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Host city Phoenix gets All-Star snub
Wow, with all the talent in the Western Conference, it was inevitable that some deserving players of All-Star status would be left out of Monday's festivities in Phoenix. But did anyone expect it to be the Mercury's own Brandy Reed ? No, not here anyway. The WNBA's All-Star reserves, chosen by votes by the coaches, were announced Wednesday. WNBA fans voted for the starters. The Western Conference starters are Houston's Sheryl Swoopes , Tina Thompson and Cynthia Cooper , Sacramento's Ticha Penicheiro and Los Angeles' Lisa Leslie . The reserves are Sacramento's Yolanda Griffith , Utah's Natalie Williams , Los Angeles' DeLisha Milton and Minnesota's Betty Lennox and Katie Smith .
The Western Conference is loaded at the forward position, but what is odd is that the coaches voted for Milton over Reed. Coaches were asked to vote for two guards, two forwards, a center, and one other player, regardless of position. With those options, how does Reed not make it? Reed is having a year that not only deserves All-Star status, but possibly All-WNBA. The 6-foot-1 forward is eighth in points (16.8), 16th in rebounds (5.7), 19th in field goal percentage (49.6), third in free throw percentage (90.6) and fourth in steals (2.39).
Milton is definitely a talent, she wouldn't be on the Olympic team otherwise. But has she had the kind of year to warrant being a WNBA All-Star? Not by her stats, especially when you compare them to Reed. Milton is only ranked in the league's top 20 in rebounds (5.6) and steals (1.61), good for 18th and 19th, respectively. She also is averaging 11.2 points, shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 71.4 percent at the line. Granted, she doesn't have to carry the Sparks with Leslie and Mabika on the roster, but she hasn't really made herself an All-Star either. Maybe the coaches didn't want to leave an Olympic team member out of the party. If that was the case, it's a shameful excuse that hurts Reed. Like Williams and Griffith, Reed was considered by everyone, except maybe the coaches, to be a sure bet to make the squad. On a conference call on Wednesday, Swoopes mentioned she was looking forward to going to the All-Star game so she could finally play with Reed and not against her. Oops, someone had to tell her Reed had been left out. Reed is giving the Mercury a shot at the playoffs while several of her teammates have been sidelined with injuries. Michele Timms and Maria Stepanova are out for the season with injuries, but should be healthy for the 2000 Olympics. Jennifer Gillom and Michelle Griffiths also have missed games with ankle injuries. Possibly hurting Reed in the All-Star voting was the bad reputation she earned in Minnesota last year when she clashed with the coaching staff and was ultimately benched for the last six games of the season. Traded back to the Mercury, Reed has been on her best behavior this season, and shouldn't have been hurt in the voting for her past mistakes. Not surprising, the Phoenix organization is in an uproar, with Phoenix coach Cheryl Miller stating she won't attend the game. Reportedly the calmest of all is Reed, showing just how much she has matured since last year. Whatever the reasons the coaches used to leave Reed out of the All-Star festivities, they were wrong. She should be there.
The Other SnubsDepth in the Western Conference hurt two players specifically. Sophia Witherspoon is having a great season for the Portland Fire, averaging 17.3 points while Utah's Adrienne Goodson has been one of the most consistent players in the league, scoring in double figures in every game except one, and is averaging 16.5 points. The only mild surprise in the Eastern Conference was the selection of Cleveland's Merlakia Jones over Miami's Sheri Sam . Jones, an All-Star last year, has struggled some this season and is averaging 9.8 points and shooting 25 percent from three-point distance while Sam is averaging 12.4 points and shooting 34.5 from three-point distance. However, Cleveland currently is second in the Eastern Conference, so coaches probably felt it deserved representation at the All-Star game, while Miami is one of the lower teams in the conference.
More On The All-Star GameThe All-Star game still isn't a sellout, with approximately 1,500 tickets still available. While organizers still believe the game will sell out, the Reed snub will certainly hurt attendance since the Mercury won't be represented...Of the 22 All-Stars, 14 participated in the inaugural game in New York last year...Minnesota's Betty Lennox is the only rookie participating in the game.
Coop's Retirement Not a SurpriseSo Cynthia Cooper says she is going to retire at the end of the season. The league's two-time MVP admits she still has several years of basketball ahead of her, but wants to redirect her energy into other areas, such as broadcasting. Sure, there might be a little truth in that, but the majority of players, coaches and even fans around the league know there is more to it than that. A lot more. Way back in 1997, when the Comets were assigned Cooper and Swoopes, everyone wondered how Cooper would deal with sharing the spotlight with Swoopes. Swoopes' pregnancy and recovery delayed that question, up until this season when she returned in top shape and is showing the game she is so well known for. With it has come attention, the attention that was focused on Cooper the first two years when she carried the Comets. Granted, Cooper may have lost some of her zest for basketball, following the deaths of her mother and best friend and teammate, Kim Perrot . But you can't ignore what seems to be a childish attitude -- if she isn't the superstar, then she just won't play. Cooper has proved time and time again she has type of game that demands attention, but it's too bad to see that she demands it.
Around the LeagueUtah coach Fred Williams earned his first ejection and point guard Jennifer Azzi , in her first game since breaking her hand, earned her first technical in the Starzz's 73-69 loss to Detroit. Williams was fined $1,500, which ties the third-highest fine given out by the league, for verbally abusing a referee and failing to leave the court in a timely manner...Miami's Sharon Manning , acquired from Charlotte in the expansion draft, is finally recovering from her pulled hamstring. The 6-foot-3 Manning has worked her way into the starting lineup, and is averaging five points and 4.3 rebounds, and is looking better and better with each game....Don't look now, but the Orlando Miracle are starting to run away with the Eastern Conference. The Miracle have won their last six games for a commanding lead in the East....Detroit's Tamicha Jackson was placed on the injured list with a bruised quadricep...Seattle has used 11 different starting lineups.
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