DetroitShock.com's Ryan Pretzer will answer selected email questions from Shock fans periodically throughout the 2007 season in a new feature called "The Shock Exchange."
To have your question considered, email your question (in 100 words or less) along with your name and city to shockexchange@palacenet.com. Be sure to include "Shock Exchange" in the subject line. We reserve the right to edit your question for the sake of brevity or clarity.
September 5, 2007
Playoff experience and hunger give Shock the edge
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
It's one thing to show the desire during the regular season, but this team deserves a lot of credit for its playoff hunger. Their best players have played their best when the games were on the line and that must take place again in the finals against a free-wheeling Phoenix club. Detroit won both games with the Mercury during the regular season, but Phenix comes in on a nine game roll and has three players who can score with anyone in the WNBA: Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor. This is not a good matchup for the Mercury because they refuse to play defense. Detroit is the best defensive team this league has ever seen and their physical play will bother Phoenix in, what I think, will be a four game series, ending in the Shock claiming it's second straight crown.
August 30, 2007
Indiana hungry, doesn’t fear Shock
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
Now, I'll be honest, I thought New York outplayed the defending champs in the opening round, but the Shock showed it's mettle, heart and determination - the main ingredients needed to wear a crown. They cannot play like that against the Fever. Tamika Catchings is one of the top three players in the league and they are hungry.
Like the Liberty, Indiana is not afraid of the Shock, splitting the four game series. I think Detroit has gotten their first-round malaise out of the way and will play sound ball from here on out. That doesn't mean they’ll win every possession, but they will be much better in this round. Defense is the name of the game in the conference finals, especially with these two squads. Whoever wins the turnover and rebounding battles wins the series and that's why I like Detroit in a three-game slugfest.
August 22, 2007
New York “a good matchup” for Detroit
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
First, it's been a week since the Shock have been 100% focused and the Liberty will give them the necessary challenge to get back in playoff form. New York had to fight and scratch their way into the postseason, winning on the last day over Chicago to clinch. They are where the Shock need to be mentally. Detroit had their playoff ticket punched in mid-July and their No. 1 seed sealed over a week ago. Also, the Liberty aren't afraid of the defending champs. Three games have been decided by one point and two went to overtime, which brings me to my next point. The Shock won't overlook the No. 4 seed and will be able to use the best-of-three series to serve as a springboard toward another championship-round appearance. Detroit is the best team in the East, best in the league and, after playing meaningless games for a week, now gets to play games that matter. Believe me, they can't wait.
Shock Exchange E-mails: WNBA Award Picks
Ryan Pretzer: Glad I made a convincing argument for my award winners from Washington, Rhea, but I think more of the experts agree with you. That’s especially true for Lauren Jackson as Defensive Player of Year, where two of three ESPN writers chose the 6-foot-5 Jackson over the 5-foot-11 Beard. I’m sure a lot of that came down to seeing Beard in person twice and not seeing Jackson even once, even on TV. But I’ve also felt defensive players on the perimeter could be a little more disruptive because there’s no way to avoid them, they’re a team’s first line of defense. It’s also tougher to be that disruptive when you’re not 6-foot-5, so when a player does what Beard has, I feel compelled to lean that way.
Taurasi is one of the league’s most talented and exciting players, but again, I just never saw it. She wasn’t very effective either time against Detroit. When your team is at home and scores nine points in the fourth quarter, you have to step up and take over if you’re a player of Taurasi’s caliber. But she didn’t, or couldn’t, and the Mercury lost to the Shock after holding a sizable lead.
How about his for my complete All-Snub team: Taurasi and Katie Douglas at guard, forwards Asjha Jones and Candice Dupree and Michelle Snow at center? That group could give my Second Team a run for its money. That’s also a First Team guard pairing for a lot of voters.
Christina M. Fisher: Would they look askance if you voted all of our gals in? I do think they are really the best at their positions! Just a thought. (I don't think it's so bad to be a homer when your team has won the championship twice and still has largely the same personnel and coach.)
Ryan Pretzer: I don’t think anyone would stop me, Christina, and the fact is, you can make a really compelling case for a lot of Shock players. On the league scene, I do think Deanna Nolan probably gets overlooked. She could be left off the Second Team as easily as she could make the First Team. A lot of national voters will take my snubs, Taurasi and Douglas, over Nolan, so it will be interesting to see where she lands. Nolan has consistently played at a level few others in the league can match, and that’s why I voted for her. If the Shock win the title again, Laimbeer would become the WNBA’s version of Phil Jackson - a coach with a lot of championships but far fewer individual honors because his players are so talented. It’s a blessing and a curse, though I’m sure Laimbeer, or any other coach, would readily accept that arrangement.
He won 2003 Coach of the Year for the team’s worst-to-first turnaround, and by the same reasoning is why San Antonio’s coaching staff is the favorite this year. The Shock’s best chance for a league honor is Pierson as the inaugural Sixth Woman of the Year. There’s not much being said about any of her competitors. All of them are sparkplugs for their respective teams, but only Pierson can say it helped produce the league's best record in the regular season.
August 13, 2007
Cast Your Vote... sort of
By Ryan Pretzer
While I have someone(s) in mind for most categories - I’m not tipping my hand yet, as I will have an article with my entire ballot next week (voting concludes Aug. 20) - there are some awards I just don’t have a frontrunner for. Those would be Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Though I’m not ruling out reigning two-time defense champ Tamika Catchings and rookie Lindsey Harding, I’m also not wild about either choice. In a 34-game season, I’d like to see an award winner with at least 25 games played. But injuries have curtailed their respective seasons - 21 games for Catchings, 20 for Harding - so I’m keeping my eye out for someone to stand out. It just hasn’t happened yet.
But maybe you’re seeing something I’m not, whether you’re on the East Coast or you’ve got NBA TV or you’ve just been watching this league for 10 years. Email ShockExchange@palacenet.com this week and give me your take on who should be named the WNBA’s top defensive player and rookie. Of course, you can chime in on the other awards - MVP, Sixth Woman, Coach, Most Improved -- but good luck talking me out of my choices. Give me one pick for each award, and - here’s the tricky part - a compelling reason to do so. Then wait until to see if I agree with you.
Winning Priorities
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
July 25, 2007
The Best Game I've Ever Seen
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
Deanna Nolan proved why she is the best player in the league, scoring a franchise-record 36 points, with only two of them coming from the foul line in a 16-of-23 shooting effort. (The WNBA record is 17 FGs in a game.) For the Sun, Lindsay Whalen scored a career-best 33, only two off the team mark. It is not every night you see two franchise-best scoring performances in the same game, but we nearly got it Tuesday.
It was a perfect game for TV (ESPN 2 carried it) and should be dubbed and showcased to anyone who doesn't believe the product is worth watching. It was fun, exciting, entertaining, and high quality. I hope we can see more of that type of game as the season(s) continue. By the way, Detroit now is on a seven-game roll and distancing themselves from anyone else in the league as the best in the business. It will be difficult for Indiana to keep up with Tamika Catchings sidelined for the next 2-3 weeks.
July 5, 2007
Shock Deserve More in D.C.
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
There's no dispute that Ford (best forward in the league) and Nolan (best player in the league) belong there. Both are playing like all-stars, unfortunately, they're the only ones lately. In their last four games, the Shock has looked disinterested and lazy. There is no excuse for this club to lose to Washington and San Antonio (without Becky Hammon & Ruth Riley). This team’s early success was as much because of its mental toughness as its talent, but lately it's been trying to win on skill alone and that won't work - no team is that good.
June 20, 2007
Winning without Ford, losing at the FT line
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
There is a growing concern on this team, however, and it's their free throw shooting. In each of the last three games, Detroit has shot under 70 percent from the stripe. They were just 15-of-25 against L.A. and are shooting just 64.6 percent from the stripe in the last three combined. 73.5 percent on the season ranks near the bottom of the league - not good. In their first nine games, Detroit has out-attempted (if there's such a word) their opponents from the stripe seven times and have had numerous chances to put teams away, only to allow those clubs to hang in there. Give Detroit credit for winning, but just because they're 8-1 in the first nine games, doesn't mean everything is perfect.
Shock Exchange: E-mails
Mark M. Mulhall (Yorba Linda, CA): Was "Shocked" Detroit drafted Ivory Latta in the first place. Don't see her helping at all! Why that pick? Has the Feenstra for Riley trade been satisfactory for Detroit? Looking forward to seeing the champs in LA. Keep it going, Shock.
Ryan Pretzer:: Mark, if you were able to catch the Shock in L.A. on Monday, you saw one of the days when the Feenstra-for-Riley trade worked out beautifully. That’s because Kara Braxton avoided foul trouble (only three fouls) to tally 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in probably her most complete performance of the season.
When she plays like that, there’s no question it was the right move. The Riley trade was about, in no particular order, clearing up salary cap space and creating a larger role for Braxton to contribute. Braxton’s contributions have been pretty inconsistent, however, because she seems to get two fouls in the first quarter of every game, like she did against Indiana Saturday. With Cheryl Ford out, the Shock needed her to step up against the Fever and she wasn’t able to do it, scoring two points and going 0-for-4 from the field. But then Feenstra stepped in and delivered a double-double, 14 points and 11 rebounds. Neither one will ever be the player Riley was and is, but together they provide enough productivity - at a lower cap cost - that Laimbeer feels good about his center position.
Don’t forget, Detroit can now swap first-round picks with the Silver Stars in the ’08 draft, which could be one of the best talent pools ever. With the league’s best record, the Shock weren’t going to be a major player on draft day, but now they might be.
As for Ivory, you can read more about her below (June 5 e-mails), but the bottom line is this: When you’re the champs and bringing back five of your top six players, you’re drafting with only the future in mind. Elaine Powell, Katie Smith and Pee Wee Johnson have 30 years of pro ball between them. Latta could be a huge part of this team when the frontcourt is still in its prime. The frontcourt is pretty young with Feenstra (3rd year), Braxton (3rd) and Ford (4th). If it hadn’t been a player with Latta’s pedigree, I think any other selection at the 11th pick wouldn’t have even made the team.
Carmen Wells: What’s the status of Cheryl Ford’s injury? When will she be back?
Ryan Pretzer: Cheryl sprained her knee in the final, game-clinching sequence of the June 15 game against Connecticut when she collided with Swin Cash. Ford was clearly shaken up afterward - teammates who had ran for the tunnel came back onto the floor when they realized what had happened - but Ford left the court under her own power and was smiling in the locker room afterward, saying she’d play against Indiana the next day.
Well, Ford didn’t even suit up Saturday, and she directed all questions to head trainer Laura Ramus, who said the league’s leading rebounder is “day-to-day” with a left knee sprain. Ford dressed against L.A., but didn’t play. If she’s not back by the June 22 game against Phoenix - a full week after the collision - that could be cause for concern.
June 12, 2007
Shock Look Unbeatable
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
You can read more from Matt Shepard here at the Shock Exchange and also at his 1130 the Fan blog, www.wdfn.com.
Coach’s Corner with Cheryl Reeve
Of course we can’t give away all of our trade secrets…don’t want to help out the opposition too much!
Hopefully we’ll get to talk to each other in this forum about once a week. If you have any questions you’d like to send my way, shoot an e-mail to shockexchange@palacenet.com.
So first off, let’s talk a little scouting. What do we look for when we’re getting ready to play a particular opponent? There are three components of scouting that we focus on.
To read more of the Coach’s Corner, click here.
Shock Exchange: E-mails
Diane Carlson (Grand Haven): I have a question about the television schedule this year. It seems to me that not very many games are scheduled to be televised. I even happen to have Sports Package through Direct TV, which includes NBA TV, and I see many games are scheduled that won’t be televised. How do we get the word out that we want to see the Shock on TV more?
Ryan Pretzer: The most straightforward way of telling the Shock you would like to see more televised games is to write the Chief Operating Officer of the Detroit Shock, Craig Turnbull, at The Palace. (5 Championship Drive, Auburn Hills, 48326-9906). Mr. Turnbull would appreciate the feedback when making future television broadcasting arrangements. He told me that for the 2007 season, 16 games are televised locally on Fox Sports Detroit, Comcast and ESPN2, the most-ever for a single season. There’s also the possibility of playoff games being aired, which seems likely at this point.
NBATV broadcasts games that are already being televised by the teams, so the Shock’s 16 games are available for NBATV to pull and show nationally. That means to see other Shock games on NBATV, it’s up to the teams that the Shock are visiting to broadcast the game, and then up NBATV to air that over the other league games that night.
At the moment, the NBATV plans to televise six Shock games this season that are not available locally, bringing your total to 22 games. Not great, but not bad, Diane. My question is, how do the defending champions only get on ABC twice, one of them being on Opening Night rather than during the peak of the season?
June 5, 2007
If you wanted more from Ivory Latta after reading “Latta Draws Roars - Then Scores,” here are a couple more thoughts from Latta, in addition Ryan Pretzer's answers to fans’ questions about the popular rookie guard. We’ll also have more fan e-mails later in the week.
Latta: Outtakes & Answers
On the difference between her head coach at North Carolina, Sylvia Hatchell, and Bill Laimbeer: “(Laughing). Coach Hatchell - laid back. She don’t yell. She’s just laid back and don’t yell.
“He’s very aggressive. Actually, to be honest, he don’t yell. He just tells you things that are going to help you, both coaches do that. You can just tell, they’re totally different personalities and everything. She’s laid back and he’s definitely aggressive, but both of them are great coaches.”
Shock Exchange E-mails
Mishayla Jones (Milwaukee): Why is the coach trying to change Latta into a 2 instead of a 1? Will she ever play as many minutes as Nolan?
Ryan Pretzer: I think Laimbeer disagrees with your premise that Latta is a point guard, Mishayla. This is what he said on media day: “I told Latta, I think she’s going to play 2 for us when she’s on the floor with EP or with Smith, because she’s a scoring guard and that’s what we want her to be is a scoring guard.” As one of the ACC’s top 3-point shooters of all-time, you can see why he doesn’t want her concerned with passing the rock.
You’re asking the right question, Mishayla, but it may be about the wrong player. Free-agent signing Pee-Wee Johnson has also undergone the great guard experiment, and the early results are fairly alarming. The former four-time All-Star point guard is shooting only 18.8 percent from the field (3-of-16) with six assists and six turnovers in the first four games. Most troubling is that Johnson was supposed to give Nolan and Smith more rest, but they’re both well over 30 minutes a game while Johnson is only playing 13.5. Making a transition from starter to bench player and a position change at the same time may have been too much to ask of her.
Still, Johnson will have to get a lot worse before that means more minutes for Latta, who averaging about 1.0 per game. That said, Laimbeer illustrated in the Minnesota game he’s not afraid to use her in non-blowout situations. This was his take on Latta’s playing time on media day: “I’m sure she’ll play a couple minutes here and there, I’ve only got 11 (players,” he said. “There’s no inactive list, nobody sits the whole year - everyone plays at least some minutes.”
But like any rookie, Latta can be exposed as turnover-prone when she’s out there too long. In almost 40 minutes of preseason action, Latta had more turnovers (five) than assists (three) and she has had three turnovers in her first four minutes of regular-season action. If Latta’s going to play more minutes - this season or any other season - she will have to take better care of the ball. Laimbeer likes her, but I think he’ll like her more in two years when she can play a bigger role. Will she ever get as many minutes as Nolan? Hard to say, but not many basketball players average more than 30 minutes in a 40-minute game.
Terry Rodriguez, Charlotte: She averaged 50 points in high school, 30 points in college. That equals out to a 15-point average for the Shock. When are we gonna see Ivory Latta play? She has a huge fan base and can be a spark in the Shock marketing department.
Ryan Pretzer: Not sure Ivory’s high school stats, but her best average at North Carolina was 18.4 points per game her junior year. That production doesn’t always carry over so precisely from one level to the next, Terry. Ivory probably had the largest following of any of the 2007 draft picks - especially in Charlotte and the rest of the Tar Heel nation - and her selection gave Shock fans something else to be excited about heading into the season. But the Shock are defending champs and Laimbeer is out to win another one, which Latta can’t help them do right now playing 20 minutes a game. Latta is a marketer’s dream - but so is being the champs.
June 1, 2007
Too much of a bad thing -- turnovers and whistles
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
An aside on Wednesday night's affair with Washington: there were over 60 fouls called and 72 foul shots attempted -- it's ridiculous. These referees have to let these women play the game. They are ruining the games for fans, who are there to watch the athletes, not the officials blow the whistle. I've beat this drum for years. This league needs its fans and it needs to attract more -- you don't do that by stopping play every other trip down the floor. In the words of Bob Watson in the original "Bad News Bears" movie: "Let them Play!"
May 24, 2007
Fired Up and Focused
By Matt Shepard
Detroit Shock Broadcaster
This club is in excellent shape and has already displayed a "spunk," "fight," or "attitude," as evident with Katie Smith's feistiness against Minnesota. Plenette Pierson has been the best player early and not just because she scored 22 and 14 respectively, but because she continues to do the little things to help this club win: rebound, block shots, take charges and, most importantly, defend. It's early and Detroit needs to treasure its possessions more (although the 13 turnovers against the Lynx is deceiving because three were made in the last minute by rookies)...but their early-season focus has been extremely impressive and that's a credit to this teams coaching staff and its veteran leaders - Smith, Nolan, Cash and Ford.
Presidential Q & A
Jennifer Pottheiser (NBAE/Getty)
Question: What has made the Shock such a successful WNBA franchise?
Donna Orender: Bill Laimbeer has done an unbelievable job in creating a winning environment. The organization is such that it’s all about “Deee-troit basketball,” and the Shock is Detroit basketball as much as the Pistons are so they do a good job there. They have great personalities here as well, Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford. They have great players. All of that contributes.
Q: Other teams have been less fortunate. Any concerns about the Charlotte Sting franchise folding?
DO: Actually I was very happy with what happened, I was pleased with what happened in Charlotte, in so much as, when you build a business, you learn to build on strength. Strength on strength is great, and that was clearly not a situation the way it was currently configured that was going to be an asset for the league. So this gives us the opportunity to continue to grow with tremendously strong franchises and find new ones that want to be part of the league.
I would not preclude Charlotte from being a team in the (league) once again. I don’t think it had anything to do with the (fan base).
Q: Where is the WNBA considering expansion?
DO: There’s a list of anywhere between 9-15 markets in various stages of development and discussion. The ones most advanced that people seem to be talking about are Atlanta, Denver and the Bay Area. I guess those would be the top three. However, the way these discussions and business deals tend to come together, you can’t really preclude that something else could pop out in a much more advanced way tomorrow.
Q: What are you looking for in an expansion destination?
DO: I think what we’re pushing toward is solid, committed ownership that really believes in the WNBA and what it can bring to their community, and then you start there, it’s generally going to be in a community that’s going to be supportive. Then you look at the corporate base, which probably lines up itself up very well.
Q: How important is it to have a successful NBA team in place to help a WNBA franchise in the same market?
DO: I think any time you go into a market you want to have good relationships with all the other entities in the marketplace. I’m always intrigued by people saying the NBA is in some ways not beneficial to the WNBA. The NBA is a fantastic partner. Who wouldn’t want to have one of the top sports-marketing leagues in the world, working with them and the benefit of their expertise - we certainly do.
That said, there’s certainly value differentiations in terms of what the WNBA brings to a market versus the NBA. Which is why on a continuum, it’s almost a full circle. We don’t replicate the NBA, we absolutely complement that. That’s really what makes a great business model. That’s why brands diversify, so they can hit every part of the target market they can with what they do, which is basketball.
Q: What is your time frame for adding another WNBA team?
DO: I really have to defer to the markets and the respective business groups that are developing these teams. They understand if we’re going to have a 2008 franchise, the sooner we move ahead in a certain time frame, the more advantageous it is to them.
Q: What would you say is the WNBA’s next benchmark for development?
DO: I think we continue to make great strides in local and national sponsorship. Last year we added five new national partners. We’ve just announced four (more), and these partners are WNBA-focused. I think that really portends well for the business side of the league. In addition the average local sponsorship, the number of them, has also increased. I think having these partners engaged with us and activating the way that Discover Card does and Ocean Spray does, and the way you’ll see Shrek do that, is really a very good next step for the development of our league.
Q: How will the WNBA remain mainstream in sports culture that has made it difficult for women's pro leagues to thrive?
DO: I think probably what’s most interesting to me is, when you really talk to young school-age girls, junior high school and even up to high school, there’s this sense of entitlement. They don’t even recognize that this is something on some level that somebody fought for. They’re just growing up now and this is part of their expectations. I think that sense of expectation will help to continue to fuel the fact that any attempt at erosion will be isolated incidents, probably due to some kind of ignorance, that we will have to continue to fight against. But you can look at that in any kind of business sector that you work with.
We will continue to be proactive and I think that speaks to why the WNBA is so important. It is such a visible, iconic brand that speaks to what women can do. It speaks to playing team sports - which is not the traditional kind of (women’s) sports, (like) golf and tennis - that says, women can do anything. And guess what? There are men and women, boys and girls, that stand up and cheer for these strong women. That’s an incredibly powerful and important message. It truly, truly is.
May 16, 2007
Ring the bell, the Shock Exchange is open for the 2007 season. Assistant coach Rick Mahorn starts us off along with the first fan questions of the year.
Shock assistant coach Rick Mahorn poses with the 2006 WNBA Championship trophy.DetroitShock.com:The Shock open the season as defending champions for the second time. What is different about this title defense from 2004?
Rick Mahorn: There’s a lot more focus now coming into this season because we have a bull’s-eye on our back. People want what we have. So until things change, we’ll still walk around with poise. With the addition of a few veterans that haven’t won a championship, that only enhances our chances of doing well.
DS.com: What do you see in practice that tells you this?
RM: You see more camaraderie, you see more people listening, you see an assortment of things that makes us a better ball club. Like I said, the addition of the veterans makes us even better.
DS.com: The Pistons’ playoff series against the Bulls has stirred a lot of memories for Detroit basketball fans. Has it been the same for you?
RM: It’s kind of out of my mind. It’s always competition when it’s Detroit-Chicago, be it football, be it baseball, be it kickball, marbles, whatever. It’s two metropolitan cities in the Midwest that really want to outshine the other. That’s what’s so fun about having rivalries between cities.
DS.com: Could the Bad Boys be able to play their type of game in today’s NBA with all the changes?
RM: The rules were changed because of the way we played, but it’s just like anything else: you make adjustments and you get better. I think that’s a skill, making adjustments, you have to have as a professional basketball player.
DS.com:What current player reminds you of how you played?
RM: I think Rasheed sums it up. You play with your emotions on your sleeve. That’s what you have to do. I think Rasheed Wallace is one of those players you just love to watch or love to hate.
DS.com: Your old teammate, Charles Barkley, has become a media darling for TNT, and you’re broadcasting games for the Pistons. Could the two of you ever do a talk show together?
RM: I don’t necessarily envision it. Charles makes it fun. He says what’s on his mind and people can’t stop him from that.
DS.com: Are you in Charles’ Fave Five?
RM: I’m in his Five. We talk, we still talk. I don’t know who’s in his Five, I know his mom and grandmother would be in his Five. But as long as I’m in the top 100, I’m okay.
SHOCK EXCHANGE: E-mails
Jay Roberts (Wareham, MA): Do you see Katie Smith's role with the team changing at all with the backcourt additions the Shock made over the offseason?
Pretzer: Not really, Jay. Maybe a few minutes less per game, but that’s about it. Bill Laimbeer made it clear the first day of training camp that he likes a three-guard rotation with Smith, Deanna Nolan and Pee-Wee Johnson coming off the bench. Johnson and Smith’s versatility makes them interchangeable, meaning Smith may get to play a bit more 2-guard than she did previously. Elaine Powell will also find time in spot situations. As intriguing as it would be to see the rookie Ivory Latta on the floor, she’s still a rookie. She won’t be cutting into Smith’s role any, but Laimbeer does look forward to using his deep bench to get Smith and Nolan a few more minutes of rest.
Micki Special (Mount Clemens): May 11: The Connecticut Sun waive Vanessa Gidden and Brooke Smith. Tell Bill to pick up Brooke!
Pretzer: Micki, thanks for the promotion to assistant director of player personnel for the Detroit Shock. I hope the pay bump comes with it. But I don’t even have to go Laimbeer to tell you what he’d say: “Sure. Who do you want me to cut to make room for her?” If trade rumors or “what if” scenarios are your thing, the Shock won’t give you a lot of material. This roster is as rock solid as it gets. It has savvy veterans, rising stars, productive role players and new faces. It also has precious little salary cap space. Laimbeer and his staff like what they have for two good reasons - the championship rings on their fingers. I was surprised to see Smith cut twice before her rookie season could get underway, especially after her collegiate success, but it’s early. She’s only one bad break (for somebody else) away from getting another shot.