Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever are off to an 0-3 start, and while the schedule makers didn’t do them any favors by having them play perennial contenders in the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty (twice), fans are not happy with first-year head coach Christie Sides after three games.
Fans Scapegoating Fever’s Coach Christie Sides Already
It’s been a rough start for Sides and her team, with three double-digit losses, including being embarrassed 102-66 by the Liberty in their home opener. After having their toughness questioned, they did respond and put up a much better effort in Saturday’s 91-80 road loss to the Liberty.
The effort in Saturday’s loss was good for the psyche of the team early on, but not everyone is buying into Sides and her handling of Clark thus far. In fact, there are some anxious Fever and WNBA fans who want to see a new coach take over. Just three games into the season, Fever general manager Lin Dunn hasn’t given any indication to believe Sides’ job security is on shaky ground, but that still hasn’t stopped fans from calling for a change.
Bluder To NapTown Next Season?
It’s no secret that Clark is the Fever’s franchise player and they’re going to do whatever it takes to make her comfortable and successful. If that means a coaching change is needed to make it happen, it’s highly plausible. WNBA and Fever fans even took to X to offer Bluder as the next coach, and to criticize Sides coaching.
“Caitlin Clark has 5 shot attempts and there’s 4 minutes left in the third, OMG I’ve never seen a player get sabotaged by coaching like this,” one fan said.
Another fan took it a step further.
“I think Lisa Bluder could coach the Fever better over zoom than Christie Sides is doing. The team is a mess, no offensive rhythm amongst a lot of other substitution problems. Also why is Boston always so far away from the basket?”
Another fan even believes Bluder, who retired from Iowa earlier this month, will take a year off and then possibly take over in Indiana.
Would Bluder Be A Good Fit?
Through three games, the perception is that Sides has struggled to figure out how to use Clark. In fact, the offense she’s attempting to run looks disjointed and out of sync. With Clark at Iowa, Bluder designed a scheme where Clark was the focal point and had the basketball in her hands.
That allowed her to score and make plays for her Hawkeyes teammates, which led to her leading the nation in scoring and assists.
With the Fever Clark isn’t on the ball much, and that’s something that needs to change. If it doesn’t, don’t be surprised if the Fever do look at possibly bringing in Bluder, who went 884-396 in 40 seasons as a coach, including the final 24 at Iowa.
Remember it’s all about making their newfound franchise player comfortable.
More TSL Stories:
