Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever championship timeline accelerated by sudden coaching change
History will show that on April 15, 2024, a new era for the Indiana Fever began.
That, of course, was the night the franchise, longing for some semblance of recent success, drafted Caitlin Clark No. 1 overall. In an instant everything changed.
Another date – six months later – will now mark an almost equally important moment. October 27, 2024 will be marked as the day the Fever officially parted ways with head coach Christie Sides after just two seasons. The Clark era is still here, but the direction of the franchise changed.
Kelly Krauskopf, the recently hired Fever president of basketball operations, seemed to say the same thing in her statement on Sides’ firing. Sides was hired by Lin Dunn, who moved into an advisory role after the 2024 season. Sides went 33-47 in two years. Krauskopf called Sides’ term an “integral transition period.”
Krauskopf added, “It is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive as we pursue our goals, including maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship to Indiana.”
Bold and assertive. These two words seem to define the Fever’s new path. They are no longer in transition. They think big.
We have said goodbye to head coach Christie Sides.
More: pic.twitter.com/Ja5S3uGPOb
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) October 27, 2024
Even with Clark and 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston leading the franchise, the goal last season was to make the playoffs. Dunn was clear about her desire to break a seven-year drought. Clearly, expectations are much higher now after Clark’s record-breaking rookie season. The Fever are aiming for their first title since 2012.
A transcendent star speeds up timelines.
In the NBA, LeBron James’ first head coach (Paul Silas) only oversaw the first season and a half of James’ time in Cleveland. Michael Jordan’s first coach (Kevin Loughery) was with MJ for only one year. In the WNBA, Candace Parker’s first professional coach (Michael Cooper) lasted just two seasons with the star forward. The same goes for Diana Taurasi’s first coach, Carrie Graf. Dunn drafted and coached Sue Bird during Bird’s first season away from UConn. But in Bird’s second year, Anne Donovan walked the Storm sideline.
Add Sides to the list of coaches who were hired for one development job, thrown into another, and became a victim as a result.
The Fever is led by Clark. But with Sunday’s decision, they are also Krauskopf’s franchise. Krauskopf initially led the team from 2000 until 2018, when she left to become the Pacers’ assistant general manager and the first woman in NBA history to serve in an executive basketball management role. She previously reached the postseason 13 times and played in three WNBA Finals in seven years, including capturing the WNBA title in 2012. A desire to replicate those successes is why she has returned.
Familiarity appears to matter in the Indiana coaching search. That could mean trying to poach current Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White for another reunion. According to the Chicago Sun Times, White is still under contract with the Sun, but recently had discussions with the Fever about the head coaching role.
Krauskopf and White know each other well. White, an Indiana native and Purdue alum, played for the Fever from 2000 to 2004. She then served as an assistant coach from 2011 to 2014 and later coached the Fever in 2015 and 2016.
Now widely regarded as one of the league’s top coaches, she is experienced and recently found success installing a new offense at Connecticut. She won Coach of the Year in 2023, led the Fever to the 2015 Finals and has produced greatness from stars like Tamika Catchings and Alyssa Thomas. She would likely, in Krauskopf’s words, “maximize” Indiana’s talent, which is also expected to target veterans in free agency to team up with Clark and Boston.
There were clear needs for improvement under Sides. Defense and diversifying Clark’s shot efficiency are two of the growth areas the next coach will need to address.
But the Fever’s decision to part ways with Sides appears to be less about the player-coach relationship and more about what Krauskopf thinks can happen when one player (Clark) leads the way. Sides and Clark regularly discussed strategy and how Clark handled the pressure on and off the field. As last season progressed, Clark became a more effective shooter and driver, and the Fever won nine of fourteen games after the All-Star break, while Clark led them to the playoffs and won Rookie of the Year. Krauskopf even applauded Sides for this progress.
When Dunn was hired as general manager, she said she wanted to leave the lottery by her third season. She did. Now under Krauskopf, lottery games are no longer acceptable. Championship celebrations are the goal.
Clark and the Fever will play under a new coach and general manager (Amber Cox) next spring. The Fever is done experimenting.
A star has once again accelerated the timeline of a championship. And once again a coach paid the price.
(Photo by Christie Sides and Caitlin Clark: Elsa/Getty Images)
