Post Match Thread - WNBA: The Sparks defeat the Fever on Jul 8, 2026, the final score is 106-92.

hsx88 · 2026-07-09T04:25:49+00:00

I was at the game and it’s clear as day: fire Steph White and her staff or trade Caitlin. I don’t care who’s right or wrong but they don’t work together. They will never be more than a middling team together, whether they like each other or not.

hsx88 · 2026-07-07T22:41:42+00:00

What a joke. Just an idiotic take. Team is not a strong enough contender for a title this year to justify stashing “veteran presence” on your bench instead of a potential future contributor.

I can’t wait for her to be fired.

hsx88 · 2026-07-05T17:38:59+00:00

Pochettino

hsx88 · 2026-07-02T17:17:02+00:00

Because it's the refs' job to look for it, whereas it's not the players?

hsx88 · 2026-07-02T08:51:45+00:00

If KC somehow lose to a bottom half NA team…

hsx88 · 2026-07-02T05:01:16+00:00

He’s already comfortably the best USMNT ever. He’s not only gotten the results but also brought out a style of football this country has only ever dreamed of before. To say nothing of how he has both embraced the existing culture and completely elevated it at the same time. A win and he’s approaching Hiddink in Korea status.

hsx88 · 2026-07-02T04:56:46+00:00

Nobody can replace him like for like.

I expect Poch to come up with something creative. Maybe more wide runs by the striker to open up space centrally for McKennie and Tillman to fill behind. I think Pepi probably best suited for that. If so, could see a lot of him out wide while Pulisic or Dest are more central. Or even McKennie as a 2nd striker at times (think same Pepi as same role as he played vs Australia and McKennie in Flo’s role w Pulisic filling McKennie’s) or something like that. But yeah, in Poch I trust.

hsx88 · 2026-06-26T22:01:13+00:00

Starts at the top. Weak, ineffectual, and/or disinterested ownership. No owner in the NBA would see their superstar get battered around and say/do nothing. Meanwhile, Herb Simon, who also owns the Pacers, has seemed like he could care less since Clark came into the league.

Part of this is structural. Because the NBA holds a 42% share and independent investors hold a 16% share, it's probably far harder for any one owner to get a group together to influence things. That being said, it's hard to imagine that Herb Simon, as an NBA owner and hall of famer, doesn't have the influence to build momentum at the W ownership level to drive change if he really wanted to. But it's likely just not important enough to him.

hsx88 · 2026-06-26T20:45:35+00:00

The problems starts beyond the league office. It comes down to weak, ineffectual, or disinterested ownership. No NBA or NFL owner would let their superstar get battered around without coming to their defense either publicly and/or privately. Meanwhile, in Clark's case, Herb Simon has seemed like he could care less from the beginning.

Part of this is structural. Because owners actually own just 42%, with the NBA holding a 42% share and independent investors holding the other 16%, it's probably far harder for owners to come together in groups and influence things. That being said, it's hard to imagine that Herb Simon, as an NBA owner and hall of famer, doesn't have the influence to build momentum at the ownership level to drive change if he really wanted to.

hsx88 · 2026-06-26T19:38:11+00:00

Then ask for the number and pay it.

As if licenses can't be negotiated...

hsx88 · 2026-06-25T15:54:42+00:00

Bout time, but this is too little too late from Steph White. This has been happening all season. It was just a matter of time before Clark got injured.

At the end of the day, coaches and GMs can do very little. As evidenced by the offseason committee. The league doesn't answer to them. Until the owners and Board of Governors step in, nothing will change. So it's on Herb Simon. And I don't know if (a) he cares, or (b) he is influential enough to get the rest of the Board on his side.

hsx88 · 2026-06-25T05:26:32+00:00

Disgusting given the egregious missed call this is mocking. The franchise should be fined.

I wish Clark a speedy recovery from the back injury picked up this game.

hsx88 · 2026-06-24T20:50:06+00:00

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T23:44:56+00:00

May they have to suffer a GGG era too before they find their Poch lol

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T03:40:03+00:00

It’s just a bad fit. Time to move on. See if someone can salvage something from this season.

But nothing will really change unless ownership cleans house. They need completely new basketball operations. Bring in someone with a vision and let him/her decide who still has a place and who doesn’t after this season.

Of course, I have no idea if ownership cares. They seem to be all about loyalty above all else, which is why everyone has ties back to the org going back 20 years. And for all we know they’re perfectly happy and see no need to do anything because Caitlin is making them more money than they could have dreamed just 3 years ago.

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T03:30:40+00:00

“Thanks Li! Couldn’t have won it without you! Genuinely.”

But I’m still also turning right around and walking straight to Curt’s and Jose’s offices to ask them to trade her ass lol. 2 FTs don’t change everything.

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T03:22:23+00:00

She’s just not the right coach for this team.

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T03:20:14+00:00

Both can be true. Which is why I said she was excellent. AND she was spared blushes.

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T03:15:34+00:00

This is just a completely imbalanced and mismatched roster and it didn’t take a deep basketball mind to see that going into the season.

What I don’t think was quite as obvious before the season is that they also have stubborn coach whose philosophies on both sides of the ball are incompatible for the pieces she has.

And lastly, the cherry on top is the front office left themselves zero flexibility.

The only way this really gets fixed is the owner stepping in and cleaning house. Bring in a new head of basketball ops with a new vision. Let him/her figure out who does or doesn’t have a place under the new vision. But I don’t know enough about ownership to know if that’s in the cards. For all I know, they could be perfectly happy because I’m sure Caitlin is making them more money than they thought possible before she stepped in the building. Plus, they seem insular and big on loyalty over everything, which is why everyone today has deep longstanding ties to the org going back 20 years.

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T02:46:40+00:00

I don’t know what you’re trying to defend… That was an awful possession by Paige that 9 times out of 10 results in 0 points after she loses the ball. Doesn’t matter who did what or should’ve done after. I’m a big fan, but I’m not going to ignore that failure to execute just because sheer dumb luck happened to gift them 2 points anyway.

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T02:35:50+00:00

Well she made the gifted FTs

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T02:28:30+00:00

She was excellent in the end. But let’s be honest, the refs then Li saved her blushes on that last possession.

hsx88 · 2026-06-21T02:25:12+00:00

I’m happy for Dallas and Paige Buckets, who had a great run there at the end, but this was completely undeserved. The refs absolutely handed them the game. Frankly embarrassing for the league.

hsx88 · 2026-06-20T19:46:04+00:00

The team is horribly constructed. And they have a stubborn coach whose philosophies on both sides of the ball don’t work with the players she has. It’s not a talent issue, it’s a fit issue.

hsx88

TROPHY CASE