The Indiana Fever are headed to the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016 and their first time this year Caitlin Clark eraThe 22-year-old rookie has rewritten several parts of the league’s record book over the past month while also turning the Fever into one of the hottest teams in the WNBA.
Present-day Indiana Top six seeds advance to playoffsClarke’s supporting cast members Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith and Kelsey Mitchell have also been playing the best basketball of their careers as of late.
However, one former NBA All-Star claims the team is far from complete and is missing a key piece.
Many of the new fans that Clark brought to the WNBA have strongly criticized the many flagrant fouls and other questionable hits called against her this year. In four games against the rival Chicago Sky alone, Clark was hit on three separate flagrant foul calls by three different players, leading to a fierce reaction from fans on social media.
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Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky was called for a flagrant foul against Kaitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever on August 30 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Clarke has avoided major injuries and hasn’t backed down from playing like an MVP candidate despite the injuries. But according to former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah, the team still needs to address this issue in the offseason by signing a player who can punish opponents who are too physical alongside Clarke.
“If I owned the Indiana Fever, I would have an actual enforcer there to protect her,” Noah told Fox News Digital during an interview on “NBA Night” at the Emirates Suite at the U.S. Open in New York on Wednesday.
Noah acknowledged that Clark is being picked on by opposing players because they know the difference-making talent she brings to the court.
“Sometimes I think he’s being called out because he’s such a talented guy,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we’re in the business of winning games, so if I’m the owner (of the Indiana Fever), I’m bringing a real promoter in there.”
Many WNBA fans, new and old, have been highly critical of opponents who attacked Clark. Sky rookie Angel Reese, who hit Clark in the head with her hand while trying to intercept a pass during a game on June 16, spoke openly about the attacks Clark faced from fans during her college career. During your podcast on Thursday. Fellow Sky player Diamond DeShields committed a Flagrant-1 foul against Clark in a game on Aug. 30, causing the rookie to fall to the floor, then posted hateful comments she received on Instagram.
Former NBA All-Star explains why he chose Angel Reese over Caitlin Clark as Rookie of the Year
Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (left) struggles with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 1. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
However, Noah believes the physical therapy Clark has received has been great for the WNBA.
“I think it’s great. I think it’s all entertainment,” Noah said when asked about the foul against Chicago.
ESPN broadcaster Holly Rowe expressed similar thoughts to Noah. an interview Talks were held with Fox News Digital last month.
“I think it’s good for the sport,” Rowe said. “I like it because it’s supposed to be salacious, so it’s competitive, so it’s sporty.”
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark reacts after a flagrant foul by Chicago Sky’s Diamond DeShields at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Aug. 30. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
But despite the entertainment value that comes with the hits, Noah says the Fever must address this issue by bringing in an enforcer-type player as soon as possible. It’s a role he himself is very familiar with.
When Noah was a second-year player for the Chicago Bulls in 2008, the team used its first overall pick on star point guard Derrick Rose. Like Clark, Rose was an up-and-coming newcomer who stunned the league with his talent, and was often treated badly by opposing veterans. He was knocked to the ground dozens of times, especially during trips to the basket.
Noah is one of Rose’s longtime teammates on the Bulls and often defended his teammate when the pair joined the Knicks in 2016.
But Noah has also been on the other end of physical games against transcendent talents.
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Joakim Noah (center) of the Chicago Bulls reacts to a block by LeBron James of the Miami Heat during the first half of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs at American Airlines Arena in Miami on May 6, 2013. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/MCT)
As the team’s defensive anchor, Noh gradually became one of Chicago’s most confrontational players, particularly when playing against superstar LeBron James. During his tenure with the Bulls, Noh played 21 playoff games against James’ Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat teams, and became infamous for drawing fouls and often yelling in James’ face. Several altercations required referees to intervene and separate the two players.
Not only that, but Noah made it a priority to tell other teammates not to give James any special treatment because of his talent.
“I think people get mesmerized by it and knowing that they have fans on the court, that’s something that frustrates me. So if I saw one of my teammates having that kind of energy towards it, I would be the guy who would say, ‘You need to stop this nonsense right now.’ So that was my role, people thought I got hated for it,” Noah said in the suite, while he promoted Emirates as the official global airline partner of the NBA and the first-ever title partner of the Emirates NBA Cup.
So, for Noah, someone who has experience on both sides of this situation, he believes this is a position the Fever greatly lack at the moment.
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