I missed it But she said something in the commercial to the effect that their are some NBA PLAYER shou COULD NOT CARRY HER SHOES INTO THE GYM Rocket River ------------------
I saw the show, not all of it, but I did see the segment where they debated whether the WNBA was worthy of fan support, media attention, whatever. Cynthia did say that some players in the NBA could not carry her shoes into the gym. She was also pretty pissed by the fact that Sports Illustrated could not see fit to put the 4-time champion Comets on the cover even once. The other guests were Jerry Springer, Everlast and Debbie Schlussel, who is some columnist who has a very low opinion of female athletes. Debbie Schlussel is a short, fat, dumpy looking woman, so that made it kind of ironic IMO. Cynthia and Everlast basically blasted her. Schlussel challenged anyone to name any player on the WNBA All-Star team, and Everlast named whole slew of 'em. It was great. Bill Maher and Schlussel both agreed that the womens game was nowhere near the mens game, and that a team of the best women in the WNBA could not play against a team of the lowest NBA scrubs, the WNBA is second rate and that is why it will never compare to the NBA, blah,blah,etc,etc. This was the last segment of the show, and damn do I wish it had lasted longer. As for my own opinion of the WNBA (okay, you didn't ask for it, but I'll give it to you anyway), I do think it is second to the NBA, but that does not mean that I think the WNBA sucks or anything. Those girls can flat out play. Its not as physical, or as high-flying, but they have skills. I won't ever love the Comets as much as I love the Rockets, but I love them all the same, and I'll keep cheering them on as my home-town team. Also, concerning whether the best of the WNBA could compare with the worst of the NBA.....I would just have to see that before making any judgement. I don't think the women could compete on a physical level, and would have to rely on speed and accuracy, which they have loads of. I think it would be closer than anyone might think. ------------------ Hey, I've got a new signature! 302 [This message has been edited by Lynus302 (edited October 19, 2000).]
I saw the show and it's obvious Schussel is bitter about being 4 feet tall or less. She has written some very anti-WNBA articles and now we know why. I thought Coop did an excellent job in defending the honor of the league. She looked like she was gonna smack that girl.
I don't think it's a question of whether or not they are better than the men. It's a question of whether it's entertaining or not. Judging by the success it's had so far, I'm assuming that there are enough people who feel this way for the league to survive. This in turn, will lead to better quality as millions of young girls now have something that millions of young boys have had for years to aspire to. ------------------ When you make an assumption, you make an ass out of yourself and umption. visit www.swirve.com
The WNBA doesn't help it's case though with the distinctions it makes from it's big brother. It is used by the league as a filler for the months between the NBA season. Having a 3 month season, 32 games, and a three round, best of three playoff series doesn't help. Not to mention the smaller ball and 1/3 shorter game. The WNBA players do have a lot of talent, and many of them could compete with the big boys. But if they want to be percieved as equals, they can't do things that are percieved as making their game easier. ------------------ Stay Cool...
1/3rd shorter game? they play 40 minutes not 32, the same as the Olympics and NCAA. the main reason for the smaller ball is because the NCAA women continue to use a smaller ball. the WNBA veterans who have played overseas like Cooper hate using the small ball. And the WNBA is only 4 years old and plans on expanding its schedule. The main problem is the TV networks and airtime competition from the NFL and College Football. The WNBA already has better TV ratings than the NHL. The NBA started off with a 60 game schedule.
OK When I look at the women's game I see it is FAR more Physical than the NBA [Some say Hacking] They shoot Free Throughs better. But like some said. . . It's apples and Oranges But I'm a fan of GOOD BASKETBALL Rocket River ------------------
I have no problem with the WNBA and have enjoyed many Comets games in person. I've often said the Rockets crowds could learn a lot of things from the Comets crowds as far as enthusiasm goes. I have only one problem with the small ball...if they are going to use a small ball they should make the rim smaller. An NBA rim is the size of 2 NBA basketballs. Using a smaller ball makes gives them a bigger "hole" to shoot in. The ball is made smaller because of their smaller hands, and I agree with that. The smaller ball helps younger girls play the game. But the rim size should be lessened to accomodate for the difference as well. Just my opinion. Old School ------------------ Just Build It!
The Comets are a good basketball team. There are a few other teams that play well and are fun to watch also. But overall, there are a lot of real crappy teams in the WNBA that play horrible basketball. That's why it sucks now. Give it time and stop expanding so fast. But as of now, I only find 10% of the games entertaining, which is what really matters.
Speaking of the smaller ball, while it's true that you're probably likely to see more swish shots it's also true that you don't get the same "shooters roll" that the bigger ball gives. I've read some WNBA players complain that they don't get the same kinds of bounces on the rim that they get with the bigger basketball. ------------------ "Somebody DO something out there." -Bill Walton
Not only that, but the small balls are harder to shoot FT's. Try shooting a mini ball for FT and a Large ball. I bet you actually hit more with the large ball. Your hands have an easier time controlling the larger ball. You'll notice that big men have trouble shooting free throws. A lot of it has to do with the size of their hands relative to the ball. They can't control it like the smaller players can do. I bet the woman have a difficult time shooting the smaller ball. That leads me to believe they are just better shooters. One thing the women do is run plays that actually look like plays. They may not work, but at least they run something. The men seem to wing it a little more. ------------------ humble, but hungry. [This message has been edited by PhiSlammaJamma (edited October 21, 2000).]
Actually women's hands are on average smaller than men's hands so the smaller ball doesn't really cause a problem in the mechanics of a shot like it does for some of the men. I think that's why FT shooting is higher than the NBA but overall FG shooting is lower than the NBA. The reasons I've seen Ackerman give for the smaller ball is so that the college players don't have to adjust to a different size ball, so that the women can control the ball easier on passes/dribbling (cuts down on turnovers), and finally so that women could palm the ball easier to facilitate dunking. ------------------ "Somebody DO something out there." -Bill Walton
