“We’ve got edgy players, we’ve got competitive players, and I guarantee you it doesn’t matter if we’re playing cards or if we’re playing basketball. They want to win.” There’s no doubt that Stephanie White’s words perfectly summed up what fans thought of this off-season. After Caitlin Clark’s successful rookie season, Amber Cox and Kelly Krauskopf decided it was time to go all in. They changed the coaching staff and brought in crucial players like DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham, and Natasha Howard.

The plan was to pad the young core of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell with championship experience, and to create a culture that would result in success. Of course, there was excitement, there were hopes, and then? There was disappointment. Caitlin Clark, after straining her left quad, was ruled out for a couple of weeks, and the team suffered.

Fans were expecting the Indiana Fever to be the champions of the East, to be genuine contenders. However, with a 6-7 record, White’s team finds itself in the middle of the pack. Although they look really good when Clark is on the floor, there has been a lot of scrutiny about the added talent and the lack of performance that we’ve seen from them. In particular, vet DeWanna Bonner has caught a lot of flak!

The 37-year-old Fever forward has played nine games so far and is only averaging about 7 points on less than 40% shooting. DB has only put up two double-digit scores thus far and has largely looked like a shadow of her old self. Sadly, she hasn’t been suiting up for the Fever recently due to personal reasons, and rumors have it that she may not even come back.

Kelly Krauskopf and Amber Cox have come under fire because of Indiana’s less-than-desirable performance. A front office can only hide its flaws for as long as the team is winning, and for the Fever? That’s just not the case right now. Understandably so, the WNBA community and Indiana fans are frustrated with the way things are going over at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Let’s find out exactly what they have to say!

Fans call out Indiana Fever front office decisions during DeWanna Bonner drama

Social media has been blowing up with criticisms for the Indiana Fever’s front office recently. Most of the veterans that they brought in, Bonner, Colson, and Cunningham, aren’t performing up to the expectations of the fans. Meanwhile, Aari McDonald,  someone who showed out during a hardship contract in Caitlin Clark’s absence, was let go recently, leading the community to question what exactly is going on.

A fan on X pointed out where exactly the Fever’s front office lands in comparison to other teams. “i’m side eyeing this fever front office bc i’m watching teams pick players off the street and immediately contributing. meanwhile we have made no moves to improve the margins of our roster lmfaooo and go get an international scouting team while you’re at it bc we are losing out.” They said, pointing out the lack of international talent in the team, and the lack of initiative from the executive end of the Fever.

Indiana’s only international talent, Kristy Wallace from Australia, has sat out this season because of personal issues with her family. Functionally, they’re leaving the global basketball market untapped, which has led to gems like Janelle Salaun. “If they don’t already one that’s an abomination & scouting malpractice to highest degree.” Another fan agreed, making it clear that an international scouting team is absolutely necessary in today’s day and age.

The reason the Fever’s failures are hurting even more is because of the expectations that Stephanie White and the front office had set before the season. “We have a deep roster, and you want that competitive spirit within your team, but at the same time I think we have a great balance of supporting one another.” Caitlin Clark had said before the season, but it hasn’t panned out the way that anyone expected.

Users on social media were quick to point out how high the expectations were, and how steep the reality has been. “we came into the season with the front office and coaches telling the media this is the best team caitlin has ever had and that she needs to learn to do less. game after game the broadcasters were fed this line. i won’t forget.” Meanwhile, when Caitlin Clark was ruled out due to injury, the Indiana Fever was finding it difficult to adjust. They went 2-3 during the two-week period that Clark was out, registering a major blowout loss against the Atlanta Dream–their first of the season.

Even though DeWanna Bonner is currently surrounded with cloudy rumors and uncertain futures, some fans still are calling the Fever front office out for signing her on such a large contract. “biggest failure – how can you pay 200k to db, 214k to tasha and so on…while losing sight of cap for 12th player. they coulda easily paid these new ones like 10k less each and have space for 12 to start the season.” This frustration stemmed from Aari McDonald being let go because of the salary cap. Considering how productive the young star was, fans really wanted to keep her around.

The Indiana Fever head coach, Stephanie White, has been dealing with some personal problems recently, rendering her unavailable for a couple of games. This rubbed some fans the wrong way. “and side eye the coach, who’s taking time off during season as well DB? White? just dump em, don’t wanna be around team, let em go and how White is effecting the game detrimentally i may add, it’s a good thing if she’s fired.” A user said on X, calling for the removal of White.

Overall, these are tough times for the Indiana Fever. A lot of the fan sentiments are because of the team’s inability to capture and gain momentum, and create a winning streak worth noting. Of course, the situation isn’t dire, as they’re still third in the Eastern Conference, but Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark will have to lock in for the remainder of the season. It will be interesting to see if the front office pays heed to any of these criticisms and if they decide to make changes midway through the season. Stay tuned for more details!