Bleav in the W

Chicago Sky 2026 Season Preview | A successful roster flip

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Sat, 9 May 2026 14:41:00 +0000

Many folks have mixed opinions on how the Chicago Sky approached their offseason, centering their moves around the decision to trade franchise centerpiece Angel Reese. But when you look at last year's roster and compare it to this year's, there's no doubt they improved and doing so in every position up and down the roster.

Trading Reese will give Kamila Cardoso the space to take a leap forward. Azura Stevens will come in with All-Star aspirations. Rickea Jackson is now the young centerpiece and of course, there will be the veteran playmakers of Skylar Diggins-Smith, Natasha Cloud and Courtney Vandersloot guiding the way. All of those stars project them to be a playoff team, but I have them on the outside looking in. They need to make that postseason run, though, because GM Jeff Pagliocca and head coach Tyler Marsh may be on the hot seat.

Stay all the way to the end for a projected starting lineup, all players who are either All-Stars or could be shaping up for an All-Star season.

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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Interview with legendary sportscaster Bonnie Bernstein on her new show, 'The Champions Edge'

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Fri, 8 May 2026 16:40:00 +0000

Tyler Byrum welcomes esteemed guest Bonnie Bernstein to unveil her new weekly show coming to ABC affiliates nationwide, 'The Champions Edge with Bonnie Bernstein.'

'The Champions Edge with Bonnie Bernstein' is a groundbreaking women's sports leadership series, showcasing industry leaders, entrepreneurs and newsmakers harnessing life skills honed as athletes to drive career success. The series is inspired by research revealing an astounding 94% of female C-suite executives played sports, more than half of whom were college athletes. An Academic All-American gymnast at the University of Maryland, Bernstein has channeled her "inner athlete" during her three-decade career covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and college football and basketball, while also founding her company, Walk Swiftly Productions.

Bonnie and Tyler also discuss girls' participation in sports and the stagnant coverage of women's sports. There is hope that change may soon be on the horizon.

Follow Bonnie on X/Twitter: https://x.com/BonnieBernstein

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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Washington Mystics 2026 Season Preview | Does "44 and more" mean playoffs?

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Thu, 7 May 2026 21:49:00 +0000

It's very clear where the Washington Mystics are building to with a young core of Shakira Austin, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. But are the playoffs an aspirational goal for the team this season? That's what the players want.

Tyler is joined by his former beat-mate Kareem Copeland, now with ESPN, to preview the Mystics' season and discuss if head coach Sydney Johnson could put it all together with their young stars for a playoff run. They also bring attention to how important a season it is for both Austin and Georgia Amoore in their development and for the ceiling of this year's team. Then, they look at how the player development shift and how that is starting to permeate throughout the rest of the WNBA.

Follow Kareem on Twitter: https://x.com/kareemcopeland

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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Toronto Tempo 2026 Preview | A fun guard room to teach Kiki Rice

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Wed, 6 May 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Toronto's first season in the W will have some spice. Some of the league's best characters, Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes and Julie Allemand, will all lead the expansion Tempo in their own way.

Tyler starts by breaking down how Toronto won the coaching carousel by nabbing Sandy Brondello, a mere year removed from coaching a team to a championship. Then, it's time to break down the uber-talented guard room where Tyler makes it clear who is going to be the star player of the eclectic bunch. But the end goal for all of the Tempo's guards will be show No. 6 overall pick Kiki Rice the ropes.

The podcast ends with projecting who has the best chance to be a breakout player - much like Kayla Thornton was last year in Golden State and what the ceiling is for this team. It may very well be competing for the playoffs in Year 1.

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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Connecticut Sun 2026 Season Preview w/ Emily Adams | The Sun-set season in Connecticut

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Wed, 6 May 2026 14:39:00 +0000

It's the final season in Connecticut before the Sun move to Houston to bring the Comets back into the WNBA. And to discuss the happenings of this final version of the Sun, Emily Adams from the Hartford Courant joins Bleav in the W to chat about everything from the signing of Brittney Griner to the outlook of the young pieces.

We break down and analyze the entire saga of the Mohegan Tribe's sale process, the WNBA involvement and why the move to Houston was made. It's also a chance to reflect back on their stewardship of the franchise, helping bring professional basketball to Connecticut, one of the hubs of women's basketball. Of course, there's also Brittney Griner's decision to come to the Sun for a one-year deal and how she can guide a team of promising young players, including Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers and Aaliyah Edwards.

The podcast ends with a discussion of the career and legacy of Tina Charles, who announced her retirement this week and won her MVP award with the Sun in 2012.

Follow Emily Adams on X/Twitter: https://x.com/eaadams6
All of her work covering the Connecticut Sun and the UConn Huskies can be viewed here: https://www.courant.com/author/emily-adams/

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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Seattle Storm 2026 Season Preview w/ Storm Chasers | Why the Storm decided it was time for a rebuild

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A year removed from many picking the Seattle Storm as a dark-horse team in the WNBA Playoffs, the franchise has decided to lay dormant in free agency and jump into a rebuild. Joining Tyler to preview the Storm is Jeff Brown from Storm Chasers, an independent substack for in-depth coverage of the team.

Topics range from why the organization decided to fully jump into a rebuild when there was an opportunity to be aggressive. We also revisit the 2026 WNBA Draft class and how the Storm walked away with Awa Fam and Flau'Jae Johnson, then discuss when Awa is expected to join the team. Unlike other teams, the Storm have brought in veterans, like Stef Dolson, to lead the young Storm that has a ton of exciting young talent with Dominque Malonga, Jordan Horston and Jade Melbourne.

The podcast ends with a debate on what will make this a successful season for Seattle.

Make sure to check out Jeff's work at Storm Chasers here: https://www.stormchasersbasketball.com/

See his story on the Seattle Storm rookies detailing their experience at their first WNBA training camp: https://www.stormchasersbasketball.com/p/storm-wnba-training-camp-rookie-experience

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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Portland Fire 2026 Season Preview | Building a franchise around Bridget Carleton in Year 1

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Tue, 5 May 2026 17:30:00 +0000

A quick preview of the Portland Fire's first season back in the WNBA. This expansion team isn't shaping up to have the same historic success that the Golden State Valkyries did last season but there are a handful of encouraging players on the roster. Tyler Byrum will explain why it shouldn't take long for the team to establish a culture and identity with players like Emily Engstler, Carla Liete, Karlie Samuelson and Meg Gustafson anchoring the squad. It's also an opportunity for Bridget Carelton to step up and be the focal point of a team for the first time in her career, earning big-time money in Portland.

The podcast ends with reasonable expectations for the team this season and creating a framework to build on in 2027 and 2028.

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A history of WNBA media coverage, bias and the intersectionality of the league and society | Crossover episode with The MidMajors

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Tue, 5 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Bleav in the W host Tyler Byrum joins Tacarra Barnes and Courtney Lumpkin of The MidMajors for a special crossover episode to get you ready for the 2026 WNBA season. We take a larger look at the WNBA media landscape from roster cuts and player development to the impact of media coverage, race, and marketability in women’s basketball. We also dive into: The rise of Caitlin Clark and her impact on the league, the dynamic between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, WNBA roster strategies and surprising cuts, championship predictions and team outlooks, plus discussion on the Washington Mystics and more.

Follow The MidMajors Podcast:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-midmajors/id1831553850
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/02yTqhrOm25XHram7dqHOc

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Natasha Cloud FINALLY is signed and changes the trajectory of her new team

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Mon, 4 May 2026 18:43:00 +0000

Point guard Natasha Cloud has signed with the Chicago Sky for a reported $555,000, one-year deal, according to ESPN. How does Natasha Cloud fit with Skylar Diggins-Smith? What is the team's ceiling? A quick reaction to Cloud now joining the team and being on a roster in 2026.

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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Paige Bueckers speaks on relationship with Azzi Fudd | What should and should not be asked about their relationship?

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:37:00 +0000

Last year's No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers spoke on Monday to reporters with a prepared statement on her relationship with this year's No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd. This continued a saga where just last week, the Dallas Wings' PR staff shut down a reasonable question asked by a reporter to Azzi about her and Paige's relationship.

To an extent, their relationship should be none of our business. But when it comes to how it affects the Dallas Wings, their play on the court, how successful both Paige and Azzi can be, and their futures, those are questions that need to be asked. After all, it's a great story and great stories can't be written unless you ask the question.

Full quotes from Paige Bueckers were from this Associated Press story: https://apnews.com/article/wings-uconn-paige-bueckers-azzi-fudd-a05e2857493da604be4711545b97f9eb

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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Are you optiMystic? | Analyzing the good and the bad of Washington Mystics rebuild plan

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 22:20:00 +0000

Is the Washington Mystics rebuild going in the right direction? After an encouraging Year 1 of the plan, this past offseason left Tyler with some areas of concern. Mystics beat reporter Jenn Hatfield from The IX Basketball joined Tyler to break down where things stand in the rebuild, Jamila Wideman parting ways with the team and the decision not to sign WNBA veterans this offseason.

After that, Tyler and Jenn discuss what they saw from the play of rookies Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalic, Cotie McMahon, Georgia Amoore and Rori Harmon.

The episode ends with a debate on whether the Mystics go over or under their 17.5 win total.

Follow Tyler on BlueSky
Follow Jenn on BlueSky

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Introducing 'Bleav in the W' | A WNBA podcast

admin@bleav.com (Bleav) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:48:00 +0000

Stay up to date with the latest in the WNBA. Hosted by long-time Mystics reporter Tyler Byrum, we'll go beyond the headlines and deep into the stories with commentary on the latest news and controversies. From the newest viral moment surrounding Caitlin Clark, to A'ja Wilson's dominance on the basketball court, to how the next young stars of Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron and Dominique Malonga are guiding their clubs forward, we have you covered. Expansion, the latest wrinkles in the new CBA will all be discussed as no topic is off limits.

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