Basketball Hall-of-Famer and ESPN analyst Nancy Lieberman answers your questions and e-mails throughout the year. Click here to submit a question of your own.

I want to start off by saying I was very surprised by the news this week about the retirement of Chamique Holdsclaw. She's been one of the best women's players in the world over the last couple of decades, certainly collegiately, winning three titles at Tennessee. She's had a really remarkable career.

I've known her since she was a freshman, and her Grandma June was around. Chamique is just a nice, kind, talented woman from Queens. I'm going to personally miss her and the game will miss her. I just want her to be happier and healthier.

After the retirement of Chamique Holdsclaw, do you think that the L.A. Sparks can be a championship team when Temeka Johnson and Lisa Leslie come back (not to mention the help that Marta Fernandez has brought)?
-Ethan, Jackson, Tenn.

L.A. has a lot of wonderful ingredients. Losing Chamique is a blow on a lot of levels, though: her experience, she's a fan favorite and an All-Star and she's capable of a double-double every night. That aside, when Temeka and Lisa come back, they're probably not going to be at full speed. In Lisa's case, look at the other people who have tried to come back after having a child. It's not easy. It's not hard to just come back, but at what level do you come back?

Do I think they can be a contender? Sure, I think they always have that ability with a great point guard (Johnson), a great post player in Lisa and with Marta playing well. But the timing for the Sparks is tough: there aren't too many people out there on the free agent market. If this happened two weeks ago, maybe they could have gotten Barb Turner.

Right now, though, the void left by Chamique will probably have to be filled by a committee of players who will be asked to do more than they're used to. Those players in L.A. who were looking for more playing time and more responsibility? Here you go! But be careful what you wish for!

This may not be the way they wanted it to happen, but sometimes when misfortune hits, it creates an opportunity for someone else. When coaches tell their players to always be ready, there's a reason. We'll see who's ready to step up now that this sort of situation has presented itself.

Hi Nancy, who do you think is the best guard in the WNBA now? Also, I am curious about the travel schedule in the WNBA. I see that a lot of the teams play every other day, so do they travel after the game or the next day? How do the teams put up with fatigue? Thanks!
-Andree, Sacramento

The best guard? Wow, there are a lot of very talented players. Diana Taurasi is absolutely amazing… she's remarkable. Happy birthday, Diana, by the way! Cappie is also an excellent player. I've always loved the way Lindsay Whalen plays. Katie Douglas is another. Deanna Nolan… Becky Hammon… Katie Smith… I could rattle off a bunch of All-Stars…

As far as travel is concerned, if you're playing a night game, you won't leave that night. You leave the next day. Fatigue can be a problem, because it can be difficult, espeecially once you get into the meat of the season. For example, Indiana just played five games in eight nights. The Mercury just finished playing seven games in 12 nights. The schedule can be very demanding. That's why it's important for the players to take care of themselves. They have to eat right and get enough rest, but it's hard because with every city you go to, there's the potential to meet up with friends. But most of the players realize it's their job and that their performance often depends on how well they take care of themselves. And you don't get a lot of practice time once the season starts. It's all about playing, producing and winning.

Nancy, what is wrong with the Houston Comets? I am a big fan of this team but they don't seem to play with the fire they once had.
-Fred, Clarksville, Tenn.

Well, Fred, they don't have the players they once had. Let's be realistic. This is not Karleen Thompson's fault. Sheryl Swoopes hasn't been playing, and when she was, she was injured. You don't have Dominique Canty, you don't have Dawn Staley. They're still trying to find themselves. Michelle Snow is a fabulous talent, Tina Thompson is a future Hall of Famer, but what else do you have around them? Young people who are learning to play the game. It's a new coach and a new system. I can tell you, they're not happy with losing.

What's up with all the male coaches in WNBA? I find it sacrilegious! It's supposed to be for the ladies. It's called the Women's NBA for a reason!
-Don, Camp Springs, Md.

Don, in theory, it is about women. But when it started, the WNBA was run by who? The NBA. A lot of this business is about relationships and knowing and trusting people. And the male coaches who have come into the league -- Michael Cooper, who has won championships in Los Angeles; Bill Laimbeer, who has won twice in Detroit; Ron Rothstein, who was excellent; Richie Adubato -- have been fantastic! So it's hard to argue with that.

Hi Nancy! First of all, I've been to your camp with Anna DeForge, and you are both excellent teachers. Second, what do you think of the Mercury so far this season? I know we've had some rough patches and tough losses, but do you think we will be able to go far into the postseason?
-Kenzie, Phoenix

First, thank you for attending our camp in Phoenix. I'm sure that you learned a lot about passing from me and very little from Anna (laughs).

There's nothing wrong with the Mercury. They're 6-4 and in second place (as of June 12), they have a wonderful team, they have a terrific coach and I think they're playing really well. I have them picked as a playoff team.

Knowing that Minnesota has always lacked a big inside presence (except for Vanessa Hayden's rookie season) many fans watched with dismay as our new coach traded or waived three centers, including Tangela Smith, before the season started. Though Lindsey Harding may one day develop into a player, she has much growing up to do. My question is this: why do so many teams in the WNBA play with forward/centers or even three guards and two forwards instead of a real center? Is there a reason our coach thinks we can compete without a big inside presence? Thanks for your time and answers... I'm a fan of your work.
-BJ, Little Canada, Minn.

A lot of coaches' styles are dependent upon what's successful at the moment. On the men's side, Don Nelson has been successful with small-ball. Mike D'Antoni has been successful with small-ball. It just depends on a coach's style and preference. Maybe it's something Coach Zierden decided when he took the job, that he wanted to build the team from the outside in.

The real problem with Minnesota is that they have a really young basketball team. Their best player, Seimone Augustus, is only in her second year. She's teaching all of the rookies how to play at the WNBA level when she should still be learning it herself. Lindsey Harding is terrific, but theLynx are a work in progress. It's always easy to second guess… like, why did New York trade Becky Hammon? But they did, and they've been successful with the players they have.

I have a problem with the WNBA. It seems to me the league is all about defense. The games are officiated to give defense all the advantages. It's basically illegal to set a screen. Post players are manhandled and ball handlers are routinely ridden out of bounds. The league has gotten to the point where size and strength is more important than skill.

I think the WNBA has a problem when skilled college players like Brooke Smith and Alicia Rattay can't make a roster. Basketball fans loved to watch Smith's hook shot. Why did she not make a team? Lack of foot speed? She's faster than Allison Bales. Of course, Bales is bigger and stronger. Rattay was one of the best pure shooters I'd ever seen while she was at Notre Dame.

Unfortunately, no one in the WNBA needs a shooter. After watching a couple games, I find that hard to believe. In the NBA, shooters are valued. Players like Dell Curry, Eddie Johnson and Steve Kerr earned paychecks because they could knock down shots.

I think if the WNBA wants to attract more fans, one thing it has to address is the style of play. We need more offense and more players with offensive skills.

If I want to see athletes who can run and jump, I'll watch track and field. I want to see shooters coming off screens, knocking down 20-footers. I want to see sweeping hook shots and swooping finger rolls. But that's just me. I would love your opinion on this.
-Tony, El Dorado, Ark.

Tony, I'm glad we got a chance to talk last week, and I hope I've addressed all of your concerns. But the basic answer is this: Brooke Smith isn't in the league because she wasn't good enough to make the teams she tried out for. Maybe she couldn't get her shot off against WNBA-caliber players. But there will be expansion, and players like Smith and Rattay, who are still immensely skilled athletes, may get their chance.

And come on, do you think we'd remember Steve Kerr if he didn't get that pass from Michael Jordan? He and John Paxson are each remembered for one shot. And the WNBA has specialists: Laurie Koehn is a specialist. She's an amazing shooter. The Hodges sisters are 3-point specialists. We have people like that, but to continue to succeed in this league, they had to fill out their game.

Look at Cheryl Ford. When she came out of school, she was strong defensively and on the boards, but no one had any idea she could be so gifted offensively. Bill felt like he could develop her for the future and he did. So there will be opportunities for players like Smith and Rattay. They just need to keep working hard.