WNBA
While basketball fans debate who was right and who was wrong in the Caitlin Clark and Sky guard Chennedy Carter furore, former NBA player Matt Barnes has been wondering where his Fever star teammate has been all this time.
During Saturday's win over the Sky, Clark was hard fouled away from the ball after Carter took the WNBA rookie to the ground with a hip check, prompting an immediate foul.
In a post on Instagram, Barnes avoided talking about the play itself, but rather addressed why Clark's teammates were negligent in protecting her after the shoulder check occurred.
“She's been getting beat up all season long — hard screens, elbows, knockdowns,” Barnes said. “That's the reality. She's not the first and she won't be the last. My problem, my question, is, where the hell are her teammates? Where are you guys? Where is the rest of the Indiana Fever?
“When she got knocked down, I saw some girls smirking and picking her up. Everybody's like, you gotta protect your assets, you gotta protect your stars. Even if it's a team, you gotta protect your stars. I was the guy who protected the stars. Fuck Kobe. [Chris Paul]break [Griffin]The list goes on, but it would be a problem.
Barnes played 14 seasons in the NBA, spending four with the Clippers and two with the Lakers as well as stints with other teams including the Knicks, Kings and Warriors.
The former player was known for his physical style of play on the court and for not being afraid to defend his team's best players when necessary.
“You guys are supposed to be a family,” Barnes continued, “and you're wondering why we're at the bottom of the league right now, and it's because you guys don't protect each other. The coaches don't do anything, the players don't do anything. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“But other teams in the league are going to keep testing her. That's what they have to do. It's your job to support her and to support each other. You've got to try harder, ladies.”
Clark has borne the brunt of opposing teams' aggressive offenses this season as the Fever have struggled, winning just two games before hosting the Liberty in Brooklyn on Sunday.
The No. 1 overall draft pick this year called the play “not a basketball play,” and Fever general manager Lin Dan criticized the foul in a post on X on Saturday.
“There's a difference between tough defense and unnecessary offensive action!” Dunn wrote. “This needs to stop! The league needs to 'clean up' the crap! This is not that league!!”
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