MINNESOTA LYNX Roster | 2008 Schedule Head coach: Don Zierden enters his second season with the team. Purchase Lynx tickets now! Fan Voice: Talk about the Lynx! 2008 PROJECTED STARTERS: PG: Lindsey Harding SG: Anna DeForge SF: Seimone Augustus PF: Tiffany Stansbury C: Nicole Ohlde 2008 DRAFT RESULTS: Rd. 1: Candice Wiggins Rd. 2: Nicky Anosike Rd. 3: Charde Houston

Augustus

The 2007 WNBA season was a constant uphill battle for the young Minnesota Lynx and first-year head coach Don Zierden. They began the campaign by dropping seven consecutive games, then after winning five of their next eight, hit a 10-game skid that lasted nearly the entire month of July. The reality is that the Lynx roster lacked experience. It included five rookies and three second-year players. Meanwhile, forward Tamika Raymond was the squad's oldest player at the tender age of 27.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Leading the Lynx all season was Seimone Augustus, an All-WNBA Second-Team performer who earned her second All-Star selection in as many seasons. Her 22.6 scoring average put her second behind only league MVP Lauren Jackson.

The Lynx do have a core of several solid players, who, despite their relative lack of success, did manage to get accustomed to each other and to the league. Along with Augustus, No. 1 overall draft pick Lindsey Harding was the leading Rookie of the Year candidate before suffering a season-ending ACL injury on July 10. Prior to being sidelined, Harding averaged 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Rookie Noelle Quinn stepped in at the point after Harding's injury and performed admirably, dishing out a team-record 14 assists in Minnesota's season-ending victory over San Antonio. Kristen Mann was also a solid performer from the wing and rookie Shay Murphy provided energy and scoring off the bench.

Harding

WHAT WENT WRONG

Losing Harding squashed any hopes the Lynx had of turning around their season. The squad won only five games after Harding's injury, finishing the season with a league-worst 10-24 record.

Meanwhile, other players on the team showed promise at times but also struggled in certain areas of their game. Center Nicole Ohlde started every game, was third on the team in scoring and led the squad in rebounding, but shot a poor percentage from the field (37 percent). Veteran forward Svetlana Abrosimova had an impressive second half of the season, scoring in double figures in all of her final 12 contests, but had a slow start to the season that played a part in Minnesota's early struggles.

While the team was strong offensively, it was not quite as successful on the defensive end. The Lynx allowed an average of 80.9 points -- second highest in the league.

And with young players owning prominent roles on the squad, inexperience took its toll. Thrown in the fire immediately, Minnesota's rookies did not have time to adequately adapt to the level of league or to the demanding, compressed schedule.

LOOKING AHEAD

In the offseason, the Lynx signed veteran guard Anna DeForge away from the Indiana Fever. Talented and experienced, the six-year vet will bring much-needed leadership to Minnesota. She will also greatly contribute to Minnesota's offensive productivity, showing the next generation the tricks of the trade.

But the offseason also included a few key departures. Abrosimova was not re-signed by the team and may spend the year out of the WNBA, while Mann was chosen by the Atlanta Dream in the Expansion Draft. Raymond was shipped to Connecticut in a trade that brought veteran forward Kristen Rasmussen into the fold.

Wiggins

On draft day, the Lynx stood their ground at No. 3 instead of trading out, which some had anticipated, and added another lethal scorer to the mix by selecting Stanford star Candice Wiggins. Wiggins should fit in nicely with Minnesota's youthful offensive attack, but issues still linger about the team's frontcourt.

The Lynx did little to address the post outside of adding Rasmussen and selecting Tennessee center Nicky Anosike and UConn forward Charde Houston in the later rounds of the draft. However, it's questionable whether the additions can make the impact on the boards and defending the rim that the Lynx sorely need.

Minnesota should be better in 2008 as their youngsters will have had another season under their belts and familiarity playing with one another. Coming off a season in which they went 10-24, the Lynx have nowhere to go but up.