Beard, a natural lefty, has been forced to dribble extensively with her right hand since her left shoulder surgery. David Dow/NBAE/Getty Images

But the lightning-quick left-hander has never led the Mystics past the first round of the playoffs. And Beard was slowed at times during the 2007 season by a shoulder issue that forced her to undergo surgery last September, casting some doubt on her prospects for the 2008 campaign.

WNBA.com's Adam Hirshfield caught up with Beard recently to discuss her plans for returning to the court, her expectations for the Olympics and her inability to stay awake at the movies.

Q. First off, the question that everyone is asking: How is your shoulder doing? What's the prognosis for you returning to 100 percent by Opening Day?

A. "A lot of it is still up in the air, but I think we're definitely on track for being back to 100 percent by the start of the season. I have my range of motion back, but my shoulder rotation is probably going to take a little while longer to come back. That's what I'm working really hard on right now. And that's very important in a basketball sense, because it's used in shooting, passing and lots of other aspects of the game. I'm on my way to rehab right now, and I've been improving every single day.

"The reason I had surgery in September was that I wanted to be back in time for the season. Hopefully I'll even be back in time to make a run with the USA team early in the spring. We'll see how it goes over the next month or two, but everything is on track right now."

Q. Have you been out on the court at all?

A. "Yeah, a little bit. But I've been banned from using my left hand, so I've been out there using my right. That's been a big part of my rehab sessions for the last three months. I just got cleared a couple of weeks ago to do minor dribbling and to work on my shooting form without the ball. Shhh, I don't think my trainer knows that, but…

"No, honestly, I've been sooooo patient and I'm very proud of myself for that because I'm probably the most impatient person I've ever been around. And when you're as active as I usually am, you learn that your body enjoys a rest every now and then! During the season, we go for a long time without any substantial break, so my body is thanking me right now. It's funny, now that I'm getting back into exercising and working out, my body is like, 'Hey, whoa, what are you doing? Slow down!' "

Q. Do you have a timetable set for when you're coming back and expecting to be back out on the court?

A. "We're playing it by ear at this point, but this really isn't the kind of thing you should rush. Timing-wise, nothing is set in stone. The goal my trainer and I set was between 4-4½ months, which lands us in mid-February. So if all goes well and I'm ready in the next six weeks, hopefully I'll have time to go over to Europe for a little while to get some playing time, then, hopefully get back out there with the USA, then get back into real basketball shape for the start of the WNBA season.

Q. How do you feel about your standing with the USA Basketball team at this point? Are you expecting to be heading to China next fall?

A. "Hmmmm, I am, yes. But it all depends on how the shoulder looks. We have a training session in the spring and everyone is trying out, you know? Of course you have some players who you know are going to be on the team -- Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson, for example -- but everyone else is fighting for a spot. I'm working hard toward that goal."

Q. Given that you're not overseas yet, what have you been up to? Have you just been hanging out at home all day? Or have you been busy training? Seen any good movies lately?

A. "You know what? I try to go to movies, but I always fall asleep. I think I have a real problem. I've tried at all times of the day, too, but I seem to fall asleep every time! Gosh, I don't know… maybe I'm just seeing bad movies, but I don't think that's it. The one movie I did manage to stay awake for was American Gangster. I got a thrill out of that.

"But seriously, I'm a pretty boring person. My schedule has me working out from 9 to 11, I have a 2 p.m. rehab, I'm out on the court at 3:30, then I work out again with my trainer at 5:30. That's my day. Pretty boring.

"Of course, during the holidays, I got down to Louisiana to spend eight days with my family, which was also really, really good for me."

Q. So tell me about this upcoming trip to India with Mystics President Sheila Johnson and CARE.

A. "Yes, I'm very excited about it. It should be very interesting to go over and visit a third-world country and to be educated on their culture and, hopefully, to educate them on some of the things we know. We'll be there for about 10 days with Dr. Johnson."

Q. Sounds interesting. Let's talk briefly about the Mystics looking ahead to 2008. Your team narrowly missed out on a playoff spot. Is that the step you're hoping to take as a team this coming season?

A. "I'm really excited about next year. Every player is excited about the new season because it's an opportunity to start over.

"I'm also really excited about having a stable coaching situation. I love what Tree brings to the team and I know that he has high hopes for the season as well. It'll be great to have him and Crystal Robinson back on the coaching staff. The only thing I can hope for is to keep everything we can the same, because I think we had a really good core group of girls. Of course you never know what's going to happen with the collective bargaining agreement or the expansion draft. But I think we have a good thing going."