Sakima Walker: Minnesota, 12:56 minutes, 4 pts, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks
Marta Suarez, Golden State, 14:05 minutes, 5 pts, 3 rebounds
Jaelyn Brown, Seattle, 11:45 minutes, 8 pts, 2 rebounds
Michelle Onyiah, New York, not with team

I think with the expansion that will be coming to the WNBA over the next several years there will be roster spots to be had...right now it's 15 teams times 12 players so that's 180 players (plus potentially 24 Development players). By 2030 there will be 3 more teams, giving hope to that next level of players.

Jaelyn, 11:47 minutes, 6 points

BearPedz said:

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Sakima cut from Minnesota today. I had a feeling after she didn't get hardly any playing time in the preseason match against Nigeria. WNBA really moving away from traditional bigs.

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She'll make some overseas team very happy, and gain useful experience.

Seattle had two J Brown's in camp. Cal's Jaelyn is still there, while Jalyn Brown was waived today

Woodacre said:

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Seattle had two J Brown's in camp. Cal's Jaelyn is still there, while Jalyn Brown was waived today

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Thanks for that. I was wondering why the box score had one who played and one who didn't.

According to Marisa Ingemi on Blue Sky: "Valkyries just announced they cut Marta Suarez. Not sure if they will sign her back to a developmental spot but would imagine so. We'll see."

More info here on Marisa's new Valkyries site: https://www.valkyriesbeat.com/p/the-valkyries-cut-marta-suarez-now-what

So they traded the number eight pick -- who could well be a starter -- for a player who didn't even make the roster.

And they won't even talk about it.

It's really inexcusable, and made me really quesion Ohemaa Nyanin and the Valkyries.

Patience.... I recall some saying prior to last season the Valkyries would be mediocre. We shall see. Fa'jae is a talented player, but will actually be a better fit for a rebuilding Seattle.

I found this analysis posted on the Valks forum on Reddit to be quite informative looking at other type of pro teams drafting as a frame of reference and how the W differs, etc. This poster is quite the numbers cruncher/analyst.

Let's Talk Numbers Around Draft Pick Value

If interested, you should really take the time to read the entire post, but here's a couple excerpts:

Quote:

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So a few quick details notes that jump out:

• So… never expect much… er… anything out of a third rounder, it's all frosting if you get something there
• Second rounders are in the coin toss club, they might be something but it's about 50/50 that they end up really playing
• First over all is of course a pretty great place to pick
• The rest of the lottery (non playoff) teams get some good action out of that top 5, they may not be an all star but they'll play in meaningful ways
• The second half of the first round is actually really deceptive, but as the author notes "Unfortunately, this range of 5 picks is four times likelier to result in a non-impact player than an All-Star"
• The bottom of the first round and the start of the second have a success rate around 30%

So what does this tell us? Frankly, my read is that I need to adjust my expectations with the W, the reverence with which we treat first round picks in other sports probably need to apply exclusively to the lottery teams, and even more realistically just the top 5 picks. Between crowded rosters, the need for players to be immediate impacts due to minimal developmental options, and also probably due to a lower investment in scouting, we've watched anything in the 6th to around the 16th become hard to get right due to the variance.

Hey, for fun, let's test those theories out on last year's draft results and see what it tells us about this years shall we?

....

So did I, like all of us, cringe and shout at my TV on draft night? You bet I did! But in reality we traded one coin toss for two by tracing out the numbers.

At the end of the day, this indicates an underlying consistent methodology and thought process by the front office guided by what appears to be some actual data. Having some time to digest, my take is we're watching some distinct "Moneyball"-ing here to take advantage of market inefficiencies.

In short, the W draft is different, and for right or wrong the GSV front office realizes that and is attempting to remain ahead of the curve.

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Draft pick numbers are just part of the story. Do not trade your picks until you see who is actually available. Johnson is not just average. She is a top defender and just scored 20 points in a pre-season game. Plenty of teams will want to acquire those capabilities.

There are two parts to this:

1) The deal itself. Nyanin clearly did not think Flau'jae would fall to eight. She probably thought a young Euro would be available in that spot, and as pointed out above, that's a roll of the dice.

It's still a better-odds roll than 16, and the 2028 dice roll will likely be lower.

When Flau'jae fell, Nyanin got "exhausted" thinking about how bad the deal turned out to be. Which leads to ...

2) This is the entertainment business, and you don't get to hide from your decisions. Nyanin was at practice a couple days ago with the media there and flatly refused to talk, leaving Natalie Nakase to take the heat.

Maybe Nyanin is going to be good GM, and maybe she'll learn from this, but there's no doubt she handled this terribly.

Media availability today, first one since the draft. We'll see if she's willing to be accountable for gambling that Flau'jae wouldn't be there. Every play Flau'jae makes is one that cap space can't.

Woodacre said:

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Jaelyn was waived today by Seattle. Marta, as reported on other threads, signed a development contract with Phoenix

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Damn. I mean re. Jaelyn. Thanks for letting us know.

I'm hoping she gets another chance as the season begins...players get injured, etc.

And Michelle was waived by the Liberty today. And so it goes. For now