Heartbreak For Caitlin Clark And Indiana Fever Following Christie Sides’ Major Snub in WNBA Honors

The Minnesota Lynx and Cheryl Reeve had already set the tone for the season. And no one believed that Christie Sides could be in the conversations for the Coach of the Year looking at the starting for the Indiana Fever. However, things rapidly took a turn as the second-year coach for the team pushed them to the playoffs. As the WNBA now rolls out awards, Caitlin Clark has won the Rookie of the Year unanimously. However, her coach will not be able to join her for the honors. In fact, she has been majorly snubbed per recent numbers.

While it was expected that the Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve would win the title, for most, unanimously, stats show that she received 62 out of 67 votes. Meanwhile, Sandy Brondello received 4 votes and Sides received just 1. A brutal blow to the team indeed. Following the same, some fans have been calling out for the Fever management to replace the head coach already.

August was a special month when Sides was named the Coach of the Month for leading the Fever to a 5-1 record. Their offense had also been the highest rated among all teams in August at 110.7. It was a first for the franchise, although granted, the award had been introduced in 2017. Nevertheless, while Sides has made history for the team, not everyone is happy with her progress.

Sides had looked out of her depth when the season began, as the Fever went 2-8 during their first 10 games. But slowly, the defense built up and the rotations made sense. Nevertheless, this season wasn’t enough for her to qualify as Coach of the Year. She will likely stay the next year and hopefully make something better of the two ROTYs the Fever boasts – Caitlin Clark in 2024, and Aliyah Boston in 2023.

However, two players could change things up for Sides.

Christie Sides might have to deal with a Fever team sans Kelsey Mitchell and maybe even NaLyssa Smith

After this season, Fever veteran Kelsey Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent. She has not yet re-signed her contract with Indiana, citing family reasons for her delayed decision. After suddenly losing her father in March this year, 2024 has been hard on Mitchell, although she has returned to excellent play as usual. But her future is so far uncertain.

With NaLyssa Smith, her reduced role on the team had been clear throughout the season. But two days ago, she took to Instagram to post a lengthy caption, thanking fans, friends, and family for their support. But part of that caption read, “I’ve never questioned my basketball abilities in my life because i know im good enough & i know i belong.”

While nothing has been made clear, Christie Sides did comment on Smith’s abilities, per IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson, “She had great moments for us throughout the year. She is one of the key pieces that we were able to have such a successful year.” Moreover, the Baylor alum has also clarified how that post was not a “goodbye” but a reflection of the year in her exit interview.

If Smith somehow chooses to change paths and go elsewhere after her contract is up, it will be a big blow to the Fever’s current roster. Especially if Kelsey Mitchell decides to switch teams as well, or make different decisions regarding basketball entirely. Christie Sides has her work cut out for her with this young team, but fans wait with bated breath to see what the next season brings! As for Cheryl Reeve, she did deserve all the flowers for the tough team.