Despite Chicago Sky adding star rookies, beat writer sees tough road to WNBA playoffs
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Chicago Sky will play its second and final preseason game at home against the New York Liberty on Tuesday, which fans who won't make it to Wintrust Arena can watch on the WNBA app.
The Sky will begin the 2024 regular season on May 15 at 7 p.m. on the road against the Dallas Wings. CBS 2 Sports Director Marshall Harris sat down with Chicago Sun-Times reporter Annie Costabile, who covers the Sky, to discuss their new head coach and chances to make the playoffs.
Harris: "There is this energy right now Annie. Everyone is getting very excited about this team because you've got players like Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso. What should the expectations be from these players as we venture into their rookie seasons?"
Costabile: "So I think the question regarding what the expectations should be for the players and the team are two different answers, right? I think Kamilla and Angel are two players who have a lot of developing to do. I think what will translate immediately is their rebounding skills, but then, when you think about the team as a whole, these are two superstar talents, superstars in the game who bring so much attention. Does that mean that this is going to be an immediate turnaround for the Sky? Absolutely not."
Harris: "Oh."
Costabile: "So two very different answers, I think, when you think about the expectations for the team and then those two players specifically."
Harris: "Plus, they have a new coach, Teresa Weatherspoon. It's the first time for the Hall of Famer to be leading a WNBA team. What have been your early impressions of her as a head coach?"
Costabile: "Oh my gosh, [she's] the ultimate professional. I think her energy is so unique to Chicago, right? I think covering sports in this city, we learn very early on when players come in, when coaches come in and kind of mirror the energy of the city and Teresa's got that, and on top of that, she's got this NBA experience. She understands how professional organizations are run. She's holding her players and this franchise to that standard as well."
Harris: "OK, we know she's intense. We know there's expectations for Reese and Cardoso. When you look at the other players on this team, what should be, I guess, the realistic expectations and who should they be watching, honing in on, if they're watching the Sky, maybe for the first time, with the attention they're getting?"
Costabile: "You know what? I love that question because this really is a new era in Chicago and although Kamilla and Angel are kind of front and center of that new era, we've got players who've been here. Two of them specifically, one in Dana Evans, one in Diamond DeShields. Diamond left in free agency and came back. Dana's been here since the [2021] title and the unique thing about Dana Evans is, you know, she's been biding her time behind point guard veterans in this league. Courtney Vandersloot obviously was a mentor, a player who impacted her career in terms of guiding her in those early years, and I think now is gonna be the first time, truly, in Dana's career that she's thrust into a dominant position, whether that's the starting role or not, Teresa has not confirmed, but it seems very likely that Dana will be the starting point guard."
Harris: "Alright, so let's do the math on this. There are 12 WNBA teams. It's not a big league yet, but it is a growing league. Eight teams make the playoffs. Is it realistic to believe that this team can do that even with all that youth that we just talked about?"
Costabile: "You know what? That's another great question. You obviously know what questions to ask. You're a pro here. I think when you consider who's going to make the playoffs, you gotta look at teams that didn't last year and got better. Two of them specifically are the Indiana Fever and the Los Angeles Sparks. I think last year, the Chicago Sky were a team that, until the very end, were fighting for that eighth position, the last spot in the playoffs. So when you consider that the Indiana Fever got significantly better, and I'm not just saying because of Caitlin Clark. Of course, she's impacting their improvements, but all of their players on that roster are a year older. You look at NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston, like this team got better and on top of it, they added Caitlin Clark. So it just puts things in perspective when you consider those things. It's very easy to see that it's gonna be tough for the Sky to make the playoffs."
