Donovan Upbeat in Recapping Season
RELATED CONTENT | |
|
Seattle Storm Coach
Anne Donovan won't let the disappointment of how her team's season ended overwhelm what the Storm accomplished over the course of the season.
That was made clear Wednesday, as Donovan met with the local media to recap the season and reminded everyone that a season that began with diminished expectations because of the losses the Storm suffered after winning the 2004 WNBA Championship saw the Storm develop into a strong contender to defend that title before being upset by Houston in the First Round of the playoffs.
 | |
|
Sue (Bird) and 
Lauren (Jackson) and their growth, to take all the new talent and do what we did, 20-14 … there's no way I thought we'd get that record this year.
"We had a lot of new talent this year. We had an infusion of new, young players who didn't have experience in the WNBA. When we changed our roster this season, there was a hope that we would be rebuilding towards a championship run. But when you lose two starters and your first sub off the bench, it's going to be difficult to repeat. There was no illusion that that was going to be an easy thing to have happen. Was it a goal? Absolutely. It's always a goal to win a championship. But when you look at the new talent that we had on this team, we had a great year at 20-14."
When veterans Tully Bevilaqua, Sheri Sam and Kamila Vodichkova left the Storm for more lucrative offers as free agents, Donovan had the option of replacing them with less talented veterans or more talented young players who could not match the departed trio's experience. She chose the latter, knowing that it could cost the Storm in the short term but would have a long-term payoff.
"I thought this year was going to be the year where we really struggled," Donovan said. "And we did - we had moments of the season where we did struggle. But to do what we did and know we're close, it really motivates you to find that extra piece for next year."
The Storm's young roster should afford some salary-cap flexibility this off-season to make a move for a veteran piece who could complement the Storm's current players. That's precisely what Donovan is targeting.
"I'd like to see another piece come onboard," she said. "I'd like to see some experience added. We have tremendous experience - Lauren, five years in the league already, Sue, four years in the league already, so we have experience. I'd like to think about another older player adding to the mix. We thought about that last year; it was difficult to work out."
Donovan went on to describe that piece as ideally a player who plays on the perimeter and, "Somebody who wants a ring at all costs."
The Storm saw some of that hunger to win a ring first-hand last week in the veteran Comets. Four-time champions Janeth Arcain, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson are hungry for another, while Houston got key contributions from veteran guard Dawn Staley, looking for her first WNBA title.
If Donovan has her way, the Storm's off-season could end up similar to what the Connecticut Sun did last winter. After losing to the Storm in the WNBA Finals, the Sun largely kept its core intact while adding a key piece in center Margo Dydek. The result was the WNBA's best regular-season record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
"The nucleus of this team, I would think, would remain," said Donovan.
"If we don't get the right deal, we move forward. I've got confidence in this team. Do we have to have a veteran piece? I don't know that we have to. Would it give us better chances? Yes, so that's what we'll go after. But if we don't, I have confidence in Sue and Lauren and their leadership and 
Betty (Lennox) coming along and all the young players that we signed this year, that they're going to continue to grow."
The 2006 Storm will also have the benefit of extra motivation from the disappointment the team felt about this year's playoff defeat, not totally unlike the feeling of disappointment when the Storm missed the 2003 Playoffs that helped springboard the Storm to the 2004 Championship.
"'Remember what this feels like,' Donovan said she told her players in their exit interviews. "You've got to turn it into a positive, and the positive is if we learn from it, we don't experience this again, we're better for it."
The Storm will need that motivation to meet the increased goals Donovan has in mind.
"This was the key year in terms of gaining all the new players, all the new free agents, getting some good ones and getting some experience," she said. "Next year, the expectations go up. It's not just experience, it's not just fitting in. Now it's, 'You know your role, you understand what your role is and you've got to fulfill it.'"
