Good Follow - Are the Fever Playoff Contenders? Lynx and Liberty Face Off Again & More

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Speaker 2 We're listening to DraftKings Network.

Speaker 2 Hey, what's up, everyone? Welcome to Good Follow, presented by DraftKings. I'm Roz Goldon Wede, that is Logan Hackett.
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Speaker 2 We love studbuds, but this is also a good follow show. And here's what we got for you in today's lineup.
We know who's at the top of the standings, but how about some of those in the middle?

Speaker 2 Who's more dangerous? The Indiana Fever or the Las Vegas Aces?

Speaker 2 And should the Fever shut down Caitlin Clark? The Valkyries, they made a debut of their mascot. It's Violet the Raven.
We discuss.

Speaker 2 and the links snag another win over the liberty in round two plus we give you a sneak peek at an exclusive interview with one of the newest members of the minnesota links jalen sharrod joins the show and don't forget y'all can catch new episodes not once but twice a week one on tuesday and one on thursday and as always Thank y'all so much for subscribing, commenting, liking, clicking the buttons, and following all of our socials.

Speaker 3 But Roz, are you ready to get into it?

Speaker 2 I'm so ready, Logan.

Speaker 3 Let's go. Let's do it.
So there's been a lot of eyes on the five and six in the playoff race, which are Indiana Fever and the Aces, who are in six, but they've had somewhat of disappointing seasons.

Speaker 3 Just a lot of things keep on happening with them. With that said, which team is more dangerous to you right now?

Speaker 2 To me, it's, I would definitely say the fever are more dangerous.

Speaker 2 And in general, like not even comparing them to another team, they're dangerous because the more adversity that the Indiana fever see, the more they respond.

Speaker 2 Like, I think I'm betting on the team to be frisky, pesky, problematic, dangerous for the team that has gone through all this adversity through the season, has gone through multiple injuries and keeps finding a way to be in the playoff picture, keeps finding a way to maximize and the talent of the players that are there, that have chosen that they want to be there.

Speaker 2 And so many players are having great moments together as a team. They've just also got

Speaker 2 in comparison to the aces.

Speaker 2 and in a lot of these teams, they've got more balance up and down their whole roster.

Speaker 2 They have more fight, resilience, toughness,

Speaker 2 consistency in some ways through the season, especially the second half of the season. So I would go with the fever.
But here's what I will say about the aces.

Speaker 2 Asia Wilson. Wow.

Speaker 2 I mean,

Speaker 2 30 points, 20 rebounds, five assists. That'll get the headline.
But if you just watch her play, it was a nice reminder of,

Speaker 2 dang, we're watching arguably the best player in the world play. And it's such a shame that as she is sitting in her prime right now, her team is just not there.

Speaker 2 Look, they've had some really incredible, amazing, epic seasons, and it's hard to keep replicating that year after year after year.

Speaker 2 So, full respect for what they've already accomplished in the, in the Aces franchise. But

Speaker 2 it is only the team's success that is holding Asia Wilson back from being dominating the conversation around women's hoops right now.

Speaker 2 In some ways, this season, she hasn't necessarily dominated the headline as much. And I think that's natural when the team is a little bit disappointing this season.
They've been better though.

Speaker 2 They've put together some wins now in a row. But a lot of that is driven by Asia Wilson.

Speaker 2 When I think about her, her competition level, her motor level, her conditioning level, her skill level, her tenacity, her impact on both ends, it's still unmatched.

Speaker 2 I can't think of any player in the WNBA who has that body of like skill set, that toolkit combination all at once. She is really something special.
But unlike those top teams like the Lynx and

Speaker 2 the Liberty, you know, look at the Lynx. I think they've won four in a row without fee right now.
Like that's really impressive.

Speaker 2 So the Aces just don't have that level of depth and consistency throughout this season. So far, they have not shown that really.
And

Speaker 2 really, like, as Asia goes is how the aces will go while, you know, teams at the top are still finding ways to win. So I just think it's, it's Asia that has really shined and

Speaker 2 deserves so much love and shout out right now.

Speaker 3 In a sense, I feel like the Fever have been showing so much dog in them, every single player having to step up for every single game.

Speaker 3 And that's just not something I've seen from the Aces this season or even towards the end of the playoff push. So I completely agree with you on that.

Speaker 3 But I think the fever are, it's so surprising because Caitlin has been shut down for a while now.

Speaker 3 And yes, it's for health and safety reasons and long-term health, but there's been a lot of questions around her. Do you think they should shut her down for the rest of the season?

Speaker 3 Just call it quits now, or do you see a comeback imminent?

Speaker 2 Well, first let's start with what we're getting from the fever organization. Like there was a moment there where everybody was kind of getting excited.
Like, is this the time to ramp up Caitlin Clark?

Speaker 2 Will she start to to make, you know, a comeback? And then we literally just got some word and update from Coach Stephanie White at practice. Let's take a listen to what she said.

Speaker 5 No return to practice. She's been able to get a little bit more in her full court running, you know, with her, her, all her body weight, but not into practice yet.

Speaker 2 Wow.

Speaker 2 If, if, if I ever heard, let's simmer down

Speaker 2 like as a statement, like that was walking back expectations a bit on Caitlin Clark. That was not the comments of a coach whose play, whose star player is on the verge of a comeback.

Speaker 2 That is the words of someone who is saying, everybody,

Speaker 2 hold your horses, slow down.

Speaker 2 No return to practice. She's only doing full court running with all her body weight.
Like we're talking body weight running right now. Looking for more endurance.

Speaker 2 So that means like there's more strengthening that she has to do on top of conditioning. and she's certainly not practicing with the team.
It doesn't sound close.

Speaker 2 Now, I've heard a lot of people, you know, talking about wanting to see them shut Caitlin down for the season. And I guess there's some arguments for that.

Speaker 2 Like, are the fever really contending for a championship this year?

Speaker 2 Probably not at this point, but they still are very frisky. I think they could still be a good playoff team, you know, and just when you start to think, oh, gosh, the fever, don't count them out.

Speaker 2 We just did that segment last week. Don't count them out.
Look at how great Kelsey Mitchell is leading the league in points. Look at how Natasha Howard has figured it out.

Speaker 2 And Sophie Cunningham, Aaliyah Boston is having a complete season impacting the game in so many ways. Look, they're still hot getting wins.
And then injury bug, injury bug. Then Ari McDonald is out.

Speaker 2 She just dropped 30-something for them not too long ago. Sidney Colson, like, they don't even got a point card.
They just brought in Odyssey Sims.

Speaker 2 So it's almost like, are the basketball gods sending a sign? I don't know if you believe in all that, but then there's also this concept of like, protect the asset, right?

Speaker 2 This is much bigger than even this season, especially if they're not contending for a championship.

Speaker 2 Think about how mature it was for Caitlin, her team, and just overall the franchise to decide during all-star weekend in Indianapolis to shut her down. Like that was very much a look to the future.

Speaker 2 There was a lot of pressure, trust me, to have her participate in the three-point contest or even the all-star game. I mean, this is, it was a big deal, but again,

Speaker 2 the vision is future. And then another thing, what about all the injuries racking up for everybody, the schedule, the lack of time for rest, for practice?

Speaker 2 You know, so like you're going to reintroduce Caitlin into that? Hopefully 100%. I don't know.
It doesn't seem like it's good for any of the players in the league right now.

Speaker 2 Plus, think again, they're down all of their point guards, really. So the lack of depth at the point guard position is really important because she needs to rest when she does come back.

Speaker 2 You brought Odyssey Sims in, but it's not only that she rests, that you could sub her out to sit on the court. There's rest within the game.

Speaker 2 Like, obviously, that coach Stephanie White has been moving her off the ball, which is a different type of intensity on her body and style of play.

Speaker 2 So I don't know, adversity and injury starting to pile up. But the other side of this is,

Speaker 2 I think the goal is always to bring your star player back overall. Like the Fever are a playoff team.

Speaker 2 You may not be immediately able to answer that they are a contender right now, but I think the goal is always to take steps forward one season at a time.

Speaker 2 They went from not making the playoffs since 2016 to having their playoff debut to the next goal of the contender. But usually that doesn't happen in one season.

Speaker 2 Like it's a progression and you need patience through the process. And so simply saying, oh, are they competing for a championship this year? That's not the only thing you're competing for.

Speaker 2 It's progressing the franchise and all the players in it. And also, look, the team has shown to be highly resilient and highly successful while Caitlin Clark has been injured.

Speaker 2 So if you you could reintroduce her back healthy, who knows what they're capable of. So I don't know.

Speaker 2 But I think, you know, the goal is always to bring your healthy player back, if healthy.

Speaker 3 With that said, I do very much appreciate that they're fully taking the time that she needs because she definitely does not seem like the person who, before this, she get injured.

Speaker 3 I feel like she definitely tried to play throughout the season and do all her rehabbing and everything needed in the offseason.

Speaker 3 And that's not good for long-term health, especially considering that she's only in year two and this is the first major injury that she's dealt with.

Speaker 3 But really hope to see her back soon and really hope that everything is okay with that. But, y'all, Monday night, there was a huge announcement that broke the internet.

Speaker 3 It took the sports world by storm. And no, it's not Taylor Swift.
We are talking about the Valkyries super cute, adorable new mascot named Violet.

Speaker 3 So, I want to kind of go through and grade Violet's debut, Roz. What grade would you give her?

Speaker 3 You know what?

Speaker 2 I'm going to give it an A. It was an A debut.
Hi, Violet, the raven.

Speaker 2 I was thinking about A minus, but then I was like, nah, it's A. Like, first of all,

Speaker 2 one thing that the Golden State Valkyries and just the franchise leadership have shown, they're very good at storytelling. Boy, they love a good story.

Speaker 2 Like, I love the intro video, and Violet was hatched. She's a raven.
Can we pull up Megan's tweet, please? There's always a storyline.

Speaker 2 So why Raven, apparently in Norse mythology, they were a sidekick to Valkyries.

Speaker 2 So they would often be seen together.

Speaker 2 Okay, thank you. Thank you, Megan.

Speaker 2 And more importantly, she can dance. Okay, she was getting hyphy.
She was this, sneezing, this facing. She was doing all the things.
She knew how to dance.

Speaker 2 I obviously think Ellie, the elephant, is a big time influence on all of the upcoming mascots and setting a a tone.

Speaker 2 But she's decidedly different. Can we show the two mascots side by side? Ellie, the elephant of the New York Liberty, the famous mascot, Violet, the Raven.

Speaker 2 Like

Speaker 2 Ellie has to be held off the court. You know, Ellie's out there fighting reps.
She's getting in tussles for her team. Ellie now has a purse handler.
She has a budget for wardrobe.

Speaker 2 She has multiple hair pieces, weaves. She has a dance ensemble.
Like, but it took years for, for Ellie to evolve to that. She wasn't always that way.

Speaker 2 Like we, it took us some time to get to know Ellie and for her to really become what she is now. And I liked that, you know, Violet didn't come out and immediately try to be that.

Speaker 2 She was very different, right, Logan? Like, I felt like she was like cutesy and fun and like adorable. And like, I liked her glasses and I liked her pockets.

Speaker 2 And I think she was a little nerdy and quirky and like, you know, a decidedly different personality than Ellie.

Speaker 2 So I liked it. What did you think?

Speaker 3 I think I'd give it the same grade, an A or an A minus. I do really like the rollout.
There was a slow kind of burn with it, some Easter eggs, if you will.

Speaker 3 But I think Violet, sorry, has very much of a musical theater personality, or at least a musical theater background.

Speaker 3 It's giving very precise and on point, whereas Ellie is just very like, I'm going to do whatever and it's going to be amazing. And I know it's going to be amazing.

Speaker 3 So I love the contrast between the two because they are definitely both going to be big, especially compared to some of the other mascots that we see in the league.

Speaker 2 Yes, and I think time will show like how Violet's character grows over time.

Speaker 2 But she hit some high notes being able to tap in with bay culture and, you know, hit all them dances and show that she was down with the hyphy movement. So, we shall see.

Speaker 2 But, very nice debut, decidedly different from Ellie. Of course, Ellie the elephant is the queen.

Speaker 3 Undisputed. It's actually going to be interesting to see.
I want to see who she's going to collab with.

Speaker 3 If she gets down with the Bay Area music scene, if with the rappers, is she going to be a music video? She could really take her own twist on it.

Speaker 3 I feel like the Bay Area has a lot to offer her and it's just her first day on earth. Or I guess we're on day two now.
And a happy belated birthday. Fellow Leo.
Anyways, I want to move on.

Speaker 3 We're taking the top two mascots to the top two teams. So we have the Liberty and Lynx.
And they have faced off twice this season, but have two more matchups on the schedule.

Speaker 3 With that said, the Lynx are 2-0 against the Liberty. So what does all of this mean for the Liberty?

Speaker 2 Well,

Speaker 2 I think

Speaker 2 for me, it's what does it mean for the Links? Because one thing about the Links, they have an identity, okay?

Speaker 2 The Links, they D up, they play defense, they hit the three, they share the ball, and they take care of the ball. Guess what? That was their identity last season.
That's their identity this season.

Speaker 2 And they executed. No Nafisa Collier, no MVP candidate, no MVP, no problem.
Let's see if they were still able to execute their identity against the New York Liberty in that game.

Speaker 2 Okay, versus the Liberty. Did the Lynx defense bother the Liberty? Did they D up? Yes, they did.
They forced 20 turnovers and got 22 points off of those turnovers.

Speaker 2 Did the Lynx hit the three? 10 at 47% shooting from the three-point line. Did Did the Lynx share the ball? Did they take care of the ball? 24 assists, only 10 turnovers, all without their star player.

Speaker 2 You know who should get a shout out?

Speaker 2 Cheryl Reeve. Coach Cheryl Reeve.
I'll tell you one thing about Cheryl Reeve. She gonna revive a career, won't she? Okay, look what she's done for Courtney Williams, Alana Smith, Kayla McBride.

Speaker 2 Renaissance is in their careers. And it looks like Dejae Carrington is on the way.
Okay, because Dejae Carrington's fit is fitting in Minnesota. And you know who else should get a shout out?

Speaker 2 I'm gonna give a shout out to Alana Smith, okay? Because she did it all in that game. She does not get a lot of commotion and talk, and she should.

Speaker 2 I want to call out her effort of eight points, seven assists, nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks, zero turnovers as a post.

Speaker 2 And this is a high-level glue player, role player who is starring in her role.

Speaker 2 And in general, I actually think the Lynx is a collection of multiple players on that team that are all starring in their role. And that's why they're successful.

Speaker 3 They are so absolutely good. And just one thing with Dishoné, since she has made it to the Lynx, she has been in double digits every single game and shooting over 62.5%.

Speaker 3 Like those are incredible numbers to get out of a player so fast, especially.

Speaker 3 I love the whole turnaround that she has going from a team that is so damn bad to now pretty much qualifying, very likely winning a ring.

Speaker 3 But I also want to kind of go to a trade that was a little bit underrated. And that's or pick up, Jalen Schroud going from the Liberty to the Lynx.
I am obsessed with the journey that she's had.

Speaker 3 Last year, so much went on and she still came out on top. And this is kind of a testament to that as well, getting waived and then picked up by a first place team.

Speaker 3 And you actually spoke to her about getting picked up by the links. So let's take a look.

Speaker 6 Why the links? Why do you think this is the right fit? And what are you hoping to bring to this team?

Speaker 6 Beyond popular belief, when you're in my position and you go undrafted and you know, you kind of get dealt the cards, you get dealt, you don't have the luxury of picking your opportunities.

Speaker 6 You just got to go where you get them. And

Speaker 6 if God presented me with an opportunity, who am I to tell them no? So that's kind of where this move was and how we got to that point.

Speaker 6 In terms of like other moves, yeah, I mean, I can't speak for other people but i just know like for my situation it just kind of

Speaker 6 happened the way it did and mini um

Speaker 6 was actually when i went undrafted the two calls i got to go to training camp was minnesota and new york ultimately i tried i decided to go to new york but mini has been the relationship has been there my agent um has had a relationship um

Speaker 6 We just decided to go to New York. But so yeah, it's been interest there.

Speaker 6 I know Cheryl came to a couple games, my fifth year at Colorado. So it's been there.

Speaker 6 But I'm just excited. I think, you know,

Speaker 6 I think it's a good fit for me just because of like their, for one, defense, obviously.

Speaker 6 And then two, just seeing like,

Speaker 6 you know, you, you hear the two small gesture a lot when you're my size, but to see like CW and NT.

Speaker 6 doing what they do at the level that they do in a system that kind of works to you know

Speaker 6 who they are plays to their strengths regardless of their size and them being able to be so good in it i think is just

Speaker 6 throwing where i can go um showing you know the next move for me and and so yeah i'm excited especially to be around people that i think has the same kind of mo as me in terms of like defense and just being a dog and just you know

Speaker 6 we on paper we might not you know

Speaker 6 stack up or you might not think of us as this and that, but they carry themselves with such a high standard and they carry themselves as with so much confidence that it just kind of breathes through this team.

Speaker 6 And I mean, like I said, I ain't been here for 48 hours, but you can see that already. So I'm excited.
And they're really good teammates for one another. Like it's a genuine connection here.

Speaker 6 I think this is like a genuine group of people here.

Speaker 6 And like I said, this is all off two days of being on this side. But from what I see, man, it's genuine and they really care about each other.
They really want to win. And

Speaker 6 when you got people that's very passionate about what they do, it's kind of hard to stop them. the show.
I'm excited,

Speaker 6 yeah, for sure. I think that there's a lot that like of relatability between the players.
I think you certainly fit the mold there.

Speaker 6 Um, of maybe players that have been slept on or got a chip on their shoulder. And, you know, one thing about Cheryl Reed, man, she's gonna bring it out and put a squad together.

Speaker 6 So it's a really nice situation. And I think you don't even have to comment on this, but I think if like if it were the Liberty and the Lynx in the finals,

Speaker 6 I think you'd possibly be eligible to get a ring either way.

Speaker 3 But you want

Speaker 6 so much to say what a contender, but we shall see how the future plays out.

Speaker 3 Y'all can catch the full interview with Jalen this Thursday on YouTube or wherever else you get your podcast. Coming up, I make my DraftKings pick of the week.
We'll be right back.

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Speaker 3 Welcome back to Good Follow. Today's episode is presented by DraftKings.
DraftKings, the crown is yours. It is now time for the DraftKings pick of the week presented by DraftKings.

Speaker 3 This weekend, I have my eye on one of the most exciting NWCL matchups of the season between Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride.

Speaker 3 Kansas City has had a stellar season so far, currently sitting at the top of the league by 12 points, and are holding it down on both ends, leading the league with 32 goals and only allowing a league low of 10.

Speaker 3 Now, of course, my eye will be on Telma Chuinga, currently leading the golden boot race with 10 goals in 15 games, and cementing herself as one of the best goal scorers this league has seen.

Speaker 3 As for Orlando, they haven't been able to back up their near-undefeated championship run last season, but are still tied for second in almost every single stat category.

Speaker 3 The player I'll be looking out for is Barbara Banda, sitting third in the Golden Boot Race with 8 goals in 15 matches, And she is known to come super clutch in the big moments.

Speaker 3 So this game will definitely be her time to shine.

Speaker 3 The rivalry runs super deep between these two teams and it's going to be an incredible match, but Kansas City is looking way too good and I'm picking them to get the win.

Speaker 3 This segment is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings, the crown is yours.

Speaker 2 The crown is yours. Logan, do you have any quick hits and headlines for us today?

Speaker 3 Yes, I have a few.

Speaker 3 It was honestly a very exciting time for Canada because, you know, we've been pretty down bowed with tennis, but Victoria Boco, she went crazy in Montreal, beat Naomi Osaka to get her first 1,000 tournament win.

Speaker 3 And with that, she'll now be seated for the U.S. Open.
She is so amazing, so adorable. We love to see it.

Speaker 2 I'm surprised you're not rocking your Canada flag or something. Let the people know.
Rep your set.

Speaker 3 Yeah, I should. Maybe I'll get like a Victoria shirt because I don't really want to rep anything else right now.

Speaker 3 But actually, speaking of national teams, Monte Tome is out out as the Spain head coach. Huge.
Their federation is in shambles.

Speaker 3 I really hope that they can figure it out very soon because they are an amazing team, but very shocking news.

Speaker 2 Interesting.

Speaker 3 Yes. And next up, we have MLB.
And the other day, I actually said that I need to see more women in MLB in baseball. And Jen Powell became the first female umpire.

Speaker 3 There were clips of her everywhere, and it seemed like everyone was really receptive of it. So love that.

Speaker 2 Congrats to Jen. Congrats to the MLB.
We'll take one step at a time of progress.

Speaker 3 Yes. And then we only have two goats in these quickets this week or two current cemented goats.

Speaker 3 But Temo Charinga scored 30 goals in 40 games, which broke Kristen Press's record of 30 goals in 51 games. Absolutely insane.
She is on a tear. And then Diana Taurasi's documentary.

Speaker 3 Her show is now out on Amazon Prime, and I've only seen amazing things about it.

Speaker 2 Yes, it is a must-watch. Make sure you tap in, y'all.

Speaker 2 And that'll do it for our episode here of of good follow show presented by draft kings i'm ros golden wedding she's logan hackett make sure you subscribe comment engage all the things you know we drop every tuesday and thursday and we got an exclusive interview coming up later this week so make sure you tap in and we'll see you next time bye y'all