Natasha Cloud writing new chapter in The Valley
After eight years with the Washington Mystics, veteran point guard Natasha Cloud joined a stacked Phoenix Mercury in pursuit of a second championship ring.
PHOTO CREDIT: Phoenix Mercury
By W.G. RAMIREZ
It didn't take long for veteran WNBA point guard Natasha Cloud to make her presence known in The Valley.
"I'm so excited," Cloud exclaimed on Feb. 23, flashing her trademark smile that's illuminated every basketball arena she's played in.
Her introductory press conference as the newest member of the Phoenix Mercury was loaded with energy. Since training camp opened in San Diego, and through the season opener this past Tuesday in Las Vegas against the two-time defending champion Aces, the electricity hasn't fizzled.
Mercury coach Nate Tibbets said Cloud has been everything he expected when he saw less than a handful of clips of her and told the front office which free agent he wanted to sign.
"She's been absolutely fantastic," Tibbetts said. "Obviously, she's got her own personality. She's a veteran leader. For a new staff, first-time head coach in this league, it doesn't get any better than that. Thankfully she decided to make the move here to Phoenix."
NO BEEF
It didn't take long for the buzz of potential dissension to surface, with sixth-year fiery Sophie Cunningham donning No. 9 for the Mercury, and seemingly not about to relinquish the number she’s worn since being selected 13th overall in the 2019 Draft.
On the other hand, “Cloud 9” has been as much of a trademark as Cloud’s smile and infectious personality.
A hand-crafted gold charm that looks like a cloud with the outline meeting into the number 9 has graced Cloud’s neck for years, and she’s certainly earned the type of respect that upon arrival with any franchise, it would mean she'd keep a uniform number she’s worn during a well-decorated nine-year career.
Just ask Cunningham.
"Tash is friggin awesome, man," Cunningham said during the team’s Media Day. "Her energy ... she's so weird, but she's my type of weird. She's fast. She knows the game. She's actually been a great leader. I think she's been our best leader so far, of just communicating on what she sees on the court, what she sees off the court, and just making sure we're all good. I just think that she has a great energy.
“When you bring good people in, good things are gonna happen and I think Tash is a huge part of that."
While she ranks 20th all-time with 1,265 career assists, that number ranks third behind New York's Courtney Vandersloot (2,141) and Las Vegas' Chelsea Gray (1,499) since Cloud arrived in 2015. Also in that span, she ranks ninth among all guards with 785 rebounds during her career.
Cloud is someone whose star peaked in 2022, when she led the league in assists at one end of the floor and was an all-Defensive First Team player at the other. It was her second all-defensive team honor, as she was named second-team in 2019, the year she won her first championship, then with the Washington Mystics.
She’s looking for a second ring in Phoenix.
"Tash is a great player, a great person and she always plays hard," Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale said. "I love playing against her because she guards me really hard and I like when people are very competitive against me. She's gonna bring a lot to that team just as a vet point guard, she knows what it takes to win, she has a championship at Washington."
So, yeah. Her beloved No. 9 would have been a no-brainer.
Instead, Cloud looked at it differently.
"I just feel like with a new journey, new beginnings, comes a new number," Cloud said. "Me and Sophie figured that out, it's fine. I know a lot of people wanted beef to happen between a lot of the people that are here. And that's just not the truth. We're all grown-ass adults that really just love this game and want to win, and we understand each of our parts in winning. All of our goals are focused on just bringing this organization back to the dynasty that it used to be."
And that includes proving to herself she can be a leader alongside the likes of three-time WNBA champion Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, who won the title in 2014.
"I just feel like God intended this next level for me," Cloud said during the Athletes Unlimited season in March. "This is his next challenge. So I feel like he ripped the band-aid off and he's moving me with intention and this is about my growth, not only a player, but as a person, as a leader."
From Cloud 9 to Agent 0.
CHAPTER NINE
Two-time WNBA champion Kristi Toliver is now an assistant with the Mercury but was also a member of the championship team in D.C. with Cloud.
Five years her elder, Toliver said she couldn't be any prouder to see Cloud's growth after playing together for four years and watching the maturation process both on and off the court.
The two spoke during free agency and Toliver told her former teammate - whom she calls one her favorite people - that it was her next chapter to author, and if that meant a new beginning, then she needed to embrace it and take charge.
"And I think she's truly embracing it," Toliver said Tuesday night in Las Vegas. "Embracing being a leader, getting outside of her comfort zone, leaving the East Coast, being away from family, but finding her new family out in The Valley - I think she's ready for this next step from a leadership standpoint. From a playing standpoint. I told her when she came, 'Your best years are ahead of you, not behind you.' And I think she knows that, she's embraced it, and she's done the work.
"It's fun for me because I've gotten to see her as a younger player and now as she's evolving and get in her prime."
Part of Cloud’s newest chapter is being an extension of the new coaching staff and for a core that’s been in place for years, not to mention fellow newcomers Kahleah Copper and Rebecca Allen, who are also in the lineup.
Not to say her new teammates are difficult to manage, but when you're learning the nuances of so many talented players who are all learning a new system under a first-year coach, the challenge for Cloud was something she was willing to meet head-on in the ninth year - er, chapter - of her career.
"There's a lot of people you play against and every night you go against them you know you're gonna get their best effort - that's Tash," Taurasi said. "She's brought that competitive edge every single day, and it's honestly been almost like a rebirth being in the gym with her."
Cloud said one thing that's made things easier for her during her transition to the Mercury is that she has a player's coach for the first time in nine seasons.
"He is amazing, he motivates you," Cloud said. "Every time he talks, I end up leaving like, 'I wanna run through a fuckin' wall for you.' That's how passionate I am about it, and about coach Nate and about his ability to lead us back to what this dynasty should be. He's tough, he's relentless, he sets a standard and expectation that I haven't seen before.
"Being able to call out DT, and BG, and me the same as you do a rookie, that doesn't tend to happen in this league. The standard is set ... and when you have a coach that will run through a wall for you, you want to run through a wall for him."
It was that kind of intensity and dedication the Mercury displayed in the season-opener against the Aces, which found themselves in a scrap late in the game after seeing an early 18-point lead dwindle.
Though the Aces pushed their lead to 12 in the fourth quarter, the Mercury rallied a second time by scoring nine straight points to make it a three-point game with 1:17 left.
And while the Aces may have won after raising another banner, Cloud looked impressive in leading the offense unit while finishing with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. She also helped Phoenix put the league on notice with the type of performance that should encourage Mercury fans with the home opener against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday night.
"Winning a championship is hard," Cloud said. "We all have that championship experience. We want to get back to that position. Culture in our locker room is important. I'm excited to be around winners and people who are hungry to win."
"We like winning here. We're gonna get some Ws and we're gonna bring this thing back around. I think this city, I think this fanbase deserves that."
