The new WNBA CBA changes a lot of things about the league, and many of those have been considered big wins for players: increased salaries, better benefits, and the like. The new CBA also extends the season in both directions — next year will potentially begin earlier than ever before and end later than ever before — which can be considered a positive thing... but not across the board.
Both the Sky's head coach Tyler Marsh and the Dream's head coach Karl Smesko spoke out agaisnt the idea that the preseason may be longer next season. Right now, teams play two preseason games, something Smesko said is appropriate. While speaking to reporters after Atlanta's win over Chicago Wednesday night, Smesko noted, "I think two is a good number to get ready for the first regular season game. But you don't want to have too many because the season is so many games in a short period of time that you want enough so that you can get a good look at everybody and get everybody up to speed."
Marsh also told reporters this week that he's not especially a big fan of extendeding the regular season, though that's something that will be inevitable as the WNBA adds more teams to the league. The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire both made their debut this season, and three new teams will be added in Houston, Philadelphia, and Cleveland in the next three years.
Extending the WNBA season will impact players, too
While coaches have their thoughts on the impact of extending the season, it could also mean that players will have to make tough decisions about whether they'll play overseas. For some, that is a decision they're all too happy to make now that salaries have increased, which means they may get a welcome break from playing basketball year-round just to make ends meet.
But for others, like the list of players who have signed with Project B, may not enjoy the prospect of the WNBA season bleeding into that one. In addition to the wear and tear on an athlete's body that comes with playing back-to-back seasons of basketball, Project B will be played in several different countries — that inherently will make being successful in the league a little bit harder as players adjust to time zone changes.
But in the end, decisions around how the season will and will not be organized are part of what is collectivey bargained, and that means that the players agree to what's been put into the CBA. That's true whether or not coaches are fully on board, and whether or not it has an impact that's a little larger for some players than for others.
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