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Atlanta Dream sign Alaina Coates; Hayes listed as questionable vs. Sun

By Bria Felicien

MINNEAPOLIS, MN- MAY 29: Alaina Coates #81 of the Minnesota Lynx warms up before the game against the Seattle Storm on May 29, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- MAY 29: Alaina Coates #81 of the Minnesota Lynx warms up before the game against the Seattle Storm on May 29, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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A big addition in Atlanta

The Atlanta Dream signed forward Alaina Coates, one day after waiving Haley Peters, the team announced Thursday.

“We are thrilled to add a player with the size and athleticism of Alaina,” head coach Nicki Collen said via press release. “We have struggled at times with defensive rebounding and scoring efficiently around the rim this season, and we believe she can help us in those two areas now and in the future.”

More from Atlanta Dream

The Dream currently rank last in the league in defensive rebounding percentage, and Collen told High Post Hoops last week that defensive rebounding is something she wanted her team to improve upon. The Dream have remained last in offensive efficiency and currently have an offensive rating of 89.4, which ranks last in the league. Coates’ 25.8 defensive rebounding percentage would trail only Jessica Breland’s 25.9 among current Atlanta players.

Thus far in 2019, Coates averaged 6.5 minutes, a 48.4 field-goal percentage and 2.4 rebounds per game. Elizabeth Williams holds the Dream’s highest field-goal percentage at 44.4, followed by Maite Cazorla at 43.6 and Tiffany Hayes at 40.1.

The Minnesota Lynx cut Coates this past Sunday, after acquiring her from the Chicago Sky during the preseason. Coates scored 10 points, matching her career-high, and grabbed 9 rebounds in 18 minutes during Minnesota’s win over the Dream on July 2.

Coates is set to join the team when it returns to Atlanta on Sunday, following its Sunday afternoon matchup with the Mystics in Washington.

Atlanta continues its road trip in Connecticut on Friday night vs. Sun in Mohegan Sun Arena.

During the first game of the trip in Chicago, Hayes was taken out in the fourth quarter after grabbing her right hamstring while on defense. As soon she pulled away from the play, Dream assistant coach Darius Taylor called Brittney Sykes to sub in for Hayes, who scored before a substitution was able to be made.

She walked to the bench and was immediately checked out by the team trainer before going to the courtside bike, where she remained for the rest of the game. Following the game Hayes said of her injury, “Probably just a minor hamstring, we don’t know [its severity] yet.”

In Thursday’s injury report for the game vs. Connecticut, Hayes was listed as questionable. The last time Hayes was listed as questionable, which was before the season opener vs. Dallas as she dealt with a preseason ankle injury, she played.

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