The Best Damn WNBA Preview Ever - Eastern Conference

By Richard Cohen (Contributing Writer)
Posted Monday, May 12, 2008

Yes, it’s that time of year again. After an offseason of free-agent movement, coaching changes and trades aplenty, the new WNBA season is nearly upon us. Since Phoenix finished off Detroit in last year’s WNBA Finals, a new collective bargaining agreement has been signed, an expansion team was added in Atlanta to even the conferences up at seven apiece, and someone you might have heard of called Candace Parker topped the most talked about draft class in years. Now it’s time to look forward to five months of world-class professional women’s basketball, starting today with a team-by-team analysis of the Eastern Conference.

The East will be a knock-down, drag-it-out fight like every other year in recent memory, full of physical, battling basketball. Detroit and Indiana, last year’s conference finalists, both have injury concerns hanging over their heads, while young rosters in New York and Chicago are sensing the opportunity to progress and challenge the established order. Connecticut and Washington, while appearing to be teams in transition, also have more than enough talent to make an impact and fight for a playoff spot. New arrival Atlanta will be hoping to make a good impression and get their city excited about the WNBA’s return to the Southeast.

Check back tomorrow for the in-depth preview of the Western Conference.

Significant additions: Everyone; they’re an expansion team
Significant losses: Technically, they’ve traded away Ann Wauters, LaToya Thomas and Roneeka Hodges, but since those players were never actually in Atlanta, realistically no one

Probable starting lineup:
PG: Ivory Latta
SG: Betty Lennox
SF: Iziane Castro Marques
PF: Érika DeSouza
C: Katie Feenstra

Bench includes: Camille Little, Kristen Mann, Tamera Young, Kristin Haynie, Carla Thomas

Welcome to the WNBA, Atlanta! Prepare to, well, suck. In the long and less-than-illustrious history of expansion teams in American sports leagues, nearly all of them were atrocious in their inaugural year. The Dream did better out of their expansion draft than the Sky did two years earlier (thanks to more favorable rules), but they were still getting the 7th best players on other teams’ rosters. And the WNBA isn’t really all that deep to begin with.

Ivory Latta will probably get the start at the point ahead of Kristin Haynie largely because she’s a more recognizable name and might sell a few extra tickets. It’s still up to either to prove they can be a legitimate starter in this league, and both have been scarily poor defensively in their brief WNBA appearances. Betty Lennox (who only recently signed a contract to play this season) gives them a proven scorer who can create her own shot, but pairing her in a backcourt with Latta makes you wonder if anyone else will ever see the ball. Lennox doesn’t tend to pass the ball much, even when her main option to pass to was Lauren Jackson, so it’s doubtful she’ll be giving the rock up much on this roster. Her defense won’t help compensate for either of the point guards. Beyond Lennox, their options at off guard look miniscule. Ann Strother has been completely forgettable as a WNBA player, so 8th overall draft pick Tamera Young, something of a surprise when Atlanta took her that high, might get the start regardless of whether she’s ready or not. Ultimately, Iziane Castro Marques may well slide over from small forward and cover the backcourt minutes when Betty’s off the floor.

The Dream got a boost when both of their Brazilians, Castro Marques and Érika DeSouza, agreed to play this season rather than stay with the Brazilian national team. Both will miss some time to play in the pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament but should be solid additions while they’re in town. Castro Marques can fly like the wind at either spot on the wing and may benefit from a fresh start, while DeSouza lost the confidence of Mike Thibault in Connecticut halfway through last season, but has some evident skills and could develop into a solid WNBA post player. Camille Little was acquired in a canny trade with San Antonio that also added a first-round draft pick next year for the loss of Ann Wauters, who probably never would’ve showed up to play in Atlanta. Little had a quietly impressive rookie year and could provide competition for either of the starting forward spots, as could Kristen Mann and even free agent pick-up Stacey Lovelace. Mann and Lovelace have both had some problems being effective in this league because they fall somewhere between being post players and wings, but each could be productive in limited minutes. None of them are going to set the world on fire, but they do give the Dream a bench with WNBA experience that several other teams will envy (one of their few strengths).

At center it looked like a two-headed monster of Katie Feenstra and Chantelle Anderson could combine to provide a reasonable presence in the paint, if they could stay healthy and out of foul trouble. Unfortunately, unconfirmed reports suggest Anderson may be out with yet another serious injury. Feenstra’s per minute averages her first three years in the league have actually been pretty good, but she struggles to stay on the floor due to mobility issues and foul trouble, which limits her effectiveness. DeSouza may well spend much of her time at center with the various other options filling the forward spots. Carla Thomas, who barely played in her rookie year in Chicago last season, gives them another post option, as would Yelena Leuchanka if she shows up (which is probably unlikely this season due to national team commitments). A 6-5 Belarussian who’s put up some impressive numbers in Europe, Leuchanka hasn’t made the grade yet in a couple of brief shots at the WNBA.

This is a young franchise that is going to have plenty of growing pains, especially with the uncertainty over who falls where in the rotation, and with the vast majority of the roster never having played together before. The best and most experienced player taken in their expansion draft not signing a contract until this weekend didn’t help matters much either. They probably won’t win much, but with the youthful talent on the roster they may compete slightly better than you’d typically expect from an expansion team. Double-figure wins would be a significant achievement, even in the decidedly weaker Eastern Conference.

Significant additions: Sylvia Fowles, maybe Quianna Chaney if they get lucky
Significant losses: Stacey Dales, yet another coach

Probable starting lineup:
PG: Dominique Canty
SG: Jia Perkins
SF: Armintie Price
PF: Candice Dupree
C: Chasity Melvin/Sylvia Fowles

Bench includes: Chasity Melvin/Sylvia Fowles (whichever doesn’t start, obviously), Brooke Wyckoff, Kayte Christensen, Quianna Chaney, Bernadette Ngoyisa

After an offseason of turmoil, and yet another coaching change, Chicago may well be in a position to make a legitimate playoff push for the first time in their short history. Steve Key takes the helm after Bo Overton left amid a hail of controversy, but regardless of who’s in charge, it’s the addition of rookie Sylvia Fowles that has the Sky only looking upwards as the new season approaches.

When Chasity Melvin was acquired early last season to finally give Candice Dupree some help in the post, the Sky improved dramatically. With Fowles’s arrival, they have a three-player post rotation that’s potentially one of the best in the league. Fowles gives them a true defensive post presence that they’ve sorely lacked, and she should improve the defense of everyone around her by allowing them to gamble and help more. Anything she adds offensively will be a bonus. Dupree emerged further as their franchise player last season and is still improving. She’s shown herself to be an impressive offensive force in her first two years in the league, and hopefully the presence of Fowles will open things up for her even more inside to allow her some easier scoring opportunities. At times we’ll even see some big lineups with Dupree at small forward alongside Fowles and Melvin, but her strength remains in the post, where her skills are most effectively utilized. Melvin is a savvy veteran post who, at this point in her career, should also benefit from having someone with the size and presence of Fowles alongside her. If she can stay healthy, Kayte Christensen can go back to being a serviceable backup post player behind the big three, rather than just a very attractive distraction in street clothes at the end of the Sky bench. Bernadette Ngoyisa is also giving the WNBA another shot and could add yet further post depth to a team that used to struggle to find anyone who could play in the paint.

On the perimeter Stacey Dales has been lost (again) to her broadcasting career, which somewhat hurts their depth and leadership, but in purely playing terms isn’t really that great a loss. She shot way too much for someone who didn’t hit that many, and never brought much else to the table. The Sky still don’t have a true point guard, but that can be said of several teams in the WNBA. Dominique Canty and Jia Perkins will take on most of the ball-handling responsibilities, with some help from last year’s Rookie of the Year Armintie Price. All three are probably natural shooting guards, but between them they give the Sky a potent set of backcourt players that can score from a variety of angles. Perkins put up some gaudy scoring numbers last year in a breakout season, while Canty is capable of hitting the mid-range shot if teams forget about her (although her numbers suffered last year due to her responsibilities at the point). Price is a wonderful player to watch at times, packing more athleticism into her small form than most people could dream of, which makes her an exceptional rebounder and a threat to drive at all times. Unfortunately, she can’t shoot. At all. But if somehow she’s come back from playing overseas with a brand new jump shot packed in her suitcase, then Fowles and Dupree won’t be the only ones catching the eye in Chicago this season. Some more three-point shooting would be valuable for a team that needs to space the floor for their post players, so they’ll be hoping that Cathy Joens and rookie Quianna Chaney can provide that. It could be a forlorn hope, but you can’t have everything.

Price is only in the ‘probable starting lineup’ above because there’s a glaring lack of small forwards or wing players of any size on the Sky’s roster. Brooke Wyckoff is a backup in the WNBA, at best, so hopefully Price’s hops and rebounding ability make up for her lack of size, and the minutes Dupree will spend at small forward help fill in as well. The defensive presence of Fowles behind them should also help compensate for the diminutive wing players.

The Sky are not a deep team, even in WNBA terms, but if you can stay healthy and your top 5 or 6 are good enough, you don’t need depth to win in this league (as Phoenix proved last season with barely a 7-player rotation). In an Eastern Conference where most of the teams have at least one glaring hole, Chicago’s young and developing roster has a decent shot at making the playoffs and potentially having its first winning season, despite deficiencies. With a bit of luck, the presence of Fowles and a few more wins will help generate some more excitement and sell some extra tickets as well. A legitimate run at a title likely remains a year or two off.

Significant additions: Tamika Whitmore, Sandrine Gruda, Amber Holt, Tamika Raymond, Ketia Swanier, Barbara Turner (the last three or four may well not be all that ‘significant’).
Significant losses: Katie Douglas, Nykesha Sales, Margo Dydek, Érika DeSouza, Kristen Rasmussen, Le’Coe Willingham

Probable starting lineup:
PG: Lindsay Whalen
SG: umm…
SF: Asjha Jones
PF: Tamika Whitmore
C: Sandrine Gruda

Bench includes: Jamie Carey, Raymond, Holt, Swanier, Evanthia Maltsi, Cori Chambers, Kamesha Hairston (although obviously someone on that list will have to fill the ‘umm’ spot)

It's all about change in Connecticut, where Lindsay Whalen and Asjha Jones are the only returning players who provided significant minutes for the Sun last season. Katie Douglas has been sent home to Indiana (as she requested), Nykesha Sales is taking the season off to rest her aching limbs, Margo Dydek has had a baby boy and might well never bother with the WNBA again, Érika DeSouza was lost in the expansion draft, and even benchwarmers Kristen Rasmussen and Le’Coe Willingham have departed, in trade and free agency respectively. There are a few talented replacements coming in, but coach Mike Thibault is rebuilding on the fly and it could be an awkward transition season for the Sun.

Dydek’s production decreased dramatically last year, and the necessary post minutes and scoring should be ably replaced by new arrivals Tamika Whitmore and Sandrine Gruda. Whitmore, acquired in the Douglas trade, is a talented veteran when motivated and in shape, which hopefully she will be in her new surroundings and with the more open system that Thibault favors. She may well start alongside Jones, especially while they wait for Gruda to adjust to the league and learn the system. Technically a rookie, Gruda is the most interesting addition, despite being somewhat of an unknown to WNBA fans. She’s only 20, but has already produced several impressive seasons in Europe, including this year at UMMC Ekaterinburg as an important piece on one of the most stacked rosters in the world. She has size and skills, and should make the transition to the WNBA level fairly quickly, but we’ve seen international stars crash and burn in the WNBA before, so nothing can be assured just yet. Asjha Jones is the one constant, and after an impressive showing in her first season as an established starter last year should only continue to improve. She was also at UMMC this offseason, so hopefully will already have a level of understanding with Gruda that will help the Frenchwoman fit in quickly. Tamika Raymond provides a limited amount of insurance as a post backup, having been acquired for the similarly limited Kristen Rasmussen.

The critical issue for Connecticut is what on Earth they’re going to do on the perimeter. Lindsay Whalen is an elite point guard who can score and distribute, but losing Douglas, both their top scorer and one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, is a huge problem. Losing Sales, their other longtime starter at the wing, at the same time obviously makes things even worse. Neither had had much backup last year either, so it’s a matter of guesswork as to who might step forward and fill the vast hole. Point guards Jamie Carey and rookie Ketia Swanier will allow Whalen to slide over to help at off guard, and Jones will spend time at small forward, but that won’t be nearly enough. Rookies Amber Holt and Jolene Anderson, second-year players Cori Chambers and Kamesha Hairston (neither of whom could crack Thibault’s rotation last year, plus Hairston just had knee surgery), Greek international player Evanthia Maltsi (who can shoot but couldn’t guard a turtle), and even recent acquisition Barbara Turner will all get a shot at producing in those wing spots. Holt, the 9th overall selection in the draft, will likely get plenty of minutes to prove herself and may well start, but it’s a lot of pressure to put on a rookie, especially one from a fairly small school without much big-time experience. Unless one or two of the players on that long list can prove they truly belong in the WNBA, it could be a very difficult year for the Sun. They’re hoping to add speedy Australian guard Erin Phillips after the Olympics, and she’d help considerably in the backcourt, but they need to still be in the race by that point or there won’t be anything she can do.

In an Eastern Conference with an expansion team, a couple of very young rosters and a couple more worrying about significant injuries, the Sun may well be able to make yet another playoff run, but it’s not going to be easy. Whalen, Jones, Whitmore and Gruda give them some talented firepower, but they’re trying to fill their glaring holes on the perimeter with players who are completely unproven at this level. With much of his talent now found in the paint, Thibault is also going to have to restructure his offense to fit, which may take some getting used to. But if Gruda acclimates quickly, Phillips shows up healthy after her Olympic exertions, and anyone among all those perimeter prospects steps up, they could sneak in as a dangerous third or fourth seed in the playoffs.

Significant additions: Alexis Hornbuckle, Sheri Sam, LaToya Thomas, Tasha Humphrey
Significant losses: Swin Cash, Shannon Johnson, Katie Feenstra, Ivory Latta

Probable starting lineup:

PG: Katie Smith
SG: Deanna Nolan
SF: Sheri Sam
PF: Cheryl Ford
C: Kara Braxton

Bench includes: Plenette Pierson, Hornbuckle, Thomas, Humphrey

The dominant Eastern Conference team of recent years looks very similar on the surface, but look a little deeper and you can see things changing. This is no longer your older sister’s Detroit Shock. Katie Smith and Deanna Nolan still make up probably the best backcourt in the league, and when healthy Cheryl Ford remains possibly the best rebounder in the world of women’s basketball, but the pieces around them are changing, and the depth the Shock used to boast has all but disappeared. Swin Cash and Bill Laimbeer finally reached an impasse where separation was an absolute necessity, while Ivory Latta and Katie Feenstra both escaped to Atlanta. Last year’s most important backup guard, Shannon Johnson, is gone as well -- off to Houston for more minutes, more responsibility, and probably more money. To try and replace them Detroit has former #1 overall draft pick LaToya Thomas underwhelming and injury-plagued in recent years in San Antonio and Los Angeles late free agent pick-up Sheri Sam, and an array of rookies. Whether Alexis Hornbuckle and Tasha Humphrey can make the leap to WNBA level, and whether Laimbeer will trust them enough to let them make mistakes and play through them, remains to be seen.

However, depth probably isn’t Detroit’s most pressing issue. That would be the knee of their star power forward, Cheryl Ford. After the always scary-sounding microfracture surgery, Ford’s had a long period of rehabilitation and what sort of shape she’s in is entirely up in the air. She’s reportedly back on the floor in training, and the Shock are claiming she’ll be ready for opening day, but that might be ‘ready’ in the loosest possible sense. With Ford’s rebounding, physical defense, and developing post game, Detroit is an elite team and championship contenders yet again. Without her, or with her desperately trying to play through pain on one leg, they could be a fringe playoff squad. Plenette Pierson, reigning WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, is obviously an excellent backup, but if she’s forced to replace Ford in the lineup alongside painfully inconsistent center Kara Braxton, things start to look difficult for the Shock. Rookies Humphrey and Olayinka Sanni are probably the next posts off the bench, and that won’t be somewhere that Laimbeer wants to go to too often.

Detroit’s veteran backcourt of Smith and Nolan will yet again be a powerful force, and both will likely play well over 30 minutes a night as usual. After spending most of her career as a shoot-first wing, Smith has made an impressive transition to the ‘lead guard’ spot in Detroit (she doesn’t like being called a ‘point guard’), although her shooting percentage last year of 36 percent was worryingly poor. Shooting that badly lessens her effectiveness dramatically and she needs to push it back up this year. Fortunately for the Shock, Deanna Nolan got even better last year. Already an outstanding athletic specimen who’s a nightmare for other teams to try and defend, Nolan shot 46 percent from the floor last season, comfortably the highest mark of her career. With Cash gone, Ford doubtful, and Smith getting older, they may need her to improve yet further this season, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if she did. At the other end of the floor, Smith’s strength and smarts allied with Nolan’s quickness and athleticism also makes them a defensive force on the perimeter that other teams struggle to deal with. The small forward spot in Detroit is an open question this season with Cash moved to Seattle. Sam, Thomas and Hornbuckle will all get minutes on the perimeter, and Elaine Powell also allows Smith and Nolan to slide over by helping out at the point. The committee approach leaves things a little more uncertain but they should have enough talent to compensate fairly comfortably for the loss of their longtime captain.

The likelihood is that we’ll see Detroit up and around the top of the Eastern Conference yet again this season. Smith isn’t quite what she was, but she and Nolan remain a superior backcourt on both sides of the ball. Cash, Johnson, and Feenstra will be missed, but the relative lack of alternatives may force Laimbeer to play his rookies and they can probably fill enough of the holes to keep the Ws piling up. Ford may not be in true game shape to start the season but if she can stay healthy once she’s back, and play her way into condition, Detroit will still be contending for the Eastern Conference crown once September rolls around.

Significant additions: Katie Douglas, Allison Feaster
Significant losses: Tamika Whitmore, Anna DeForge, Sheri Sam

Probable starting lineup:
PG: Tully Bevilaqua
SG: Katie Douglas
SF: Tamika Catchings
PF: Ebony Hoffman
C: Tammy Sutton-Brown

Bench includes: Tan White, Feaster, Alison Bales, prayer

And so we return yet again to perhaps the most relevant two words in the WNBA this season – if healthy. Just like Detroit with Cheryl Ford, possibly to an even greater degree, everything in Indiana relies on Tamika Catchings’s health. After a left foot injury kept her out for the stretch run last year, she made it back in time for the playoffs, only to tear her right Achilles tendon in the Eastern Finals against Detroit, and her rehab is still ongoing. If she’s in shape and can stay that way, Indiana is undoubtedly one of the favorites for the conference, despite the pretty obvious hole at power forward created by trading away Tamika Whitmore. When healthy, Catch is the do-everything leader of this team, an MVP candidate, and probably the best defensive player in the league. Everything the Fever do revolves around Catchings, although ‘new’ head coach Lin Dunn will hopefully put more plays in place that don’t rely entirely on her skills. Noises coming out of the Fever camp suggest she won’t be ready for opening day, but is hoping to have proven her fitness before the Olympic break so that she can make Team USA for the Games. However, the Fever play 26 of their 34 games before the break, so they have to hope she’s back and in decent condition long before everyone decamps to Beijing.

Whether Indiana can win enough without Catchings to stay in contention while she works her way back is arguable, but is probably more likely than it would’ve been this time last season. That’s largely because of the acquisition of Katie Douglas from Connecticut, an elite shooting guard on both sides of the ball, who’ll also see time at small forward while Catchings is out. She’s a decent upgrade on Anna DeForge, lost in free agency to Minnesota, and when Catchings returns the triumvirate of Douglas, Catch, and Tully Bevilaqua is a scary defensive prospect on the perimeter that no one will relish facing. Bevilaqua is a steady hand at the point and a terrier defensively, but she’s not much of a threat offensively, which does put extra pressure on others to do the scoring. The backcourt depth is somewhat questionable, especially after Tan White’s disintegration in the playoffs last season. Her shooting percentages and decision-making remain dubious after three years in the league, but she does give the team some extra energy and drive when she comes on the floor that they sometimes lack from their starters. Allison Feaster has also been signed, and will be relied upon to fill the minutes at both wing spots that Sheri Sam provided last season, especially with Catchings questionable. Feaster was out of the league last season and dreadful the year before in Charlotte, so it remains to be seen how useful she can be in the modern-day WNBA.

In the post, Indiana will be expecting even more from center Tammy Sutton-Brown than they got last season, now that Tamika Whitmore has gone to Connecticut in the Douglas trade. Sutton-Brown is one of the better centers in the league when she can stay out of foul trouble, and hopefully the addition of Douglas’s defense on the perimeter will prevent her from picking up so many cheap whistles trying to help cover for others’ mistakes. However, Sutton-Brown has never averaged more than 29 minutes per game in any WNBA season, and with Whitmore gone the help alongside her and on the bench looks pretty slim (metaphorically speaking). Ebony Hoffman is a decent player, but essentially a good backup-quality post. After her, nearly everyone is unproven at WNBA level, including Alison Bales, Kasha Terry, and rookie Khadijah Whittington. When healthy (oh look, it’s those words again), Catchings would also spend some time at power forward in smaller lineups, but they’ll be trying to limit her time spent in the post when she comes back to protect her fitness.

In an Eastern Conference with so many question marks, Indiana definitely remains one of the main challengers. However, with Douglas and Sutton-Brown as their only real offensive threats beyond Catchings, they could have trouble scoring until she returns to full fitness, and hard-nosed, physical defense can only take you so far. Dunn has promised to run more, which would help get easier baskets and also be a pleasant change for the viewing public from a team that has often been hard to watch, but she may find it difficult to do with her personnel. They should have enough talent to stay in the race, though, and if everyone’s legs are in full working order by the time the post-season arrives, a Detroit-Indiana rematch in the Eastern Conference Finals certainly isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

Significant additions: Essence Carson, Erlana Larkins
Significant losses: Barbara Farris, plus the theoretical illusory presence of Ann Wauters

Probable starting lineup:
PG: Loree Moore
SG: Erin Thorn
SF: Shameka Christon
PF: Cathrine Kraayeveld
C: Janel McCarville

Bench includes: Carson, Tiffany Jackson, Jessica Davenport, Ashley Battle, Larkins, Lisa Willis

Last year’s most pleasantly surprising team, an extremely young bunch who scared the hell out of Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, return everyone of consequence from last season’s roster, and get even younger by the departure of 31-year-old Barbara Farris (the oldest player on the 2007 roster) and the addition of yet another pair of first-round draft picks to the mix. Last year’s exertions will have contributed much needed experience, but they’re not going to sneak up on anyone this time around, and there’s still plenty of room for improvement for a team that some forget finished only 16-18 last season.

Loree Moore has developed into one of the WNBA’s premier floor generals, and she’s the motor that keeps everything ticking over in New York. She can be a streaky shooter, but her numbers have improved each year she’s been in the league, and if she can maintain or even improve the 40 percent 3-point shooting she produced last season then she’ll be even more valuable to the Liberty (cutting down on those 2.9 turnovers per game would be nice as well). Moore is even one of the best rebounders on the Liberty roster, although that says as much about her teammates as it does about her own abilities. Alongside her in the backcourt will again be the much-maligned Erin Thorn, who, despite her many detractors, stepped forward last season to prove she can play heavy minutes in this league and be successful. Her defense and ballhandling are both suspect, but her shooting and leadership are valuable commodities for this young team. However, Thorn should never, ever be running the point, and Moore still doesn’t have an obvious backup, so the Libs will be hoping that 7th overall draft pick Essence Carson can help out with some of the ball-handling responsibilities. She may eventually take Thorn’s starting spot, but unless a training camp invitee like Megan Duffy or recently acquired rookie Leilani Mitchell steps up to the mark, Carson will be relied upon to help out anywhere and everywhere on the perimeter. Lisa Willis, a gunner acquired from LA midway through last season, will also have the opportunity to earn some minutes at shooting guard, although she’ll need to shoot better and take better care of the ball to stay on the floor.

In only her fifth season, Shameka Christon is now New York’s most experienced (and most highly-paid) player, and it’s time for her to step it up. She doesn’t need to be a superstar on what is arguably the most balanced team in the WNBA, but she does need to finally be consistent. The last few games of last season and into the playoffs it seemed like she was finally getting it, letting the game come to her rather than pressing and trying too hard to produce. If she can keep that up throughout the 2008 season, it’ll be a huge boost for the Liberty. Ashley Battle was practically the only backup for the 1, 2 and 3 spots on the floor last season in New York, so hopefully the presence of Carson can help her be more productive by not being spread quite so thinly. Battle’s hustle and defense are valuable assets, although her shot selection can often leave a lot to be desired.

In the paint, even with the talented presence of reigning WNBA Most Improved Player Janel McCarville, the Liberty need to improve. Their rebounding last season was terrible, and it hurt them on multiple occasions. Cathrine Kraayeveld’s range and smarts are useful attributes, but she spends so much time wandering around the perimeter that her rebounding numbers are poor, and although McCarville developed into the fulcrum of the team last season, she isn’t the biggest center or the best rebounder in the world either. The Liberty will therefore be hoping that second-year players Tiffany Jackson and Jessica Davenport have developed and will start earning their minutes inside. Both had inconsistent rookie years, especially Davenport, and both have suffered stress fractures while playing overseas in the offseason, but there were occasional flashes of talent last season that suggested they could develop into solid WNBA players. Jackson especially, with her energy, athleticism, and rebounding ability, could well start to take minutes away from Kraayeveld and may eventually supplant her in the starting lineup. Erlana Larkins, who the Liberty were surprised fell to them at the end of the first round of the draft, will have to fight for any minutes that might be left over, but she just adds further to the depth coach Patty Coyle has to work with.

This young Liberty team was a surprise to practically everyone last season, so the key question is whether a year of experience and the addition of Carson will overcome the fact that everyone now knows what’s coming. Questions also persist as to whether Coach Coyle has a thorough grasp on her rotations, and her in-game decision-making skills have also been found wanting at times in the past. However, teams have so little time to prepare for the season in the WNBA due to players’ overseas commitments that the continuity on the New York roster should be an additional bonus early in the year, and by the end they should be in the playoff mix once again. While they appear to be some way away from a Finals appearance without significant improvement from some of the kids, if the injury problems in other cities persist, you never know what heights the Liberty might reach.

Significant additions: Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Crystal Langhorne, Amber Jacobs
Significant losses: DeLisha Milton-Jones, Nikki Teasley

Probable starting lineup:
PG: Nikki Blue
SG: Alana Beard
SF: Monique Currie
PF: Taj McWilliams-Franklin
C: Nakia Sanford

Bench includes: Jacobs, Langhorne, Coco Miller, Bernice Mosby, not much else (yet another team where depth isn’t a strong point).

Before they pulled off the McWilliams-Franklin/Milton-Jones trade, I had a whole ‘Washington Mystics = Miami Heat’ parallel worked up. They’re built around an elite but sometimes injury-prone shooting guard (Dwyane Wade/Alana Beard), a near All-Star sidekick (Shawn Marion (or Ricky Davis)/Monique Currie), and a solid but less-than-exceptional post player (Udonis Haslem/Nakia Sanford). They had a flashy, formerly top-level point guard who deteriorated horribly before disappearing entirely (Jason Williams/Nikki Teasley), and a past-his/her-prime post player who was essentially forcing a trade (Shaquille O’Neal/DeLisha Milton-Jones). Neither of them has anything worthwhile resembling a bench. And for those who don’t follow the NBA, the Heat finished 15-67 this season and will have the most ping-pong balls in the upcoming draft lottery, so it wasn’t looking good for the Mystics. Miami eventually traded Shaq for Marion, in a trade that everyone loved for the Heat, but continued to suck regardless. Washington, after a seemingly never-ending trade saga where it looked like Milton-Jones might be left sitting on her couch this summer, the Mystics got Taj McWilliams-Franklin and a first-round draft pick for their malcontent forward. It looks like a positive move that will add some interior scoring and experience alongside the rebounding, hustle, and defense but somewhat limited offense of Sanford. McWilliams-Franklin isn’t quite what she used to be, but she’s far more than what it looked like they were going to get for Milton-Jones and still a very useful player. They’ll also be hoping that 6th overall draft pick Crystal Langhorne can learn from McWilliams-Franklin and provide solid backup post minutes, because they don’t have much else behind McWilliams-Franklin and Sanford.

Alana Beard is a truly elite player in the WNBA, offensively and defensively, and like Catchings in Indiana much of the Mystics’ season depends on her production and health. She played through injury much of last season and has been continuing to rehab while playing in Europe, but hopefully she can remain fit enough to anchor everything Washington tries to accomplish. Last season, Monique Currie finally started to look worthy of being taken with the third pick in the 2006 draft (ahead of both Sophia Young and Candice Dupree). She gets to the free throw line as well as nearly anyone in the league and has developed into an impressive complement to Beard. If she continues to improve and get comfortable in Washington then she’ll be a nice bonus for the Mystics. And she’ll need to be, because they don’t have much worthwhile backup on the wing either. Last year’s first-round pick, Bernice Mosby, will get minutes at both forward spots when she’s healthy, but after a pretty ordinary rookie year she can’t be depended on for too much.

After filling the power forward hole with McWilliams-Franklin, the most glaring issue remaining in Washington is now at the point. Nikki Teasley had an awful season last year and is now gone entirely due to pregnancy, leaving her backup Nikki Blue and free agent pickup Amber Jacobs to fight over the spot. Blue will likely start, with both Jacobs and Coco Miller capable of backing up both guard spots. The problem is that none of them has proven they’re starting quality WNBA players yet, which may lead to Beard being forced to spend minutes at the point guard spot again, limiting her effectiveness. Beard’s considerably more dangerous playing off the ball at the 2-guard spot, but coach Tree Rollins showed a propensity to use her at the point last season when he lost confidence in the available point guard alternatives. Blue and/or Jacobs need to play well enough to keep Beard where she belongs.

Before the trade, the Mystics looked destined for a Heat-like season. They might’ve held off expansion Atlanta for 6th in the conference, but any higher would have been a shock. With McWilliams-Franklin added, they at least look like a dangerous spoiler. They have practically no depth whatsoever, even by WNBA standards, so health for their starters is yet again vital, but with some luck and any production at all from their various point guard hopefuls, they have a chance to fight for the lower playoff spots.

Richard Cohen is a freelance contributor to SPM and can be contacted by clicking on the byline at the top of this article.