The WNBA’s biggest star is set to miss two weeks with a quad injury, leaving CBS wondering what could have been.
Monday, the Indiana Fever announced that superstar guard Caitlin Clark would miss at least two weeks after sustaining a left quad strain. Unfortunately for CBS, that timetable means Clark will be unavailable for the Fever’s upcoming game against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, June 7.
The scheduled tilt would’ve been the first meeting between Clark and rival Angel Reese since opening weekend when Clark committed a hard foul on Reese that sparked the usual discourse, much of which was unrelated to actual basketball. Given Clark’s popularity, the game had also been moved to the United Center in Chicago, rather than the smaller Wintrust Arena the Sky usually play in.
Luckily for CBS, the June 7 matchup was not the only Fever-Sky game the network was scheduled for this season. The network is slated to air the rivalry on Saturday, August 9 as well, so not all is lost.
Should Clark return after the expected two-week period, her next run-in with Reese will be on Sunday, July 27 in a game slated for ABC. Ion will also get a crack at the Fever-Sky rivalry on Friday, September 5.
Fortunately for the WNBA, out of the four games Clark is scheduled to miss, only the aforementioned Sky game is set for a major broadcast network. Two midweek games against the Washington Mystics will air on NBA TV, while a Friday game against the Connecticut Sun will air on Ion.
Obviously, from a ratings perspective, not having Clark for two weeks hurts. But all things considered, it’s better to lose Clark early on in the season than sometime down the stretch, or even worse, during the playoffs.
For the sake of the league, hopefully Clark will return to full strength soon.