Candace Parker is the Magic Johnson of the WNBA

I watched a couple of WNBA games tonight. The Seattle Storm are my favorite team but I decided to switch to take in the Los Angeles Sparks against the Chicago Sky, to take in the Candace Parker hype. I've watched Candace play before at Tennessee, but I didn't realize just how versatile she was when watching her at UT. I knew she was listed as a forward and was extremely long and athletic but she made some moves tonight that some NBA guys can't do. Check it out,



The best one I like is the last one where she goes way up for the rebound, puts the ball on the floor, goes behind the back, and fires a no-look bullet to Lisa Leslie who can't handle the ball. But the 3-pointer was nice, and the drive and hook shot was pretty good too. I think Candace can be the Magic Johnson of the WNBA, she can literally play any position.

I was looking for some plays to break down with the offense the Sparks were running. I know the Sparks want to be more of a running team this year, but the problem I see is that they don't have a lot of team speed. They're long and athletic but they don't have quick guards that can push the envelope, that's going to a problem for their early offense. Also, I don't like it when they have both Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker in the post, they clog up the middle.

The Sparks have a similar problem on defense, they can block a lot of shots, but they get beat on penetration because they lack foot speed. They won the game in OT, to go to 5-1 and clearly they are the team with the buzz that everyone is talking about this season, but the season is still early so we'll see where they stand in September.

If you're looking for a nice video set that has both perimeter and post development, check out Jason Shay's 2-pack DVD on Player Development. Coach Shay is an assistant coach for the Men's team at Tennessee under Bruce Pearl. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to talk hoops with other coaches.