Where There’s Sparks, There’s Fire in 2013 For Los Angeles?
Los Angeles Sparks
2012: 24-10, reached conference finals (lost to Minnesota 2-0)
After a slip-up in 2011 when the Sparks missed the playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history, the franchise moved to get former University of Florida and Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross to be the head honcho in Tinseltown. It turned out to be a wise basketball decision, as Ross led the Sparks to a nine-win improvement from 2011, including a league-best 16-1 record at home.
Candace Parker was just shy of averaging a double-double (19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds), continuing her dominant inside-outside play. Add to that the Rookie of the Year performance from Nnemkadi Ogwumike last season, and the Sparks may have the most intimidating frontcourt duo in the league.
And that’s no disrespect to the backcourt, specifically Kristi Toliver, who dropped in 17.5 points per game while shooting 42 percent from three (she’s a CAREER 41 percent three-point shooter in the WNBA). She spent most of her time lat season at the point, but looks to go back to her natural position of shooting guard with the addition of former Dream point guard Lindsey Harding. Usually, Duke and Maryland does not make for harmony on the basketball court, but with Harding (Duke) and Toliver (former Terp), Los Angeles’s quest for a title may very well end up being a successful one.
Minnesota Lynx
2012: 27-7, reached WNBA Finals (lost to Indiana 3-1)
Minnesota tried to repeat as champions last season, and for a huge chunk of the campaign, there were not too many reasons the Lynx couldn’t pull it off: a 27-7 regular-season record, 16-1 home mark and a bona fide scorer and/or playmaker at every position made the Lynx one of the hardest teams to defend.
Alas, their repeat pushed ended in the Finals against the Fever, but with most of the team in tact for 2013 – as well as a former in-state hero making a homecoming – Minnesota is rearmed for another championship run.
Point guard Lindsay Whalen led the league in assists (5.4) and was second in assist-to-turnover ratio, and it was easy for her to put up those gaudy numbers with scorers like Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Rebekkah Brunson on the floor to finish most of Whalen’s passes. Each of those four players averaged over 11 points per game for the league’s top-scoring team in 2012, at almost 86 points per contest.
Now the Lynx have a legit scoring threat in the post as well, as former Golden Gopher Janel McCarville has joined the team after a trade from New York (and after a two-year absence from playing in the WNBA). McCarville and Whalen made magic as collegians as the Golden Gophers made the Final Four in 2004. McCarville, despite the reunion, has catching up to do, according to head coach Cheryl Reeve. McCarville has had an interesting couple of years: she refused to play in New York in 2010 and 2011 after then-Liberty head coach/general manager John Whisenant denied her request to rest after playing overseas in Italy, and this past winter, left her pro team in Turkey when she said the team wasn’t paying her.
Minnesota lost Candice Wiggins to a trade with Tulsa, but there’s more than enough firepower on the team to win the West.
Phoenix Mercury
2012: 7-27, no postseason
It is a rare occasion that any team, in any sport, that finishes the previous season 20 games under .500 can be legitimate contenders for the league championship the following season.
Ladies and gentlemen: I introduce to you the 2013 Phoenix Mercury, title contenders after a 7-27 regular season.
To understand the leap of faith being taken, remember that last season’s team was absolutely ravaged by injuries from the word “go.” Penny Taylor missed the entire 2012 season with an ACL tear, Candice Dupree missed 21 games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last July, and Diana Taurasi also missed the majority of the season (26 games) mostly with a strained left hip flexor. So that’s the team’s three leading scorers, playing only 21 out of possible 104 games. They’re back and healthy and a main reason Phoenix should be back amongst the top of the West.
Oh, and did we mention that they drafted Brittney Griner yet? No? Well, then. Let me tell you that they drafted this 6-8 player, who dominated women’s college basketball for four seasons at Baylor, won multiple national player of the year awards, and transcended the game of women’s basketball. Maybe you’ve heard of Brittney Griner before.
Obviously, this is the pros, and Griner won’t (or shouldn’t) have it all so easy at the next level, at least to start. How she adjusts to the fast-paced style coach Corey Gaines employs with the Mercury (or vice versa) will tell a lot in how efficient Griner will be this season.
The silver lining in the rough season Phoenix had last season (other than securing the No. 1 overall pick, of course) was that rookie Samantha Prahalis was allowed to get extended playing time, and she shined, along with other players that didn’t expect to have a big role on the team last season.
[Also: WNBA Eastern Conference Preview]
San Antonio Silver Stars
2012: 21-13, lost to Los Angeles 2-0 in conference semifinals
Recently, San Antonio has been a model of consistency under head coach Dan Hughes, with the Silver Stars making the WNBA playoffs six consecutive seasons and coming close to achieving the ultimate success in 2008 when losing in the Finals.
That success was chiefly because of the play of seven-time All-Star guard Becky Hammon and the inside dominance of Sophia Young. Both will miss time due to injury, jeopardizing the hopes of San Antonio continuing their playoff streak in 2013.
Hammon, one of the all-time fan favorites in the WNBA, broke the middle finger on her shooting hand during training camp and is out indefinitely. Despite that, one thing that we do know is she is as tough as it comes, and playing through injury (and playing well) isn’t something we’re not accustomed to.
Young, unfortunately, will not be coming back anytime soon, as she tore her ACL while playing in a Chinese professional basketball league in February. Although there is a remote chance she could be back at the end of the regular season, it is expected the former Baylor standout will miss the entire season. Last season, Young led the team in scoring (16.3), rebounds (7.2) and steals (2.24).
With her loss in the frontcourt, brought in some reinforcements by acquiring DeLisha Milton-Jones from Los Angeles and using their first round pick on Syracuse University center Kayla Alexander. They will team up with holdover frontcourt players Jayne Appel and Danielle Adams to help soften the blow without the presence of Young. Guard Danielle Robinson has been excellent at guard for the Silver Stars, and she also will need to add to her 10 points per game from last season and carry more of a load this season.
Seattle Storm
2012: 16-18, lost to Minnesota 2-0 in Western Conference semifinals
The wear and tear of playing overseas, domestically and for their respective national teams have finally caught up with stars Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, and their absences for the upcoming 2013 season has, in all likelihood, turned this campaign into a year of (temporary) transition.
Bird had surgery to remove a cyst on her left knee and will miss the entire season, and Jackson will sit out the season to recover from a hamstring problem (as well as the aforementioned wear and tear of playing so much basketball without much rest). The Storm had to make moves, and fast, and as of right now, five of the 10 players on the current roster are in their first year with the Storm.
One of the new players, Temeka Johnson, will replace Bird this season at the point guard spot. She’s a nine-year WNBA veteran, so she knows what to expect and how to handle the WNBA rigors. She’s not the playmaker as Bird is, but coming close to what Bird can provide on the court, at least from a playmaking sense, will be good news to head coach Brian Agler.
Tina Thompson and Camille Little will be asked to increase their production, and it remains to be seen in Thompson can recapture her form from her Comets/Sparks days at age 37. Also needing to provide more production is second-year guard Shekinna Stricklen, who averaged eight points per game in her debut campaign.
Tulsa Shock
2012: 9-25, no postseason
The good news: The 2012 Tulsa Shock TRIPLED their win total from the 2011 WNBA season.
The bad news: Improving from three wins to nine only makes waves playing in the National Football League. Alas, the Tulsa Shock are not an NFL team.
But the signs of improvement are there in the Sooner State, and an overhaul of personnel in the offseason looks to have improved the overall talent of the team for 2013. Tulsa made a splash via trade, a three-team deal with New York and Minnesota to get versatile frontcourt player Nicole Powell and scoring guard Candice Wiggins. They made a splash via the draft, selecting Notre Dame All-America Skylar Diggins with the third pick of the WNBA draft. The projected backcourt of Wiggins and Diggins (I dare you not to chuckle out loud when saying that) should be a matchup nightmare because of both of the players ability to put the ball on the floor as well as hit the long-range jumper.
Even when Tulsa didn’t mean to make personnel headlines, they did, when Liz Cambage, one of the the dominant post players for the Australian national team, decided to return to the team after playing for them in 2011 (averaging 11.5 points) and sitting out the 2012 WNBA season. Also, Tiffany Jones (née Jackson), who sat out last season while on maternity leave, is back on the roster. If Tulsa gets anything resembling her performance during the 2011 campaign — third in the league in double-doubles (11) – the Shock may very well shock some folks this season.
Of course I had to end my preview with a bad pun.
