Journalist Jason Whitlock is firing back at Dan Dakich after the commentator suggested the Indiana Fever perform better without Caitlin Clark. 

Earlier, Fever coach Stephanie White and star guard Caitlin Clark got into a heated argument. That resulted in the benching of Clark by White during their 100-84 loss to the Portland Fire. While Dakich shared opinions about Clark's attitude and behavior, Whitlock responded via his own tweet.

"Many people like Dan Dakich are running with the idea that Caitlin Clark is so unstable emotionally and terrible defensively that the Fever may be a better team without her." Whitlock said. "Open your eyes; that is an indictment on the organization for failing to build around their star."

Though Whitlock mentioned how the Fever were better off without Clark last year, he elaborated that the system needs to support more.

While naming iconic players such as Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, he explained the system should help to maximize her abilities. Not the other way around.

"If The Jackson 5 were better with Michael Jackson as a backup dancer than a singer, Joe Jackson needs to be fired," he said. "Caitlin Clark is Michael Jackson; she's the one that moonwalks and draws the crowd."

Dakich has responded to Whitlock's post, saying that he never said that the Fever is better off without Clark, while admitting that he did say that Clark is a "complete pain in the a** diva."

But how has Clark performed this early in the season, and how can White possibly utilize her better?

Caitlin Clark's Performances So Far

Clark has been dealing with a back injury and also missed the first game against the Portland Fire. Although she could only score six points against Portland Fire, she has been in tremendous form this season overall.

Caitlin Clark has been averaging 20.1 points per game, falling just behind Kelsey Mitchell in the team's ranking with 20.6. She has also averaged 8.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, leading the team charts in all three stats.

Despite Clark’s strong stats, fans are furious that Coach White is limiting her minutes and mismanaging her role. Clark is averaging 29.4 minutes per game so far this season.

White benched Clark for rookie Raven Johnson, highlighting a clear flaw. She should give her star guard more floor time to find her rhythm.

Furthermore, both coach and player need to address Clark's defensive limitations, which were openly criticized by Whitlock.

Amid the ongoing media buzz, Clark and the Fever will now look to return to winning ways after losing two straight games to the Golden State Valkyries and the Fire.

Their next game is against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, a team with a 5-2 record so far, better than the Fever's 4-4.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Koushik Biswas