|
LaToya Thomas, Alexis Hornbuckle and Sheri Sam look to be splitting time at the small forward position, which opened up after the Swin Cash trade.
D. Lippitt/Einstein (NBAE/Getty)
|
So which one will replace longtime small forward Swin Cash in the starting lineup?
The answer, to an extent, appears to be all of them. Head coach Bill Laimbeer will enter the 2008 with a CBC approach. Cash-by-committee.
“We have some good options on how we want to play that position,” Laimbeer said at media day. “Right now, I could not tell you who is going to be our starting 3 opening day.”
Cash, a two-time All-Star and face of the franchise, had been entrenched at starting small forward since 2002, her rookie season. But as Laimbeer’s offense evolved and began to necessitate perimeter shooting, he assembled a group of versatile alternatives for 2008.
If he needs a shooter, LaToya Thomas has the best touch from long range (42% 3FG last season).
If he needs a stopper, Sheri Sam provides a bit more athleticism at the defensive end (career average, 1.4 steals per game).
If he decides to go big, 6-foot-2 Plenette Pierson would start alongside 6-foot-6 center Kara Braxton and 6-foot-3 power forward Cheryl Ford.
Each brings different strengths to the position. And limitations. Certainly Laimbeer is not asking Pierson (6.7% career 3FG) to provide the same assets as Thomas. He appreciates the lineup flexibility, especially in light of recent injuries.
“Not as much competition (between them), just variety of style,” Laimbeer said. “We may want to alternate throughout the course of the year. We don’t really have a handle on it right now. We’re not in any way shape or form worried about the position. It’s a matter of which direction we choose to go, and at what time.”
With the regular-season opener two days away, Laimbeer is still weighing his options and monitoring the progress of a few hobbled players. Pierson suffered a slightly sprained ankle Monday during a preseason loss to San Antonio, but should practice Thursday. Nolan is coming back from a more severe left ankle sprain suffered overseas a few weeks ago. And Ford is nursing quad and wrist injuries, not to mention her surgically repaired left knee.
| Cash Exchanged Here's how first-year Shock forwards LaToya Thomas and Sheri Sam compare to their predecessor, Swin Cash, over the past two seasons. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
And that’s where Hornbuckle, drafted with the No. 4 overall pick obtained in the Cash trade, comes in. The former Tennessee point guard is learning intricacies of running a new system. The amount of time Smith and shooting guard Deanna Nolan spend at the 3, “depends on the development of Hornbuckle as far as how many guards I can play at once,” Laimbeer said.
Nolan is Detroit’s only true 2-guard - and, based on a preseason vote of WNBA general managers, the league’s best player at the position - so she'll likely stay put if other 3s are productive.
Perhaps that’s why he has even experimented with the 5-foot-11 Hornbuckle there. “It’s not so bad because within Coach Laimbeer’s offense, it’s not really your 3 on the block,” said Hornbuckle, who added that memorizing the playbook for multiple positions has been tougher than executing it. “It’s kind of almost like a three-guard front, so it hasn’t been too hard.”
Sam, who has played at the 2 and 3 for six different teams in the WNBA, says the small forward role is a slightly different in Laimbeer’s offense. He wants the 3 to race downcourt and post up for easy transition baskets before stepping out to the perimeter.
“I’m always used to my coaches saying ‘stay wide, stay wide,’ but now I just have to run as fast as I can to the block, which is an advantage because I’m a bigger guard and can get some early post-ups,” the 6-foot Sam said.
“It’s different but there’s definitely a lot of opportunities.”
And lots of players to take them.