The New York Liberty took the court at the start of this season as defending champions of the WNBA. But they faltered when it mattered, and crashed out in the first round of the playoffs, losing 2-1 to the Phoenix Mercury in the best-of-3 series.<\/p>\n
Fans were disappointed, analysts stunned, and consequently, the front desk decided that heads needed to roll. The first one on the chopping block was head coach Sandy Brondello. If it does seem a tad unfair, that\u2019s because it is.<\/p>\n
The Liberty started the season strong with a 9-game winning streak. They were in second place going into the All-Star break. And then injuries hit.<\/p>\n
The big 3 \u2014 Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, and Sabrina Ionescu \u2014 all missed games, courtesy of one injury or the other. Leonie Fiebich spent about four weeks in a German jersey, Natasha Cloud broke her nose, and Nyara Sabally\u2019s knees demanded a break from the schedule.<\/p>\n
Injury troubles notwithstanding, the management has taken the playoff loss as proof that what the Liberty had displayed on the court was simply not good enough. And the team\u2019s general manager, Jonathan Kolb, believes that at least some of the blame lies with the team not being able to create enough chances for Ionescu.<\/p>\n
Make no mistake, Ionescu was great on the ball. But the Liberty faithful took notice that off the ball, she couldn\u2019t contribute much. Journalist Lucas Kaplan questioned GM Kolb about how effective Ionescu\u2019s pairing with Natasha Cloud was.<\/p>\n
Kolb admitted that the management was currently evaluating the best possible backcourt pairing for Ionescu. \u201cThat\u2019s something we have been and are currently discussing in terms of the Tash pairing. I don\u2019t know that we really solved the off-ball production opportunities with Tash in ways that were conducive to creating success for Sabrina,\u201d he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kolb added that Ionescu<\/a> was one of the best shooters in the world with \u201cimmense gravitational pull\u201d. But he admitted that the team has to come up with ways to evolve and improve so as to provide her with the best chance to make it count.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of the partner, I mean, that\u2019s something we\u2019re really looking at. I think there\u2019s consideration of, is it time? Is it time for Sab to be at the one?\u201d Kolb said. Of course, this quest to find the perfect pairing will eventually fall on whoever assumes the post of the head coach next season.<\/p>\n While Kolb presented the pairing scenario and the removal of the coach in the most diplomatic way possible, fans seem to have seen it differently. They are now rising in support of Cloud, claiming that she\u2019s being made a scapegoat for the team\u2019s failures.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t throw Tash under the bus like y\u2019all didn\u2019t let Kayla Thornton and others go last offseason. Just let Sabrina go to the Valkyries (or whichever team she wants) in peace instead of trying to throw everyone else under the bus to save y\u2019all terrible season,\u201d an enraged fan commented<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n Others were concerned whether Kolb\u2019s statement meant the end of Cloud\u2019s journey with the Liberty. \u201cDamn, could Tash potentially not come back ?\u201d they asked<\/a>.<\/p>\n