The WNBA Season 2015 tips off June 5th

and I am back and cant wait for the start last year we ended +61units documented

visit our website www.WNBAPICKS.com and chosse from your WNBA expert picks package

like last year I will post free picks here, mostly Halftime bets and totals

I followed the offseason in Asia and here in Europe as closely as every year, so for those who dont know me : that explain my bad english and grammar , so forgive me on that, I followed the NCAA Womens Action and I am prepared to have another profitable season in the WNBA

I will not be on Radio with a season preview this year as the EOG Sports Hour closed their doors, in this thread i will post everything important in the pre season  it will end with team by team previews

The first big news was that Diana Taurasi has deceided to sit out the 2015 season and focus on her club in Russia UMMC Ekaterinburg,also Candice Parker will sit out the first part of this years season , the WNBA should wake up and re- tink their salary cap, it cannot be that the girls earn just a little bit of what they earn in Asia or Europe, this will kill the WNBA 

today it was announced that Lauren Jackson sits out the 2015 season after another knee surgery, its a endless story with her injuries and most likely the end of her career

read the article about her i will post a little bit later

In this thread, i will monitor daily  what happens in the Training Camps, some outlooks on the teams, the Player Movements, .... simply everything what is important Info for the new season

COACHES - lets start today with the new Coaches

New York Liberty - Bill Laimbeer

The New York Liberty rehired Bill Laimbeer in January, maybe the most controverse coach in the WNBA,personally i think this is the first epic fail in the new season, he is a shady caracter, you have to give him that he won 3 WNBA titles when he coached the Detroit Shock, but that was long ago and things have changed,The Liberty fired Laimbeer in October after missing the play offs for a 2nd straight season. his record during his first 2 seasons in New York is 26-42
the Liberty roster for the new season looks promising again but Laimbeer will not change his attitude, the players hate him, ask Leilani Mitchell what she thinks about her former coach, he made her run off the league because he thinks Leilani was too small for the league without having a equivalent replacement,my prediction is Laimbeer will not make it through the season


Seattle Storm - Jenny Boucek 

Jenny Boucek is the new coach of the Seattle Storm and I really like it, it was about timefor Brian Agler to go, I blame him for the downfall of the Storm the last 2 years, I know what he has done for the club and i give him that , but he lost it completely over the last 2 seasons and made one bad deceison after another, his player policy was just awful the signings were awful, he was not willing to risk anything or give new players a chance, last season the Storm had already 2 promising Rookies drafted with Mikaela Ruef and Diane Plouffe, both didnt survived the first week of the training camp,especially Plouffe had a sensational World Championship for team Canada,with all the injurys last season and nothing to lose Agler was still not ready to give the few talents that were left to give more playin time, I think of Angel Robinson here , who gets a few minutes playing time, Angel Robinson had a extremely good Euroleague season in Salamanca (Spain) this year,she really was amazing we will see some good Basketball from her this season, if Brian Agler could not see what talent Angel Robinson is then shame on him, the last horrible deceision he made before he quit his job was to sign Quanitra Holingsworth , she is not even WNBA material, have not played the last 2 season ,not a single minute in Washington last year , and even in Turkey she is benched by her club and the Turkish national team 

thank god the Seattle Storm have a new coach and the future looks bright with the #1 and #3 Draft Picks with Jewell Loyd and Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis they will have two amazing weapons, Mosqueda -Lewis maybe the best shooter the WNBA ever had, I am not so sure if Jewell Loyd will make the transition into the WNBA that fast,remember even Brittney Griner had not a good rookie season !!

the Seattle Storm have some more talented rookies on their recent roster , we will have to wait till the team roster is finished, one thing is for sure with Abby Bishop they signed a big talent from Australia, speaking of Australia Lauren Jackson is not in the current Seattle Storm roster, she is still injured and i doubt she will be back
I am relly excited to see what will happen, the Storm lost key players with Camille Little and Tanisha Wright


Los Angeles Sparks - Brian Agler 

so if you read what I wrote about Brian Agler in the Seattle Storm part, then everything is said, Agler for sure a good coach but it was about time to leave Seattle , one bad deceision after another, and it will not be much easier for him this season in Los Angeles, the news that Candace Parker will sit out the first part of the season, must have given Brian almost a heart attack, then Sandrine Gruda deceided to stay in Europe, like last year Kristi Tolliver will be missing a few games through her involvement in the Slovakian National team for Eurobasket,all this sounds like a lot of problems, the first wrong deceision from Agler in Los Angeles was to take Temeka Johnson with him from Seattle, I cant see the veteran Johnson beeing a reinforcement for the Sparks

the Sparks have signed a few interesting foreigners with Mariana Tolo the talented Australian Center , a Liz Cambage type player and Ana Dabovic,about time for the serbian guard to show her skills in the WNBA,also positive the signing of Erin Phillips,only negative here is, Phillips is injury-prone,the rookie from the draft we have to wait and see, after the disapointing season the Los Angeles Sparls had with Carol Ross as head coach, I cant see it will be any better this year, it will be a tough season again for Brian Agler and the Sparks


Indiana Fever - Stephanie White 

Its the first season without Coaching legend Linn Dunn,all eyes on Stephanie White ,a former WNBA player. long time assistant coach with the Indiana Fever, i am sure she learned as lot from Linn Dunn,it looks like the players trust and like her and looking forward to this season, we have to wait and see how the final Fever roster looks like, I cant wait to see Natalie Achonwa giving her debut in the WNBA, after last years season ending injury ,the expectations will be high , hopefully Tamika Catchings is healthier than last season where she missed half of the games with a back injury, Shavonte Zellous had a sensational season in Europe in Turkey, I think the season for the Indiana Fever will be much better than last year, we have to see if Stephanie White is the right deceision

PLAYER MOVEMENT 2015: (so far)

BREAKING NEWS: KATIE DOUGLAS announces retirement 

Katie Douglas from the Indiana Fever announced her retirement ,she said her back did not respond to treatment,this is a major blow for the Indiana Fever for the upcoming season


Cappie Pondexter from New York Liberty to The Chicago Sky 
this is the biggest trade so far,six time All Star Pondexter is a Chicago native 

Epiphany Prince from the Chicago Sky to New York Liberty 
the trade from Prince is in exchange for the Pondexter deal with The Sky 

Monique Curry  from Washington Mystics to Phoenix Mercury 
another blockbuster trade, Moniqie Curry one of my all time favorite players,after Taurasi deceides to sit out the 2015 season the Mercury needed another player with extremely physical presence,this is a major blow for the Mystics

Camille Little from Seattle Storm to Connecticut Sun 
the Connecticut Sun was able to trade away the 3rd draft pick to the Seattle Storm in exhange for Camille Little , very much need with last years rookie of the year Chiney Ogwumike beeing sidelined through knee injury

Jasmine Thomas from Atlanta Dream to Connecticut Sun 
Atlanta Dream has completed a trade with the Sun thats sends Jasmine Thomas to Connecticut for the rights of the Suns 2nd round of Brittany Hrynko

Ana Cruz from New York Liberty to Minnesota Lynx
anothe blockbuster trade that has gone a little bit under the radar, spanish point guard Ana Cruz who had her WNBA rookie year with the Liberty last season is a highly talented player,Coch Laimbeer have problems with small and fast point guards (like he did with Leilani Mitchell)Ana Cruz is very fast with excellent ball handling and a great addition to the Lynx roster


Temeka Johnson from Seattle Storm to Los Angeles Spaks 
2008 rookie of the year Temeka Johnson is returning to the Sparks, Brian Agler broght her from his old club Seattle Storm, he loves Temeka Johnson, i personally dont like this move 

Shameka Criston from San Antonio Stars to Phoenix Mercury 
WNBA veteran Shameka Criston one of the best 3 point shooter in the league and a great addition to the Mercury roster with Taurasi missing with her abilityto score from log range

Candice Wiggings from Los Angeles Sparks to New York Liberty 
another big loss for the Los Angeles Sparks,and another loss of a excellent 3 point shooter,the Sparks where not good last year from long range,so now Kristi Tolliver is the only one left who can shoot the ball from the outside, Candice Wiggins is able to play multiple positions and fits great in the Liberty backcourt


Erin Phillips from Phoenix Mercury to Los Angeles Sparks 
the Aussie guard can play several positions, great 3 point shooter, only negative is very injury-pron 


Tanisha Wright from Seattle Storm to New York Liberty 
10 year veteran Tanisha Wright to The Liberty, Liberty making efforts again this season, and with Tanisha Wright they grabbed a rock solid player who knows how to win a championship, maybe Tanisha just wanted to leave Seattle after her long time coach and mentor Brian Agler and a few of her long time team mates (Wright,Stricklen) has left the Storm too, Tanisha Wright is one tough cookie she played almost the entire last season with a injury and still was one of the few consisten Storm players, she is a great fighter


Shenise Johnson from San Antonio Stars to Indiana Fever 
Shenise Johnson showed steady progress in San Antonio last season and had a outstanding Euroleague season in Salamanca (Spain) where she was teammates with Angel Robinson, withthe retirement from Katie Douglas Indiana needs a shooting guard

so guys , I think that was the most significant trades so far 

WNBA 2015 - notable foreign players

Celine Dumerc - France/Atlanta Dream 
maybe the best point guard in the world - the best european for sure , 2nd season in the WNBA she came late last season because she was involved with her french club in the national title race and missed the first 6 games, she was very quiet and did get not much playing time in the first part last years campaign,in the second half she was getting better and better and i predict this year she will show us how good she is, she is a very nasty player on defense too extremely quick with a lot of steals, the ideal transition player and a great shooter from long range too 


Emma Meesemann - Belgium/Washington Mystics
it sounded like a fairytale when i first heard about Emma Meesemann packing her bags and travel on her own to the Washington Mystics Training camp 2 years ago,with not much money ,but her dream to play in the WNBA became true,she had not much playing time in her first year,but when she did she was amazing,good rebound,good phsycal presence, very smooth shooting,then last season she was already a rising star and one of the most improved players ,I am sure Emme will have a great season again 


Erika de Souza - Brazil/Atlanta Dream
this will be the 10th seaon in the WNBA so the brazilian veteran Center is a highly expierenced player, very emotional,maybe too emotional at times,very hard to defend in the paint great rebounding skills


Erin Phillips - Australia/Los Angeles Sparks 
another veteran, coming with the WNBA championship in the bag from Phoenix to LA,already earned a ring with the Indiana Fever 2 years ago, Bronze Medal with the Australian National team last World Championship,had a great offseason in Australia


Marta Xargay - Spain/Phoenix Mercury 
maybe one of the most interesting additions from Europe this season, member of the best Eurobasket Winners Spain, and Silver Medal winner as runner up to Team USA during World Championships,great Euroleague season with Avenida, can play point/shooting guard, maybe one of the rising stars this year 


Penny Taylor - Australia/Phoenix Mercury 
won the title with the Mercury last year,in absence of Lauren Jackson the captain of the Australian National Team, had to fight with injuries the last 3 years looked more stable last year, absolutely world class player, 3 point specialist but can play everything


Ana Dabovic - Serbia/Los Angeles Sparks Gentlemen here we have another rookie , and wow some real eye candy from Serbia, the 25 year old shooting guard is exactly what the banged up Sparks team this season needs,she have experience from numerous international battles and the Euroleague


Damiris Dantas- Brazil/Minnesota Lynx
Damiris Dantas was drafted from the Lynx already a few years back but it took 2 more years till she gave her debut in the WNBA,she was money for the Lynx last year in the defense,very strong rebounder,very physical, only minus is she dont speak a word english( at least last season)


Anna Cruz - Spain/Minnesota Lynx I think the trade to the Lynx was the best that could happen to spanish national point guard Anna Cruz,beneath Danielle Robinson from the San Antonio Stars the quickest player in the WNBA, that can lead to some handling errors at times, but a great addition to the Lynx roster


Abby Bishop - Australia/Seattle Storm
here is another rookie from Australia,the Aussies seems to have endless talent, watch out for this girl,totally excited to see her in a team with Mosqueda Lewis and Jewell Loyd, 3 diamants that joined the Storm Team, Abby played in France this season in a mediocre team, excited to see if she can make the final roster she is a forward/center, I have no doubt she will make it 


Mariana Tolo - Australia/Los Angeles Sparks 
another big talent from Australia, the 6.5 Center helped to win the Bronze Medal last year during World Championships for the Opals when Liz Cambage was sideland again,very talented Brittney Griner type player, played in Europe this season in the Euroleague together with Celine Dumerc at Bourges/France at one of teh European Top Clubs,same for her like in Abby Bishops case,very talented lets see if she can make the roster


Ewelina Kobryn - Poland/Phoenix Mercury 
WNBA veteran and polish legend Ewelyna Kobryn is a massive center with great rebounding skills, together with Sandy Brondello and Diana Taurasi in Russia at Ekaterinburg where the Phoenix Head Coch has a offseason job as assistant coach, she get not much playing time but is rock solid ,ideal replacement player if Britnney Griner needs a rest or is in foul trouble


Emmeline Ndongue- France/Los Angeles Sparks 
french Center 32 years old , already played one season for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2006, its not certain if she makes the final roster yet ,but with her french teammate Sandrine Grudas deceision to stay in Europe I think she has a good chance because the Sparks will have a tough season again

Astou Ndour - Spain/San Antonio Stars 
very big talent from Spain, Senegal born Astou Ndor already had some short appearances in the Stars Team at the end of the season,the press in the USA did not even noticed that one of Europes biggest Talents entered the season ,she is just 20 years old, was the FIBA Youth player of the year, she is a very tall 6.6 skinny Center , a Brittney Griner type player but she need to improve her physical status otherwise she will get eaten alive from players loke Erika de Souza or Monique Curry, but she is young and Dan Hughes sees a bright furture for her, her plus is that she is very quick for such a tall player

Liz Cambage - Tulsa Shock/Australia 
everybody who follows me around knows that i am a huge fan of her but it is not certain if she will be available for the Tulsa Shock this year, she also refused big money this year and didnt played in China this offseason, she is injury-prone, i really hope we will see her back this year and healthy


Ramu Tokashiki - Japan/Seattle Storm 
well to be honest I dont know much about the japanese womens League, one of the few leagues i dont follow in the offseason, so I cant really say nothing about this 6.3 forward but she is in the training camp for now, we have to wait 

Jenna O´Hea - Australia/Seattle Storm 

another WNBA veteran from Australia, excellent 3 point shooter can hit several in a row when running hot, did not played much last year because of injury problems 


Fariya Abdi - Sweden/Los Angeles Sparks
Fariya Abdi is a big big talent, the swedish girl comes with excellent overseas form from the Euroleague, i am a little surprised she is still with the LA Sparks, but i am happy she is, maybe one of the most "under the radar" players in the WNBA, it was obvious that Carol Ross didnt liked her much and gave her next to no playing time last year, its now her third season with the sparks she had a good rookie year she is a rock solid player in her Eurleague Club and she was very frustrated bout the situation in Los Angeles, I am sure Brian Agler figures out what talent she is, if she gets playing tme she will be one of the most improved players

2015 WNBA DRAFT Round 1 Picks

my personal TOP 3 Rookies:

1.Kaleena Mosqueda- Lewis

this girl have the potential to be the best shooter the WNBA has ever seen ,even better than a Diana Taurasi,she is hitting the 3point shots at an astonishing rate, she broke every NCAA record, I predict she will take the WNBA by storm and not #1 Draft Pick Jewell Lloyd will be the rookie of the year, Kaleena will be

2. Lauren Mincy

she will have my special attention, for me one of the biggest talents this season, I watched her closely in the Maryland team during March Madness, totally under the radar yet , but watch out

3. Amber Orrange 

what she did in her NCAA career at Stanford was absolutely amazing,and my personal #3 she wil have a great career in the league

some eye candy from Serbia - Ana Dabovic ,signed with the Los Angeles Sparks

Katie Douglas announces her retirement

“This was a very difficult decision for me because basketball has been such a big part of my life, but I believe I am making the right choice,” Douglas said Friday. “My back has not responded to treatment the way I hoped it would. I have no expectation that I would be able to play at a level that is acceptable to me, so rather than compete as a shell of myself, I am choosing to retire.”One of the greatest three-point shooters in WNBA history, Douglas was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the fifth time in her career during a remarkable comeback season in 2014. She led the Sun with 64 made threes, and played a team-high 1,040 minutes, averaging 13.2 points with 69 assists and 106 rebounds in 32 games. She became the all-time franchise leader in made threes at Tulsa last July 5th, and finishes her career with 383 in a Sun uniform.“I know this is not how KT wanted to leave the game, but she made a significant contribution to the Connecticut Sun and our fans,” Connecticut Sun Vice President Chris Sienko said. “It is amazing the impact a single player can have on an organization and her spirit, competitiveness and humor will be hard to replace.”A two-time All American at Purdue, where she led the Boilermakers to the first NCAA women’s basketball championship in program history, Douglas was selected with the10th overall pick in the first round of the 2001 WNBA Draft by the Orlando Miracle. When the Miracle were purchased by Mohegan Sun, and relocated to Connecticut prior to the start of the 2003 WNBA season, Douglas began to evolve from role player to star.“After being drafted in 2001, Katie was there when the first generation of WNBA legends – Swoopes, Cooper, Staley and Leslie – passed their torch, and she ran with it,” WNBA President Laurel J. Richie said. “Katie’s grit and determination helped drive her to incredible heights, including five All-Star appearances. Now, she passes the ball to the next generation of players, whose dreams would not have been possible without her contributions to the game.”During five seasons in Connecticut, from 2003-07, Douglas averaged 13.4 points while collecting 444 assists, 256 steals and 272 made three-pointers. In that span, the Sun qualified for the playoffs each year, advancing to the WNBA Finals twice, and the Eastern Conference Finals four times while compiling a regular-season record of 104-64 (.615).In 2007, Douglas set single-season career highs with 577 points, 207 made field goals, 158 rebounds, 125 assists and 65 steals. Douglas also earned her first two Eastern Conference All-Star selections in 2006 and 2007. She was the MVP of the 2006 All-Star game.Douglas joined the Indiana Fever in 2008, averaging 15.4 points per game during six seasons while starting in all 166 games while helping her team reach two WNBA Finals. She had a career-high 80 made three-pointers in 2012, the year the Fever won their first championship. She made a career-best 119 free throws during the 2008 season.Limited to just four games with the Indiana Fever in 2013 because of a severe back injury that required offseason surgery, Douglas revived her career with the franchise that originally drafted her, signing a free agent contract with the Connecticut Sun on March 24, 2014. Douglas made an immediate impact, scoring in double-figures 24 times with 19 multiple three-point games. She led the Sun in made threes and made free throws, and led the team in scoring eight times.“It was a pleasure to have Katie with us last season,” Sun head coach Anne Donovan said. “She became an integral part of our team in such a short period of time. Aside from her trademark three-point shooting prowess, KT logged the most minutes of any player. That attests to her toughness and to her importance to our team.”

UMMC manager denies Taurasi is being paid to not play in the WNBA

UMMC Ekaterinburg manager Maxim Ryabkov has denied that they are compensating Diana Taurasi the salary she is losing by not playing in the WNBA this season.
When the story broke back in February an ESPN article by Kate Fagan stated that according to sources “The Phoenix Mercury star accepted an offer from UMMC Ekaterinburg, which will pay her more than her 2014 WNBA salary not to play”.
According to the GM of Ekaterinburg, a two year deal she signed with them after 2013/14 season stipulated that she had to rest during either the 2014 or 2015 season for that contract to be guaranteed. So Taurasi is sitting out to guarantee her multi million deal with Ekat rather than because Ekat is offering to pay her more than WNBA to not play.
Taurasi chose to sit out 2015 and it’s hard to fault her as Phoenix won the title last year and if they falter this year the draft can offer Breanna Stewart as a reward.

Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson aims for 'perfect' farewell at 2016 Rio Olympic Games

An emotional Lauren Jackson has declared the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro would be "the perfect way" to farewell basketball.
Speaking on Monday at the Albury stadium named in her honour, the three-time WNBA and four-time WNBL Most Valuable Player admitted yet another round of surgery to her right knee had her seriously questioning her playing future.
The four-time Olympian has been ruled out for the rest of the Canberra Capitals' WNBL campaign after an MRI last week showed a hole in the cartilage in the back of her knee.
With surgery scheduled for next week and an extended recovery period to follow, Jackson said a fifth Olympics would be the ultimate way to finish what has been a glittering career.
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"There's not a day goes by that I don't think 'I can't do this anymore' - it's hard," Jackson said.
"And I've had a great career, there's things that I don't even believe I've done, looking back on everything.
"But ultimately I am contracted to a couple of teams and I do want to make it to Rio, I think that would be a great opportunity for me to say goodbye."
The Caps won five of the six games Jackson played in this season asshe averaged 13 points and seven boards to help keep Canberra in play-off contention.
But Jackson's knee blew up after a road double that saw the 196-centimetre pivot require pain-killing injections to get through the second game.
With Jackson to undergo a sixth surgery in 12 months, the Australian Opals skipper said retirement was something she seriously considered.
"It's been frustrating to have that word - retirement - bandied around," Jackson said.
"But it's something I think about every single day.
"I'm getting older, very much injury-prone at the moment, but it's one of those things where you just have to suck it up and keep going."
No timetable has been set for Jackson's return to the court and the Albury native said she understood she needed to rehabilitate properly this time, having rushed her previous recovery in a desperate bid to be fit for the World Championships last year.

Pre Season starting soon, Team by Team Previews will follow till the rosters will be finalized and cut down