“I just think when you look around our team this year, we just have to become a more balanced team,” Taurasi said. Having her back and on the same page as the rest of the team is crucial to Phoenix’s chances. Since that time, she has worked with a therapist off the court and won a championship with her Russian team on the court. Griner is playing with the Mercury for the first time since last August when she unexpectedly left the bubble in Bradenton, Fla. Kia Vaughn has still not rejoined the Mercury after her championship season in Turkey, forcing the team to suspend her for part of the season in order to add Ciera Burdick lest they enter the season with just nine healthy players. This season, it was the more mundane reason of overseas commitments that kept Griner, Brianna Turner, and new addition Megan Walker away until last week. Last year, Diggins-Smith did not practice with the squad at all during camp and Sophie Cunningham’s bout with COVID-19 kept her away from practice until July 19. For the second straight season, the Mercury had missing pieces during training camp. There have been a few hitches as the team prepares for the post-bubble season. In the interim, the Mercury will try to get by with one less guard. “We're talking down the track, but once she's back, it gives us more playmaking.” “It will be great to have Bria Hartley once she's back healthy,” Brondello said at the team’s preseason media day. The average recovery time required for athletes to return to their sport after an ACL injury is eight to 12 months. Their depth will take a further hit in the early going as Hartley continues to rehab from the ACL injury she suffered last August.Īt the end of April, Henry Schleizer of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported that Hartley had returned to limited on-court activities in preparation for her return to play, but the Mercury have still not announced a timetable. For the Mercury, it will be the second straight year that they have chosen to go with a smaller bench. Like the Chicago Sky and a few other teams, the Mercury will proceed with an 11-player roster this season. It is very difficult to give multiple stars maximum or supermaximum deals and maintain a full roster of 12 players. To accomplish that, teams must deal with the new reality under the current CBA. Having a generational talent like Taurasi or Sue Bird who is approaching or just past her 40th birthday may make a team more anxious to win another championship before that generation of stars finally leaves the game. Teams who go all-in on a roster full of star veterans generally have a closing window to win titles with those current stars. After adding in the injured Bria Hartley, who was signed to a significant contract last year that will pay her $190,550 this season, Phoenix had just under $485,000 to spend on up to eight players. Putting Taurasi on a supermax contract means that the Mercury are paying $664,350 of their $1,339,000 available salary to three players. After signing Brittney Griner to a supermax deal last year and negotiating a sign-and-trade for Skylar Diggins-Smith that also gave her a top salary, the team went into this free agency period knowing that there was one more star they needed to take care of: Diana Taurasi. “And so that was at the top of our list.” “We obviously want to make sure that our star players got paid the amounts that they deserve,” general manager Jim Pitman said last May. Fielding a competitive team was always important but paying their stars what the new market allowed was crucial. When the new collective bargaining agreement was negotiated last year, the Phoenix Mercury made a very deliberate decision about how they would construct their roster going forward. PALMETTO, FL- SEPTEMBER 17, 2020: Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury shoots a three-point basket against the Minnesota Lynx during the WNBA playoffs on September 17, 2020, at Feld Entertainment Center in Palmetto, Florida.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |