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00:00Fresh off the All-Star break, the Liberty are back in action tonight against the Fever.
00:04Our WNBA writer and reporter, Maddie Kenney, is blessing the studio today for today's episode of Liberty Lately.
00:12There's been a lot that's been going on lately.
00:15Hi, my name is Madeline Kenney and I cover the New York Liberty and the WNBA at large for the New York Post.
00:20Make sure you subscribe to the Post Sports Plus for access to exclusive stories and interviews with your favorite players and coaches.
00:26Subscribers get my weekly newsletter, Inside the Liberty, where I'll take you behind the scenes on the defending champion season and their pursuit for another ring.
00:35Sports Plus subscribers also get text alerts from me with exclusive tidbits.
00:39You can also text me your burning questions you want answered on the Liberty.
00:42All right, Maddie, you all marked safe from the All-Star break?
00:46I'm back.
00:47You get your electrolytes?
00:48Yeah, lots of Gatorade, lots of water, I'm asleep, I'm good, I'm recuperated.
00:52What's your biggest highlight or your best moment that you can give us, that you can tell us from the break?
00:59I'll say probably the fact that Natasha Cloud and Sabrina Ionescu sweep Friday night activities.
01:05We'll keep it to on the basketball court.
01:07Nice and PG-13, I absolutely love it.
01:09We're going to keep our jobs.
01:11Let's talk about some news that's broke.
01:13Stephanie Talbot, she signed with the squad.
01:15Can you give us kind of like a little bit of the details on that, how she's going to fit in with the team?
01:20And then what's the latest on Emma Niesemann?
01:24Yeah, so let's start with Stephanie.
01:26She's actually at Shootaround today and she's expected to play tonight.
01:28She just kind of like adds some defensive versatility.
01:31She is a wing for them, like just kind of bolsters that area of depth on this roster.
01:37The biggest thing for her too is that she actually played on the Australian national team under Sandy Brondello.
01:42So she's a really good understanding of this team and what they need from her.
01:46And even today, Jonquo Jones was saying, yeah, like the first day of practice, here she is.
01:51And it feels like she's been here all season.
01:53So, you know, I'm expecting a very seamless transition for her.
01:57And then Emma Niesemann, I mean, it's a huge deal that the Liberty were able to get her to commit.
02:02She has not signed a deal yet.
02:04It's just a verbal commitment right now.
02:06They're trying to figure out some of the visa process and stuff.
02:08But she's just like a world-class athlete.
02:12I mean, she does so much for them.
02:14And if you remember back in Game 5 of the finals, that three-big lineup with Niara was what swung that game
02:20and helped the Liberty clinch their title.
02:22And now you have Emma Niesemann, Jonquo Jones, Brianna Stewart, who, by the way,
02:27all have experience playing with one another.
02:29I mean, this just makes them infinitely better.
02:32It's hard to understand.
02:33Absolutely.
02:34I mean, there's that familiarity there and the chemistry.
02:37And just for a player, you know, I play professional football.
02:41But just to be able to go in and just plug and play.
02:43I already understand the system.
02:45I know the terminology, which is what a lot of guys from the football side kind of struggle with.
02:50But just being able to understand the X's, the O's, and the Y's, why I need to be at place, this place, that place.
02:57And I think that's going to be great, that kind of adding to that roster or defending championship roster.
03:03You mentioned Jonquo Jones.
03:06She's missed the last nine games with a right ankle sprain.
03:11She's expected to play tonight.
03:13You shaking your head?
03:14Yeah.
03:14Yeah, yeah.
03:15Okay.
03:15She said after a shoot around today, she's good to go.
03:17Seven and five in the games without her this season.
03:22I mean, it's a dumb question, but, I mean, how big is it to get J.J. back?
03:26I mean, I think that that record right there tells you everything you need to know.
03:30But the biggest thing with J.J. being gone is it did allow other players to kind of step up and get more playing time and get more opportunities.
03:37You've got a better look at what Izzy Harrison can do for this team.
03:40Niara Saboli played more minutes.
03:43Rebecca Gardner, when Sabrina Ionescu went down with a neck injury, and Maureen Johannes, too.
03:48There was just a lot more opportunity for some of the depth to be tested.
03:51I think that there was a little bit of a wake-up call of how important J.J. is to this team because I think sometimes her game can be a little bit underrated to just the casual watcher.
04:01But she does so much when it comes to floor spacing, offense, like facilitating, getting inside, defensively.
04:08I mean, she's your anchor.
04:09Like, she's the air traffic controller that tells everyone what needs to happen.
04:13And then if somebody gets blown by, she's there as, like, the insurance policy, you know?
04:16So I think that getting J.J. back is huge for this team.
04:19And it's just going to also provide, like, a lift, you know, just with energy has been really high around this team.
04:26But I think there is something to be said about mentally what happens with a team when you do get a player that's so important, like J.J. back into the lineup.
04:33You mentioned that depth, getting some minutes and some well-needed experience for some of them.
04:38Did they answer the call, though?
04:40I think most of them in different situations did.
04:44You know, nobody is going to be able to replace J.J.
04:46And to ask, like, Izzy Harrison to step in and be J.J., I mean, nobody can do that.
04:51Not even me or us sovereignly.
04:53And so I think, you know what, given the opportunities that they had, were they perfect at all times?
04:59No.
04:59But you know what?
05:00They were enough to help steady the ship.
05:02Liberty are still second in the league despite playing all those games without J.J.
05:06I mean, they're still in a really good spot to defend this title.
05:09So how deep would you say the rotation is now?
05:12I mean, I feel like you never want to go more than, like, a 9, 10-player rotation.
05:18But you probably could go 12 with this team.
05:21Yeah.
05:22I mean, you could if you wanted to.
05:24But I think what's really exciting is knowing that, you know, given all the depth of this team,
05:28then you're going to probably be able to rest J.J. a little bit more or Brianna Stewart or Sabrina
05:34and make sure that they're really fresh for the playoffs.
05:37Glad you mentioned that because now we're going to see how this team is stacking up.
05:41We're going to take a look at the standings and where the Liberty currently sit
05:45and how they got there.
05:4615-6 overall, 5-5 in the last 10, 10-2 at home.
05:52But 5-4 away.
05:55Numbers, stats.
05:57I mean, just when we talked about going into the second half of play out of this All-Star break,
06:02how big is it for them to just get off to a fast start or continue where they left off before the break?
06:08Yeah, because they're on a three-game winning streak right now.
06:10So I think that it's more so being able to pick up where you left off and kind of continuing that momentum.
06:14They are, you know, the All-Star break is really not that much of a break for players that are in the All-Star festivities.
06:21And so for Brianna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, I mean, they both had yesterday off practice.
06:26And they were at shoot-around today.
06:29Brianna was going to take her afternoon nap.
06:32Like, she's tired.
06:33And so I think that it's more so trying to just get through this week because then they have a back-to-back at the end of this week.
06:38And so, you know, you want to set the right tone.
06:42And I feel like with getting J.J. back, they're going to be able to set that tone without exhausting the rest of the roster.
06:48Which is why that depth is so important.
06:50Exactly.
06:50To be able to rest the stars like that.
06:52I need a nap, too.
06:53Yeah.
06:54I mean, don't we all?
06:55I need a little afternoon nap, too.
06:56So let's kind of preview the second half.
06:58They're going to face the league-leading Lynx four times.
07:0313 of their final 23 games are on the road.
07:07And nine of those are against the top 16.
07:09They are a different team on the road than what they are at the Barclays Center.
07:14The second half of the season is going to be a dogfight.
07:17Does that concern you that they're, I guess, Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde are home and away?
07:24Yeah.
07:24No, I know what you mean.
07:25I mean, as of right now, I'm not totally concerned just because a lot of those road games were without J.J.
07:32Again, I know I keep going back to that, but it's such an important part of this team.
07:36And so I'm not totally concerned about that.
07:38But what I will say is that the reason why they're so hard to beat at home is because they really feed off of that Barclays center crowd.
07:44I mean, the way that those fans get into, especially in the fourth quarter, I mean, you have seen momentum changes happen and the swings happen in favor of the home team just because they're feeding off of.
07:55And it just takes, like, one big block or one, you know, turnover, breakaway basket to just really, like, shift the crowd in favor of the Liberty.
08:05And so I think that that's why they thrive at home partially is they can kind of, even on nights when they might not feel like they have it energetically wise, they can feed off of the crowd.
08:14And so it is a tough, it is a tough second half season schedule.
08:19I mean, facing the Lynx four times is no joke.
08:23And that's their biggest competition when it comes to a title this year.
08:27So those games will be really telling.
08:29It's when you talk about that home crowd and getting them juiced up.
08:32Shout out to D.J. Rio, who does a great job, especially when she introduces Ellie.
08:36She's like, here comes Ellie.
08:40I'm like, how long is those E's?
08:42Yeah, yeah.
08:43But it's a, I mean, maybe I shouldn't say this, but Liberty games are a lot more fun than Nets games.
08:50And it's just the energy and all.
08:52And again, as a former player, just, again, not basketball, you feed off the crowd, especially if you're a villain, you know, the Draymond Greening types.
09:01You feed off of that energy.
09:03And when it's your home crowd, you got Ellie dancing, hitting the Harlem Shake.
09:07It's just a, it's just a completely different vibe.
09:10I encourage everyone to kind of go check this team out.
09:13But does it concern you?
09:16Or let me rephrase that.
09:19Are you worried that six of those games or nine of those games are against six of the top teams in the WNBA?
09:26I think that it's going to be a really good test for this team.
09:29I think when you want to defend the title or you want to go back to back, you need to face those challenges.
09:34You need to be tested in big ways like that.
09:36And so, if anything, it should excite them.
09:39It shouldn't be daunting to them.
09:40I mean, you're still the number two team in the league.
09:42You've already had some pretty big marquee wins this season.
09:45And defending champs.
09:46And you're the defending champs.
09:47Like, so you are still the team to beat.
09:49And so, don't forget that.
09:50I mean, just because they have all those games against top six teams, they're still the team that has the biggest target on their back.
09:55But then that means you're not able to maybe rest Sabrina and, you know, Brianna a little bit more than what you want because you are playing against these top teams in the league.
10:07Maybe, yes, when you're playing those games.
10:10But there are also other games where you probably could find maybe, okay, you're playing a, I don't want to throw a team under the bus.
10:16Go ahead, throw them under the bus.
10:18You're playing like a Wings or a Sky team.
10:20Maybe, like, you could, you know, find the minutes and allow Depp to have more opportunities.
10:24All right, let's go around the association.
10:27The CBA agreement's lurking right around the corner.
10:30The players, they had, their message is evident in where they stand.
10:36Pay them what they owe them.
10:38How do you think this is going to affect not only the Liberty but just the league in general?
10:46I think the CBA negotiations are the biggest story in the WNBA this season.
10:50We can talk about expansion all we want.
10:52But if anything, expansion showed us, especially in this latest round where expansion fees are worth $250 million,
10:58that this league is, you know, on the, up and up.
11:02The trajectory is, you know, up.
11:05And I think because of that, players want their slice of the pie.
11:09And I think that when you think about, you know, revenue sharing and stuff, you look at what the NBA,
11:14they don't want to be paid the NBA salaries.
11:16They just want a fair cut, like the NBA, it's, you know, 51, 49% split for revenue sharing.
11:21And players want to see something similar or comparable that would allow them to have more
11:25and see an increased salary, have better player benefits, really just set the tone
11:29and put this league where it should be in the year 2025.
11:34I mean, it's, you hear some of the salary numbers and it's, I mean, they're making less than what
11:40some people make out of college in certain fields, maybe not journalism, but in certain fields.
11:46And so I think that, you know, this is something that's going to be a story that's going to continue
11:52on for the rest of the season.
11:53And current CBA expires October 31st, which is the end of this season.
11:57A work stoppage is very possible.
12:00Players are bracing for it.
12:01But the hope is, is that they're able to get a deal done before, in order not to, you know,
12:07eat into next season.
12:08How do we get the casual fan on board?
12:11Because when I go through the comments, it's a bunch of people who probably didn't even play
12:15JV basketball that automatically just become these lawyers or something and know everything
12:21about the WNBA CBA agreement.
12:23Like, how do we get them on board?
12:26Because there's so much misinformation and opinions out there and not a lot of people
12:30speaking with facts.
12:31I think the biggest thing is that there's a lot of bad actors who maybe are like, oh,
12:35the WNBA is not profitable.
12:37It's not making money.
12:38But if, if people didn't see it on a pathway to being profitable, then NBA owners would not
12:44be paying $250 million to get in at this time, at this, like that is a major investment,
12:49but they see that they're going to see some return on that investment right now.
12:53And so it's not about, you know, if anything, and I think an HR manager I saw on social media
13:00wrote about this, that players, even if a business is losing money, employees are still,
13:06they still deserve to get paid.
13:08And they just want to get paid their worth.
13:10I mean, players are the product.
13:11Players are the reason why the WNBA is, is on this upward trajectory.
13:15It's not, it's not the owners necessarily, but you're very grateful for the owners that
13:20continue to invest back into their, their teams and their franchises.
13:25But I think players just see that the time is now for them to really make this jump, because
13:29I don't think they're ever going to have as much leverage in negotiations as they do
13:32right now in this moment.
13:33You think we see Caitlin Clark get vocal about it?
13:37I actually asked her at All-Star Game about whether, you know, I know she's a second year
13:41player and, and young.
13:43And I think, you know, it takes a lot of courage for a young player to step up and use their
13:48voice in types of these kinds of negotiations and stuff.
13:51Because look, CBAs are very complicated, is not, as somebody that's like been a union worker
13:56in the past, like there are a lot of complexities in these types of conversations and stuff.
14:00But, you know, she said that she sees the power in her voice and that she, you know, is going
14:04to continue to do what she can to help move this league forward and help the players, you
14:09know, collectively, all of them to get their worth.
14:12Okay, Clayton, look at you being normal.
14:14I like it, girl.
14:16Yeah.
14:16But I've been through, like through the NFL and the CFL, almost been through two lockouts.
14:20So yeah, they, they tell you, hey, hold those checks.
14:23Don't go out there buying bottles and out there, you know, tricking that money off, hold
14:27on to that money.
14:28Last but not least, Maddie, just go mad for us.
14:32The floor is yours.
14:33Final thoughts on the Liberty going into play again after the All-Star break.
14:39Yeah, I'm just excited for the second half of the season to start.
14:41I mean, I do wish the break was a little bit longer, but overall, I just think that, you
14:45know, the second half is going to, we're going to see more about what this team is all about.
14:49Because I think the first half, it was kind of a mixed bag.
14:52They just weren't fully healthy.
14:54They were not full strength.
14:55You know, we saw the first nine games, how good they can be.
14:59And when they went away from their brand of basketball, that's when they kind of hit
15:02that rough patch.
15:03And so I think that as long as they stay true to be playing, you know, selfless basketball,
15:08positionless, you know, having a healthy JJ, having a healthy Niara, having Emma Miesemann.
15:15I mean, I think the sky's the limit for this team.
15:17Told you guys, there was a lot going on lately.
15:19Thanks for watching.
15:20Liberty Lately.
15:21Thanks, Maddie, for coming in.
15:22Thanks for having me.
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