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.

Dear Nancy, now that Phoenix has won the WNBA title with its particular style of up-tempo play, how does it change the rest of the WNBA in terms of how the game is played? Do you think there will be more of a demand for athletic women who can defend and run in transition?
-Magic, Garnet Valley, Pa.

One thing the league is going to take away from the Mercury winning the title is that you have to have shooters to win in this league. I've always said that Houston won those four early WNBA championships because they had more toys than the other teams in the league. He who has the most toys, wins… or something like that. ;)

But like Van Chancellor had Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson in Houston, Paul Westhead had all the pieces this year in Phoenix. He had three players who could score almost at will.

As the level of play in this league improves and as rosters get deeper, teams are going to realize that you need multiple legitimate scorers to win, and that's pretty cool.

But style-wise, it was pretty apparent that Phoenix's ability to score threes and twos in bunches can eliminate some basic fundamental errors. If you have Diana, Cappie and Penny out there, even if you make a mistake at one end, their offensive abilities can make up for it at the other end. But the key word in that first sentence is "can." If you don't play the up-tempo game right and with the right personnel, it's not going to work.

It's even going to be tougher to do it in Phoenix without Paul there. It's his style, his philosophy and he's the one who really brought that to the league. I think Phoenix is going to have to take continuity into account when they hire a new coach.

Why, in Heaven's name, is Becky Hammon's name NOT on the USA Basketball roster!!?? Yeah, there are a lot of good players on it, but I think Becky would be a productive player if she's given the chance! Your thoughts?
-Howie, Philadelphia

Nancy, can you please tell me how in the world you can leave a player like "Tweety" off of the USA National Team that went to Chile? I've seen the list and it's a very powerful team, BUT, she would bring so much to this team, and I'm trying to understand. You feel me on this one?
-Wendell Blue, Abingdon, Md.

We've talked about the Becky Hammon situation before, and most people seem to agree that she should have an opportunity to be on that team. I've heard that she was invited to the U.S. camp, but that her invitation came late, so she opted to spend a little more time with friends and family after a long WNBA season. That's obviously a personal decision and you can't fault her for doing what she wants to do.

That said, the situation with the National Team is a little different now. I believe you have to attend three of the team's training camps before you're even eligible for the Olympic Team. And it's not a perfect science. But I think you have to take the best players for the team. Are you not going to pick Diana Taurasi for Beijing because she couldn't make three training sessions? Who cares? These players are busier than ever, playing here, playing overseas, doing TV, coaching… it's not a perfect world. And I feel like the committee has to keep that in mind.

Would Becky and Tweety make the National Team better? Uhhhhh, YEAH! Deanna Nolan is a heck of a player, she performs well in major-pressure situations and she's fantastic at both ends of the floor. If she's not in the mix for this team, I guess that's something only the USA Basketball committee can explain.

I have no problem with the committee members saying they can make a case for all of the players they had in camp and all of the players they brought down to Chile, but in the same way, I can make a pretty compelling case for Becky and Deanna. It'd be hard to argue that they don't deserve a shot.

Hi Nancy! I know that about half of the Monarchs are free agents, that Yo is reportedly considering retirement and that DeMya might not be ready to play next year because of her injury. I was wondering what the Monarchs need to do and who else they should try to pick up to get back to being a championship contender? Do you think Kristin Haynie can be the starting point guard if Ticha doesn't come back?
-Christina, Saline, Mich.

Kristin Haynie is an excellent basketball player. And I'm all for players who do their apprenticeships in this league to eventually get their shots at showing what they can do as starters. If Ticha doesn't return, maybe this is Haynie's chance. If some of these scenarios work out in the way you probably fear they might, Haynie is going to have to be ready to do her work in the offseason and step in to get it done for her basketball team. She's no longer a rookie, and in this league you have to be ready when an opportunity presents itself.

If Yolanda retires, that will leave a bit of a hole in their frontcourt, but I think the Monarchs' real need is shooters. Offense is becoming more and more important in this league, and there were times when they just didn't have enough firepower last season. Is Kara Lawson ready to step in and either start or produce even more off the bench? But they definitely need more scoring. We'll see what they do.

Why are there not more women coaching in the WNBA? If you look at all the coaches from head to assistant, there are not very many, especially for a women's league. Does this bother you as much as it does some other people? Thanks and I love your work on ESPN.
-Judy, Kernersville, N.C.

Well, Judy, I'm always bothered. ;) But the WNBA, like many other leagues, is a league of trends. And trends typically follow results. Van Chancellor won four WNBA championships in Houston. Bill Laimbeer has won two championships in Detroit. Michael Cooper won two championships in L.A. John Whisenant won in Sacramento and now Paul Westhead has won a championship in Phoenix. Ten titles in 11 WNBA seasons for male coaches. It's hard to argue with that.

But women are learning valuable lessons and becoming better coaches, both here and in the college ranks. And they've learned a lot of those lessons from guys. Jenny Boucek, for example, was an assistant under Ron Rothstein. Patty Coyle apprenticed under Richie Adubato.

Would I like to see more women coaching in the league? Absolutely. Do I think we'll eventually have more female coaches? Absolutely.

The point, though, isn't male versus female. It's getting the right coach to be successful with your team. It's all about winning and losing. That's what people are judged on. And some of the male coaches have been very successful.

Nancy, I watched you play at Madison Square Garden in the early '80s. Yes, I was the one. I continue to be a fan and appreciate your history with the game and your great comments on TV in recent years. After watching Game 2 of the Fever/Shock series and the other games in the 2007 playoffs, I'm in awe of the level of play we're seeing here. It's a far cry from the "pioneer" days when we had six players on each team so one didn't have to run the whole length of the court and we wore heavy cotton jumpers. How much more can the level of play in the league grow?
-Sharon, San Pedro, Calif.

All due respect, Sharon, but I never played six on six! I'll go on the assumption that you're older than me… and I'm happy to point that out. ;) The game has grown exponentially over the last couple of decades and I'm very proud of that. Even this year, it seems like there are many, many more gifted, talented players in this league.

But I should point out that there were a whole bunch of players from my era who were remarkably talented. Even today, I don't think there are a lot of people out there with more athletic ability than Lynette Woodard or Cheryl Miller. There are some great shooters in the league these days, but I'd put Carol Blazejowski out there against any of them in a shooting contest. But there is more of that level of player out there now and you're definitely seeing more of them. Back then, the exposure was so limited.

So while I am tremendously proud of today's players and I'll admit that they've collectively brought the competition to another level, I can't say the top stars now are that much better than the top stars of my era.

Still, I feel like there's plenty more room for the level of play to grow in the WNBA. Wait until Candace Parker comes up… you'll see players dunking in a couple of years. In college, that's a totally different level. We haven't seen that before in live action, so yeah, there's tremendous growth that continues to happen. And as much as I love us old timers, I'm delighted that the game is getting better and better.