The New York Liberty took the court at the start of this season as defending champions of the WNBA. But they faltered when it mattered, and crashed out in the first round of the playoffs, losing 2-1 to the Phoenix Mercury in the best-of-3 series.
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Fans were disappointed, analysts stunned, and consequently, the front desk decided that heads needed to roll. The first one on the chopping block was head coach Sandy Brondello. If it does seem a tad unfair, that’s because it is.
The Liberty started the season strong with a 9-game winning streak. They were in second place going into the All-Star break. And then injuries hit.
The big 3 — Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, and Sabrina Ionescu — all missed games, courtesy of one injury or the other. Leonie Fiebich spent about four weeks in a German jersey, Natasha Cloud broke her nose, and Nyara Sabally’s knees demanded a break from the schedule.
Injury troubles notwithstanding, the management has taken the playoff loss as proof that what the Liberty had displayed on the court was simply not good enough. And the team’s general manager, Jonathan Kolb, believes that at least some of the blame lies with the team not being able to create enough chances for Ionescu.
Make no mistake, Ionescu was great on the ball. But the Liberty faithful took notice that off the ball, she couldn’t contribute much. Journalist Lucas Kaplan questioned GM Kolb about how effective Ionescu’s pairing with Natasha Cloud was.
Kolb admitted that the management was currently evaluating the best possible backcourt pairing for Ionescu. “That’s something we have been and are currently discussing in terms of the Tash pairing. I don’t know that we really solved the off-ball production opportunities with Tash in ways that were conducive to creating success for Sabrina,” he said.
Kolb added that Ionescu was one of the best shooters in the world with “immense gravitational pull”. But he admitted that the team has to come up with ways to evolve and improve so as to provide her with the best chance to make it count.
“In terms of the partner, I mean, that’s something we’re really looking at. I think there’s consideration of, is it time? Is it time for Sab to be at the one?” Kolb said. Of course, this quest to find the perfect pairing will eventually fall on whoever assumes the post of the head coach next season.
While Kolb presented the pairing scenario and the removal of the coach in the most diplomatic way possible, fans seem to have seen it differently. They are now rising in support of Cloud, claiming that she’s being made a scapegoat for the team’s failures.
“Don’t throw Tash under the bus like y’all didn’t let Kayla Thornton and others go last offseason. Just let Sabrina go to the Valkyries (or whichever team she wants) in peace instead of trying to throw everyone else under the bus to save y’all terrible season,” an enraged fan commented on X.
Others were concerned whether Kolb’s statement meant the end of Cloud’s journey with the Liberty. “Damn, could Tash potentially not come back ?” they asked.
Another fan reminded the Liberty management of Cloud’s accomplishments this season. “Tash actually won them a few games this season, when Sabrina was either injured or shooting bricks,” they asserted.
Fans certainly are unhappy over the comments made by Kolb. They believe that Cloud has immense value to add to the Liberty. Now, whether or not the front desk sticks to their perspective remains to be seen. And of course, as Kolb pointed out, it will all be in the hands of the new head coach.
