Fever mentor

On paper, the firing of Fever head coach Christie Sides was a shocker. After all, she did just lead the blue, red, and gold to their first playoff appearance in eight years. Not since all-time-great Tamika Catchings burned rubber had they tasted any postseason action, and she played a not insignificant part in their progress. Moreover, she had just finished the second of a four-year contract, and the length of her accord indicated management’s predilection for patience.

Admittedly, Sides was on the hot seat early in the Fever’s campaign. Compelled to go through the toughest curtain-raising schedule in the Women’s National Basketball Association, they managed to win only one of their first nine contests. However, as their campaign normalized, and as she became more familiar with the predilections of her new-look roster starring rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, the victories began to come, and the trickles became enough of a steady stream for them to finish the regular season with a .500 mark.

To be sure, the remarkable progress was due in large measure to the rest Clark was given due to the Olympic break, and the renewed confidence she thereafter displayed. Having plied her trade for nearly a year sans any stoppage, she benefited from getting her sea legs back; her vaunted stamina returned, and she no longer left her shots — particularly those long-range bombs that catapulted her to stardom — short. Little wonder, then, that the Fever led the league in offensive rating down the stretch and heading into the playoffs.

Creditably, Sides knew enough to rejigger her system to make the best use of Clark. She handed the first overall pick in the draft the keys, and then instructed the rest to follow. That said, there can be no glossing over the Fever’s failure to not just move past the first round of the postseason, but to even claim a single match and bring the series back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Also, she wound up antagonizing a number of players who chafed at her preference to ride starters at their expense.

Interestingly, president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf acknowledged the strides Sides had made and seemed to give her support for the bench tactician in her introductory presser last month. Given that the Fever likewise named a new general manager in Amber Cox vice erstwhile fixture Lin Dunn, perhaps they felt a shakeup on the bench was but fitting. And, no doubt, the fact that six other franchises also let go of their mentors figured into the equation.

If there’s anything the Fever’s upheaval signals, it’s that they will not be happy with anything less than a deep playoff run next year. No more small steps; giants leaps have become the order of the day. Which, in a nutshell, is why they may yet find their best option for the hot seat to be someone who still had a job until yesterday. Indeed, immediate past Sun coach Stephanie White should be their primary target. Having already laid the groundwork by giving Sides the pink slip, they would do well the spread the welcome mat for the only choice that makes perfect sense.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.