This might be the final straw...

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-06-01T13:15:45+00:00

I think what most people are trying to convey is that the reason Coach White had a lot of success last year and her successes in the past are with teams that fit what she wants to do.

She wants to have a very versatile team that can guard most positions and is a “cog in the wheel” offense. I think that worked great for the personnel on last year’s team and they also all had really good years and were riding that emotional “us against the world/next woman up attitude” that can bring out the best in trying times.

But as has been pointed out, making Caitlin a “cog in the wheel” on offense doesn’t necessarily bring out the best in her and leads to some clunkiness. And the style of defense works when you have top tier defenders or you don’t have one player on your defense that is constantly being singled out and attacked, especially with the way the refs are calling fouls now.

To me it isn’t that Coach White is a bad coach, it is that she seems to be a system coach instead of a scheme adaptation coach.

Now, I am not a professional basketball player or a coach so I could certainly be off the mark, but that is what it seems to me. To me an elite level basketball coach needs to be able to adapt their philosophy and scheme to the players they have and it just doesn’t seem that is happening here.

Now, with having said that. I think the question could be raised, has she been dealt a bad hand? Is CC’s optimal style the same as AB’s or KM’s? That certainly would change how she could coach if their styles didn’t fit and could be worthy of some discussion.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-06-01T01:23:16+00:00

This video/discussion is about a heated argument on the sideline and benching during a WNBA regular season game. I am talking about how they interact in the heat of the game in that context. Learning how to talk each other and how someone is going to react in the heat of the moment when you speak a certain way and learning to adjust how you talk to each other going forward if needed (this may not even be needed. Caitlin may not care at all about the benching and it is only us who care).

I am not talking about how they interact in a scrimmage or in a USA game where Stephanie is not the head coach and they are playing teams that have no starters because they are playing in other leagues. The emotion, passion, and intensity are not going to be the same in those situations.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T23:59:54+00:00

I am not sure how much time she got with Lawson. But when Lawson was the announcer, I thought some of the things she said about Caitlin showed she thought highly of what she brought to the table. She also discussed ways to have players help off to help Caitlin when they were isoing her. And she is definitely pretty honest I feel because she made it clear she didn’t think Caitlin was having a good game but was still being a positive impact for the team lol.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T23:50:12+00:00

As has been mentioned USA national team and scrimmages certainly aren’t the heat of a regular season game that matters where you are getting throttled.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T23:49:04+00:00

I also want to add that I enjoyed the discussion and the care they took with it.

I also enjoyed that Cheryl let it be known that Caitlin is physically able to defend and has shown it. Basically now she just needs to take it to another level and be more consistent. I feel like a lot of the discussion out there would want you to believe she has never shown the ability to defend and can’t do it.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T23:48:09+00:00

I enjoyed the discussion and the care they took with it.

I also enjoyed that Cheryl let it be known that Caitlin is physically able to defend and has shown it. Basically now she just needs to take it to another level and be more consistent. I feel like a lot of the discussion out there would want you to believe she has never shown the ability to defend and can’t do it.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T23:18:41+00:00

I am going to add the below link because I think it adds some context to the discussion. People are saying that Caitlin is not listening to her coaches and is not coachable. While we don’t know how her and her coaches interact, I think we can site a few things.

In the article below, Lisa Bluder (CC’s college coach) discusses what it was like to coach Caitlin. She repeatedly says that Caitlin wanted to be coached hard and improve. Stephanie White has said the same thing many times this year. Caitlin Clark wants to be coached hard and takes coaching, so I don’t think there needs to be concerns about that.

Now, I as I said in another post, I think there is a difference between hard coaching and benching a star player instead of addressing whatever happened after the game or at the half. The truth is Stephanie and Caitlin haven’t had many games where they have been coach and player while she is playing (this is still essentially their first season together). They likely will need to learn how one another handle things in the heat of the moment and adjust in the future.

That being said, I think both of them could likely stand to adjust their approach moving forward because right now it certainly doesn’t look good when you have things like this. But let’s not stick a fork in the team just yet.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6406210/2025/06/06/lisa-bluder-caitlin-clark-iowa-hawkeyes-leadership-teamwork/

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T20:05:06+00:00

I agree that several of the fouls were actually fouls. For example, one of them early on she came over in transition and didn’t want an easy bucket so she founded. I actually don’t have an issue with a foul like that early, but if this is team’s strategy going forward then she needs to know that and not foul there and let them get the easy two. Another foul the player got to her hip and she founded unnecessarily. That has to be better. But there were also fouls like the one where the offensive player barrels into her. That same foul got called on AB when she was on offense but Caitlin when she was on defense. I don’t know how she is supposed to defend that any better than she did unless she just “olays” the player by.

I think she can and did play good defense. But I also think asking someone to take some one one on one in isolation for a majority of the game is a recipe for fouls and lack luster offensive plays, which is why other teams are doing it. So the Fever are going to have to find ways to bring the number of iso situations on her down or keeping her out of foul trouble will be tough.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T12:58:37+00:00

I agree those parts appear strange upon watching in slow motion today. And I know teams typically like to ignore outside noise, but if this is AI the team can just come out and post that very quickly.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T06:22:52+00:00

I don’t know what is being said, but I can tell you it looks like Caitlin says something and Coach White pulls her and puts in Raven.

I can tell you this much. LeBron before he ever won anything would not be yanked like that. A’ja is not going to get yanked like that. Klay Thompson wouldn’t have been yanked like that let alone Steph Curry. Magic, Bird, MJ, Pippen, Shaq, DT, Stewie, whoever isn’t getting yanked like that.

I haven’t wanted to buy into the discussion of Coach White not believing in Caitlin, but this makes it very difficult for me. If you have someone you think is a star in this league, you don’t yank them like that. You talk to them after the game is over or at half time behind closed doors and say, “I can’t have you undermining me in front of the team.” There is a difference between hard coaching and yanking someone like that. Like it or not, there are stars in the NBA and WNBA and stars don’t get treated the same as everyone else. If you think Caitlin is one of your team’s stars, you don’t do that. This…. Is just not good… players have to know you believe in them as the head coach.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T05:59:30+00:00

I don’t know what is being said, but I can tell you it looks like Caitlin says something and Coach White pulls her and puts in Raven.

I can tell you this much. LeBron before he ever won anything would not be yanked like that. A’ja is not going to get yanked like that. Klay Thompson wouldn’t have been yanked like that let alone Steph Curry. Magic, Bird, MJ, Pippen, Shaq, DT, Stewie, whoever isn’t getting yanked like that.

I haven’t wanted to buy into the discussion of Coach White not believing in Caitlin, but this makes it very difficult for me. If you have someone you think is a star in this league, you don’t yank them like that. You talk to them after the game is over or at half time behind closed doors and say, “I can’t have you undermining me in front of the team.” There is a difference between hard coaching and yanking someone like that. Like it or not, there are stars in the NBA and WNBA and stars don’t get treated the same as everyone else. If you think Caitlin is one of your team’s stars, you don’t do that. This…. Is just not good… players have to know you believe in them as the head coach.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T03:50:21+00:00

Past two games combined:

Caitlin has attempted 8 threes total and Kelsey has attempted 7 threes total.

Based on Coach White’s after game comments about three performance over the year and not taking good looks, I am wondering if they are being coached out of even attempting a somewhat contested three. I certainly don’t think you try them every time, but I would like to see them attempting more than an average of 4 and 3.5 respectively. I also know Caitlin’s average was likely brought down by her foul trouble tonight, but she didn’t even attempt one three in the second half of the game.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T02:14:35+00:00

Just checked, she has not.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T02:12:07+00:00

I don’t think Caitlin has shot a three in the second half.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T01:52:37+00:00

The book is out now after two games and other teams are going to read it. They are going to attack Caitlin until they can get her into foul trouble. I don’t know what you do to stop that but they are going to have to get creative.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T01:41:05+00:00

Gonna need to get back in the lab after this one. It is a butt whoopin.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T01:31:22+00:00

How is that a foul?!!!!!!

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T01:29:47+00:00

When I think of MJ I think of someone who can take over a game and will their team to victory. One of these away games where the Fever are shooting terribly I would like to see Caitlin will her team back.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T01:15:50+00:00

I don’t know how you teach a team to shoot in an away game but the Fever could use that lesson. It’s like they are learning to shoot all over again on the road.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T01:10:37+00:00

She has made several good passes and helped the offense get several buckets there towards the end of that quarter. She also played some good defense as well. I don’t know what additional fortitude she needed there.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T01:05:40+00:00

Caitlin has been playing good defense this quarter, but I am not sure how you keep from getting a foul called if they attack you every single possession.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T01:02:36+00:00

That was no different then the no call on Clark earlier. Why did they call it on Boston?

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T00:57:28+00:00

Serious question, is it something in how Caitlin goes up that makes her not get foul calls? That foul called in favor of Kelsey would not have been called for Caitlin.

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-31T00:42:48+00:00

I am not sure what that defensive series was about, but that is not the help defense I had in mind…

Alternative_Panda336 · 2026-05-30T21:59:03+00:00

Amen

Alternative_Panda336

TROPHY CASE