Mercury roster

[u/Empty_Carpenter_8701]

So someone said this on x Really don't get the Merc's plan this offseason

Knew they would lose Sabally, but still operated like a capped out team adding unproven overseas players who fit the scheme

Unless there's a last minute trade coming, tough way to run back a Finals team.

and even tho i think they will be alright i still wonder

you knew Satou was leaving, and you didn’t core her or at least try to get someone like Fiebich or Betnijah. We went into free agency with the second-most cap space, and other than retaining some players from last year, you didn’t bring in a single free agent who wasn’t overseas. I still feel like they’ll be good, but man!

Thoughts?

[u/Infamous_Departure95]

She hasn’t played in the W recently, but I wouldn’t say Ayayi is unproven against W talent. She will surprise some folks.

[u/4ppl3b0tt0m]

It seems in line with their approach last season. I do agree it's a bit weird they didn't core Sabally but maybe that was the FO trying to be nice after how the concussion was handled (no max contract meant she could go anywhere easily).

With that said, AT requires a very specific offense to be run and I think everyone they signed was brought in for that. I don't think they went and made a big splash like last year as I think last year was an exception being that the CBA expired. They could get anyone for 1 year without completely destroying the future of the team. So I expect them to be more conservative with signings.

[u/RDMancini]

Peel one layer of the onion back and you'll see that many of the "unproven overseas players" are current/former teammates of returning players on the roster.

There's fit, there's familiarity, and there's more cap space for another move or two.

I don't think they're done acquiring players, but I don't think they're in a rush to spend just to spend. As long as they're competitive enough early on to be in position to grab a top 4-5 seed, patience is fine.

[u/artificialgraymatter → u/RDMancini]

There's fit, there's familiarity, and there's more cap space for another move or two.

Cap space is a little over 1 mil which is more than I originally thought. 

Schedule to start is tough though. 

[u/artificialgraymatter]

I don’t think the replacement for Sabally is the main problem. They brought in shooters, a bunch of wings. That was the problem last season. So many small forwards to shoot the three. But we didn’t and still don’t have enough guards to either a) playmake without AT on the floor or b) defend at the point attack & hold up against the likes of Gray, Carter, Bueckers, etc. night in and night out. Sabally struggled and Kah didn’t put in enough effort coming back from injury. And you can’t just rely on a rookie like Mo. AT defended the guards better than Copper and Sabally and even Mo at times but then that leaves the paint exposed. And the frontcourt itself has its own depth issues. 

But I agree in that this is a team that will win but not but be a contender in that last season’s concerns weren’t really addressed and seems Tibbetts/FO is not committed to learning from those mistakes. It will be enough for NYL and MIN but what about teams with solid frontcourts but super athletic guards like LVA and ATL? 

Our schedule to start is absolutely diabolical too. 6 out of the 10 games will be against LVA, MIN, and NYL. All the teams we faced in the playoffs. I’ve never seen it before. LVA will have 20 days with their group. We’ll have several key players who will still be out of the country. No Mo, so again no point of attack defense for that matchup unless they stick AT on CG again. 

I’ll continue to try to be optimistic. But won’t be surprised if it’s a rough start. 

[u/Empty_Carpenter_8701 → u/artificialgraymatter]

What would you think about bringing in tcloud?

[u/artificialgraymatter → u/Empty_Carpenter_8701]

I don’t think the FO wants her unfortunately. That’s if she would even take them back anyway. 

[u/Sea_Gur2950]

Remember that this teams is very new. Last season they basically started fresh and pulled in a bunch of rookies and vets and somehow made it to the finals, despite an incredible amount of doubt all season. Now that they all know each other and have that experience of making it to the finals, I feel like they can better strategize and have more comeraderie with one another. I think focusing on building with the players they can keep will prove well for them, though I could be wrong. I have high hopes for the Mercury to remain consitent even with the loss of Sabally, who they managed without during her injuries last season. We will see though. I could very well be proven wrong

[u/PersonnelFowl]

I don’t get it either. There’s a lack of size on the roster.

[u/mikebills]

After watching what they put together and pulled off last season, I think they've got a plan. Just cuz they haven't shared it with us doesn't mean they don't have one. We do seem to have a pretty competent FO for the most part. Sometimes they do stupid or shitty things, but overall, I think they've got their shit together. I'm excited to see what they've got brewing that they haven't shared with us yet.