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Kevin Pelton, storm.wnba.com
Sheryl Swoopes before. While Swoopes - along with 
Tina Thompson and in the early years Cynthia Cooper - was the face of the Comets franchise for the first 11 years of the WNBA, she missed the first half of the 1997 season due to pregnancy, the entire 2001 season after suffering a torn ACL and the last 31 games of last year due to a back injury. However, what the Comets have never done before is play against Swoopes. That will happen for the first time tonight when Houston faces the Seattle Storm at KeyArena.
As she works toward full strength after offseason back surgery, Swoopes has struggled with her shooting. On Friday, she had nine points in the first half as the Storm raced to a big halftime lead. Swoopes has consistently contributed on defense, averaging 2.0 steals to rank fifth in the WNBA. If she gets her next steal tonight, Swoopes will almost certainly become the first player in WNBA history with 600 career steals. (Sacramento's Ticha Penicheiro needs five steals to reach the mark.)
The Comets have had a rougher go of it without Swoopes, starting the season 0-4. Since losing the opener at Detroit, Houston has been in every game, but has yet to come up with a victory. The schedule-makers have made things tough on Head Coach Karleen Thompson and her charges, sending the Comets on the road for four of their first five games.
Though Houston was considered something of an afterthought in the Western Conference entering this season, the Comets could legitimately aspire to a playoff run after finishing the 2007 season strong. Houston got off to an even slower start a year ago, losing the first 10 games of the season before winning at better than a .500 clip the rest of the way (13-11). To the core of players that did so well down the stretch, the Comets made additions in the backcourt. They signed veterans Shannon "Pee Wee" Johnson and Mwadi Mabika to step into the starting lineup on the perimeter, then drafted rookies Matee Ajavon and Erica White.
So far, the best aspect of the season for Houston has been the performance of the rookie guards. Ajavon, the fifth overall pick out of Rutgers, has shown the ability to create offense but has not yet harnessed it efficiently. Ajavon is second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game, but shooting 37.2% from the field (1-of-9 from three-point range) and recording more turnovers (3.0 per game) than assists (2.5). As she gains WNBA experience, Ajavon should become less mistake-prone. White, the Comets second-round pick from LSU, has increasingly seen more action at the expense of veteran Mabika, playing 30 minutes Friday in Sacramento. White hasn't shot the ball well (3-of-14), but has averaged 6.8 points and 3.0 assists off the bench.
While the poor shooting from the rookies should be no surprise, Houston's veterans have also had a tough time putting the ball in the hoop. None of the five leading Comets scorers is shooting better than 37.2% from the field; as a team, Houston is hitting at a 38.9% clip, ranking 12th in the WNBA.
Ajavon's ability to score off the dribble has helped, but the Comets still rely entirely too much on Tina Thompson on offense. Thompson's average of 17.0 points per game is 6.5 a night more than anyone else on the roster. Karleen Thompson (no relation) has ridden Tina Thompson hard; she ranks second in the WNBA at 38.2 minutes per game. Thompson has been knocking the ball down from the perimeter, making 40.9% of her threes, but is hitting just 35.1% from the field overall. Thompson has also turned the ball over 4.5 times a night, a number that will come down as she gets more help.
The Comets hoped their off-season additions would improve an offense that ranked 11th in the WNBA last season, but they were able to win despite a subpar offense because of their defense. That hasn't translated so far this season. In particular, Houston has struggled to keep opponents off the three-point and free-throw lines. The Comets are allowing 42.0% three-point shooting this season, the worst mark in the WNBA. Meanwhile, opponents have attempted an average of 27 free throws a night against Houston.
The Storm put together a strong 40-minute effort Friday in blowing out the San Antonio Silver Stars to improve to 4-1 this season, tying the best five-game start in franchise history. While the Storm improved in several areas on Friday, including avoiding the first-half doldrums that plagued them in the first four games, few were more important than controlling the glass after getting outrebounded in the first four games. The Storm will need to commit to rebounding tonight; Houston is phenomenal on the offensive glass, rebounding 37.7% of their own missed shots. There have been plenty of opportunities for offensive rebounds for the Comets, and the Storm will have to box out.
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Two-time All-Star center Michelle Snow has seen her minutes limited early in the season. She's averaging only 18 a night, including just 11 Friday in Sacramento. Snow has been effective when she has been on the floor, shooting 71.4% from the field. Along with her backup Sancho Lyttle, Snow has also led Houston in crashing the offensive glass. However, Snow has yet to make a major impact on the defensive end of the floor. Storm center  Yolanda Griffith was a major reason the team dominated the glass on Friday, pulling down 10 boards in 18 minutes of action.
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Lauren Jackson was dominant for the Storm, scoring 19 of her 28 points before halftime and pulling down 13 rebounds. Betty Lennox chipped in four three-pointers and 16 points.
Houston - None.
