Landlord special

No one understands what the Chicago Sky are doing; even, it's seemed for years, them.

Last week, the Chicago Sky traded Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream. It’s a flop ending to a fraught era for an organization that can’t seem to get out of its own way.

The Sky have spent the ensuing days attempting to stop the mass exodus of fans with a flurry of splashy free agency signings. Since Reese’s departure, Chicago has acquired Jacy Sheldon, Skylar Diggins, Rikea Jackson, and DiJonai Carrington. These additions are a needed salve for a fanbase smarting from years of organizational ineptitude. If nothing else, the team should be competitive, a welcome reprieve from its 23-61 record across the past two seasons. These new players, especially established vets like Diggins and Carrington, bring a sense of legitimacy to an organization that has struggled to consistently attract big names in free agency.

What these players cannot fix however, is the structural issues of an organization that often feels less like a professional sports team and more like a well funded rec team. In this era of exploding WNBA popularity and (now CBA-required) improved working conditions, the Sky as an organization seem to relish blocking their own progress and wagging a finger in the face of their fanbase.

The blunders are cartoonish. The firing of head coach/WNBA legend Teresa Witherspoon was rationalized by the assertion that the team needed to be playoff contenders — they finished the following season 10-34. The team has also traded away years worth of first round draft picks, leaving less to show for such a humiliating effort.

Fans have criticized Chicago’s in-arena experience, which feels semi-pro compared to other franchises. Most notably, a practice facility that was the promised end to public training sessions won’t be ready for the season. The Sky’s lack of proper training facilities has been the subject of criticism by players and ridicule by fans for years. The team used a public rec center, sharing space with anyone who happened to be working out at the same time.

They’ve been called the worst organization to play for. Numerous former players have stated with no uncertainty that they’ll never go back.

That talent includes — or, included — Reese. Perhaps we should have known her tenure in Chicago was never meant to last when the video of her welcome to the aforementioned public training center was shared. Despite having premiere talent in the past, the Sky seemed unprepared for the Moment of Angel Reese. The league as a whole struggled through the growing pains brought on by Reese and Caitlin Clark’s draft class, but Chicago seemed particularly ill-equipped to handle the influx of new fans.

It’s no wonder, then, that there was quickly conflict between the organization and Reese, a bonafide star before she ever played a minute of professional basketball. Reese was vocal about her disappointment in the decision to fire Witherspoon, who coached Reese to a double-double average rookie season. In the middle of the following season, Reese was suspended for half a game for “conduct detrimental to the team” for her comments on the Sky’s need to attract premiere talent.

With her departure, the story of Reese as the future of the Chicago Sky ends. In reality, the Sky struggled to ever make her part of their present. It’s tempting to look at the drama of the last two years and call this a clean start for both parties. And it’s true, on the surface the relationship between Reese and the Sky seemed irreparably broken. But that narrative is at odds with public statements from both player and team who both went on record saying they were working on rebuilding trust. Of course, it is impossible to know whether the relationship was ever repaired.

Photo credit Mark J. Rebilas

Even for fans who claim Reese wanted out, it’s important to take one more step in the thought process to consider why one of the most popular players in the league, on a rookie scale contract, would be so eager to leave. It also begs the question of whether this new team, with its roster of big names and bigger personalities, is worth investing in. Afterall, it was only five years ago that the Sky were on top of the league. The seasons since have done little to reassure fans that Chicago is ready to handle the talent they’ve secured.

Looking at the Sky’s offseason moves (including the surprise selection of Gabriela Jaquez in the draft), it’s still unclear exactly what the organization is trying to accomplish in the short- or long-term. Jaquez was a breakout star in the NCAA tournament, but many Sky fans were perplexed that the team took her ahead of players like Kiki Rice, considered more league ready. Free agency action suggests a win-now mentality but the team — outside the projected starters — is largely composed of underwhelming performers, yet-to-be-developed young players, and now, a first round pick who will take some time to find her footing in the league.

Perhaps the Sky feel a sense of urgency to win back their fanbase by signing as many popular players as possible. It’s reminiscent of the ubiquitous landlord special; the past two years have been hastily covered up with a refreshed roster, but there’s no hiding the flaws within the organization. With the season just around the corner, Sky fans will have to wait and see if this team can find the space to grow through the cracks in the foundation.