Training Camp Notebook: May 10
 Burse scored 11 points in her Storm debut and was also a defensive presence. Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty |
Even though it was only a preseason game and Donovan could have made several excuses for the performance, including the absence of the Storm's projected starting frontcourt of Lauren Jackson, out with a pulled groin, and Kamila Vodichkova, who did not arrive in Seattle until yesterday, she was unwilling to excuse her team's effort.
"Well, it's an attitude, one," Donovan explained. "It's a problem. Sure, Houston lost by 20, teams are losing big, but nobody has lost by 40. We didn't have our post game? True, but they didn't have both of their starting posts either. To me, it was a great wakeup call for us, and you can afford to have those in the preseason, especially the first time you take the floor. We have two other preseason games where we can really see if we're going to make adjustments."
To Donovan, those adjustments start at the defensive end. Postgame analysis focused on the Storm's 13 points in the second half and the team being held without a field goal for the final 14:20, scoring just two minutes in that time, but Donovan knows that the league's best offense last season will not be a concern when Jackson is back in the lineup.
Defense, however, has been a focus throughout training camp, and Donovan saw a team that didn't look like it had made the progress she thought it had while allowing the Mercury to shoot 52.6% from the field.
"We were back to allowing teams to get very comfortable playing against us," Donovan said. "Phoenix had no problem getting open looks, and it's something we've been working on. So defensively we're working on a lot of things."
Saturday's loss has successfully served as a wakeup call, with the Storm practicing yesterday after returning to Seattle and going through another good practice today despite several injuries.
"The good thing is, we came back off of that, the players recognized just how far we had to move," Donovan said. "Came in last night, worked on some things, back in today. They're committed to changing and improving. We know what our weaknesses are; now we've got to fix them."
Bright spots against the Mercury included newcomers Janell Burse and Sheri Sam, who scored 11 points apiece in their Storm debuts despite being limited to 35 total minutes by foul trouble. Andrea Gardner-Combs, fighting for a reserve post role, had six rebounds and three blocks in 18 minutes of action. As a team, the Storm was very effective on the offensive glass, pulling down as many offensive boards (18) as Phoenix had defensive rebounds.
While turnovers (28) were a major issue, the Storm fell short primarily in one category - putting the ball in the hoop. That should come around, hopefully in time for the Storm's next preseason outing against the Monarchs in Sacramento on Friday.
Chemistry Class
Over the last week, Donovan has spoken about her team's chemistry as an important issue during preseason action. Today, she elaborated on that chemistry, which still needs to be developed on the court as the Storm integrates several newcomers into its lineup.
"We've talked with them about having to form our chemistry and getting better at it," Donovan said. "It's always around the basketball. Off the court, they're great, they get along, there's no issues there. We're bringing in two new starters and, up until today, three new starters with the new post player (Burse), and they have not played with each other at all. And styles are so different. Betty Lennox is so different than Sandy Brondello was. Sheri is very different from how Adia (Barnes) was last year.
"That style difference, and also that this is Sue (Bird) and Lauren's team, they (the new players) come in and they're trying to offer up their strengths and still recognize that this is Sue and Lauren's team. They're still trying to feel their way and we're still trying to help them."
Walking Wounded
"They were going down like flies today," joked Donovan after a practice that saw several players sit out. Jackson continues to lead the injured group, missing another day of practice.
"She's still extremely sore," said Donovan. "It's going to be a day-to-day thing."
Joining Jackson on the sideline was Bird, who felt soreness after beginning the practice and then ended her day early. Rookie guard Michelle Greco, who was able to play on Saturday despite a right hip contusion, was hit in the nose and did not participate as the Storm scrimmaged its practice squad, while Barnes also missed some time.
