History will say that on April 15, 2024, a brand new era for Indiana fever began.
That, in fact, was the night the franchise, eager for some semblance of recent success, drafted Caitlin Clark No. 1. In an quick all the pieces modified.
Another date – six months later – will now mark an almost equally significant moment. October 27, 2024 can be marked because the day the Fever officially parted ways with head coach Christie Sides after just two seasons. The Clark era continues to be here, however the direction of the franchise has modified.
Kelly Krauskopf, the Fever's recently hired head of basketball operations, appeared to say as much in her statement about Sides' firing. Sides was hired by Lin Dunn, who took on an advisory role after the 2024 season. The teams posted a 33-47 record in two years. Krauskopf described Sides' term in office as an “integral transition period.”
Krauskopf added, “It is also imperative that we remain bold and confident in the pursuit of our goals, which include maximizing our talent and returning another WNBA championship to Indiana.”
Courageous and assertive. These two words appear to define the brand new path of fever. You aren’t any longer in transition. They think big.
We have parted ways with head coach Christie Sides.
More: https://t.co/eBb0wRuBlF pic.twitter.com/Ja5S3uGPOb
– Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) October 27, 2024
Even though Clark and 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston led the franchise, the goal for last season was to make the playoffs. Dunn was clear she wanted to interrupt a seven-year drought. Now, after Clark's record-breaking rookie season, expectations are clearly much higher. The Fever are in search of their first title since 2012.
A transcendent star accelerates timelines.
In the NBA, LeBron James' first head coach (Paul Silas) only oversaw the primary season and a half of James' time in Cleveland. Michael Jordan's first coach (Kevin Loughery) was only with MJ for a yr. In the WNBA, Candace Parker's first skilled coach (Michael Cooper) only spent two seasons with the star forward. The same goes for Diana Taurasi's first trainer, Carrie Graf. Dunn was Sue Bird's drafter and coach during Bird's first season at UConn. But in Bird's second yr, Anne Donovan took over the Storm sideline.
Add Sides to the list of coaches who were hired for one development job, moved to a different, and have become a victim because of this.
The Fever are led by Clark. But with Sunday's decision, also they are Krauskopf's franchise. Krauskopf initially managed the team from 2000 to 2018 before she left the team to turn out to be assistant general manager of the Pacers, becoming the primary woman in NBA history to carry a leadership position in basketball management. She previously made the postseason 13 times and appeared in three WNBA Finals in seven years, including winning the 2012 WNBA title. The desire to repeat those successes is the explanation she returned.
Familiarity appears to play a job in Indiana's coaching search. That could mean attempting to poach current Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White for one more reunion. According to the Chicago Sun Times, White continues to be under contract with the Sun, but recently had discussions with the Fever in regards to the head coaching role.
Krauskopf and White know one another well. White, an Indiana native and Purdue graduate, played for the Fever from 2000 to 2004. She then served as an assistant coach from 2011 to 2014 and later coached the Fever in 2015 and 2016.
Today, she is widely considered one among the league's top coaches. She has experience and has had recent success establishing a brand new offense in Connecticut. She was named Coach of the Year in 2023, led the Fever to the finals in 2015 and has brought greatness out of stars like Tamika Catchings and Alyssa Thomas. She would likely, in Krauskopf's words, “maximize” Indiana's talent, which can also be expected to appeal to veterans in free agency to team up with Clark and Boston.
There was obvious room for improvement under Sides. Defense and diversifying Clark's shooting efficiency are two of the expansion areas the subsequent coach will need to handle.
But the Fever's decision to part ways with the Sides appears to be less in regards to the player-coach relationship and more about what Krauskopf believes can occur when one player (Clark) takes over. Sides and Clark frequently discussed strategy and the way Clark handled the pressure on and off the sector. Over the course of last season, Clark became a simpler shooter and driver, and the Fever won nine of 14 games after the All-Star break while Clark led them to the playoffs and won Rookie of the Year. Krauskopf even praised Sides for this progress.
When Dunn was hired as GM, she said she wanted out of the lottery in her third season. She did that. Under Krauskopf, lottery games aren’t any longer acceptable. Championship celebrations are the goal.
Clark and the Fever will play under a brand new coach and general manager (Amber Cox) next spring. The Fever are done experimenting.
A star has once more accelerated the timeframe for a championship. And again a coach paid the worth.
image credit : www.nytimes.com