Archive for May, 2007

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Lennox a Game-Time Decision

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007

Storm guard Betty Lennox missed Tuesday’s practice for personal reasons and is a game-time decision for tomorrow night’s game against Phoenix. The Storm is homing to get Lennox back for the game – if not, Coach Anne Donovan said her replacement would be a game-time decision as well. Presumably, Katie Gearlds and Tanisha Wright are the most likely options, with a chance of Shyra Ely moving into the lineup and bumping Iziane Castro Marques to shooting guard.

For Sue Bird, this is a matchup against her good friend and former UConn teammate (and current teammate with Spartak) Diana Taurasi. That’s how the Storm-Mercury clash is naturally billed, though Bird and Taurasi don’t really guard each other any more. That task falls to Iziane Castro Marques, who realizes she’s in for a challenge and just wants to make Taurasi work.

Bird and Taurasi were joined in Spartak by Lauren Jackson for the playoffs, and they’re trying to convince her to spend all of next off-season in Russia. Jackson’s in a complicated situation because the Korean WKBL will be off next winter in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, but she is under contract. Jackson could be cleared to spend the season with another team, which would allow Spartak to have her all year.

Posted in practice notes | 3 Comments »

Box Score Watching

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007

There are few greater pleasures in life as a sports fan than perusing the latest boxscores to glean some insights on what’s going on around the league. That’s especially true early in the season, as we’re still figuring out teams and players. From time to time, I’ll break down some boxscores, starting with Sunday’s action:

Sacramento 74, Minnesota 64
First off, congrats to Jenny Boucek on her first win as a WNBA head coach. Looking at this box, you have to wonder, is it still 2006 in Minnesota? A lot of the talk for the Lynx was focused on getting more scoring help for Seimone Augustus, but Augustus – a game-time decision after injuring her knee in Saturday’s opener – scored 28 points Sunday on 10-for-16 shooting. Her teammates combined for 36 points and shot 9-for-45 (20%) from the field. The Monarchs are very good defensively, but that’s gotta be disheartening for the Lynx in their home opener.

No. 1 overall pick Lindsey Harding looked very much the rookie, shooting 1-for-12 from the field. On the Sacramento side, I think Kara Lawson (on my fantasy team) is going to enjoy playing for Boucek, who drew up a play for a Lawson three out of a timeout Saturday in Detroit. Through two games, Lawson has 33 points.

New York 83, Chicago 71
The big story here is obvious – 28 points and seven three-pointers from Erin Thorn. Shooters usually thrive with regular minutes, and it looks like Thorn is going to get them. The Liberty got solid play from its veterans, but you have to wonder if they’re really thinking as long-term as they should be. No. 2 pick Jessica Davenport did not play during New York’s second-half comeback, and Tiffany Jackson, drafted fifth, played just four minutes. 2006 first-round pick Sherill Baker, pegged in this corner to replace Becky Hammon in the starting five, did not even get off the bench. Is this a youth movement or not?

Fairly rough debut for Armintie Price, who missed six of her eight shots and four of her six free-throw attempts. Price did hand out five assists to go with her eight points. Monique Currie kicked off her bid for Most Improved Player with 20 points and 11 boards, but needed 19 shots – nine of them three-pointers. That’s not her game.

Posted in WNBA | 1 Comment »

44-9

Sunday, May 20th, 2007

That says it all, doesn’t it? A couple of additional things to add from tonight’s Live From Press Row:

- The brilliant, talented and ever-helpful Paul Swanson of the Minnesota Lynx created a PDF of the box score from just the 44-9 run. It is remarkable to behold. The Storm went a quarter and a half without a turnover while forcing seven by the Comets. Not one, not two but three Storm players outscored Houston during that stretch (the big three of Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird and Betty Lennox).

Also, and I hate to keep harping on it because she’s obviously incredibly talented and this was a lot to ask of a rookie in her WNBA debut, but Ashley Shields was not very good. She missed all eight of her shot attempts during the run, hitting only one free throw. Ashley Shields should not have more attempts than Tina Thompson (six) and Sheryl Swoopes (four) down the stretch.

- Anne Donovan pointed out postgame that the Storm had success forcing Shields to her left hand and trapping her when she ran pick-and-rolls. Other WNBA teams probably already have this in their scouting reports.

- I didn’t mention it during the game, but Comets owner Hilton Koch was in the house. Koch was very low-key – when he first came up to the broadcast location to do a halftime interview with Houston brodcaster Craig Ackerman, I thought it was a Comets fan. He was significantly more downcast when I saw him after the game.

- The Storm’s broadcast also featured a halftime interview with the owner, Professional Basketball Club, LLC Chairman Clayton Bennett (taped this morning). Click here to listen to that.

See you at the Key Wednesday!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Storm Fantasy League

Saturday, May 19th, 2007

At Storm HQ, we’ve put together our second annual WNBA Fantasy League. With the season starting today, we held our draft yesterday. Participating are:

- Your humble blogger, the defending champ
- Kelly Nigh, senior coordinator of Storm business operations, who finished second in 2006
- Todd Albright, events coordinator
- Gentry Davis, senior Storm experience specialist
- Jason Hanson, market research manager
- Kris Kolehmain, senior coordinator of sales & marketing analysis
- Derek Long, ticket operations coordinator
- Dallas Pride, Storm community relations coordinator
- George Waterstraat, database coordinator
- Susie Young, Storm ticket sales account executive

Here’s how the first round went:
1. Derek – Diana Taurasi
2. Jason – Tamika Catchings
3. Kris – Lauren Jackson
4. Todd – Seimone Augustus
5. Kelly – Sheryl Swoopes
6. Susie – Cappie Pondexter
7. George – Alana Beard
8. Kevin – Tina Thompson
9. Gentry – Cheryl Ford
10. Dallas – Taj McWilliams-Franklin

Besides Thompson, my squad looks like:
Margo Dydek
Penny Taylor
Anna DeForge
Loree Moore
Kara Lawson
Rebekkah Brunson
Kristen Mann

We’ll check in from time to time this season on how the league is going.

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And We're Off

Saturday, May 19th, 2007

The 2007 WNBA season kicked off this afternoon with the host Detroit Shock receiving their WNBA Championship rings, then beating the Sacramento Monarchs 75-68 in a Finals rematch.

In Jenny Boucek’s first game on the sidelines, the Monarchs looked mostly the same as they did under John Whisenant. As Doris Burke emphasized during the ABC broadcast, Boucek was very poised. She’ll do great.

Looking at the boxscore, the Monarchs got big efforts from shooting guards Kara Lawson and Chelsea Newton, who scored 14 points apiece. Veteran Yolanda Griffith, however, spent much of the game in foul trouble and was quiet when she did play. Yo had one point and three rebounds in about 19 minutes of action.

For Detroit, Plenette Pierson played just about as good of a game as she ever has in the WNBA, scoring 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting and pulling down eight rebounds (six offensive). Is it just me or does Pierson always have big games on ABC? She’s a nice fit for her role as Detroit’s top reserve post because she can be streaky, but the Shock can roll with her when she’s playing well and go with their starters when Pierson doesn’t have it.

Connecticut and Washington are just tipping off on NBA TV and WNBA.com Broadband. Alana Beard is not playing tonight and her shoulder injury was just described as “week-to-week” instead of “day-to-day.” Keep an eye on that injury, which is huge for the Mystics.

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Gearlds Isn't Nervous

Saturday, May 19th, 2007

Less than 21 hours until Opening Night … .

Storm Coach Anne Donovan was asked after today’s practice about her rotation tomorrow night. Donovan said she isn’t sure. Here’s what she – and therefore we – know. Rookie Katie Gearlds will be the first perimeter player off the bench, and Wendy Palmer the first post.

The big question mark Donovan raised was how much Tanisha Wright will play. Donovan has mentioned a couple of times that she wants to play more pressure defense this season.

It hasn’t gotten a lot of attention (even here), but the WNBA moved to an eight-second backcourt rule to align itself with the NBA – down from the previous 10 seconds. That makes full-court pressure a better gamble than it was before.

Anyways, the amount of full-court defense the Storm plays will affect how much Sue Bird is able to play. Also, Wright is the better defensive option when it comes to full-court pressure.

Donovan didn’t specify who else would be part of the rotation, but my assumption is at least nine players will see action, meaning one of Shyra Ely or Ashley Robinson will likely see time.

On the eve of her WNBA debut, Gearlds indicated there is no nervousness whatsoever.

“Not at all,” she said. “If there was any, I think the preseason got that out of the way. I’m not a player that usually gets nervous. It’s something we’ve been doing all our lives – it’s just a different level. I’m ready to get after it.”

Gearlds said she definitely watched the Comets growing up, when Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson – along with Cynthia Cooper – led Houston to the league’s first four championships. Gearlds respects the players she’ll be playing against, but isn’t intimidated by them.

“I can’t be star-struck and I’m not going to be,” Gearlds said. “Obviously, both teams are going to be competing for the same thing, and that’s for a win. It doesn’t matter if it’s Sheryl Swoopes or one of my teammates from Purdue – I’m going to go out there and do what I can to win.”

Donovan spoke for the first time about the decision to keep Ely over Barbara Turner for the Storm’s 11th and final roster spot. She pointed out that, if Palmer is out, neither Robinson nor Tye’sha Fluker really has the ability to play the high post. Ely offers that option; again, Donovan was unwilling to use Turner in that role.

“It was difficult because we love Barb, she’s been in our system for a full year,” said Donovan. “It was tempered by the fact that she put herself in a very difficult situation – coming back so late – and having absolute conviction that Shyra’s versatility is definitely what we need right now. As difficult as it was, there’s no doubt it was the right decision for the team.”

Posted in practice notes | 2 Comments »

Storm In the Media Over the Weekend

Saturday, May 19th, 2007

Plenty of appearances tonight and a few over the weekend:

Sue Bird will be in-studio with Paul Silvi at KING 5 TV for the Northwest Sports Report .

Betty Lennox with chat with NY Vinnie on 710 KIRO AM at 8:35 this evening.

Lauren Jackson will be on 950 KJR AM at 8:35 this evening with Ian Furness.

Betty Lennox will chat with Dick Fain on 950 KJR AM on Saturday at approximately 11:15 a.m.

Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson will be live in-studio with Dan Devone on Sunday at 10:40 p.m. for Q It Up Sports on Fox 13.

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Fun Tidbit

Friday, May 18th, 2007

In a story in the LA Times, Lisa Leslie plants the seed again that she could return in August instead of missing the entire season, as was initially reported.

The more surprising tidbit, however, is this:

“I know my heart and what I want to do,” the three-time WNBA most valuable player said, adding that she and husband Michael Lockwood would name their daughter Lauren.

How about that?

Posted in WNBA | 3 Comments »

The Importance of Lauren Jackson

Friday, May 18th, 2007

If Lauren Jackson – knock on wood, or “touch wood,” in her Aussie parlance – is able to stay as healthy as she feels right now, it’s obvious that will make a huge difference for the Storm. Can we quantify just what that difference will be?

I think, with the use of plus-minus statistics, we can.

Including the playoffs, Jackson played 33 games last season. When she was on the floor, the Storm outscred its opponents 23 times, was even once and was outscored nine times. (Without her, it’s almost exactly the opposite: The Storm was 8-23-2 relative to its opponent with LJ on the bench.

Do the math. The Storm won 19 games last season (again, including the playoffs). One of those, a key June 28 win at L.A., came in Jackson’s absence. So the Storm won 18 times when Jackson played, but outscored opponents with her on the floor 23 times. There were five games that were lost when Jackson was on the bench. Of those five, two aren’t that meaningful. The Storm was +1 with Jackson on June 11 at Indiana and +1 on July 28 vs. Detroit, when Jackson was limited by injury.

That leaves three games worth taking a close look at:

June 4 vs. San Antonio:
This is the game we talked about yesterday, where Shyra Ely could have been key. Because of her minutes restriction, Jackson went to the bench with 5:35 left in the game and the Storm up four. She returned at the 2:06 mark and the game was tied. San Antonio went on to win by two. This year, Jackson is on the floor during that stretch and the Storm probably wins.

June 17 at Sacramento:
Maybe the most dramatic example last season. Jackson left the game because of minutes with 5:14 left and the Storm up 68-65. The Monarchs outscored the Storm 8-2 to take the lead before Jackson returned at the 2:18 mark down three. Sacramento won 76-74.

July 16 vs. Connecticut:
An example of where having Jackson on the bench disrupted the Storm’s momentum. Seattle was up 14 and cruising when Jackson left the game midway through the second quarter. Connecticut quickly went on a 13-5 run before Jackson returned. During the third quarter, the Sun outscored the Storm 6-0 after Jackson went to the bench. Jackson sat out 8:11 total and the Storm was -18 in that span. With her on the floor, the Storm outscored Connecticut by nine.

If the Storm wins all three of those games – no guarantee, but a better chance if Jackson’s minutes are unrestricted, the Storm finishes the season at 21-13. The Sacramento Monarchs won the Western Conference with the same record.

Not only should Jackson be able to play more minutes this season, but also the Storm’s bench should be deeper with a healthy Wendy Palmer and an improved Ashley Robinson filling in for Jackson. Her absence should not be so damaging for the Storm this season. That will go a long ways toward the Storm improving on 2006.

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Ely's Staying

Thursday, May 17th, 2007

If you want to know why Shyra Ely made the Seattle Storm’s roster over Barbara Turner yesterday, you have to look all the way back to June 4, 2006. That was the first game Wendy Palmer missed after injuring her Achilles, and the Storm faced a San Antonio team that went small in the second half.

Playing a frontcourt of 6-2 LaToya Thomas and 6-1 Sophia Young, the Silver Stars outscored the Storm 52-41 in the second half of an 89-87 come-from-behind victory. When San Antonio went small, the Storm had no answer. Anne Donovan stuck with her typical frontline of 6-5 Janell Burse and 6-5 Lauren Jackson, and the Silver Stars outquicked them.

Young had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Thomas 15 points and six rebounds and San Antonio pulled down 18 offensive boards.

Okay, Storm Coach Anne Donovan probably isn’t thinking quite so literally about that one game, but she does know that in today’s WNBA, the ability to match up small against certain teams is important. She also knows that size is valuable at a small forward position that includes some players whose size and athleticism make them difficult matchups like Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings and Chamique Holdsclaw (at least during the Storm’s playoff series with L.A.).

Donovan didn’t believe that Turner, two inches shorter than her listed 6-0 height, could play that role for the Storm. Turner played some minutes at power forward last season, but when I asked Donovan about that possiblity this season, she said it wasn’t fair to either the Storm or Turner to play her there except in extreme situations.

That’s what yesterday’s decision was ultimately about. Coach Donovan made no secret of the fact that she was unhappy with Turner for reporting to camp late because of her obligations in Turkey. That absence allowed Ely to come to camp and open eyes with her performance. The Ely we saw in camp was a better player than the one we saw in San Antonio the last two seasons – a better shooter who was aggressively taking the ball to the basket at times and capable of playing both forward positions.

Donovan’s buzzword this season has, for some time, been “versatility.” Tye’sha Fluker at the four might be a little bit of a stretch, but otherwise everyone else on the Storm’s bench can play at least two positions and sometimes three (Ely also played shooting guard during the preseason when the Storm was short of guards, though it’s unlikely she’ll see action there during the regular season).

Turner will be missed after a solid rookie season where her great personality was evident to everyone around the Storm. I look forward to and expect to see her somewhere else in the WNBA this season. For now, however, Ely was the better fit for Donovan.

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

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