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The Indiana Fever have faced a tough stretch to start the WNBA season, with three straight losses and three key guards sidelined. But after several days of uncertainty, head coach Stephanie White offered a wave of optimism — and now, the team’s latest injury report confirms the good news.
Sydney Colson, who had been dealing with a leg injury since exiting last week’s loss to the Connecticut Sun, was not listed on Indiana’s injury report for Tuesday’s game against the Washington Mystics. Colson had been progressing quickly in her rehab and now appears set to return to the active rotation.
“Syd’s been progressing really quickly,” White said on June 1. “She’s going to get out there and get some shots up too… We’ll see where she sits after her recovery from today, make sure we don’t have any setbacks, and then we’ll see where she is tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Sophie Cunningham, who re-aggravated a lingering ankle injury during the same game, has been ruled out for Tuesday. White had previously described her status as day-to-day and was hopeful for a return soon, but the Fever are taking a cautious approach.
“We got good news from both of their MRIs, as good of news as you can get,” White said of Colson and Cunningham. “It’s how each of them progresses in their rehab and in their return to the court action.”
Caitlin Clark Still Out, Aari McDonald Joins Backcourt Rotation
Caitlin Clark remains out with a left quad strain and is expected to miss at least another week. The Fever has not provided a firm return date, but the hope is she’ll be back sometime in June. Through her first four games, Clark averaged 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and a league-best 9.3 assists.
To address the backcourt shortage, Indiana signed former No. 3 overall pick Aari McDonald to a hardship exception contract on June 2. McDonald is expected to play right away and could start alongside Kelsey Mitchell in the backcourt.
“She is a true point guard, so she brings that energy, she brings the ability to dictate,” White said. “And she has been really good so far. It has been a lot of information to absorb quickly, and she has done a great job with it.”
Managing the Indiana Fever Rotation and Looking Ahead
In addition to juggling the guard situation, the Fever held forward Damiris Dantas out of practice recently for precautionary reasons due to lower-body soreness. White noted it was simply a rest day to avoid any risk of a setback.
“She’s got a lot of miles on, and [we’re] making sure she gets a little bit of rest,” White said. “She’s had a little bit of soreness in her lower body, so [we] don’t want that to create or turn into anything.”
With Colson back, McDonald in the fold, and Mitchell continuing to lead the scoring effort, Indiana will enter Tuesday’s game against Washington with more stability than it’s had in over a week. Cunningham remains sidelined, and Clark’s return will still take time, but the Fever are beginning to turn a corner in terms of overall availability.
“Trying to figure out all of our options,” White said. “From potential hardship contracts and players and who’s available to how [we are] with our coaches, really. How we reimagine how we’re using our players.”
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TODAY'S BEST
Slo-Mo Video of Sophie Cunningham's Flagrant Foul on Paige Bueckers Sparks Backlash
In a Tuesday night meeting at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings, looking to advance to 19-14 on the year, and also looking to improve their record without Caitlin Clark to 11-9 on the year. With Clark dealing with a groin injury that has prevented her from playing since July 15, the Fever have relied on others to step up in her absence. One player who has been highly reliable with Clark on the mend is 28-year-old guard, Sophie Cunningham. The seven-year veteran spent the first six seasons of her career with the Phoenix Mercury before being traded to the Fever this offseason. Cunningham came into Tuesday's bout averaging 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game on the year, but has seen an uptick in scoring over the past four games, averaging nearly 15 points per game. However, while Cunningham's scoring has been a plus for the Fever as of late, she finds herself at the center of controversy on Tuesday following a flagrant foul on Paige Bueckers. With 7:23 remaining in the first quarter, Cunningham attempted to contest a three-point attempt by the Wings' No. 1 overall pick, but ended up landing in Bueckers' landing space. After a review of the play, the foul was upgraded to a flagrant 1, and the video of the incident has fans perplexed. "That’s IT," questioned one fan. "In what world is that a flagrant on Sophie Cunningham," added another. "That foul from Sophie Cunningham wasn’t anything close to a flagrant, these officials love making it hard to enjoy watching hoops," wrote a third. Sophie Cunningham's Issues With WNBA Officiating WNBA officials have been widely criticized this season by a plethora of players, coaches and media members, but none seem to have more run-ins than Cunningham. She has been hit with flagrants or fines on multiple occasions this season: June 21: Fined $400 for altercation with Connecticut Sun's Jacy Sheldon. July 23: Fined $500 for TikTok where she @ WNBA refs and played Sabrina Carpenter's song "Manchild," indicating she was calling them "stupid," "slow" or "useless." August 5: Fined $1,500 for comments about WNBA officials on her podcast "Show Me Something." What's at Stake for Sophie Cunningham? While she wasn't ejected due to it being a flagrant 1, if she were to be assessed another, she'd be automatically ejected. In addition to posisbly being ejected, Cunningham also puts herself at risk for a possible suspension if she accumulates too many flagrants or technicals. With Clark banged up, and the Fever in the thick of the playoff race, they cannot afford to lose another key player.
Former crew chief frustrated by the 'ridiculous' racing at Watkins Glen
It is no secret that NASCAR's current road-course package has not been very good. Aside from the mile-and-a-half tracks that were once the least competitive and exciting in the series, those races are the rare bright spot for the Next Gen Car since its inception in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen drove away to an 11.1-second win over Christopher Bell in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen and set multiple records in the process. While the racing was not particularly exciting, that was not what left former crew chief and current analyst Steve Letarte frustrated the most following the weekend. A recurring issue in each race over the weekend was drivers utilizing the runoff areas around the track and not staying on the traditional racing surface, which ultimately led to some crashes in Saturday's Xfinity race. "So, I hate track limits that have to be officiated," Letarte said on "Inside the Race." "Because I like tracks that you should just stay on the track. I didn't think it mattered. Now, I am team get-them-back-on-the-race-track-at-Watkins-Glen. I don't love the Watkins Glen that I see. ... I think Turn 1 is not as great of a corner with no exit respect or responsibility. You just blow the exit. I think the carousel is a much easier corner, being able to just go driver's left. "I also think Turn 6 is going — let me add, that I think the (Connor) Zilisch, SVG wreck between the last two corners (in the Xfinity Series race) happened because they left the track, and the Austin Hill wreck with Michael McDowell happened off the race track. Now, both could have been avoided, we can talk about who's at fault. What I'm saying is, I've never driven a lap at Watkins Glen. I can analyze what happens between the white lines." This comes one year after rumble strips were placed in Turn 1 to keep drivers from using the runoff area, and that clearly has not worked. As the field has got closer together, using up all the track has become a common way for drivers to establish momentum, especially as they prepare for the right-hander going into The Esses at Watkins Glen. The bottom line is NASCAR's road-racing product needs to get better and Letarte wants to see race cars "stay on the race track because I think it will be a better race." Van Gisbergen's historic dominance certainly does not help, but the overall road course product is not great. Whether NASCAR makes some changes to the runoff areas and enforces track limits remains to be seen, but that still may not be the biggest issue if the racing does not improve.
Bryson DeChambeau divulges Scottie Scheffler's biggest advantage
We all know Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer on the planet by a fairly large margin, but what makes him so much more consistent than other stars in professional golf? Bryson DeChambeau, one of Scheffler's biggest rivals in major championships, thinks he knows the answer. In Tuesday's appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," DeChambeau detailed how Scheffler dominates the PGA Tour weekly. "He's got the best spin and distance control I've ever seen," DeChambeau said. "He controls the golf ball from a spin perspective so much better than everybody else. Like, if you're 175 yards out, and it's 10 miles [an hour] into the wind, he knows how to control the flight and spin to get that ball to land right next to the hole every time. Probably since Tiger [Woods], he's the best that we've seen." The stats confirm DeChambeau's breakdown. Scheffler has ranked first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach in three straight seasons. He also ranks first in proximity to the hole and greens in regulation percentage over the last four years. Iron play is Scheffler's superpower, but it wasn't always that way. "I played with him in college a bunch, and I've said it before, but he's definitely improved since college for sure," DeChambeau said with a chuckle. "It's impressive to see what he's done, and we're all aspiring to do that. That's something I've gotta get better at. I can hit it farther than him. I can hit it probably straighter than him. I can make just as many putts as him, but, really, it's about my iron play right now and wedges to get a little more consistent." Iron play is the biggest indicator of success in professional golf. If you're giving yourself more birdie chances from close range than anyone in the field, you're going to have the best chance to win by Sunday afternoon. No one is better at hitting specific distances more consistently than Scheffler. Just look at how accurate he is. DeChambeau has the best chance to catch Scheffler as the best player in the world because he's elite off the tee and on the greens, but that won't happen unless he makes a major improvement to his iron game.
Reason for Struggling Warriors-Bulls Trade Involving Jonathan Kuminga
The Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls are two teams stuck in major limbo. On one end, the Warriors have not made any signifcant moves during NBA free agency, largely due to not finding a solution to Jonathan Kuminga's contract dilemma. On the other end, the Chicago Bulls have been stuck trying to find a solution for both Nikola Vucevic and Josh Giddey. Coincidentally, the two teams could very easily help each other, but it's looking like they won't. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors are not open to any sign-and-trades for Jonathan Kuminga that would force them to trade either Buddy Hield or Moses Moody. "Golden State values both players quite highly, sources say, while maintaining high expectations for both Hield and Moody to be consistent contributors who prove reliable in providing the necessary spacing to boost the Warriors' half-court offense in the postseason," Fischer said. Why Won't a Jonathan Kuminga Trade to the Chicago Bulls Happen? From Fischer's analysis and reporting, the Warriors refusing to trade either Hield or Moody will be the main reason why a trade does not happen between the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls. "The Warriors' refusal to entertain the prospect of surrendering Hield or Moody in those circumstances are among the prime reasons that it's difficult to envision Golden State and Chicago ever finding common ground on a sign-and-trade construction that features Kuminga and Giddey switching teams," Fischer said. Are the Golden State Warriors Interested in Josh Giddey? It may have seemed like the Warriors' interest in Josh Giddey seemed to have come out of nowhere, but according to Fischer, their interest is genuine. However, if the team has to trade Hield or Moody, it won't be happening. "I'm told that the Warriors continue to value Giddey's skillset and have communicated their interest to the Australian point guard's representation. There simply does not appear to be a feasible pathway to such a trade … not right now," Fischer said. Simply stated, the Golden State Warriors are interested in trading for Josh Giddey, which would likely be for Jonathan Kuminga, but the salaries make it tough. "The base-year compensation issue alone makes it challenging before we even get to the limited salary-matching and outgoing player flexibility that Golden State is currently facing," Fischer concluded. The Warriors and Bulls still have over a month before training camp, but once the clock reaches September, then it may be short.
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