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 Mabika |
There was no rest for the weary either. Leslie played 119 of a possible 120 minutes in the Finals, a total nearly matched by fellow frontcourt players Mwadi Mabika (118 minutes) and DeLisha Milton-Jones (115 minutes). This was no playoff adjustment, however, but the culmination of a season's worth of heavy work for the Los Angeles starters; all five, including guards Nikki Teasley and Tamecka Dixon, averaged more than 32 minutes over the course of the year. And off the bench, only 39-year-old forward Jennifer Gillom and guard Nicky McCrimmon appeared in more than 25 games, combining for 21.1 mpg.
Knowing they needed to shore up their reserve corps -- particularly up front -- the Sparks set about strengthening their roster in the offseason. They began with a longshot in January's dispersal draft, selecting Isabelle Fijalkowski, a 6-5 center who hasn't played in the WNBA since 1998. Then in the college draft, the team grabbed 6-3 forward Christi Thomas out of Georgia and 5-9 guard Doneeka Hodges out of Louisiana State.
"These two players will get significant minutes," said Coach Michael Cooper. "That is the one thing that hurt us last year and helped Detroit -- they had players that could come off the bench and give them significant minutes and could produce when on the floor."
The Sparks completed their moves by signing veteran free agents Teresa Weatherspoon and Tamika Whitmore, both of whom had spent their entire careers with the New York Liberty.
The 6-2 Whitmore (8.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg in 2003) will join Thomas to provide L.A. with brand-new options on the interior, where Leslie, a five-time All-Star and the 2001 MVP, has been a mainstay since the WNBA's inception in 1997. Though she missed 11 games last season, Leslie led the Sparks -- and ranked among the league's top five -- in scoring (18.4 ppg), rebounding (10.0 rpg) and blocks (2.74 bpg). Milton-Jones, the starter at power forward, contributed an additional 13.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg but is coming off a torn ACL suffered in January that makes the the team's new additions even more vital.
Like Leslie, small forward Mabika (13.8 ppg) and shooting guard Dixon (13.7 ppg) have been with the Sparks since the 1997 season. Both are athletic slashers who can shoot from the perimeter or penetrate the lane, ranking second and third on the team in scoring in 2003.
At the point, Teasley -- dubbed "Lady Magic" by her coach for the size and versatility she brings to her position -- showed terrific improvement in her second season. Averaging 11.5 ppg, 6.3 apg and 5.1 rpg, she was the only player in the league to eclipse the 10-6-5 mark, and she was among the WNBA's top shooters from long-distance, hitting .424 on her 3-point attempts to rank third overall. She was also a workhorse, tied with teammate Milton-Jones for third in the league in minutes (35.0 mpg); this year, Weatherspoon, 38 years old and a proven playmaker, will be available to spell Teasley off the bench.
"I really like the look of our team right now," Cooper said as training camp got under way. "I think we've done some things that are going to help us get back to winning championships."
The Sparks tip off their season on Saturday, May 22 at Seattle.
“The loss to Detroit [in the 2003 WNBA Finals] left a bad taste in our mouth and we were very humbled. Everyone still thinks we have a slight edge ... there are a lot of people still hunting for us.”
The 6-3 rookie out of Georgia will figure prominently into the Sparks' frontcourt rotation after putting up stellar numbers during the preseason, averaging 9.0 ppg on .550 shooting, 7.3 rpg and 1.33 bpg.