Your projected starters is pretty out there. Billings is not worth coring. They could get a better power forward for less money in free agency. So for you to speculate that Billings will even be on the team next season is highly unlikely. Then you have Conde, a 28 yr old who has never played in the W, also starting. Again, this doesn't seem realistic (that she would even be in the W next season). And Vanloo and Burton both play the same position (point guard) except Vanloo is a much better passer and scorer. So Burton starting is also a bad call. Also, these are all players who were regarded by their prior teams as no better than the 7th most valuable player on that team, so none of them are really starting quality except the 3 on the wrong side of 30. What the Valkyries did is find adequate hole pluggers which will allow them to be more focused on getting best player available in the draft especially but also in free agency to an extent. Though if they had to start a team with players they have now who are likely to be on the roster next season then the starting 5 should be: 5-Fagbenli 4-Thornton (she's a natural 3 but there's no one better at this spot) 3&2 - Stephanie Talbot & Cecilia Zandalasini. 1 - Julie Vanloo. You will notice these are the 5 oldest players on the roster all 28+. And the 3 best players the Valkyries were able to get, at least in terms of if you had to start them next season and expect them to reliably show up and play in the W, are Fagbenle, Thornton and Vanloo, who are 32, 32, & 31 respectively. Billings is 28 but an UFA not worth coring so not on the roster. Conde is also 28 but highly unlikely to play in the W. PG Carla Leite is also highly unlikely to play in the W next season and at 20 wouldn't be more than an end of bench player though I do think she'll be a force in a couple/few years. The other players who will more likely than not show up next season are 3 role players: Iliana Rupert, an outside shooting C who is weak on D so best used only in offensive situations, Burton a defensive PG who is weak offensively (especially 3-pt shots - 29.7% in 107 career WNBA games), and Kate Martin, a developmental shooting guard who has several areas she needs to improve in. But Burton and Marin are both 24 so may develop more skills in time. Clearly neither of them were drafted to start immediately. Going back to the starting 5 I mentioned above, this is really a 5, a 1, and 3 natural 3's, so it points to the likely Valkyrie strategy in free agency of going after a starting 4 and a starting 2, and probably another veteran big (4/5) who is a much better defender than Rupert. If they can get those people in FA then they are free to take BPA in the draft. Nt projection is post FA and post draft the starters are: free agent, free agent, 1st round draft pick, and then maybe 1 or 2 players from the 5 I named above, though they could also only start one of those and bring in another free agent. (Given they're targeting multiple free agent starters that's all the more reason they don't core Billings and waste $250k on her that they could use for better players instead).
I was very surprised Billings was listed as their Cored player. That was in the latest press release, so I HOPE there are some sneaky Free Agents waiting in the wings. I think they try to maximize potential and playing time for Martin and Leite just based on their contracts, besides them, the entire roster can not be apart of the team next year. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the international players don't suit up at all. They ended up with an older team but they can shoot. But for the most part I do agree, this team will be completely different in one or two years.
@@MylesOnTheCourt Cored players in the WNBA won't even be announced until January. It's now mid-December so it looks like you've been had. To be certain, I did a google search for Billings news and no reputable news agency is reporting that Billings has been cored, is intended to be cored, or anything of the such, only that she can be cored but probably won't. You're right that several of the Valyries' international players won't even show up next season and in all probability one of them is Leite. Why do you think Leite was made available right after being taken last season at #9 overall? Because her prior team had communicated with her and from what they learned didn't consider her likely to show up and play. Of course it's possible she still shows up, but you shouldn't count on it or project it. Plus, even if a player like Leite does show up for a season, she night then miss the next season. I do think you're right about Martin, though, because the Valkyries coach was on the Liberty last season so Martin is her most knowledgeable pick. Given the ages of Martin and Burton (both 24) it will clearly be hoped that both of them can become effective pieces in whatever team begins to emerge for the Valkyries in a few seasons. So I expect them both to get playing time. Leite at 20 is also young, very young actually, but is unlikely to come to the W next season and 20 year olds tend to struggle so even if she did she probably would sit a lot unless the game is a blowout.
@@NADRIPmusic Being had would be a pleasant surprise, even though I hate to say that about Billings lol. Tbh, I am the MOST curious as to who will be announced as their core player. I still think we'll be in for a treat once they start picking up free agents, but Billings was mentioned in the release so like you said, won't know for sure until January. I think Leite would be great if she showed up, but again I agree it may not be long term. I do like Nakase's connection to a couple of players.
@@MylesOnTheCourt Ok this is the second time you've claimed Billings was mentioned in the most recent press release from the Valkyries. According to the Valkyries web site, and also confirmed on the WNBA web site, the last press release from the Valkyries was on Dec 8 about their logos, and Billings wasn't mentioned. So can you link to the fake press release you claim you saw but can't seem to accept is fake? Most likely the Valkyries will not core any player. They're not required to core any player, and all coring a player would do is force them to pay $250k (supermax) for a player they could get for half that, ie someone like Billings. So it would be stupid to core any of their players since none of them are worth $250k per season and they are better off saving that money for free agency where they will be able to get better players than the ones that were made available in the expansion draft. You say you are "the MOST curious as to who will be announced as their core player." No one, most likely. If they core any player, that's a mistake. Their team will be better off if they don't core anyone. There's no prospect ever who was great in the WNBA at the age of 20. You say, "I think Leite would be great if she showed up." Based on what? She's not even on her national team. She might eventually get there, but she's not there now, and she didn't play for them for the Olympics. For any non-US country, if a player isn't good enough to be on their foreign national team, it's clear that player is not good enough to be "great" in the WNBA. You need to get some kind of perspective. Leite was picked #9 last season. #8 was Alissa Pili, who averaged 2.4 points shooting 42%, not great. After #9 Leite and #10 Lecan, neither of whom played in the W last season, #11 was Marquesha Davis who averaged 1.2 points on 41%, also not great. If Leite was to play next season she would likely get 1 or 2 points per game, shooting around 40% in the W, not great, not really even worth talking about. And both not-great players, Pili and Davis, were apparently protected in the expansion draft, while Leite was not protected, which tells you something. I don't understand why some people seem to want to believe that someone in the expansion draft is a "great" player. No one that was made available in the expansion draft is great. Some of them could possibly be serviceable and make the final roster next season. Some of them won't be good enough to make the roster next season. Probably in 3 seasons everyone who is currently over 24 will be gone, and of the 3 players currently 24 or less, if one of them could become a solid rotational player on that future team that would be about the best one could hope for. On that team in 3 seasons, expect 3 of the starters to be high 1st rounders taken in 25-26-27 and the other starters and the 6th man will be players acquired in free agency, so like I said that means the best a current expansion draft player could hope to be at that point is a rotational player, maybe the #7 or #8 player on the roster.
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Thank you, I appreciate it!
Great video. Very detailed. GO NY LIBERTY!!!
lol...Big Ellie for the Win!
Lets go!!!!!!!!!
No to racism protect all players no matter who,where and what they are
Your projected starters is pretty out there. Billings is not worth coring. They could get a better power forward for less money in free agency. So for you to speculate that Billings will even be on the team next season is highly unlikely. Then you have Conde, a 28 yr old who has never played in the W, also starting. Again, this doesn't seem realistic (that she would even be in the W next season). And Vanloo and Burton both play the same position (point guard) except Vanloo is a much better passer and scorer. So Burton starting is also a bad call. Also, these are all players who were regarded by their prior teams as no better than the 7th most valuable player on that team, so none of them are really starting quality except the 3 on the wrong side of 30. What the Valkyries did is find adequate hole pluggers which will allow them to be more focused on getting best player available in the draft especially but also in free agency to an extent. Though if they had to start a team with players they have now who are likely to be on the roster next season then the starting 5 should be: 5-Fagbenli 4-Thornton (she's a natural 3 but there's no one better at this spot) 3&2 - Stephanie Talbot & Cecilia Zandalasini. 1 - Julie Vanloo. You will notice these are the 5 oldest players on the roster all 28+. And the 3 best players the Valkyries were able to get, at least in terms of if you had to start them next season and expect them to reliably show up and play in the W, are Fagbenle, Thornton and Vanloo, who are 32, 32, & 31 respectively. Billings is 28 but an UFA not worth coring so not on the roster. Conde is also 28 but highly unlikely to play in the W. PG Carla Leite is also highly unlikely to play in the W next season and at 20 wouldn't be more than an end of bench player though I do think she'll be a force in a couple/few years. The other players who will more likely than not show up next season are 3 role players: Iliana Rupert, an outside shooting C who is weak on D so best used only in offensive situations, Burton a defensive PG who is weak offensively (especially 3-pt shots - 29.7% in 107 career WNBA games), and Kate Martin, a developmental shooting guard who has several areas she needs to improve in. But Burton and Marin are both 24 so may develop more skills in time. Clearly neither of them were drafted to start immediately. Going back to the starting 5 I mentioned above, this is really a 5, a 1, and 3 natural 3's, so it points to the likely Valkyrie strategy in free agency of going after a starting 4 and a starting 2, and probably another veteran big (4/5) who is a much better defender than Rupert. If they can get those people in FA then they are free to take BPA in the draft. Nt projection is post FA and post draft the starters are: free agent, free agent, 1st round draft pick, and then maybe 1 or 2 players from the 5 I named above, though they could also only start one of those and bring in another free agent. (Given they're targeting multiple free agent starters that's all the more reason they don't core Billings and waste $250k on her that they could use for better players instead).
I was very surprised Billings was listed as their Cored player. That was in the latest press release, so I HOPE there are some sneaky Free Agents waiting in the wings. I think they try to maximize potential and playing time for Martin and Leite just based on their contracts, besides them, the entire roster can not be apart of the team next year. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the international players don't suit up at all. They ended up with an older team but they can shoot.
But for the most part I do agree, this team will be completely different in one or two years.
@@MylesOnTheCourt Cored players in the WNBA won't even be announced until January. It's now mid-December so it looks like you've been had. To be certain, I did a google search for Billings news and no reputable news agency is reporting that Billings has been cored, is intended to be cored, or anything of the such, only that she can be cored but probably won't.
You're right that several of the Valyries' international players won't even show up next season and in all probability one of them is Leite. Why do you think Leite was made available right after being taken last season at #9 overall? Because her prior team had communicated with her and from what they learned didn't consider her likely to show up and play. Of course it's possible she still shows up, but you shouldn't count on it or project it. Plus, even if a player like Leite does show up for a season, she night then miss the next season.
I do think you're right about Martin, though, because the Valkyries coach was on the Liberty last season so Martin is her most knowledgeable pick. Given the ages of Martin and Burton (both 24) it will clearly be hoped that both of them can become effective pieces in whatever team begins to emerge for the Valkyries in a few seasons. So I expect them both to get playing time. Leite at 20 is also young, very young actually, but is unlikely to come to the W next season and 20 year olds tend to struggle so even if she did she probably would sit a lot unless the game is a blowout.
@@NADRIPmusic Being had would be a pleasant surprise, even though I hate to say that about Billings lol.
Tbh, I am the MOST curious as to who will be announced as their core player. I still think we'll be in for a treat once they start picking up free agents, but Billings was mentioned in the release so like you said, won't know for sure until January.
I think Leite would be great if she showed up, but again I agree it may not be long term.
I do like Nakase's connection to a couple of players.
@@MylesOnTheCourt Ok this is the second time you've claimed Billings was mentioned in the most recent press release from the Valkyries. According to the Valkyries web site, and also confirmed on the WNBA web site, the last press release from the Valkyries was on Dec 8 about their logos, and Billings wasn't mentioned. So can you link to the fake press release you claim you saw but can't seem to accept is fake?
Most likely the Valkyries will not core any player. They're not required to core any player, and all coring a player would do is force them to pay $250k (supermax) for a player they could get for half that, ie someone like Billings. So it would be stupid to core any of their players since none of them are worth $250k per season and they are better off saving that money for free agency where they will be able to get better players than the ones that were made available in the expansion draft.
You say you are "the MOST curious as to who will be announced as their core player." No one, most likely. If they core any player, that's a mistake. Their team will be better off if they don't core anyone.
There's no prospect ever who was great in the WNBA at the age of 20. You say, "I think Leite would be great if she showed up." Based on what? She's not even on her national team. She might eventually get there, but she's not there now, and she didn't play for them for the Olympics. For any non-US country, if a player isn't good enough to be on their foreign national team, it's clear that player is not good enough to be "great" in the WNBA. You need to get some kind of perspective. Leite was picked #9 last season. #8 was Alissa Pili, who averaged 2.4 points shooting 42%, not great. After #9 Leite and #10 Lecan, neither of whom played in the W last season, #11 was Marquesha Davis who averaged 1.2 points on 41%, also not great. If Leite was to play next season she would likely get 1 or 2 points per game, shooting around 40% in the W, not great, not really even worth talking about. And both not-great players, Pili and Davis, were apparently protected in the expansion draft, while Leite was not protected, which tells you something.
I don't understand why some people seem to want to believe that someone in the expansion draft is a "great" player. No one that was made available in the expansion draft is great. Some of them could possibly be serviceable and make the final roster next season. Some of them won't be good enough to make the roster next season. Probably in 3 seasons everyone who is currently over 24 will be gone, and of the 3 players currently 24 or less, if one of them could become a solid rotational player on that future team that would be about the best one could hope for. On that team in 3 seasons, expect 3 of the starters to be high 1st rounders taken in 25-26-27 and the other starters and the 6th man will be players acquired in free agency, so like I said that means the best a current expansion draft player could hope to be at that point is a rotational player, maybe the #7 or #8 player on the roster.
@@NADRIPmusic www.wnba.com/news/golden-state-valkyries-expansion-draft-results