Locked on Women’s Basketball: The Minnesota Lynx are dead, long live the Minnesota Lynx!

Lucas on the surprising move to buy out the contract of Angel McCoughtry and the salary cap implications:

What adds another layer of complexity here is that she was on a protected contract … She had to be bought out, so whatever figure they agreed to still counts on the [salary] cap.

As far as what Angel was supposed to provide was a player that could play some of the frontcourt, some of the backcourt. Veteran leadership, a complement to Syl, maybe some ballhandling duties and playmaking duties.

She appeared in one of the preseason games … and then the game against the Mystics. She did not look like herself, she did not look comfortable out there. I asked Cheryl after that game if her knee was feeling fine, and Cheryl said she’d been cleared to play and you’d have to ask Angel that question.

Editor’s note: The amount of the contract buyout will significantly impact how close to the cap the Lynx are, and evidently it was a large discount in order to fit two standard contracts.

Howard on the current state of Lynx ball-handlers, and where it goes from here:

There have been three primary ballhandlers for Minnesota so far this year: Yvonne Turner, Odyssey Sims and Rachel Banham. None of them have cracked 24% in assist percentage, and the best of the three is shooting 32% from the field.

I’m going to offer the following idea: It is not possible for things to get worse from the point guard spot. And, moreover, I believe that Banham, simply by reverting to the mean, will get better.

Editor’s note: Sims has since been waived

Don’t miss this one, including the lightning round reaction to Friday afternoon’s moves.

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