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One pro basketball season ended Wednesday for Chicago fans. And another began. One era ended. And another began. Depending on your definition of “era.”
For the Chicago Bulls, their NBA season closed with a 94-91 loss to the host Miami Heat in their Eastern Conference semifinal. With the Heat’s 4-1 series triumph, the short-lived Nate Robinson era closed — unless something unforeseen occurs. He likely will not be back for 2013-14.
“I would love to,” Robinson, who had 21 points in Game 5 after going 0-for-12 in Game 4, said to media in Miami about returning to the Bulls. “But knowing the guys that we have here, I know it’s probably limited space for me. … God has blessed me this far and continue to play the game that I love. I love this team, I love these guys, and if I could stay here, it would be wonderful.”
Elena Delle Donne had an impressive WNBA debut in the Chicago Sky’s sole preseason game. Credit: Rick Welton/Homeland Sports
For the Chicago Sky, their WNBA season began with an 85-67 preseason victory against the New York Liberty before a capacity crowd at Chicago State University. With the exhibition triumph, the much-anticipated Elena Delle Donne era began — unless something unforeseen occurs. She is a transcendent talent who can carry a franchise that never has been in the postseason to the promised land — and possibly championships — for the next decade or so.
Because the travel budget at elliottharris.com did not provide for transportation to Miami, your humble correspondent ventured to the Jacoby Dickens Gymnasium at Chicago State. It was time well-spent.
Delle Donne made her first field-goal attempt, a 15-foot jumper on a pass from Epiphanny Prince, with 8:04 left in the first quarter. Delle Donne followed with a block of an Essence Carson jumper. The rookie from Delaware sank her first three-point attempt for the Sky’s first lead at 11-9.
In the final 5:10 of the second quarter, Delle Donne had a blocked shot, an assist on a Prince jumper and eight points, as the Sky took a 48-31 halftime lead. Delle Donne finished with a game-high 17 points — 15 in the first half — in a team-high 21:56 playing time. She was 6-of-9 from the field with 2-of-3 from three-point range.
Not that she was perfect in her debut. The forward/guard missed a technical free throw and on defense lost her player on an inbounds play with the result an Alex Montgomery 20-footer for the Liberty.
All in all, however, Delle Donne was impressive, a player who made the game look easy. A player who blended in seamlessly as a starter with a veteran group of forward Swin Cash, center Sylvia Fowles and guards Courtney Vandersloot and Prince. A player who certainly merited being the No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA draft.
Prince had 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Former DePaul standout Allie Quigley came off the bench to score 14 and Shay Murphy aded 10. Montgomery and Chicago native Cappie Pondexter led the Liberty (0-2) with 14 points each.
“She did what she’s been doing all week in practice,” Sky coach Pokey Chatman said of Delle Donne. “She just extended it with the lights on, the officials and all of her teammates. She’s 6-6 and has got a skill set that’s special.”
“The speed of the game is a lot faster [than college], but I’ve had so many practices under my belt now with the team that I was used to that pace,” Delle Donne said. “Practice really prepared me for today. We practice extremely hard. We go fast. We really attack one another and make it hard on each other, so I was definitely prepared for today.”
Based on her debut, Delle Donne also better be prepared for stardom, being the future of the franchise and elevating the Sky to a more prominent position on the Chicago sports landscape.
Video from the Sky’s preseason contest, including Delle Donne’s first pro basket and postgame interviews:
If this is Thursday (and the odds seem pretty good that it is — based on the fact that yesterday was Wednesday if you are reading this on May 16 or a subsequent Thursday), then it is time once again for “Sports & Torts” on Talkzone.com at noon Central time with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris. The highly acclaimed interview show (well, it is highly acclaimed in the Spada and Harris households, as well as reportedly elsewhere) will feature Green Bay Packers legends Bart Starr and Paul Hornung on the May 16 program. The show also will be available on podcast later in the afternoon on Talkzone.com.
And now for some non-basketball video. The non-gratuitous variety — which is the only kind that the editorial and video staffs at elliottharris.com know, so here we go:
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