With the Lynx rough 0-4 start, I arrived at the Target Center tonight wondering what the players themselves thought was the biggest problem so far. Even the most casual observer can see that rebounding is certainly an issue due to the team’s overall lack of size. Nicole Ohlde’s inability to be that needed low post player for this team to this point is another.
SL: Noelle Quinn is struggling offensively to start the season. Have you said anything to her to keep her spirits up?
SA: Yeah. I mean, I talk to all of the rookies, especially Noelle because she’s not really in her form. We knew when we drafted her that she was a scorer and she hasn’t been scoring a whole lot. She’s been more of a passer, so we’re trying to get her into her confidence. I think that’s key. Her confidence is key and right now I don’t think she has it. She’s kind of shy. I understand that coming in as a rookie coming in and thinking ‘I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes and just do what I can,’ but I definitely talk to her all the time. I’m telling her ‘When you have an opportunity to score, please score the ball.’
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SL: What is the biggest reason this team is 0-4 right now?
SA: It’s a new team and new coaches. Like last year, Phoenix got a new coach. I don’t know what their record was the first two weeks of the season, but I think they were 0-5 or 0-6. It takes some time and we’ve got to keep believing. That’s the dangerous part. We can’t just say ‘Oh, this is not working.’ You know, that’s really bad. As long as we keep getting better, we’re going to be ok, but I think the biggest part is that everything is new. People are still finding their comfort zone. You still trust your instincts, but you have to trust the system.
SA: I don’t think that’s the case. I think he’s going with what he had at training camp. He worked really hard, creating something with what he had. For me, of course, being late, that’s the thing. I mean, it’s hard to get a new system, but as long as they trust me and let me play, I feel like I’m going to learn and get in the flow. It’s up to the coaches. It doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie or not. If they feel that you’re doing your part, they’re going to play you. It’s a good thing and it’s a bad thing for somebody, but I think that it just shows that he’s fair.
SA: I feel pretty good. In terms of earning minutes, it’s hard for me because we don’t really have practices. It’s one of those things where you feel good, you feel like you know the plays, you feel like you know the system, but the coaches don’t know that yet. If you don’t get time to play, you can’t really show them. You have to be pretty much perfect coming off the bench and with me--I know myself--I always want to create something. The biggest thing for me is to take it easy and when I get on the court, I just have to do my part and just see what happens.
SL: Where is this team’s confidence level heading into this nationally televised game tonight?
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Once the game begins, it is obvious that the starting lineup does not have “it.” Kristen Mann has been placed in a bad situation, playing out of position and having to go up against Tamika Whitmore. Whitmore ends the first period shooting 4 of 7 from the field for nine points and three rebounds while the Lynx total 15 points, led by nine from Augustus. The rest of the starters combine for 2-10 shooting, with Lindsey Harding the only other Lynx player to score.
It is only due to the amazing presence of Tamika Catchings that the Lynx do not lead going into the half. This perennial MVP candidate finished the half by stealing the ball twice in the final 11.9 seconds, leading to four points which brought the halftime score to 37-40 Indiana. As expected with a young team like Minnesota, they were never able to recover from Catchings momentum changing steals. To put it simply and kindly, the Fever did whatever they wanted in the second half.
Or, of course, that phrase that we will hear constantly all season. “We’re a young team, committed to building for the future.”
Although it has been nice to see this team fight against some of the better teams in the league this early into the season, the end result is that this team remained without a win prior to the game with Indiana.
With young players such as Noelle Quinn having a tough time to start the season, I have wondered why a veteran such as Svetlana Abrosimova continues to see limited minutes. Certainly, Svet came into camp a heartbeat before the season began, but why not allow Quinn and the other rookies to watch a wily vet some to help their development, rather then allowing them to make mistakes and get down on themselves.
Prior to the tip-off with Indiana, I spent a few minutes with Seimone Augustus. Here’s what she had to say.
SL: This team is obviously off to a rough start this season. What is the number one cause of that?
SA: Just one thing? We’ve been talking about energy a lot. You know, just being ready to play. The first time we played Indiana, we weren’t ready to play and we had a lot of mistakes. We played Sacramento after that. We came in and had a lot of turnovers and a lot of mistakes once again. We played Chicago. Once again, it was the same scenario. So, if we clean up the mistakes by keeping our energy level high, we’ll be ok.
SL: Noelle Quinn is struggling offensively to start the season. Have you said anything to her to keep her spirits up?
SA: Yeah. I mean, I talk to all of the rookies, especially Noelle because she’s not really in her form. We knew when we drafted her that she was a scorer and she hasn’t been scoring a whole lot. She’s been more of a passer, so we’re trying to get her into her confidence. I think that’s key. Her confidence is key and right now I don’t think she has it. She’s kind of shy. I understand that coming in as a rookie coming in and thinking ‘I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes and just do what I can,’ but I definitely talk to her all the time. I’m telling her ‘When you have an opportunity to score, please score the ball.’
SL: With Svetlana coming into camp late, do you think at this point that she has “caught up” to the rest of the team?
SA: She’s kind of grasped the idea of the system, so I definitely see us getting better with her getting into the rotation more. She will get more time. She knew coming in that this year we have a lot of plays. I mean, last year we didn’t have many plays. This year, we have almost 20 plays, so that’s a lot for someone to learn in a week or two’s time.
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Moments later, I speak with Svetlana Abrosimova herself on the topic. We all know that Svet has her opinions and that she has no problem expressing them either.
Moments later, I speak with Svetlana Abrosimova herself on the topic. We all know that Svet has her opinions and that she has no problem expressing them either.
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SL: What is the biggest reason this team is 0-4 right now?
SA: It’s a new team and new coaches. Like last year, Phoenix got a new coach. I don’t know what their record was the first two weeks of the season, but I think they were 0-5 or 0-6. It takes some time and we’ve got to keep believing. That’s the dangerous part. We can’t just say ‘Oh, this is not working.’ You know, that’s really bad. As long as we keep getting better, we’re going to be ok, but I think the biggest part is that everything is new. People are still finding their comfort zone. You still trust your instincts, but you have to trust the system.
SL: With Coach “staying the course” with the young players and allowing for them to make rookie mistakes, do you think that some of the veterans on this team are having a tough time understanding their roles at this point?
SA: I don’t think that’s the case. I think he’s going with what he had at training camp. He worked really hard, creating something with what he had. For me, of course, being late, that’s the thing. I mean, it’s hard to get a new system, but as long as they trust me and let me play, I feel like I’m going to learn and get in the flow. It’s up to the coaches. It doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie or not. If they feel that you’re doing your part, they’re going to play you. It’s a good thing and it’s a bad thing for somebody, but I think that it just shows that he’s fair.
SL: Because of your late arrival, do you feel as if you have “caught up” to the rest of the team now in learning this system?
SA: I feel pretty good. In terms of earning minutes, it’s hard for me because we don’t really have practices. It’s one of those things where you feel good, you feel like you know the plays, you feel like you know the system, but the coaches don’t know that yet. If you don’t get time to play, you can’t really show them. You have to be pretty much perfect coming off the bench and with me--I know myself--I always want to create something. The biggest thing for me is to take it easy and when I get on the court, I just have to do my part and just see what happens.
SL: Where is this team’s confidence level heading into this nationally televised game tonight?
SA: You get confidence from winning, but we are 0-4, so now it’s time to win. It’s really frustrating to know that other people don’t think we’re good because we know we are not as bad as 0-4. Of course, playing on national TV, I think it’s going to be even more motivation and I’m sure we’re going to step up.
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Once the game begins, it is obvious that the starting lineup does not have “it.” Kristen Mann has been placed in a bad situation, playing out of position and having to go up against Tamika Whitmore. Whitmore ends the first period shooting 4 of 7 from the field for nine points and three rebounds while the Lynx total 15 points, led by nine from Augustus. The rest of the starters combine for 2-10 shooting, with Lindsey Harding the only other Lynx player to score.
Yet, in the second quarter, when Coach Zierden subs Shay Murphy in for Augustus at the 7:52 mark and a score of 20-26 in favor of Indiana, something shocking happens. A lineup of Amber Jacobs, Svetlana Abrosimova, Shay Murphy, Tiffany Stansbury and Kathrin Ress play the remainder of the quarter like a team.
It is only due to the amazing presence of Tamika Catchings that the Lynx do not lead going into the half. This perennial MVP candidate finished the half by stealing the ball twice in the final 11.9 seconds, leading to four points which brought the halftime score to 37-40 Indiana. As expected with a young team like Minnesota, they were never able to recover from Catchings momentum changing steals. To put it simply and kindly, the Fever did whatever they wanted in the second half.
After a fine effort by the bench in the first half--and throughout the entire game by rookie Kathrin Ress--I wondered if, at this point in the season if talent or heart and hustle are more important. Nicole Ohlde, for example, may be a more talented player then Kathrin Ress as a whole, but does not play with the same intensity and fire that Ress exhibited tonight.
So, which is more important for this team right now?
After the game, Coach Zierden answered that question with “You’d like to have both…but, you’ve got to fight through things. If you don’t play hard, then you’re really in trouble.”
“It’s not enough to just play hard in this league,” says Abrosimova post-game. “You can compete and say you play hard, but you have to find a way to win. I feel like we have enough talent, but we have to find a way to win. It’s that simple.”
Does that mean that there is a lack of heart in some members of this team right now?
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