark, and Ting entered at 2:00. Those last two minutes looked fairly uneventful for those three (judging by the play-by-play). There was a late Lynx shot-clock violation that potentially might have lost the game, but unsure if Bell shared any of the fault for that (no details in the play-by-play). Jessica Shepard was the hero of the last two minutes - making a three - and luckily too, as that was the first shot she made in the game, and she had 5 fouls on her too. Gutsy for Reeve to leave her in there. Plum responded with an Aces triple of her own, but Lexie Brown iced two free throws to seal the game. Thus, the icing for both pre-season games was provided by Rookies or one-years, as well as the game-winning shot from Rookie Shepard in this case. If nothing else, Coach Reeve has gotta be proud of her Rookies.
 
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Not to be a downer on the hope Bell makes the final cut.....but unless she's showing something great in practice, the two minutes in each of the exhibition games does not bode well for her. I've enjoyed watching her throughout her Gopher career, but I still think its long odds that she makes the Lynx.
 

fanfromthevalley said:
Not to be a downer on the hope Bell makes the final cut.....but unless she's showing something great in practice, the two minutes in each of the exhibition games does not bode well for her. I've enjoyed watching her throughout her Gopher career, but I still think its long odds that she makes the Lynx.
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The only feedback re how practice is going for her, seems to be the quote from the May 14 training camp report https://lynx.wnba.com/news/training...he-right-three-pointers-sims-pushing-the-pace saying ...

“Kenisha Bell still looks good and has continually shown off her ability to finish. She’s one of the best in the business at the rim.”
 

When aren’t training camp reports exuding positivity? They’re made by the Lynx’s own staff. Hardly what you could call critical analysis made by them.
 


Best of luck to her. It will be a great hometown story.

She is the only PG vying for one spot should they decide they need one instead of a PF. Tough odds, but not impossible.
 

fanfromthevalley said:
Bell cut today.

Here's link to Strib story along with two trades Lynx also made:

http://www.startribune.com/lynx-make-2-trades-waive-2-players-as-season-opener-nears/510231042/
Click to expand...

Yeah, unfortunately, I think she fell victim to coach Reeve’s preference for experience over potential. I noticed the Lynx retweet of the Lynx_PR tweet https://mobile.twitter.com/Lynx_PR/status/1130935518169116672 stating that Bell and Alleyne has been waived. This followed closely behind tweets that the Lynx had acquired (via swapping future draft picks) Stephanie Talbot from Phoenix and Alaina Coates from Chicago. (According to Ben W) Coates would be filling in at backup Center while Temi finishes up her overseas season; and Talbot plays the SG or SF positions. [Read as: Talbot shoots better than Bell right now, and Reeve prefers experienced players.]

Plenty of tweets from disappointed Lynx fans that are upset on learning this. Some vowed not to renew their season tickets.

However (Ben W also points out) Bell wouldn’t have gotten much playing time anyway. So maybe the bright side is that Kenisha can hone her skills in overseas play (and make more money doing so), then hope that some WNBA team will invite her to training camp next year.

I suspect that Coates and Talbot are bound to be just short-term Lynx - filling in for Temi and Cecilia until they finish their overseas season. Also note that this leaves the Lynx roster count way over the max 12. So several more cuts are to be expected.

I guess my overall reaction is that OK, so the high-probability result happened, and we can’t be too surprised. But my disappointment is more along the lines of a realization that although Sheryl Reeve is a great coach, thus far (in my opinion) she merits only about a C- score on GMing. That includes three dumb decisions by her: letting Howard go to Seattle (which quite literally won them the championship last year); cutting Kenisha Bell (as I don’t care how well Talbot shoots right now, I’m pretty sure that Bell has more long-term potential); and cutting Carlie Wagner last year (Reeve was too hyper-paranoid about backing up Rebekkah Brunson at PF last year - which admittedly was an issue, and in fact materialized into an injured Brunson - however the real concern turned out to be the inconsistency of Maya Moore’s shooting, and what the Lynx desperately needed last year was more shooting - yet when the time came to recall a player (cuz salary cap issues were over), Reeve in her paranoia recalled a French forward who contributed zilch to the team, when she had available a great shooter in Carlie, who might have made enough of a difference (hitting shots when Maya was cold) to at least get the Lynx deep in the tournament last year.

If Rebekkah Brunson decides (say, midway through the season) not to return to basketball, there is still some small probability that the Lynx might recall Kenisha at that point. But her Plan A should now be overseas play.
 
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Kenisha Bell should now be working on improving her shot in prep for playing overseas.

But while watching the Lynx first game on Friday, I couldn’t help but observe how well Kenisha would have fit with the new Lynx. They are quick, fast breakers, ball stealers, paint penetrators, and rebounders - all traits that Kenisha has.

On Friday the Lynx started slowly, shooting a low percentage and turning the ball over too much. But they got to the line a lot (another Bell trait), especially Collier, and stayed in the game until they upped it a notch and left Chicago in the dust in the second half. This young Lynx team is good.

The Lynx starting lineup was not as planned, except for the trio of D-Rob, Syl and Damiris Dantes. Christmas-Kelly was out on injury list, and Seimone Augustus was out with sore knees. That happens quite a bit in the late stages of her career.

That meant that the Lynx started their season down to 3 healthy guards. It worked out OK for them on this game, which they won 89-71. But maybe coach Reeve should ask coach Whalen how difficult it was to have a winning season with only 3 guards for half the season. Perhaps I should refrain from saying “I told you so” but what the heck, might as well quote myself ...

> This is the Pros, and you need 5 guards since if one of your 4 guards is injured, then you’re down to 3.

Right now, the Lynx are forward-heavy. They have a ton of good forwards, in fact, plus 1-2 more to return after the international season. Of those two, Temi F@gbenle is now on the temporary disabled list, but not Cecilia Zandalasini - so unsure if she is coming back to compete for her position. Also, no mention of Rebekkah Brunson on roster and explicit statement re her being out for the year. If both internationals return, there would be 10 post players (including the centers) competing for 8 post slots. Counting Syl as In, then 9 posts competing for 7 post slots. It almost seems as if Reeve is having ongoing trials for those 7 slots.

Here’s a rather remote possibility though. If, long term, Augustus is not able to play an average of at least 10 minutes per game, then it would not shock me to see Kenisha Bell recalled.

For the Friday Chicago game though, the three-guard rotation of D-Rob, Sims and Brown played very well and handled the load.

The story of the game, however, was the rookies. Napheesa Collier hit a game-high 27 points, close to a WNBA record for a rookie’s first start, along with 6 rebounds. Jessica Shepard also proved very impressive, not so much via point, but rather sharp passing (6 assists) and rebounding (13). Fowles only needed 26 minutes to score her 16 points.

As noted, the three guards (with Sims starting in lieu of Augustus and Brown off the bench) played well. D-Rob had 13 points, and Odyssey Sims enjoying her new role as a shooter with 11 points, and Lexie Brown with 10 points. Sims had 5 assists. For those that didn’t know, last year Brown had a mundane rookie year as a Sun, getting few minutes as 3rd string guard stuck behind our own Rachel Banham in the pecking order. She is a good shooter. On Friday she hit seemingly with ease from 6 feet behind the arc - Banham-like (or Pitts-like) depth.

So for now, anyway, no need to recall Bell (even though she’d fit in so well with this young/fast team). But if any of this guard trio gets injured, there might be another window of opportunity for Kenisha. But she should just keep working on her international game for now.
 

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