Carla Leite is questionable for tomorrow’s game vs New York with her lingering back injury. Today Natalie Nakase said that Leite was doing fine and practiced
I was realizing her game reminds me of the on-court game of Jimmy Butler. Total leader and game organizer, excellent defender, good but not elite at shooting or driving but makes it work with great game knowledge and making the right play every time.
Great article. Love watching Burton play, she's smart and tough and understands the game so well. When she gets fired up on the floor it boosts the energy of the whole team. The Jimmy comparison seems apt because she always makes a huge impact even when she isn't one of the team leaders in scoring.
France completely rolled over Lithuania, game was not as close as the final score. I gotta say, Rupert looked very good, are you all sure we'd want to wait until next year?
Juste got a bit frustrated and looked like a teenager at times, but still seems very promising.
Trying to decide if our players are that good, or the level of competition is just a lot lower than in the W.
Any thoughts who will be dropped when Temi returns? I was thinking Bibby, but with Linskens gone they still need size, and she is able to hit a 3. So, maybe Ariel or Bree? In any case, I'm not about to second guess Ohemaa at this point, she's done a great job finding players that can fit what Nakase wants to do.
A good question. The short answer is Aerial Powers or Bree Hall are last on the depth chart and I expect them to go first. It’s possible Chen will go before Powers, but she looked pretty competent vs CON.
The long answer is, here is a list of Valkyries on the bubble, ordered by raw number of minutes played.
Amihere
Bibby
Chen
Powers
Hall
They are taking the roster spots of the 4 Eurobasketeers and Linskens.
That leaves exactly one spot for 5 of them. You could squeeze out another spot by waiving Talbot, who has been improving with the more regular playing time.
Also complicating things is the rumor that Iliana Rupert, who has been crushing it with France alongside Salaun, will join GSV after EuroBasket. That would take that one spot and leave all 5 out in the cold.
If I were forced to make the difficult cold-hearted decision, I would tell Rupert to come next year and keep Amihere. No reason for Rupert to burn a year of team control for a half season.
I would also keep Bibby and waive Talbot. They both bring a lot, but Talbot’s shot is missing and she’s also an unrestricted free agent next year. Bibby would be Reserved which is restricted free agency for the first 3 years.
Agree with keeping Amihere and asking Rupert to report next season.
I think Talbot is feeling more pressure, that's why when she misses, she seems to miss wildly. And you can see her teammates really rooting for her. I've been a Talbot skeptic for a few seasons and keep wondering why she seems to be in-demand. I was hoping the Valks would have picked Li Yueru instead of Talbot. But in watching more Talbot play, I see why Nakase believes in her. Talbot's a very smart team defender. She has good timing in her rotations and help-action. She also hustles and gets 50-50 balls which result in extra possessions. This part seems to be important to Nakase.
Hard choice as Chloe Bibby has been very impressive and fearless.
Credit to Kaitlyn Chen. Just like at UConn, her game doesn't jump out. But she hustles, plays smart and tough defense, and doesn't make many mistakes.
At this point, I'm sold on Coach Nat and Ohemaa. I'm on board with whatever they decide.
Was looking for a weekend home game to go to, and that July schedule is rough! 7 of 9 on the road. But, they also play on the 16th and then not again until the 25th.
Also, the end of the year will be a challenge, they finish with:
Fever
Liberty
Wings (okay, this one should be easy. but they lost the first one)
Lynx
@Storm
@Lynx
If they are fighting for playoff seeding, could be a disappointing finish. Or, just keep surprising everyone, why not?
Last year, a .500 record achieved the 6th seed. I think this is a realistic goal and would have the benefit of missing the Liberty and Lynx who are the only teams I’d fear in a series.
Thorton, Burton, and Hayes are all excellent, so glad we have them on the team.
Amihere gave me Kuminga PTSD with her array of great players and boneheaded mistakes - if she can put it all together, she'll be a heck of a player.
Bibby hit a couple threes early, Chen seemed like a reasonable backup PG.
Was that Chen's first points in the WNBA? The crowd reacted like it was.
Chase Center is a lovely monument to the holy grails of basketball and tech. It's too bad that I had to drain my kid's college accounts to buy them food.
The second quarter scoring explosion was all it took - the second half was a lot of scrappy play and missed threes.
My kids loved it, the energy was great, we're probably going back in August.
FYI
[[
GAME STATUS REPORT : Golden State Valkyries vs. New York Liberty – June 25, 2025
Carla Leite- Questionable - Back
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Things may change before game time…
Also: @mingemi.bsky.social:
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Carla Leite is questionable for tomorrow’s game vs New York with her lingering back injury. Today Natalie Nakase said that Leite was doing fine and practiced
]]
Sun's Marina Mabrey out 2-4 weeks with left knee injury.
Good little piece about Veronica Burton: https://sfstandard.com/2025/06/24/veronica-burton-valkyries-playoffs-draft/
I was realizing her game reminds me of the on-court game of Jimmy Butler. Total leader and game organizer, excellent defender, good but not elite at shooting or driving but makes it work with great game knowledge and making the right play every time.
Great article. Love watching Burton play, she's smart and tough and understands the game so well. When she gets fired up on the floor it boosts the energy of the whole team. The Jimmy comparison seems apt because she always makes a huge impact even when she isn't one of the team leaders in scoring.
France completely rolled over Lithuania, game was not as close as the final score. I gotta say, Rupert looked very good, are you all sure we'd want to wait until next year?
Juste got a bit frustrated and looked like a teenager at times, but still seems very promising.
Trying to decide if our players are that good, or the level of competition is just a lot lower than in the W.
Prefer to incorporate Rupert this year. Playing with Salauen and Leite!
If Rupert comes, that would mean Amihere, Bibby, Chen, Powers, Hall getting cut.
If someone else is waived (I’ve been saying Talbot is on the bubble but no one from GSV has said that), then you could keep one of them.
Yes.
Sportico and other socials reporting the Valkyries are already valued at 500 million. Wild if true.
That's nuts. Are they the top-valued WNBA team now?
Yeah. NYL (420 million) and LVA (310 million) are the next two highest.
Any thoughts who will be dropped when Temi returns? I was thinking Bibby, but with Linskens gone they still need size, and she is able to hit a 3. So, maybe Ariel or Bree? In any case, I'm not about to second guess Ohemaa at this point, she's done a great job finding players that can fit what Nakase wants to do.
A good question. The short answer is Aerial Powers or Bree Hall are last on the depth chart and I expect them to go first. It’s possible Chen will go before Powers, but she looked pretty competent vs CON.
The long answer is, here is a list of Valkyries on the bubble, ordered by raw number of minutes played.
Amihere
Bibby
Chen
Powers
Hall
They are taking the roster spots of the 4 Eurobasketeers and Linskens.
That leaves exactly one spot for 5 of them. You could squeeze out another spot by waiving Talbot, who has been improving with the more regular playing time.
Also complicating things is the rumor that Iliana Rupert, who has been crushing it with France alongside Salaun, will join GSV after EuroBasket. That would take that one spot and leave all 5 out in the cold.
If I were forced to make the difficult cold-hearted decision, I would tell Rupert to come next year and keep Amihere. No reason for Rupert to burn a year of team control for a half season.
I would also keep Bibby and waive Talbot. They both bring a lot, but Talbot’s shot is missing and she’s also an unrestricted free agent next year. Bibby would be Reserved which is restricted free agency for the first 3 years.
Agree with keeping Amihere and asking Rupert to report next season.
I think Talbot is feeling more pressure, that's why when she misses, she seems to miss wildly. And you can see her teammates really rooting for her. I've been a Talbot skeptic for a few seasons and keep wondering why she seems to be in-demand. I was hoping the Valks would have picked Li Yueru instead of Talbot. But in watching more Talbot play, I see why Nakase believes in her. Talbot's a very smart team defender. She has good timing in her rotations and help-action. She also hustles and gets 50-50 balls which result in extra possessions. This part seems to be important to Nakase.
Hard choice as Chloe Bibby has been very impressive and fearless.
Credit to Kaitlyn Chen. Just like at UConn, her game doesn't jump out. But she hustles, plays smart and tough defense, and doesn't make many mistakes.
At this point, I'm sold on Coach Nat and Ohemaa. I'm on board with whatever they decide.
I agree 100% on your last point, Arnold.
Ditto
Was looking for a weekend home game to go to, and that July schedule is rough! 7 of 9 on the road. But, they also play on the 16th and then not again until the 25th.
Also, the end of the year will be a challenge, they finish with:
Fever
Liberty
Wings (okay, this one should be easy. but they lost the first one)
Lynx
@Storm
@Lynx
If they are fighting for playoff seeding, could be a disappointing finish. Or, just keep surprising everyone, why not?
Last year, a .500 record achieved the 6th seed. I think this is a realistic goal and would have the benefit of missing the Liberty and Lynx who are the only teams I’d fear in a series.
TK:
As I've noted, Chase Center is pretty much booked in September, when the early rounds of the playoffs will take place.
I've heard that if they make it, Valkyries could host playoff games at the Oakland Arena.
https://bsky.app/profile/timkawakami.bsky.social/post/3lsbupahno22f
Unbelievable job by coach Nat. She's throwing out lineups made up of cast-offs, and they're playing like confident vets.
Maybe Kerr should have her join his staff during the NBA season as a special consultant.
Report from the game:
Thorton, Burton, and Hayes are all excellent, so glad we have them on the team.
Amihere gave me Kuminga PTSD with her array of great players and boneheaded mistakes - if she can put it all together, she'll be a heck of a player.
Bibby hit a couple threes early, Chen seemed like a reasonable backup PG.
Was that Chen's first points in the WNBA? The crowd reacted like it was.
Chase Center is a lovely monument to the holy grails of basketball and tech. It's too bad that I had to drain my kid's college accounts to buy them food.
The second quarter scoring explosion was all it took - the second half was a lot of scrappy play and missed threes.
My kids loved it, the energy was great, we're probably going back in August.
Glad you survived your pilgrimage to Ballhalla!
Yes, that game was Chen’s WNBA debut and thus first points. Also the crowd loves her!
The Kate Martin nutmeg quasi-entry pass was beautiful and hilarious, even though I can't remember if it led to points or not.
My memory (I’m on Bart) is that that beauty led to Bibby getting fouled