2003: 24-10
Coach: Michael Cooper
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* Newcomer |
 Weatherspoon is part of a revamped Sparks bench. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty |
As a result, while the Sparks retain the same outstanding starting lineup, a bench that was awful last season has been virtually completely turned over. Free agents Teresa Weatherspoon and Tamika Whitmore were signed away from the New York Liberty, and should both be more effective in smaller roles. Los Angeles drafted Christi Thomas from Georgia in the draft and expects her to step in right away, while Laura Macchi, a free agent pickup who is a star in her native Italy, could also have an impact.
It looked like one of those players would have to step into the starting lineup when Milton-Jones suffered an ACL injury while practicing with Team USA, but an innovative rehab program in Austria has helped Milton-Jones make a recovery that has been nothing short of miraculous. Milton-Jones returned to the court last Thursday at Connecticut, scoring three points and grabbing four boards in 14 minutes.
With Milton-Jones in place, the Sparks again have to be considered the favorite in the Western Conference, though a number of teams, particularly the Monarchs - who were a three-pointer away form sending Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals to overtime - could challenge them.
A bigger question during the regular season may be who steps up for the Sparks. All five starters have made at least one All-Star appearance, with Leslie, Nikki Teasley and Tamecka Dixon earning the honors last season. Expect Teasley's numbers to continue to rise as she develops into one of the WNBA's top point guards, while Leslie could be in for a bounce-back season after a tough 2003 that saw several young players, including Finals MVP Ruth Riley and regular-season MVP Lauren Jackson, challenge her status in the league.
Sacramento Monarchs
2003: 19-15
Coach: John Whisenant
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Okay, that's not true. After taking over the Sacramento Monarchs a little more than halfway through last season, Coach John Whisenant's team was beaten four times, then three more in the playoffs. However, the Monarchs also won 12 regular-season games under Whisenant, playing at a .750 clip, as opposed to their .389 winning percentage (7-11) under former coach Maura McHugh. The Monarchs also won three times in the postseason, upsetting the Houston Comets in three games to set up a rematch of the 2001 Western Conference Finals before falling in three to the Sparks.
The difference under Whisenant was defense. Focusing on that end of the court, he gave the Monarchs fewer responsibilities on offense. The result was a mediocre offense, but a defense that was the best in the league on a per-possession basis. Sacramento did a fine job of playing the passing lanes, forcing turnovers on more than 20% of their opponents' possessions (only Phoenix did better in that regard). Meanwhile, former MVP Yolanda Griffith anchored the middle.
Whisenant was supposed to only be signing on for the remainder of the 2003 season, but he could hardly return to the front office after being so successful. As a result, he's inherited Coach/GM duties this season. In that dual role, Whisenant presided over an off-season with little change - as many as 10 of the 11 Monarchs that were on last year's roster might return. (Only reserve forward La'Keisha Frett is gone, having signed with the Sting as a free agent.)
The Monarchs were expected to take a perimeter gunner in the draft to supplant aging Ruthie Bolton, but instead reversed course and selected Georgetown forward Rebekkah Brunson. Brunson could be a steal, and has impressed in preseason, averaging 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. She's already been called a young Griffith, though that's going a bit far.
A Sacramento player to watch this season is second-year guard Kara Lawson, the fifth pick in the 2003 Draft who was dealt to the Monarchs by Detroit. Lawson started her rookie campaign slowly before catching fire, averaging 10.2 points per game on 45.5% shooting (50.7% from downtown) over the last 15 games of the season. Lawson finished fourth amongst rookies in scoring average and second in assists, and she is poised to take more playing time away from the Monarchs veteran starting backcourt of Ticha Penicheiro and Edna Campbell this season.
Griffith, the WNBA's 1999 MVP, is often lost in the hype over the league's younger interior players, but she remains an All-WNBA caliber contributor despite dips in her per-game averages last season. Griffith was fifth in the league in its Efficiency Ratings and is an efficient scorer, a good rebounder, and a fine defender.
There are many coaches who succeed for a brief period of time before struggling with their team. However, most of these coaches are screamers, and Whisenant appears to be the opposite. He was eerily quiet on the sidelines during the Monarchs visit to KeyArena in the season finale. Sacramento's success looks to be for real, and Sacramento again represents the best threat to the Sparks in the Western Conference.
San Antonio Silver Stars
2003: 12-22
Coach: Dee Brown
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* Newcomer |
 Johnson was one of the biggest names to change teams this winter. Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty |
The Silver Stars made three key moves. First, they were pleasantly surprised when the Phoenix Mercury chose Penny Taylor over LaToya Thomas in the Dispersal Draft. With Washington desperate for a center, that meant Thomas - the first pick of the 2003 Draft and the runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting - slipped to the Silver Stars with the third pick. Second, the Silver Stars dealt their fourth pick in the Amateur Draft for Connecticut's Shannon "Pee Wee" Johnson, one of the top three point guards in the WNBA, who replaces retired Jennifer Azzi. Finally, the Silver Stars signed Bibrzycka (aka "Biba"), a Polish native who teamed with San Antonio center Margo Dydek on their Polish team and was named European Player of the Year by an Italian newspaper.
The Silver Stars now have three All-Stars from last season, a number matched only by the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks, who, not coincidentally, matched up in last season's WNBA Finals. Thomas is the fourth starter, and while the deep lineup may keep her from posting huge numbers, she should be much improved in her second season. At small forward, the Silver Stars can choose from Goodson, who coppaged rapidly in the first half of last season before rediscovering her youth down the stretch; Bibrzycka; and Gwen Jackson, the centerpiece of last year's deal that sent Natalie Williams to Indiana and an underrated rookie.
If the Silver Stars have one concern entering the season, it's perimeter shooting. San Antonio was dead last in the WNBA last season with 93 three-pointers, and didn't help in this regard by swapping its leading three-point markswoman, Azzi, for Johnson, who connected on just 19 threes last season. Bibrzycka would appear to be the best hope in this regard, as she has been a 30-plus-percent shooter from downtown in Europe. Coach Dee Brown, who went 16-16 in his only season at the helm of the Orlando Miracle, is also something of a blank slate.
Those questions aside, there are a number of reasons to like the Silver Stars. They actually played pretty good ball down the stretch, going 6-6 under Interim Coach Shell Dailey (who has moved back to an assistant role this year). They were a decent defensive team; their 82.9 points allowed per 100 possessions was right at league average. The problem was offense, and with Johnson, Thomas, and Bibrzycka around and Azzi the only major loss, it's hard to imagine that not changing. San Antonio is a pretty good bet to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
Houston Comets
2003: 20-14
Coach: Van Chancellor
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Well, yes and no. The jerseys still say Comets on the front, but there will be some missing pieces. In addition to former MVP Cynthia Cooper, who retired after missing most of last season with a torn rotator cuff, the Comets have also lost their starting backcourt most of the season. Point guard Ukari Figgs also retired, going to work full-time for Toyota, while shooting guard Janeth Arcain, the unsung backbone of the Comets, decided to remain in Brazil in anticipation of this summer's Olympics. These departures left major holes for the Comets; it remains to be seen just how well they've been filled.
The new Houston backcourt was expected to be Kedra Holland-Corn, acquired in a trade with Detroit after being arguably the league's top reserve last season, and Gordana Grubin, signed as a free agent after sitting out 2003 instead of returning to the Phoenix Mercury. Holland-Corn should be in place, but the point guard job may have been stolen out from under Grubin by former Storm guard Felicia Ragland, who has had an outstanding training camp. Dominique Canty, who has seen her scoring average go down every year of her WNBA career, rounds out the backcourt rotation. This isn't a great group, but if Ragland plays well, it should be solid.
Solid is really all the Comets need from their guards, because the starting frontcourt is possibly the best in the league. Sheryl Swoopes probably won't win another MVP and showed some signs of aging last year at age 32, but she's still an All-WNBA performer. Forward Tina Thompson is another All-Star who contributes at both ends, though the Comets could use her to bump up her career-low 5.9 rebounds per game last season. The surprise was center Michelle Snow, who became the Comets second Most Improved Player winner in three years (Arcain was the other) by blossoming into a fine shot-blocker and rebounder who contributed offensively and shot a high percentage from the field.
The biggest concern for the Comets is an injury to one of their frontcourt players, especially Swoopes and Thompson, who both were bothered by nagging injuries last year but only missed nine combined games. There really isn't a ton of depth up front for Houston. Center Tiffani Johnson played sparingly last year because of Snow's development. Former Rockers forward Lucienne Berthieu is an interesting sleeper possibility after posting a 58.1% true shooting percentage last season, and her odds of playing improved when the Comets cut Mfon Udoka, a rotation player last season.
Only a handful of WNBA teams can be considered to have gotten worse from last year, as in the 2003 incarnation of their team would beat the 2004 version (most teams should have improved, thanks to contraction and a strong draft class). The Comets appear to be in that group, in large part because Arcain is gone. That may not be enough to knock them out of the playoffs, but making them will be a concern for the first time since 2001, when Swoopes missed the year with a torn ACL and Cooper retired for the first time.
Phoenix Mercury
2003: 8-26
Coach: Carrie Graf
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* Newcomer |
 Taurasi is the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty |
Given that Taylor has played three seasons, it's easy to forget that she (5-24-81, and a Happy Birthday next week) is only two months older than former Rockers teammate LaToya Thomas (7-6-81), who many expected the Mercury to take with the top Dispersal selection. Taylor saw her scoring and rebounding numbers fall somewhat from her 2002 All-Star campaign, but that was largely because she played less minutes on an improved Cleveland ballclub.
It will be unfortunate if Taylor is forced to play out of position at power forward all season because of the Mercury's weak frontcourt. At 6-1, 168, Taylor is at a size disadvantage at the four. It didn't seem to bother her during preseason, however; she scored 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting in two preseason starts up front. (Taylor started at small forward against the Storm on Sunday, but still ended up playing heavily at power forward.)
The rationale for playing Taylor at the four gets even weaker given that it's to get McCray in the lineup. It was disturbing that McCray was nearly an All-Star last season, as her game continued to deteriorate. Out of the 80 players who averaged at least 20 minutes per game last season, McCray was tied for 78th in scoring average at 3.9 points per game. (Ironically, the only regular to average less points per game was Teresa Weatherspoon, who narrowly edged McCray to get the start.) McCray is also a horrible rebounder, and her defense isn't good enough to make her a starter.
Besides Taylor's minutes at the four, the Mercury returns essentially the same crew up front as last season. Center Adrian Williams was an All-Star before slipping in the second half, and ended up shooting a poor 40.2% from the field. Williams is a quality rebounder, and the superior talent around her should bring that field goal percentage back up. At power forward, Kayte Christensen is a wonderful third-round find, an asset in the community, and a fine role player, but she's stretched athletically as a starter. As a result, Slobodanka Tuvic replaced her in the starting five mid-season, with Williams moving to forward. Tuvic has size, but she's yet to hit 40% from the field in a WNBA season and is also better-suited as a reserve.
There is no question that the Mercury will be dramatically improved this season - how could it not be? However, perimeter depth is still something of an issue and Phoenix remains subpar up front, meaning it might take a superhuman debut from Taurasi (something that can't be entirely ruled out) to achieve a playoff berth. A .500 record, or even 16 wins (double last season's total) is a more realistic goal for the Mercury, while ramping up to a playoff run in 2004.
Minnesota Lynx
2003: 18-16
Coach: Suzie McConnell Serio
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The Lynx's biggest need entering the off-season was point guard, where 39-year-old Teresa Edwards clearly did not represent a long-term solution. Fortunately, there was a solid point guard prospect expected to go about when Minnesota was picking, and she happened to be a Minnesota native who played for the University of Minnesota. Unfortunately, that point guard, Lindsay Whalen, had to go and mess things up by playing so well in the NCAA Tournament that she vaulted from the middle of the first round to, in all likelihood, a top five pick. That set in motion a series of events that have left the Lynx, at least for this season, a weaker team.
Feeling a need to get Whalen, in no small part because of a projected impact on attendance, the Lynx's best bet was to obtain the sixth pick from the Seattle Storm, which wanted a veteran instead of a rookie, and package both picks to get into the top four of the draft. Fortuitously, the Storm needed a small forward and the Lynx had a pair in Svetlana Abrosimova, who spent the first half of the season playing out of position at power forward, and Sheri Sam, who came off the bench down the stretch.
That's where things began to fall apart. The Storm, knowing of Minnesota's desperation, held out until the Lynx dealt not only Sam but also Burse for the sixth pick and Amanda Lassiter, leaving a gaping hole in the middle even if the Lynx could get Whalen. The second problem was that the Connecticut Sun fell in love with Whalen, making them unwilling to trade. Charlotte and the third pick was a brief possibility, but nothing materialized. The Lynx was stuck picking a pair of posts, Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde and Florida's Vanessa Hayden - good prospects, but not Whalen. The last problem for the Lynx was Abrosimova's commitments to the Russian National Team, which may keep her from returning to Minnesota this season, a situation that has yet to be resolved.
Add it up, and the Lynx may be left with no Whalen; Lassiter, a downgrade from Abrosimova and Sam at small forward; and two rookie centers, one of whom (Hayden) will likely start the season on the Injured List. Through it all, the Lynx has been unable to upgrade at the point. Edwards is one of the greatest players in women's hoops history, but she's also pushing 40 and not the player she once was. In all likelihood, only Houston in the Western Conference is weaker at the point than the Lynx. Helen Darling was added from Cleveland, but she will likely back up Edwards.
Shooting guard Katie Smith remains the Lynx's best hope, coming off of a fine season that saw her named first-team All-WNBA for the second time in her career. Smith is the WNBA's best scorer, but that hasn't been enough to keep Minnesota from struggling much of her career. Forward Tamika Williams was correctly picked as one of the four most underrated players in the WNBA by the league's GMs. Williams is the most accurate shooter in WNBA history, having connected on a ridiculous 66.8% of her shots last season, far and away the best mark in WNBA history. That number will probably go down this season, as Williams is expected to play more away from the basket, but she should also improve on her scoring average of 8.9 points per game.
Barring a surprise return by Abrosimova, the Lynx will be left with below-average starters at three of the five positions on the court. There is certainly hope that Ohlde can be better that (and she's been solid in the preseason, netting 12 points in each of Minnesota's game thus far), but the Lynx has lost a lot of firepower over the off-season without bringing in enough in return. That will be difficult to overcome.
