Notebook: Preseason in the Books
RELATED CONTENT | |
|
After a pair of losses in the Midwest this weekend - 68-67 Friday in Chicago and 84-75 Friday to the Minnesota Lynx - the Seattle Storm's 2006 preseason is in the books. Storm Coach
Anne Donovan had mixed feelings about her team's final two preseason games.
"I think there was great learning in both games," Donovan said after the Storm practiced Monday. "I thought down the stretch we had a great chance to win the game in Chicago, but then we fouled with a second left on the clock to give them free throws. Some great learning in both games. Not enough players, but the players we had all had a lot of playing time."
 | |
|
Janell Burse unable to make the trip because of her ongoing battle with a partial tear in her left shoulder labrum, the Storm dressed just 10 players on Friday when 
Lauren Jackson sat out because her preseason training schedule does not allow her to work on consecutive days. Jackson played in Minnesota, but the Storm was without guard 
Tanisha Wright and center 
Lindsay Taylor in that game.
"We're a different team," said Donovan of playing without the starting frontcourt of Burse and Jackson. "It's a scary look, but we better get used to it. If that were to happen again, we can't just fold up and not compete. I think our perimeter learned valuable lessons about how to play without those players."
Wright was absent for a reason that won't affect her long-term - she was attending her graduation from Penn State University over the weekend, and also missed Monday's practice. She's expected back tomorrow. Taylor's situation, as she continues to battle Achilles tendinitis in her right heel, is more problematic. Taylor, who scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds in 13 minutes on Friday, is battling veterans 
Simone Edwards and 
Tiffani Johnson for what will likely be two spots up front.
"It's definitely a factor for us," said Donovan. "We haven't been able to keep her on the floor long enough to really get long stretches of evaluation. I thought she did some really good things in the Chicago game, but then she was out the next game. That evaluation process has been very broken up."
Johnson, playing with the Storm for the first time, scored 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting in the two games but grabbed just three rebounds in 26 minutes of action.
"She's fighting for a spot, let's put it that way," Donovan said. "Our challenge in the post over the weekend was we didn't rebound the ball very well. We've talked to Tiffani and Simone and all the players in question. That's one area where you can really make an impact."
Edwards, who started on Friday in place of Jackson, had seven rebounds in 37 minutes, adding 10 points.
The Storm's only consistent frontcourt presence thus far during the preseason has been veteran 
Wendy Palmer, who started both games over the weekend in place of Burse and led the team during the preseason with 11.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Palmer left Monday's practice early after taking an elbow to the face, bloodying her mouth.
"She's getting a stitch or two in her lip," said Donovan. "Hopefully that's all."
Meanwhile, Burse worked individually with Storm Player Development Specialist Talvin Skinner on the Storm's other practice court, shooting from the elbows. It's an encouraging step in her rehabilitation, but Donovan is not expecting to have Burse in the lineup on Sunday when the Storm tips off the regular season against the Los Angeles Sparks (6:00 p.m., FSN, 
).
"I'm planning as if no," Donovan said. "If she were to come back, it would be a pleasant surprise. Her range of motion is better, but I have no idea when to expect her back. She's moving in the right direction."
Jackson Going Strong
Jackson was able to ramp up to 25 minutes against Minnesota, her longest outing thus far. Jackson, who continues to play well whenever she is on the court, had 14 points and six rebounds on 5-for-10 shooting.
"When she's out there, she's so competitive," said Donovan. "What I like about it is she's not 100% sharp, because she hasn't had enough court time to be that yet. She's not getting frustrated with herself. She's just playing hard and trying to make it happen for us. She's playing very well with everyone else, which is very difficult to do when you're not in a practice situation getting the chemistry."
Jackson is eager for the start of the regular season and to have her minutes increase even more starting Sunday.
"Look, I just want to get out there and play," she said. "Enough of this four minutes on, four minutes off stuff."
Donovan said her tentative plan is for Jackson to play about 30 minutes per game, though, "I'm not going to be held to that."
Betty Lennox suffered through a difficult preseason, shooting 9-for-41 (22.0%) from the field. She remained on The Furtado Center court well after Monday's practice, focusing on shooting while coming off of curls at the elbows.
"If there's anyone who's going to work through that, it's Betty," Donovan said. "She's the one who's going to be here shooting too many shots trying to get out of that. She's as aware as anybody of her shooting slump. In the fourth quarter in Minnesota, I challenged her, 'You've got to get your offense on now.' She went to work."
There's precedent for Lennox struggling during the preseason. Two years ago, she shot 4-for-20 (20.0%) in three preseason games, but turned it up when the regular season began, combining for 38 points and 15 rebounds in the Storm's first two games.
