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.

OK, Nancy, I know it's early, but I want your WNBA Finals and playoff picks in both leagues. Let's also get your MVP, DPOY, Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player. Thanks and can't wait to see you on the broadcasts again this year!
-Tasha, Arkadelphia, Ark.

Wow… that's a lot of questions… But it's a good way to preview the season. So here goes…

I have Detroit in the East and L.A. in the West. Coming out of the East, I have Detroit and New York. I also think Chicago will be a playoff team. If Tamika Catchings plays, Indiana will be a playoff team. If Catch doesn't play, I think Connecticut and Washington are somewhere in that mix. In the West, I have L.A., Seattle, San Antonio and Phoenix. After that I have Minnesota, Sacramento and Houston.

If I had to pick a champion right now, I would have to go with L.A. They're a tough matchup for anyone because of their talented bigs, Lisa (Leslie) and then Candace (Parker) and DeLisha Milton-Jones, both of whom can shoot the three. The fact that Temeka Johnson is healthy again also helps. They also made a sleeper deal to get Marie Ferdinand-Harris because she is such a good slasher to the basket, which replaces Mwadi (Mabika) in the lineup. The other X-factor: Who would have thought Sidney Spencer would have been runner-up to Rookie of the Year a year ago?

I think the Sparks have a really nice core of seven or eight players. Michael (Cooper) gets the best out of his players. I think the rivalry between Coop and Bill Laimbeer is also kind of interesting, and I'm sure it goes back to when they played against each other in the NBA. Bill is able to look down on some other people and say, "Hey, I have championship rings." But he doesn't have as many as Coop. :)

As for my MVP pick, I'll go with Lauren Jackson. She is only getting better. She is rejuvenated. She had another great season in Russia. Her body looks amazing and it's obvious that she is taking care of herself. She has had so many injuries early in her career and she was never heavy. But she is learning how to be a pro's pro with her body.

Defensive Player of the Year? That is an award that Catchings is always hanging around. But it could end up being someone like a Sylvia Fowles, who is going to change the paint and the shot selection for teams playing the Sky. Armintie Price is a heck of a defender, too. She is going to get a lot of playing time. Cheryl Ford is always there. Katie Douglas has been first team. I don't think she will be Defensive Player of the Year, but she is always in the mix.

As for Rookie of the Year, I'll say that Sylvia is going to have more pressure on her to perform for the Sky, which means that she'll also get more playing time. Even if Candace has an extraordinary season and is able to keep it going at a level even close to her opening day performance, I still see L.A. running their offense through Lisa Leslie. One, because she can produce, and, two, because its respect.

Most Improved? Hmmm, I think it's going to go to Kara Lawson. Lawson has spent so much time in the gym, working on her body, taking it seriously, watching film. For years, everyone told Kara Lawson that she had to be quicker. But you know what? With all of her brilliance and IQ, what she really needs to do is slow down. Trying to go too quickly, she wasn't seeing things unfold. And I think the Monarchs have worked so hard at slowing her down mentally so that she sees the play better.

Will the Atlanta Dream do well in their rookie year?
-Kal, Washington, D.C.

The Atlanta Dream will do a lot of things in their rookie year. But "well" may not be one of them. ;)

What I will say is that I predict it will be a dream for the fans in Atlanta that there is a team in their city. I just think that right now Meadors will get the best out of her team. She has a lot of talent but she has a lot of players that are role players. And knowing how to come off the bench and knowing how to be a star are two different mentalities. It is going to take time to learn that.

I know she had an incredible debut last weekend, but I want to know how you think Candace Parker will do in the WNBA.
-Sporty, Garden City, Kan.

I think that Candace Parker will be rich. (Thank you Gatorade and adidas.) I also think she will be star. Will she be the MVP of the league this year? No, I don't think so. Will she be a definite star, an asset, a terrific player? Yes.

I suspect that Michael Cooper will move her around. See, she and Sylvia Fowles are just special players. These guys come around like once a decade. She will have a phenomenal rookie year on all levels. I only hope that she stays healthy.

I'm not trying to get you in trouble here, Nancy, but the kerfuffle about Becky Hammon has me seriously curious.

I would never call her a "traitor," though I do think that perhaps she is attaching a little too much importance to playing in the Olympics, but that's not my core issue.

My question is this: With all the people who are of the opinion that Hammon SHOULD be on the U.S. National Team, who would have to be removed from the roster to make room for Becky? Bird? Taurasi? Lawson? Smith? Beard? Douglas? Do we drop someone from the frontcourt? What is the solution? It's not as though Becky Hammon is or will be the only U.S. oversight. How is such a situation to be dealt with, really?
-Jerry, Austin, Texas

Interesting question, Jerry. I think that this whole issue with Becky Hammon could have been eliminated two years ago if USA Basketball had just shown her the respect and literally just put her name on a list. I think that is where it started and it could have ended right there. Three years ago, she didn't deserve to be on the list when she was coming off the bench.

But more recently, Becky Hammon just wanted the opportunity and I think she earned the right to have an opportunity. It is a little bizarre to me that she has never played on a USA team. That is mind boggling to me. Over the last two years, you can't name five players better than Becky Hammon. She has raised her game and done it with class and dignity.

And she had a tough decision to make when she was finally offered an opportunity to go to Chile last fall. But think of it from her perspective, and let's just talk pure business here: If you are Becky Hammon and your dream is to play in the Olympics… and you don't think you are going to be able to make the USA Olympic team… do you go to Chile knowing that that takes away any chance you might have to play for Russia in the Olympics?

I don't think her dream was to play for Russia in the Olympics, but you have to take the opportunity where and when it comes. And this is America, the land of opportunity and good business decisions (except for $4/gallon gas). If somebody said we think you have less than a 50 percent chance of making our Olympic team… and somebody else said that if you get your citizenship and you play for our Olympic team, we will pay you seven figures… what would you do? It was an extraordinary opportunity for her. And I believe in my heart that if Becky Hammon thought she had a real chance of making the USA team, she would have gone to Chile last fall. So with the Russian option available, she didn't want to ruin her shot at achieving her dream. It is also a lot of money.

I couldn't play for another country. That is just me. But whatever Becky does, I support. How can you fault somebody when someone is giving you this incredible opportunity?

I know everyone is going to have an opinion. And Becky is going to need to have a thick skin. But she has to make the best decision for her. The same way you made the decision to send this e-mail in. That was your decision. Becky has her own.

What rookie will make the greatest impact for her team?
-Tanpop, Dallas

Candace seems like the obvious pick, but I think it will ultimately be Sylvia Fowles because she will be a dominant post on a team that doesn't have a dominant post. To put her and Chasity Melvin and Candice Dupree together gives them a very formidable lineup. Chas Melvin can be a good mentor because she has been in the league for so long. But I just think that because of the time Fowles is going to be on the court, she has an opportunity for that award.

Matee Ajavon is also playing unbelievable basketball. The deal with her in Houston is almost like the old Michael Jordan theory at North Carolina: Who is the only one who can hold Michael Jordan to under 20 points per game? Dean Smith, because his offense was such a team-based atmosphere. It is the same thing at Rutgers with Coach Stringer. In Houston, Matee won't be the point guard. She will slide over to the two. It wouldn't surprise me to see Matee Ajavon averaging high double figures in scoring and having some real breakout games this season.

I am a male fan who is often ridiculed by my friends for watching the WNBA. They constantly tell me I'm lame. I tell them that good basketball is good basketball. But they do not listen, and sometimes I feel like giving up. Why do you think this perception exists, and what can be done to dispel it?
-Jock

First, Jock, we can change your peer group. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but… get new friends. ;)

Secondly, you can educate, you can be strong, and if they can see you really enjoy this and you are passionate, maybe your enthusiasm can rub off on them. They just need to see enough of the WNBA… and if after a period of time, you see that they are not coming around, go back to the last paragraph: Get rid of your peer group.

We have been doing this for 30 years, but maybe trying asking them to come one time, to one game, and if you don't like it, you don't have to come back. You can't say you don't like something if you haven't seen it. I would just encourage them to come out, to watch and to not just think of it as women playing sports, but as athletes competing at the highest level. Maybe they'll appreciate the fact that we execute and we run plays, we hustle and there is passion and there is a terrific connection to the fans.

And I'll also say that some of your friends probably won't appreciate what is going on until they have a daughter. But then it will change how they view the opportunity and how they ought to support that opportunity.