Valkyries fill-ins create tough roster decisions as EuroBasket players return

San Francisco Chronicle​

7 hours ago

The Golden State Valkyries have some decisions to make.
Center Temi Fagbenle on Wednesday became the first player to return from EuroBasket after Great Britain was eliminated, spelling the end of Aerial Powers' Valkyries tenure. Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy), Julie Vanloo (Belgium) and Janelle Salaün (France) are still several games away as their teams advanced into the tournament's semifinals.
The Valkyries will need to make at least three more cuts, even four if Iliana Rupert (France) joins the team this summer, as her agent Omar Bendjador told the Chronicle was the plan.
Guards Bree Hall and Kaitlyn Chen and forward Chloe Bibby are likely to be those cuts. Laeticia Amihere signed after the Valkyries waived center Kyara Linskens on June 8, so she is more likely to stay with the team as one of their few post players.
Bibby, though, has made a case as a capable WNBA player. She has averaged 11.5 points and 1.5 steals per game over two contests in which she has been used as a 3-point shooting big.
The 6-foot-2 forward will be joining Australia for the Asia Cup from July 13-20, which could impact whether she is kept on the roster. The Valkyries had expected Bibby to be a temporary addition, but her play has made it a more complex decision.
'They could have chosen somewhere else,' head coach Natalie Nakase said of Bibby, Amihere and Chen. 'So we're just so super grateful that they chose us. And then again, it's just another opportunity for them to show their talents to the whole league.'
Another element of the roster shuffle is where veteran forward Steph Talbot fits. The Australian has started the past four games but totaled 10 points — including being shut out in two contests — and went 0-for-8 from 3-point range.
She was noticeably frustrated by her recent performances when she spoke with reporters after practice on Tuesday.
'Obviously my shot has not been falling lately, and trying to find time to work on that when we play so many games is tough,' said Talbot, a career 35.1% shooter from deep. 'But focusing on other things, rebounding, making the right reads, getting my teammates open, the little things I can do to help. … I'm not sure if I'm doing a very good job at (not overthinking). If I'm open, I am a shooter, so to continue to shoot that and trust that, I guess, it's gonna turn, it's not gonna stay down forever.'
Nakase has still praised Talbot's contributions, including her 10 rebounds in Sunday's win over Connecticut.
'She's the ultimate pro, and it's not easy to go from not playing to now starting,' Nakase said. 'So as long as Steph plays with effort, she communicates and she plays the right way, that's all I'm asking for.'
But as roster decisions loom, and with the potential addition of Rupert, it might come down to Amihere or Talbot. With Zandalasini filling a similar role as a lengthy 3-point shooting forward, Talbot might become redundant if her shot doesn't get going.
Ionescu back to the Bay: New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu stepped onto the Valkyries court at Chase Center for the first time on Wednesday, and the Walnut Creek native said she had given out 50 tickets to family and friends for the game.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr visited Ionescu before shoot-around as the three-time WNBA All-Star prepared for her first game at Chase Center.
'I've come into this arena many times as a fan, so it's a little different being able to take the court and get shots off and understanding I get to come back to the Bay Area and play a game, which is really exciting,' she said on Wednesday. 'I knew that (sellouts were) going to happen as they announced this team. I just knew how supported basketball is in the Bay Area, and knowing the Warriors laid down the framework and the foundation for being a basketball town. So as soon as the Valkyries came, I knew they would get a lot of support and attention.'
On Tuesday, Ionescu told the New York Post that New York is 'where I want to be for the rest of my career.' She is expected to hit free agency this offseason, and the Valkyries had been considered a potential destination.
Leite's recovery: Rookie point guard Carla Leite told the Chronicle on Wednesday that she suffered her back injury after falling during the Valkyries' loss to Dallas last week.
'It's not that serious,' she said. 'Felt a pain in my leg from hitting (my back), so I just need my body to recover.'
Leite was listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against New York and didn't participate in shoot-around.
Bonner a possibility? The Indiana Fever waived wing DeWanna Bonner on Wednesday after reports surfaced that the 37-year-old was requesting a trade.
The six-time All-Star signed with Indiana in the offseason but played in just nine games before missing time with a personal matter. On Wednesday, she said in a news release that she wasn't a fit with the Fever. According to Front Office Sports, her preferred destination is Phoenix, where her fiancée and former teammate Alyssa Thomas plays.
Two sources told the Chronicle on Tuesday night that the Valkyries had not made an attempt to trade for Bonner but didn't dispute there might be interest in her as a waiver claim. The Valkyries and Washington are the only teams that have the cap space to take on her $200,000 contract, but it will be dependent on whether Phoenix makes a move to sign her, as Bonner prefers, at the veteran minimum.