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.

Hi, Nancy! So my girls in Seattle tried their best but in the end the injuries were just too much against L.A. Do you think that Seattle can make a run next year with these same players healthy or do you think they should consider moving in a different (possibly younger) direction?
- Greg, La Crosse, Wisc.

I think that this was the year that Seattle was trying to get that last burst out of Yolanda (Griffith) and out of Sheryl (Swoopes). I'm not management or anything, but if I were them I would have to start thinking about bringing some younger players in to complement Sue (Bird) and Lauren (Jackson). Lauren, in particular, is the cornerstone of this franchise. And she and Sue make each other so much better and together, they make Seattle an elite team. I think you have to build around them. And Camille Little was a good start. Maybe this year will see Katie Gearlds start to get some more quality minutes, and we'll see if she can really make a go at it in the WNBA. Assuming they don't lose Lauren, though, they'll still be a very good team.

Talk to me about the top seniors in college this coming season, Nancy. I'm a huge fan of the Atlanta Dream and I'm wondering who we might be able to get near the top of next spring's draft?
- Jocelyn, Valdosta, Ga.

A lot of it depends on the positions that Marynell Meadors is looking to fill. Last year was the year of the big in the draft. But there are some really good guards coming out this spring. Kristi Toliver from Maryland... I would certainly take a good look at her.

Angel McCoughtry from Louisville could be a dynamic player on both sides of the ball for the Dream. Marissa Coleman -- also from Maryland -- could go high. Chante Black from Duke could go high. Rashada McCants from North Carolina could be there. Purdue's Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton is coming out.

Then, of course, you have the Paris sisters at Oklahoma. Courtney could be the No. 1 pick overall. There will be some pretty good players there for the taking, especially in the top 10.

But like I said, it really depends on what the Dream are looking for. They have some exciting, up-tempo players with Ivory Latta and Betty Lennox. And I don't think they're going to depend strictly on the draft. I think they'll be busy in trading and in free agency.

But whatever they do, I think Atlanta will be a better team next year, and that's because this was the first opportunity for most of these players to start and get a lot of time at this level. It was their first chance to be impact players. Now they have a chance to raise the level of their game even higher and use that experience and maturation to help the team next season. I'm sure Marynell will do whatever she has to to fill the holes that she saw in her team this year.

Why do they never call fouls on Becky Hammon for her consistent hooking and push-offs on offense? Did you see those calls late in the game against the Sparks?
- Rich, Cleveland

Certainly I'm no official, though I've tried to influence them many times during my career. :) But I think the officials in this league are doing the best that they can.

The thing that can make it a little bit harder sometimes is that when you're a player who has a reputation as being physical... a Katie Smith, a Diana Taurasi, a DeLisha Milton-Jones or even a Lisa Leslie... players like that... sometimes they get a call against them even on a soft foul. Other times, though, they'll get the benefit of the doubt, because there's a desire not to want to play into their reputation.

Then the refs see the diminutive Becky Hammon out there getting manhandled by her opponents. And then they see Becky try to push back a little bit... and wow, it's a stunner! How can she push off against a bigger opponent?!?!

But that kind of thing happens in the course of a game. Michael Jordan would never have gotten those boatloads of championship rings if he didn't get a call or two going his way. Just ask Bryon Russell. Does that call bother you too, Rich?

Did Becky push off against the Sparks? Maybe. But people get beat up in this league (and all other leagues, for that matter) all the time. It happens. And if you're rooting for the team it benefits, you're happy. And if you're rooting against them, you probably have some issues with it. Neither response is wrong. But it's gonna happen one way or the other, so you'd better get used to it.

Don't you think the L.A. Sparks need point guard Nikki Teasley back. Or some kind of guard upgrade like her to effectively get the ball to their stacked front line?
- Siddeequah, Woodbridge, Va.

I think that the Sparks could probably use a different style of point guard to complement either Temeka Johnson or Shannon Bobbitt. But to have both of them? They're very similar in their styles. They're both quick and have really good handles. But they're both small and very average shooters. And any time they drive into the lane, they're going up against players who will either change or block their shots.

But I think it's obvious that Candace (Parker), Milton and Leslie are the focal point of that team. And to improve as a whole, they need people in the backcourt who are going to get the ball to them make them better.

In my mind, L.A. could use a Kristi Tolliver. She'd be a perfect fit for that team, because she's a different kind of point guard than Temeka or Shannon. They have the best front line in basketball, but when you're trying to get the bigs the ball in the post and you're just 5'2", your passing angles are dramatically different and more limited than if you're 5'9".

Nikki Teasley is the type of player who will fill the game. If her team needs her to shoot, she'll shoot. If her teammates are open, she'll get them the ball. Maybe a rookie like Renee Montgomery would work in L.A. But between her, Toliver and Shalee Lehning, the kid from Kansas State, probably the best three senior point guards in the country, the Sparks should have some options.

Who owns the bright idea of home-court advantage meaning the higher seed starts the playoffs at the lower seeded team's home court. When is the WNBA going to come up with a new scheme? I am a season ticket holder for the Silver Stars.
- Kathy, San Antonio

Hi Kathy. I understand your issue with the setup, but it's set up that way for purely economic reasons. It's less expensive travel-wise in a three-game series. That's the explanation.

But when the WNBA is ready to expand to five- or seven-game series, then you'll see a more typical home-court advantage. That situation will remedy itself.

But while I get your point, you have to admit that a home-court advantage is still a home-court advantage. You're dealing with three distinct games in those series, and having two of them at home is definitely a benefit. Of course, there's tremendous pressure on the higher seed playing Game 1 on the road and in having less room for error at home. The only time the higher seed can afford a "mistake" game at home is in a longer five- or seven-game series. But right now, in the first two rounds of the playoffs, there isn't that luxury. Making use of that home court is what it's all about. When you get deep in the playoffs, the bottom line is winning games.

Hopefully, down the line, when we're ready for expansion and growth in this league, we can get these series up to five games and make it a little more fair for the higher seeds.

Hello, I am a sport management major at Washington State University and I am very interested at administration at the pro level, whether it is NBA or WNBA. I would love to rack your brain and find out all about how you got to be where you are now and what you love about your career. Please let me know if this is possible. I would very much appreciate it.
- Chezny Goble, Pullman, Wash.

First of all, I have to ask how the apples are in Washington this fall. Just wanted to make sure everything's going well up there. :)

There are always internships, Chezny. They're one of the most productive things an interested, motivated young person can do. You can get your foot in the door, whether it's the NBA, WNBA or some other sports league. Get an internship, learn the inner workings of the business and that company and if you're good, if you stand out, decision-makers will notice. If you're an asset to them, they're going to want to have you around. An internship is really a wonderful investment in your future. There's a lot of attrition and it's amazing how quickly you can move up the ranks from within.