Fever’s First Test- How Clark Injury Changed The Narrative

Fever fans, myself included had such high and perhaps unrealistic expectations going into the season.  

The Fever are only 6 games into their 44 game season. The Fever lost their best player and have only had 2 games to try to reorganize and play without Clark.

I don’t want to sound like that crazy parent who has emotional reactions to their child’s team but I can’t help myself. I want to share my reactions to the Fever season. My question for you- are my reactions realistic or am I overreacting? I would love for you to share your thoughts in the comments at the end of the blog. 

Real or Overreaction #1- The core of the Fever is still Clark, Boston, Mitchell, and Hull.

After the excitement of the adds of Howard, Bonner, and Cunningham, I wanted to think that the Fever had really moved up the ladder and were going to be close to the Liberty and Lynx. Now watching how they play without Clark, is it an over reaction to say that maybe the Fever got two players who are not close to their best days and one who plays hard but is just a role player. And if the Fever is going to be a better team this year, it is going to happen only if Clark, Hull and Boston. 

Real or Overreaction #2- Mitchell is a good but needs Clark.

I had always wondered if Mitchell deep down thought staying with Indiana and Clark might not be best for her career. I wondered if she thought she needed to go somewhere where she would havethe ball more. If she had the ball more, she could show that she was one of the elite guards in the WNBA. After two games, I now feel Mitchell should be thinking, “I hope Clark comes back soon, I am at best average without Clark. Clark makes me better.”

Real or Overreaction #3- Fever don’t have a defensive stopper.

I think the Fever have gotten better defensively with Howard, Bonner, and Hull, all are decent defenders. Hull works like crazy and I want to believe she will become an elite defender. Thru six games, the Fever have same problem as last year- I don’t think they have that physical, in your face, athletic defender to put on good guards. Mabry, as a good offensive guard took a game over for the winless Conn team. The Fever don’t have anyone close to what the Pacers have in Nembhard. Clark and Mitchell are not elite defenders, they MUST get better. If Hull or Mitchell don’t become a lockdown defender on opponents top perimeter scorer, it will be a problem.

Real or Overreaction #4- Stefanie White is not Gregg Popovich.

I am a coach and I hate it whenever a team loses that people go after the coach. I was so happy when the Fever hired White. Everything I had read made me excited. I like what I see in offensive adjustments they have made- more backdoor actions, elevating the Clark/Boston PNR offense to another level, and the stagger action with Clark off the ball. All looked good and confirmed that White was a good coach. 

But I have major concerns about the Fever defensively. Their PNR defense is not strong. There just doesn’t seem to be a feeling that the defense is all “on a string,” there a lot of gaps. So I have concerns about whether White is getting them defensively closer to a championship.

I would have to go back and watch all the games, but I know of two games where the Fever did not execute in the last 10 seconds and I didn’t think the plan looked great. 

So I see signs that White is what I had hoped for and why I was excited about the season, but I also am feeling like maybe I was unrealistic with the hype after her hiring. 

Real or Overreaction #5- Fever are not as good as the preseason hype.

During the first four games with Clark, and now with last two games without Clark, I fear that the Fever are not as good as I thought they were going to be.

Real or Overreaction #6- The hill for the Fever to climb is higher than realized- the rest of the WNBA is a lot better than thought.

As a Clark and Fever fan, I have under estimated how good the rest of the league is. The Fever do not appear to be in the same class with the Liberty and the Lynx. Was I guilty of failing to recognize how many good teams and good players there are in the WNBA? 

Real or Overreaction #7- If Clark is out 2-4 weeks it crushes hopes of competing for top of regular season, but in long run it may make Fever stronger. 

The start of the season shows that the Fever will not finish in the top two of the league, but when Clark comes back, the Fever will be a stronger team having had to play some games without her. The Fever will be closer to the top two than they are to the rest of the field. 

There is nothing wrong with the team being reminded that Clark is very valuable!

Real or Overreaction #8- Indy showed they are really Fever fans, not just Clark fans.

In Clark’s first game out, the fans showed up enthusiastic for the Fever without Clark. Clark may have brought a lot of eyes to the games but the fans have formed a bond with the Fever team. 

Real or Overreaction #9- Plan A didn’t work, Go to Plan B.

When a team has an injury, the hope is that you just plug in the backup at that position and then everyone else is able to maintain their normal roles. With Colson as the point guard, it hasn’t worked. She doesn’t drive enough to create 3’s for Hull and Mitchell. She can’t create on the PNR for Boston to even be a factor. The best lineup offensively has been Mitchell, Bonner, Cunningham, Hull, and Boston. 

I would love to hear your comments on my thoughts. AND I would love to hear if you have some real or overreactions of your own. 

If you just share in the comments below- just add your name at the end. Thanks!!