Latest / The Central Indiana Sports Report / The Fever Report with John Robertson & Michelle Garmon (2.237.2)
Transcript
- 0:08[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome fever fans to the Central Indiana Sports Report for this edition of the fever report every Sunday on the Central Indiana Sports Report, although this one's not going to run until Monday.
- 0:20[SPEAKER_01]: Most Sundays on the Central Indiana Sports Report, they're typically our indie car races late Sunday, so we bumped it a little bit.
- 0:28[SPEAKER_01]: It is a big week.
- 0:29[SPEAKER_01]: The season is officially underway, camp opened on Sunday morning and John, one of the top story lines had me get into camp for you.
- 0:40[SPEAKER_00]: Just the fact that camp is open is the biggest storyline.
- 0:45[SPEAKER_00]: Because we got our first pre-season game coming up on Saturday and I'm excited for that.
- 0:49[SPEAKER_00]: We got a lot of personnel that stuff to discuss and things going on like that in the draft.
- 0:56[SPEAKER_00]: But I just just the fact that the season really is almost upon us.
- 1:01[SPEAKER_00]: Back the training camp is started.
- 1:02[SPEAKER_00]: The players are in Indianapolis.
- 1:04[SPEAKER_00]: They're practicing.
- 1:05[SPEAKER_00]: They'll be in New York to play their first pre-season game on Saturday.
- 1:08[SPEAKER_00]: That's the big story of the week for me.
- 1:12[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, really look like at one point.
- 1:15[SPEAKER_01]: This was just not going to happen.
- 1:17[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, for sure, as somebody who pre-ordered season tickets, I was a little nervous about whether I was actually going to have any games to go to, and I'm really happy.
- 1:29[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I know last season didn't go the way we wanted it to go, but it was still an exciting fun thing.
- 1:34[SPEAKER_00]: And when it was over, I missed it for a while.
- 1:37[SPEAKER_00]: And now I'm back to being like, let's go.
- 1:39[SPEAKER_00]: I forgot how high-by-git for fever season.
- 1:42[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm ready.
- 1:44[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, John, if you saw the clip of the players reporting to camp today, but they looked all excited and happy to be there and I'm sure they are.
- 1:55[SPEAKER_02]: I'm sure they're glad that
- 1:57[SPEAKER_02]: the off season that debate with the players, you know, the contract and the go chasings and everything is over and sure they're ready to get back to just playing basketball and being healthy and I'm I'm excited to see how they're going to look.
- 2:13[SPEAKER_02]: I like you.
- 2:14[SPEAKER_02]: I actually looking forward to that first preseason game next Saturday.
- 2:18[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's going to be fun.
- 2:20[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be neat to see how the new pieces fit in and to see just how well
- 2:27[SPEAKER_02]: uh, the players that ended the season injured, injured look, being out, beginning the season.
- 2:34[SPEAKER_01]: There was also a concern about free agents and what the roster might look like this year, and it turns out, John, it's uh, they kept everybody together.
- 2:43[SPEAKER_00]: That is the greatest news.
- 2:45[SPEAKER_00]: I think.
- 2:47[SPEAKER_00]: First of all, real quick, let's discuss, or at least acknowledge that this is the fastest off-season turnaround, probably ever in sports, because with all the contractual stuff going on, they had like a week to get through free, free agent signing and then the draft, so that alone was pretty crazy.
- 3:04[SPEAKER_00]: But I think the biggest story, let's talk about AB has the biggest contract in WMBA history, early a Boston.
- 3:12[SPEAKER_00]: That's awesome.
- 3:12[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so excited about that.
- 3:14[SPEAKER_00]: I don't remember,
- 3:17[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I got to find it home 6.3 million dollars.
- 3:21[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, four years 6.3 million dollars.
- 3:23[SPEAKER_00]: The biggest contract at WMB history.
- 3:25[SPEAKER_00]: So shout out to AB, I think she deserves it.
- 3:28[SPEAKER_00]: I think that that looks a good move by the fever front office to just lock her in and say she's going to be a huge piece going forward so that we can stop talking about does the fever appreciate a Leobasa,
- 3:44[SPEAKER_02]: It does, you know, a herd of mercilaries, 20% takes up 20% of the cap, which when you think about it, that's not bad because it still gives them wiggle room with, for their other, some of their other stars.
- 3:55[SPEAKER_02]: And if that group has a good season this year, and they want to stay together to try to put a run together.
- 4:01[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, those stars could, you know, some of them, like, I do think,
- 4:08[SPEAKER_02]: At some point, I think Caitlyn will probably be cap friendly.
- 4:12[SPEAKER_02]: I can't even see if they redo deals later.
- 4:15[SPEAKER_02]: I could see even Alia possibly redo and hers to be cap friendly as down the road.
- 4:20[SPEAKER_02]: But I'm excited for Alia Boston.
- 4:22[SPEAKER_02]: She deserves it.
- 4:23[SPEAKER_02]: She's command and she has, she's just been really good.
- 4:28[SPEAKER_02]: She's made all the appearances done.
- 4:30[SPEAKER_02]: Everything the organization has asked a person.
- 4:32[SPEAKER_02]: She was their first pick in the draft.
- 4:37[SPEAKER_01]: And she's without question the favorite player of the central Indian sports report.
- 4:43[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know, you forget.
- 4:47[SPEAKER_01]: John, John was like, wait, wait a second.
- 4:50[SPEAKER_00]: I love her.
- 4:51[SPEAKER_00]: I do I have an Alia Boston hoodie.
- 4:52[SPEAKER_00]: I like Alia.
- 4:53[SPEAKER_00]: I like so many players on this team.
- 4:55[SPEAKER_00]: So she's definitely I love to watch her play For me it goes Lexi Hall at the top and then everybody else is just slightly Slightly below Lexi everybody else is pretty much on the even but AB and Caitlyn are right there and Sophie's right there I just I like a whole team Kelsey
- 5:13[SPEAKER_00]: Let's look real quick before we move on for maybe.
- 5:15[SPEAKER_00]: I do have to say I don't know if this was actually a thing, but I want to believe so hard that this was a thing that the fever and Oliya timed that to wait for Asia Wilson to make her big hole, got big, you know, large, just contract and then like a few days later, Oliya comes out with the biggest one and I'm like, oh, I love it.
- 5:35[SPEAKER_02]: Well, it's like her just the biggest, like, what you can do the extension, Wilson was a total, she was a free agent.
- 5:41[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's fair, but Ali is like, when you look at the number, it's a bigger number.
- 5:46[SPEAKER_00]: And like, I think that was like the minute or no, it was an H. Wilson and I like, because Asia was trying to make a big deal about how she's the best ever blah, blah, blah, blah.
- 5:53[SPEAKER_00]: And I just, I think it was great.
- 5:55[SPEAKER_00]: I understand that they're different, but at the same time, I still like it that it's kind of a thumb there knows what any.
- 6:01[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, well, Dom's daily is probably really liking it to it for former players or getting paid really well.
- 6:08[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and we'll get to another one of the replayers who just got picked up in the draft, too, for the bite of fever or so.
- 6:14[SPEAKER_01]: Well, before we do that, John, you just brought it up.
- 6:17[SPEAKER_01]: My favorite thing about going into this season is it's kind of fever against the WNBA.
- 6:24[SPEAKER_00]: No, I agree.
- 6:24[SPEAKER_01]: That's my favorite thing.
- 6:26[SPEAKER_00]: I do agree with that.
- 6:27[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's been a thing for a while.
- 6:29[SPEAKER_00]: Ever since Caitlyn got drafted, I think it's been a thing.
- 6:33[SPEAKER_00]: And I say bring it.
- 6:34[SPEAKER_00]: I absolutely love it.
- 6:35[SPEAKER_00]: I think that all the people who aren't here are aren't fever fans want to villainize the fever and say how much nobody wants to be here and how bad our fans are and how bad the atmosphere is, but every single player that's left here besides don't want to bother.
- 6:52[SPEAKER_00]: has been positive and said great things so like Natasha Howard just left and she had a big long thing on her Instagram about how like she loved and that she'd been on lots of lots of other teams with nothing else felt like a family like the fever so I love that bring it on everybody against us.
- 7:11[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, exactly.
- 7:12[SPEAKER_02]: And you know what?
- 7:13[SPEAKER_02]: I think if I'm looking out when I look at the organizations and just how their fan bases back them what their ownership and management is done, it's got to be the favor to me.
- 7:32[SPEAKER_02]: their, I think their fans, I think their ownership tried to do well for the liberty, too.
- 7:38[SPEAKER_02]: But as far as like smaller markets, you can't, you can't get any better than being an Indianapolis.
- 7:45[SPEAKER_02]: Fever or an Indianapolis Pacer.
- 7:48[SPEAKER_02]: I just that's the way I just get it.
- 7:50[SPEAKER_02]: I think her a lot of credit to her soft to the Simon's.
- 7:53[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, they have done a wonderful job as owners and making sure their players are taking care of and with between facilities financially what they can do they do.
- 8:07[SPEAKER_00]: I think there's been a lot of negative talk about the front office on social media, but I'm not willing to jump on that train yet.
- 8:13[SPEAKER_00]: I want to see how it all shakes out because, you know, we can all be armchair quarterback managers, but like at the end of the day, I'm going to trust the people that do this for a living.
- 8:25[SPEAKER_01]: So if you were, if you were around the organization, would you've done anything differently than they've done this year?
- 8:30[SPEAKER_01]: This is the offseason.
- 8:32[SPEAKER_01]: I can't think of anything.
- 8:34[SPEAKER_00]: I would, I mean, we're going to go through the signings here in a minute.
- 8:37[SPEAKER_00]: I would have liked to pick up at least one more big.
- 8:40[SPEAKER_00]: I think we have a lot of guards, but I feel like they know what they're doing.
- 8:46[SPEAKER_00]: Like they got to have a backup plan for how to solve that if it becomes an issue.
- 8:50[SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know.
- 8:52[SPEAKER_00]: That's my one.
- 8:53[SPEAKER_00]: If I were in that seat, I don't quite understand why we picked up so many guards and not another like forwarder center.
- 9:03[SPEAKER_00]: we'll see.
- 9:04[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I don't know.
- 9:05[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's actually other than just a like a true center.
- 9:09[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's kind, I think it's pretty balanced actually as far as that.
- 9:13[SPEAKER_02]: I think you have like straight guards and then I think you have wings and I think cutting, I think so feel luxe your wings.
- 9:20[SPEAKER_02]: They're not true guards, they're wings.
- 9:22[SPEAKER_02]: They can play because they can play a four a stretch.
- 9:25[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah.
- 9:26[SPEAKER_02]: You know, so that I think that's, and I think what Stephanie wants to do in the way they play and you have to remember, we have the best guard in the, in the world, that long at igniting fast breaks on long outlet, but you know, on long passes from the other side and because of that, the style I think is, is to that.
- 9:45[SPEAKER_02]: In fact, I think Caitlin passing is even more superb the farther away she is.
- 9:53[SPEAKER_02]: from the art and everything down in close.
- 9:55[SPEAKER_02]: I think she's so good at that, threatening the needle on those long passes and everything.
- 10:01[SPEAKER_02]: And because she, she is a good strikes quickly and she hits, you know, hits him and stride and she's really great in transition.
- 10:10[SPEAKER_02]: And I think her teammates know that.
- 10:12[SPEAKER_02]: And I think Stephanie White wants to put players that can get up and down the floor.
- 10:18[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's why I think
- 10:20[SPEAKER_02]: It would have been nice maybe to get Timmy, Timmy back because I thought she was really good at running the floor when she was here and healthy.
- 10:26[SPEAKER_02]: I, I just, I'm not real ups, I'm not real upset yet.
- 10:31[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe when the lead comes, maybe out, where's they'd got a more, um,
- 10:37[SPEAKER_02]: physical big, but I think the fever have a lot of ways to be creative on the floor.
- 10:44[SPEAKER_02]: And maybe, I mean, the one thing we don't know is, because we haven't been there, is we don't know how much temps has developed her game in the off season.
- 10:52[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I agree with that too.
- 10:53[SPEAKER_02]: You know, it may be able to step up her minutes.
- 10:55[SPEAKER_02]: And if that's the case, then I think they're sitting pretty well.
- 11:00[SPEAKER_00]: I think you're right that if they can keep running the floor and keep the speed game going, they're white years ahead of anybody else.
- 11:06[SPEAKER_00]: I think where they could struggle, and I'm to say could, because I don't, it's going to pin.
- 11:10[SPEAKER_00]: Is if another team puts him in a slow grind it out, half court game, it could get tough.
- 11:17[SPEAKER_00]: I want the fever to win, but I'm just saying, I think that's where their area of potential for not disaster, but struggle is.
- 11:26[SPEAKER_02]: I will say this.
- 11:27[SPEAKER_02]: I was looking at Alia Boston and I don't think she's ever joking me wrong.
- 11:32[SPEAKER_02]: I'm, no, I have no room to stop.
- 11:34[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think she's ever been heavy, but she looks, she looks leaner.
- 11:39[SPEAKER_02]: This, I mean, more leaner and body tone, you know, more tone.
- 11:43[SPEAKER_02]: And I, you know, I'm interesting to see her and how that transitions on, on to the court.
- 11:49[SPEAKER_00]: I just worry about her getting in foul trouble because it maybe gets in foul trouble early.
- 11:53[SPEAKER_00]: We don't really have anybody.
- 11:54[SPEAKER_00]: Well, Timson maybe can fill that role some, but what's the, you know, Donna Maristantes?
- 12:00[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, dancers could do that a little bit too.
- 12:03[SPEAKER_00]: That's so is a good recent too.
- 12:06[SPEAKER_00]: For this segment, it's too far.
- 12:07[SPEAKER_00]: Let's just go with Kelsey got a super max deservedly, right?
- 12:10[SPEAKER_00]: Like Kelsey, we bringing her back was a no-brainer.
- 12:13[SPEAKER_00]: She's only got a one-year contract.
- 12:15[SPEAKER_00]: I hope that next
- 12:19[SPEAKER_00]: and can say with us, but we got Kelsey.
- 12:21[SPEAKER_00]: We got Lexi, which we know, got to have her.
- 12:24[SPEAKER_00]: Sophie wanted more than one year.
- 12:26[SPEAKER_00]: She only got one year, but we brought her back.
- 12:27[SPEAKER_00]: So that's good.
- 12:28[SPEAKER_00]: We got Dante's back, so that's good.
- 12:29[SPEAKER_00]: We picked up Monique Billings in May, Shea Heins Allen.
- 12:33[SPEAKER_00]: I actually kind of like the Heins Allen pick up because nobody is good.
- 12:38[SPEAKER_00]: Like with Sophie and MHA on the same squad, I don't think we're gonna have anybody pushing around our players.
- 12:45[SPEAKER_02]: Heinz Allen can kind of help out guard a little bit down near and rebound and help out insight if needed.
- 12:51[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but she's the James Jones James Johnson of the team.
- 12:54[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah, that's what she is.
- 12:56[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I know.
- 12:58[SPEAKER_02]: So, and that's nothing wrong.
- 12:59[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you think about it.
- 13:02[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you have her and like said you get so if you got there, this be routine is not going to get, not going to be pushed around and
- 13:12[SPEAKER_02]: I really thought they showed that last year to even with all of the injuries they kept battling and they kept, and you're not, no one's pushing us around.
- 13:20[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to be fun, fun, fun to watch.
- 13:23[SPEAKER_00]: Any other things you want to discuss on the signings and free agency moves for you, move on to the draft?
- 13:29[SPEAKER_02]: But I was only the only one other, I was going to say go ahead.
- 13:31[SPEAKER_02]: We picked up, we did pick up Taisha Harris, which, you know, she stays healthy.
- 13:37[SPEAKER_02]: That's another child care line of players on, so the fever now has resout care line of players in camp.
- 13:45[SPEAKER_00]: and the wildcard for a training camp contract they picked up Megan McConnell so I would really like to see her make the roster.
- 13:52[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how likely it is, but I think that would be cool to have TJ and a sister both on with Pacers and favorite franchises.
- 14:02[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that would be that's a neat story.
- 14:14[SPEAKER_01]: All right, guys, we can probably start with Michelle on this one because she is the college basketball guru here.
- 14:21[SPEAKER_01]: Michelle, your thoughts on the fever drift.
- 14:25[SPEAKER_02]: I actually have no problem.
- 14:27[SPEAKER_02]: I like the first round, pig.
- 14:29[SPEAKER_02]: Taken Raven Johnson, there I thought was was very good.
- 14:35[SPEAKER_02]: My only other concerns are the second and the third round pigs, but my guess is,
- 14:41[SPEAKER_02]: their chances of making the roster are pretty slim, especially the third round.
- 14:45[SPEAKER_02]: The second ramp joker was listed as a center in Vanderbilt, but what concerns me is, I saw her actually play.
- 14:52[SPEAKER_02]: She likes to hang out around the three-point lines.
- 14:55[SPEAKER_02]: Kind of like Miles Turner doesn't really rebound very well.
- 14:58[SPEAKER_02]: Um, this girl shoots 42% from three point range, but 39% overall, which means she's under 40% inside the arc, and that's not good for a big, not especially in the WNBA, because you're gonna, she got to play big, she's got to guard a big, and then she's just not very physical on the boards.
- 15:20[SPEAKER_02]: Um, but I do like Raven Johnson, and I know there are a lot of people that were upset, but
- 15:28[SPEAKER_02]: I heard really a boss in talking about it on a podcast and then in another interview and she said, which we all know, she said, too many people that really don't know the situation fans and everything they make more out of something than it is.
- 15:43[SPEAKER_02]: She said, we're going to be fine.
- 15:45[SPEAKER_02]: She said, she was happy to get Raven Johnson to because she played with her before and somebody she knew and she said, Raven Johnson and Caitlin Clark.
- 15:54[SPEAKER_02]: will be fine together.
- 15:55[SPEAKER_02]: She said, a lot of that situation was just, she said, people don't know.
- 16:03[SPEAKER_02]: The bad part is Caitlyn Clark.
- 16:06[SPEAKER_02]: It's cut some of those, um,
- 16:08[SPEAKER_02]: non-ball-knowing obsessed fans that like to open their mouths or get their fingers typing on social media and posting things that they really don't know about.
- 16:20[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's going to work out really well.
- 16:22[SPEAKER_02]: I like the draft pit because she can guard.
- 16:24[SPEAKER_02]: We don't have to have scores or somebody that needs to put the ball in the air.
- 16:32[SPEAKER_02]: She can't score.
- 16:33[SPEAKER_02]: She has score.
- 16:35[SPEAKER_02]: The thing is, she doesn't, she's fine with her role being a distributor and a top-notch defender.
- 16:42[SPEAKER_02]: That's what I like.
- 16:43[SPEAKER_02]: I told you that all along, I,
- 16:48[SPEAKER_02]: After the final four, I didn't think Hakez would fall to the fever, fall that part down, and she didn't, but I have no problems with Raven Johnson, because she's athletic and I know people say well, she's small, but she's got long arms and long legs and she did guard massenboker of Texas who is an all-American, very good problem.
- 17:10[SPEAKER_02]: It's probably the best senior on the court next year.
- 17:16[SPEAKER_02]: I think she's a senior and not a junior, but she got her to her and did a great job on her in the final four, so I'm pleased with Raven Johnson.
- 17:29[SPEAKER_00]: I think that like the whole drama thing was stirred up more by like you said people who are fans of Clark, but don't know what they're talking about and they get mad at any time.
- 17:39[SPEAKER_00]: Any guard is sign of the team because they feel like Caitlyn should just play all the time and any guard that we sign is a threat to her, which I don't see personally.
- 17:47[SPEAKER_00]: but it's also the the fever haters who want to cause drama and say get that girl out of Indiana because fever fans are going to hate her and I think that's stupid.
- 17:58[SPEAKER_00]: I think true fever fans are going to be happy.
- 18:00[SPEAKER_00]: Like just like so many players that we signed last year when they signed and they said why are we signed on this person but then as soon as they played well the fans loved them.
- 18:08[SPEAKER_00]: If you come to Indiana and you play well and you say out of the nonsense, fans will love you.
- 18:13[SPEAKER_00]: The WMEDIA will be the WMEDIA who wants to talk trash and serve stuff.
- 18:19[SPEAKER_00]: The Clark fans who don't actually care about basketball will continue to do things they're going to do.
- 18:24[SPEAKER_00]: And the anti fever people are going to be anti.
- 18:27[SPEAKER_00]: I don't care about any of that.
- 18:29[SPEAKER_00]: I think Raven's going to come in be a professional and she's going to do her best to give value to the team.
- 18:35[SPEAKER_01]: I think she's going to be great.
- 18:41[SPEAKER_00]: There you go.
- 18:42[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks.
- 18:43[SPEAKER_01]: Michelle, I think with Pissot, my guess is that they were looking for those skills specifically from a big.
- 18:52[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I don't know, the NBA that's having kind of development thing that like NBA sometimes in Joe over because I think she's got, she's going to need a lot of work.
- 19:02[SPEAKER_02]: I agree on it.
- 19:03[SPEAKER_02]: I only have a two game sample.
- 19:05[SPEAKER_02]: because I only got to see her play and I only saw her play twice, but I just think she's going to struggle because I think in the WNBA, because she's, I'm, you're gonna, she's gonna have to play down inside in the arc.
- 19:21[SPEAKER_02]: I think she's six four.
- 19:22[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you're gonna have to play in there and to mean you've gotta be able to score in there.
- 19:25[SPEAKER_02]: You can't just shoot all three's because,
- 19:30[SPEAKER_02]: favorite god a lot of that was i mean i just it'll be interesting she is to me i was i was curious i would have loved to have really heard why they what they liked about her why they went after her and maybe it is because i think she can you know she can develop that she just needs more time and maybe she'll get a roster spot a i know you can get a roster spot
- 20:01[SPEAKER_01]: John Michelle next time we talk next Sunday we will have seen the new Caitlyn Clark and the new fever so excited about that.
- 20:13[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah I can't wait for the first game and the next week the after that will have the first home preseason game against Dallas so that'll be fun.
- 20:22[SPEAKER_02]: It will.
- 20:23[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, John, how many minutes do you expect like Caitlyn and those guys to play, um, I think if they play higher minutes the first game, they won't play as many minutes as second game or how do you, or do you just expect to play maybe 15 minutes each game?
- 20:40[SPEAKER_00]: I think those kind of play a little like goof off.
- 20:42[SPEAKER_00]: It would kind of not really be all star game like, but I don't even think the defense will be that hard.
- 20:46[SPEAKER_00]: I think it will just be kind of
- 20:50[SPEAKER_00]: a casual like pickup game.
- 20:51[SPEAKER_00]: This is what I'm expecting.
- 20:52[SPEAKER_00]: We'll see.
- 20:53[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
- 20:57[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks everybody for listening.
- 20:59[SPEAKER_01]: We'll be back next week.
- 21:00[SPEAKER_01]: Also lots of fever coverage on my new daily podcast.
- 21:04[SPEAKER_01]: The central Indian sports 10 minute report.
- 21:08[SPEAKER_01]: Check it out every day on the central Indian sports report.
- 21:11[SPEAKER_01]: We've reported again next Sunday.
- 21:13[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks.
- 21:49[SPEAKER_01]: The Central Indiana Sports Report is a product of ITG media, and I love Susie.