Cardinal Couple

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


- Guess whose leading the WNBA guard ballots?

For a player that's having a hit-n-miss record cracking the Atlanta Dream's starting five, Shoni is getting a lot of nationwide love. Popularity is what All-Star balloting is about. Check these numbers out... 

Top Five Guards - Eastern Conference
Rank	Player	Team	Votes
Starter	Shoni Schimmel	Dream	14,635
Starter	Ivory Latta	Mystics	5,974
3rd	Cappie Pondexter	Liberty	5,926
4th	Briann January	Fever	5,341
5th	Courtney Vandersloot	Sky	4,972
Top Six Frontcourt Players - Eastern Conference
Rank	Player	Team	Votes
Starter	Elena Delle Donne	Sky	16,542
Starter	Angel McCoughtry	Dream	9,736
Starter	Tamika Catchings	Fever	8,341
4th	Erika de Souza	Dream	7,579
5th	Chiney Ogwumike	Sun	6,922
6th	Tina Charles	Liberty	5,897
Top Five Guards - Western Conference
Rank	Player	Team	Votes
Starter	Diana Taurasi	Mercury	10,487
Starter	Seimone Augustus	Lynx	10,024
3rd	Lindsay Whalen	Lynx	8,898
4th	Skylar Diggins	Shock	8,447
5th	Sue Bird	Storm	4,506
Top Six Frontcourt Players - Western Conference
Rank	Player	Team	Votes
Starter	Maya Moore	Lynx	16,509
Starter	Candace Parker	Sparks	13,704
Starter	Brittney Griner	Mercury	10,214
4th	Kayla McBride	Stars	6,220
5th	Nneka Ogwumike	Sparks	6,129
6th	Janel McCarville	Lynx	5,048

SWISH APPEAL will tell you:

WE WANT SHONI SCHIMMEL!

The rookie guard is running away with it and appears to be a near-lock as an All-Star starter. In fact, she also leads all rookies in All-Star voting. Schimmel had a super start, in particular as a passer in her first four games of the season.

I'll also add this. If All-Star voting ended today, Schimmel would also start alongside Dream teammate Angel McCoughtry. Both of them played their college basketball at the University of Louisville. It should also be pointed out that Ivory Latta was a former Atlanta Dream player.

Schimmel has cooled off  a little since her first few games. This goes into my next point.

There doesn't appear to be much differentiation among the Eastern Conference's guards, beyond Shoni Schimmel.

Yeah. With the exception of Schimmel, whose voting stats could be partially influenced from the Native American and Louisville fan communities, it's a really close race for who's second place for guards in the East. As of today, Ivory Latta of the Washington Mystics would be there, but Cappie Pondexter of the New York Liberty is really, really close.

The point is this...in a league that is crying out for more attendance...the fans have spoken.

Wake up, Michael Cooper. You're a clown...just like the other coaches the program has had since Angel has been there. A figurehead. Do you really think you (or any other WNBA Coach) is responsible for a team's success or attendance? 

Reality check. The fans come to see players they like. The Connecticut Sun should be chock-full of Geno grads. Tulsa stocked with BIG 12 success stories. Same principal applies to the other ten franchises. 

Wake up WNBA. I'll be watching the Atlanta Dream's road attendance with great interest the rest of the year.

Schimmel Magic.

And...if the brain trust of the Atlanta Dream has any common sense at all...Jude Schimmel should be on the 2015 draft list under Atlanta's pick.

Schimmels' at guard. Angel, Sancho and Erika on the front line. You're a "for profit" organization.

Get your corporate heads out of the sand (or elsewhere).

And add Sara Hammond next year. Trade for Asia Taylor.

Move the franchise to Louisville....

(Paulie's commentary is solely his own thoughts and does not necessarily represent the thoughts of viewpoints of the rest of the CARDINAL COUPLE staff, Swish Appeal, any players or coaches mentioned here, NYSE Day Traders, that weird guy at the gas n go who sells me coffee in the morning or Pat Travers.) 

Have a great Thursday. 

paulie