Asking which team did the best for themselves in this year's draft is like asking a kid which is the best piece of candy they got from the store. In a draft oozing with talent, the question must be, who did the best for THEMSELVES and which team is immediately better because of it? The answer: the Seattle Storm, of course.
You have to give the edge to Seattle, who had the first overall pick, but wisely kept it. Why? Lauren Jackson is a franchise player who is young, athletic, versatile, and though only at the beginning of her career, has proven herself in international competition.
With one pick, in one draft, the Storm immediately answer the question that every team at one point or another has to answer: who do we build our team around? The answer in Seattle is Jackson. Other coaches agree and call Jackson a "once-in-a-lifetime, Lisa Leslie-type player." Tom Maher, Head Coach of the Washington Mystics and former Head Coach of the Australian Olympic team that won a silver medal in 2000, even went as far as to say that any team that gets Jackson is an "immediate playoff team."
While most college players need time to develop, Jackson has proven that against international competition, including players like Leslie and Yolanda Griffith, she's capable of a double-double every night.
Jackson warrants the double team, so she will be creating shots and drawing the defense for her teammates which will allow for more options and more scoring, both problems for Seattle last season.
Furthermore, we all know how important rebounding is in the WNBA, and with no one on the Storm grabbing more than 4.2 boards per game last season, Jackson will have a field day under the hoop, and create more possessions, and thus more opportunities, for her team.
You must have a great post to compete in the West and Seattle, with a single pick in the draft, becomes formidable. By adding Semeka Randall, a defensive specialist out of Tennessee, and Juana Brown, a quick guard with the ability to score, the Storm improve instantly by leaps and bounds.
It's not easy to compete in the West, but look out, here come the Storm.
-- Stacey Terrien