The Unrivaled League made it's debut on this past Saturday. It is different than what we are used to see. With only three players on the floor, there is more space for players to show their skills. The rules of the league make it a very fan friendly league, but one that traditionalist will probably cringe to watch.
Financially, Unrivaled seems to be off to a good start, but that is coming from someone who has trouble balancing his checkbook. It is a league of equity, all 36 players will receive the same amount, $200k. According to their website, the league has the following sponsors: Wayfair, Sprite, Bodyarmor, Icy Hot, Samsung Galaxy.
Each team has 4 players on their roster, and the game is 3 on 3 full court. The court is the same width as a traditional WNBA court but it is only 70 feet vs the usual 94 feet. The 70 foot court saves on running and allows players to stay on the floor. The obvious on the first night is that players have space to move. If you like offense, it is a league for you.
The shot clock is 18 seconds instead of 24 seconds. The first night showed that each team plays at different tempos. The Lunar Owls seldom took more than 5-10 seconds per possession to get a shot, while some of the others were more in the 10-15 seconds per possession. The bottom line, even at 18 seconds, the shot clock was not an issue.
The league uses a free throw rule that has been used in summer camps across America for years. At camps, they don't want kids to spend alot of time at the ft line, they want them to play. In the league, if you are fouled in the act of shooting, you get one ft and it worth two points. For a three, the one ft is worth three points. Players are still shooting, but it speeds the game up. For traditionalist, realize this rule really is going back to early basketball. In the early 1900's, all shots were worth two points- field goals and free throws both.
Calling fouls in basketball has always had the purpose of reducing physical play. In the early years of basketball, a player who committed the foul had to go to the bench until the other team scored a basket, much like hockey. Because of the limited roster, Unrivaled cannot afford to have a player foul out. So a player on their 6th foul is also assessed in effect a technical. So a player who commits their 6th, 7th, or even 20th foul of the game does not become disqualified. Instead, the opposing team shoots one ft, then they go back to shooting the normal foul shot and play. It punishes fouling but a player still plays.
The Unrivaled uses the Elam Ending that was made popular in the summer with The Basketball Tournament. The Basketball Tournament with four minutes to go in regulation shuts the clock off. They take the score that the team in the lead has, and add 8 points to that score. That becomes the "target score," with first to hit it becoming the winning team in The Basketball Tournament.
The Unrivaled play three quarters, with each quarter being 7 minutes. At the end of the third quarter, the clock is turned off. The "target score" is figured by adding 11 points to the leading teams point total. The value of this is that no team just hangs on or delays, you have to score to win.
In the first game of Unrivaled, the Mist lead over the Lunar Owls 73-67 after three quarters. So the target score in this game was 84 points. The Lunar Owls came from behind to win as Skylar Diggins-Smith hit a three to reach 84 points. The Elam Ending is very fan friendly and makes for an exciting finish in many games. Games don't end by looking at the clock, they end by a player hitting a game winner.
The games for now are all played at a small arena in Miami. An announcer said the capacity was something like 800, but it sounded like a loud crowd in the games. For the rest of us, games can be seen on TNT and Tru. All of the games are designed to fit into a fan friendly one hour time slot. From the first night, it appears they will usually be about 50 minutes from tip to finish.
The league is entertaining. If you are a basketball fan, you should try it out, you may like it. If you are a women's basketball fan, you will love it. If you are Don O'Brien, you will probably not like it anymore than you liked the WNBA!
If you want schedules, rosters and other info- here is the Unrivaled website.
WNBA Free Agency
Teams can start to negotiate with free agents on Tuesday, January 21, and players can sign with a team starting on February 1. With a new CBA coming at the end of next season, it is expected that teams and players will sign just one year contracts. Some questions to be answered:
1- Will Conn lose most of their roster to free agency?
2- The Sky did not offer to Chennedy Carter, and have a lot of cap space. How will they remake their team?
3- Paige Bueckers has made it clear she does not want to play for Dallas. Dallas has the #1 pick. Dallas has been looking to trade up with the pick.
4- Golden State Valkyries appear to be an attractive destination for free agents because of the desire to live in San Francisco, their facilities, and their deep pockets. Will Skylar Diggins-Smith and Kelsey Plum both end up there?
5- Will the Fever be able to resign Kelsey Mitchell, or do they have their sights on a free agent?
6- Will the Fever keep Lexi Hull, or will she be a piece of a trade with Dallas to bring Satou Sabally in a sign and trade?
Here are some good articles on the WNBA free agency-
ESPN’s Look at WNBA Free Agency
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