Well, by now you have heard that Rookie of the Year front-runner Lindsey Harding is out for the remainder of the season. As much as this is completely unfortunate, it will--if you believe that this is truly the “evaluation season”--speed up the evaluation process for the remainder of the team.
With Harding out, Amber Jacobs will have to play the point guard position more then Coach Zierden has allowed until now. This is a move that I have been screaming for in recent weeks, although under happier circumstances. Jacobs is more then capable of playing the position and, I believe, her teammates have faith in her leadership skills and ability to “run the show.”
If the season was not over before now, it has officially ended. This team, unfortunately, has nothing to play for in terms of this year’s success. From this point on, everyone on the Lynx not named Seimone Augustus is auditioning for their spot on the team next season. In my opinion, the only players who are guaranteed to be on the roster next season are Augustus, Harding, Kristen Mann and rookie Kathrin Ress.
That last one may surprise you, but Ress is loved by both her teammates and her coaches for the hustle and heart she has brought to the team from Day One of the season. She is that player who will do the “dirty work” and, more importantly, does so without complaint. She knows her role and does it well.
The main thing that I will be watching for the rest of the season is how Noelle Quinn will handle playing more minutes then she has to this point. She has looked to be under duress when handling the point guard duties against smaller and faster opponents. Hopefully, Coach Zierden and his staff can find a way to put her in a better position to succeed.
Enjoy the All-Star weekend. The rest of the season is going to be rough.
Let’s hope the team can stick together and not completely fall apart.
Get well, Lindsey. I look forward to continuing to watch your career next season.
No comments:
Post a Comment