RebKell's Junkie Boards

[BCBG25]

Yes, folks, it has arrived!
That time of the year when Admiral will save your posts and blackmail you for 3 seasons.
That time of the year when Slovy will sent teams into lottery territory just because he picked them to win their conference.
That time of the year when Pilight and Keegan will reason out stuff that won't happen just because some things are just unpredictable.
Me, I just go with my gut. I nominate DTS as our predictions keeper, much as he did the Mock Drafts, so by the end of the season, we'll have a "winner".
I find it more interesting to do that before we hear news about the training camps, who's doing well and who isn't because that's a more unpredictable situation.

I won't waste anytime explaining myself, as I said, it's just my opinion.

WEST:
1- LOS ANGELES
2- HOUSTON
3- SEATTLE
4- MINNESOTA
_____________________________________________________________

5- PHOENIX
6- SAN ANTONIO
7- SACRAMENTO

EAST
1- DETROIT
2- CONNECTICUT
3- CHARLOTTE
4- WASHINGTON
_____________________________________________________________

5- INDIANA
6- NEW YORK

LOS ANGELES OVER MINNESOTA
HOUSTON OVER SEATTLE
LOS ANGELES OVER HOUSTON

DETROIT OVER WASHINGTON
CONNECTICUT OVER CHARLOTTE
DETROIT OVER CONNECTICUT

DETROIT OVER LOS ANGELES (just because they'll have homecourt and because I think Bibby will be outcoached by SFO)

So there. May the best guesser win!

_________________
I'll change this tagline again when FFO resigns.

[Slovydal]

Hmmm... let's see...
WEST:

LA
Seattle
Phoenix
Sac

LA sweeps Sac, Phoenix barely beats Seattle

Phoenix beats LA (injuries and lack of depth sink Sparks)

EAST

Detroit
DC
Conn
Indy

Indy beats Detroit (3 Shock players suspended after game one for "altercation")
DC sweeps Conn
Indy beats DC

FINALS

The Indiana Fever beat the living HAY-ELL out of the Phoenix Mercury

LMAO!!

Just kidding (hey, a guy can dream...)

Detroit will barely beat DC and then win the championship vs Phoenix.

Face it: The Shock could beat the Pistons.

With that said, I'd love to see LA play DC in the Finals, but I don't think it will happen.

[bkvbkvbkv]

LA
Sac
Pho
Min
SASS
Sea
Hous

Conn
Char
Det
Wash(hols tie with Indy in regular season tie)
Ind
NY

Sac vs La

Conn Vs Det

SAC over Conn

MVP-Yo Grif
ROY-Tan White
MIP-V. Hayden

[Slovydal]

"Wash(holds tiebreaker with Indy in regular season tie)"

The sad thing is that you're probably right.

For awards:

Most Improved Player (AKA "She finally got some minutes award") : Nicole Powell

MVP: Tamika Catchings

Rookie Of The Year: Tan White

Defensive Player of the Year: DeLisha Milton-Jones

Sportsmanship of the Year Award: Alana Beard

The Diana scores 50 points breaking Katie Smith's record.

[el_barrio_96_125]

West

1. Phoenix
2. Minnesota
3. Seattle
4. Houston
5. LA
6. San Antonio
7. Sac

Phoenix/Houston - Phoenix
Minnesota/Seattle - Seattle

Seattle over Phoenix

East

1. Detroit
2. Connecticut
3. Charlotte
4. Washington
5. NY
6. Indiana

Detroit/Washington - Detroit
Connecticut/Charlotte - Connecticut

Detroit over Connecticut

Detroit over Seattle

_________________
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067191/index.htm

[kjj30]

Forget the rest, but the finals will be LA and Charlotte

[wadethered]

West:
1. Seattle
2. Los Angeles
3. Phoenix
4. San Antonio
5. Minnesota
6. Sacramento
7. Houston

East:
1. Detroit
2. Connecticut
3. Washington
4. Charlotte
5. Indiana
6. New York

Seattle over San Antonio
Phoenix over Los Angeles
Seattle over Phoenix

Detroit over Charlotte
Connecticut over Washington
Detroit over Connecticut

Detroit iver Seattle in 5 games

MVP: Lauren Jackson
MIP: Nicole Powell
ROY: Kendra Wecker
COY: Dan Hughes

[pilight]

The west is easier, so I'll do that first.

1 Los Angeles. It's all about the talent, and the Sparks have more of it than anyone. The only thing that gives me pause is the coaching. I'm not completely sold on Henry Bibby, but since it's his first season I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

2 Phoenix. I gave Seth Sulka a hard time last year when I was doing predictions, mostly because he let himself get played by Evil Bill. I still don't get how he got talked into passing up need players like Christi Thomas and Rebekkah Brunson so that he could have Shereka Wright, a needless duplication of skills the Merc already had in abundance. He's righted the ship since then, shipping the overrated Adrian Williams out for Gwen Jackson then swiping Kamila Vodichkova from Seattle. Add in Sandora Irvin and you have to say he's done a great job of working the team's post needs without really giving up anything. Carrie Graf and company have alot of options as far as lineups go. Jackson can play the three if they need to sit DeForge or Taylor, even if Irvin doesn't pan out they can use Pierson. They've got Christensen and/or Robinson (or maybe even Tuvic) if they need height. There are very few weaknesses on this roster. Plus, they've got Diana and you don't...

3 Sacramento. The west is still alot stronger than the east. The Monarchs are kind of a more experienced version of the Shock, except that they added the second outside shooter they needed while Detroit didn't. Nicole Powell will win MIP and the Monarchs will again be the team that you don't want to face in September.

4 Seattle. Lost two starters. I like Janell Burse but it remains to be seen if she can produce when given starter minutes. Last year she got a career high in MPG and virtually all of her stats were down from 2003. As for the other, it appears that career benchie Alicia Thompson has the inside track. It's pretty clear that the Storm will be relying on Betty Lennox to shoulder more of the scoring load this season, and if there's one thing I know for sure it's that the words "relying on Betty Lennox" are a bad omen.

5 Minnesota. Katie Smith may not be 100% to start the season, they're replacing their starting PG, they're losing the leadership skills of the best player to ever played the game, and they were just barely a playoff team last year. I hate to break it to you, Lynx fans, but there's a really good reason that Kristi Harrower has never been able to win a starting job in the WNBA. She's just not that good.

6 San Antonio. I'm tempted to put them ahead of Minnie, but I think they're a year away from being playoff contenders. Pee Wee and Marieeee are a very good backcourt duo and LaToya Thomas is everything she was supposed to be as the #1 overall pick in a weak draft. The other two spots are up for grabs. They've brought in alot of tall girls to fight over the 5 spot and they spent two of the top 14 picks in the draft on wings Wecker and Ely. If they can identify quality starters out of the contenders and keep Ferdinand and Thomas healthy then they could move up.

7 Houston. Van has a funny way of rebuilding. Apparently it involves bringing in the oldest veterans he can find. I'm shocked that he hasn't signed Nera White (yes, she's still alive).


Now, the east...

1 Connecticut. Who would have thought that Nykesha Sales, playing in Connecticut, would become the most underrated player in the league? All through the playoffs last year, people said the key to the Sun was to contain Whalen, or deny McWilliams-Franklin the ball in the post, or keep Douglas from getting hot on the perimeter, or keep Palmer off the offensive glass, or anything except deal with Kool Kesh. Think about the Sun articles you've read this off-season. Again they were all about Taj or Lindsay or Asjha or Debbie or someone else. Sales is the best player on the best team in the east and set a league record for points scored in a finals game. She's a super player and can carry the team all the way to the title. All the rest is just colored bubbles.

2 Detroit. They appear to be pretty much the same team that never got more than three games over .500 last season. Ivey gives them a better backup at the point and can shoot from the outside. Chandi Jones has a year of experience, and I still think she can be really good. I hope Ayana Walker makes the team again. OTOH, they won a ton of games in 2003 with essentially the same team, except for Holland-Korn. Reality is somewhere between 03 and 05, which is good enough for second in the east.

3 New York. I'm assuming that Baranova and Wauters are coming and will play. If not, drop the Lib down below Charlotte somewhere. A year ago they missed the finals only because of Ann Wauters' injured foot. If they stay healthy the Lib are a threat to anyone in the east. The big weakness is the bench, where they have almost nothing besides Christon and the undersized D-Train. If either Euro is a no-show and they have to start Christon at the 4 or use Donaphin/Frett as a starter it will be a long season in New York.

4 Washington. Not because I think they're any good, but because they have fewer internal issues than the teams below them. I have no idea who their starting five will be. Beard, Melvin, and Milton are in. Sanford probably too, or maybe Charlotte Smith-Taylor. I guess that leaves Johnson or Coco Miller or someone at the other guard spot. Who knows? I like Beard and Milton, but the rest of the team is beyond uninspiring.

5 Charlotte. The Sting are a trendy pick for first place, but as long as Lacey is the coach it's not gonna happen. She'll squander whatever offensive talent they have with her "system". They could have some lockerroom issues too. They've got four fowards (Feaster, Sam, Smith, and McCarville) to fill two positions. Feaster and Sam have both been known to have attitudes about playing time, that's why they were available for the Sting to acquire. I hope it won't get too ugly, but it has all the makings of a real disaster.

6 Indiana. June 20th. That's my prediction for the date that Brian Winters will be fired. The season will be about 1/3 over and it will be too late for someone to come in and turn it around. Winters is the only reason I'm picking Indy here. On talent they'd be about 3rd, maybe 2nd.

_________________
If you want a revolution, the only solution's evolve

My WNBA Fan Site

[BBallFanCT729]

Hmmm...hopefully my predictions are better than my mock draft

East:

1. Detroit
2. Connecticut
3. Washington
4. Charlotte
5. Indiana
6. New York

Detroit--Charlotte: Detroit
Connecticut--Washington: Connecticut

Detroit--Connecticut: Detroit

West:

1. Los Angeles
2. Phoenix
3. Seattle
4. Sacramento
5. Minnesota
6. San Antonio
7. Houston

Los Angeles--Sacramento: Los Angeles
Phoenix--Seattle: Phoenix

Los Angeles--Phoenix: Phoenix

Finals: Detroit over Phoenix in five.

COY: Dan Hughes
ROY: Kendra Wecker
MIP: Nicole Powell
MVP: Lauren Jackson

[pilight]

Awards too? OK

MVP: Diana Taurasi
ROY: Kendra Wecker
MIP: Nicole Powell
COY: Mike Thibault

_________________
If you want a revolution, the only solution's evolve

My WNBA Fan Site

[sambista]

WEST
Seattle
Phoenix
Sacramento
San Antonio
----------------
Los Angeles
Minnesota
Houston

Seattle over San Antonio
Sacramento is Cinderella over Phoenix
Seattle over Sacramento

EAST
Detroit
Washington
Charlotte
Connecticut
----------------
Indiana
New York

Detroit over Connecticut
Washington over Charlotte
Detroit over Washington

Detroit over Seattle in five

MVP: Alana Beard
MIP: Nicole Powell
ROY: Temeka Johnson
COY: Mr. Tomato Head

[genesis1272]

Ok, never done this before, but....

West:

1) Los Angeles
2) Phoenix
3) San Antonio
4) Seattle
5) Minnesota
6) Houston
7) Sacramento

Seattle--L.A. = Seattle wins
Phoenix--San Antonio = Phoenix wins
Seattle--Phoenix = Seattle wins

East:

1) Detroit
2) Washington
3) Charlotte
4) Connecticut
5) New York
6) Indiana

Detroit--Connecticut =Detroit wins
Washington--Charlotte =Washington wins
Detroit--Washington =Detroit wins

Championship:

Seattle--Detroit = Detroit wins in 4

MVP=Lauren Jackson
MIP= Nicole Powell
ROY= Kendra Wecker
COY= Dan Hughes

[Keegan]

Predictions to come later but I had a bizarre dream last night where after 7 games into the season, Phoenix and Seattle were at the bottom of the Western Conference with no wins apiece! I guess that qualifies as a nightmare?

I'm glad everybody's picking Detroit... because it means they're not likely to win (wishful thinking mode: on)

_________________
Beware of snarky monotremes...

[Slovydal]

With that said, everybody go ahead and pick Indy to be last.

Conn revisited!

[herrade]

WEST:
1- Phoenix
2- Los Angeles
3- Seattle
4- Minnesota
5- Houston
6- Sacramento
7- San Antonio

EAST
1- Washington
2- Connecticut
3- Detroit
4- New York
5- Charlotte
6- Indiana

_________________
A single act of carelessness leads to the eternal loss of beauty.

[mysticsfan07]

WEST
1. LA
2. Phoenix
3. San Antonio
4. Seattle
5. Minnesota
6. Sacramento
7. Houston

Seattle over LA
Phoenix over SA
Seattle over Phoenix


EAST
1. Detroit
2. Connecticut
3. Washington
4. Indiana
5. New York
6. Charlotte

Detroit over Indy
Connecticut over Washington
Detroit over Connecticut

Detroit over Seattle
Finals MVP: Nolan

MVP: Swin Cash
ROY: Tan White
MIP: Kelly Mazzante
COY: Dan Hughes

Forgot DPOY: Alana Beard

[Slovydal]

San Antonio admitted it was "rebuilding"

I think Richie will win Coach of the Year.

[ThreeBall25]

WEST:

1-LA
2-Phoenix
3-Seattle
4-Minny

5-Sac
6-SASS
7-Houston

EAST:

1-Detroit
2-Connecticut
3-Char
4-Washington

5-NY
6-Indy

PLAYOFFS:
LA over Minny
Phoenix over Seattle
LA over Phoenix

Washington over Detriot
CT over Char
CT over Washington

Connecticut over LA

MVP-Diana Taurasi
ROY-Kendra Wecker
MIP-Nicole Powell
COY-Carrie Graf

[smenko]

Final Standings:

East:

Detroit
Charlotte
CT
NY
Washington
Indiana

West:

Sacramento
Seattle
LA
Minn.
Phoenix
Houston
San Antonio

[MNfan22]

[Str8_Butta]

*WEST*

1. Los Angeles
2. Seattle
3. Phoenix
4. Minnesota


*EAST*

1. Detroit
2. Washington
3. New York
4. Charlotte

[jammerbirdi]

let's see if I can just remember all the teams and their conferences.

First off, I predict Chicago won't win a game this year.

Here's my standings predictions.

west

1. LA
2. HOU
3. SEA
4. PHO
5-7... who cares?

east

1. TROIT
2. CHAR
3. CONN
4. WASH
5-7... who cares?

MVP - Holdsclaw
DPOY - SS
MIP - Milton
CPOY - Tari (!)

WNBA champion - Detroit

WVGM champion - jammerbirdi eau de boards

_________________
I'm too big to fail.

[pilight]

Re: Harrower

Interesting that you glossed over 2002, when Agler decided he would rather experiment with Betty Lennox at the point than hand it over to Harrower or even activate her. He got fired, of course, and Heidi Vanderveer thought Georgia Schweitzer was a better fit at the point.

2003, that was the year the Lynx struggled down the stretch (losing 5 of the last and barely made the playoffs on a tie breaker. In the only playoff game they won Harrower was replaced with less than two minutes left in a one possession game, demonstrating how much value SMS really thought she had. She was on the floor at the end of the other two playoff games, both double digit losses. None of that tells me she's ready to start at the point in the W, let alone doing so for a team with playoff aspirations.

_________________
If you want a revolution, the only solution's evolve

My WNBA Fan Site

[MSUstudent31]

1.Los Angeles
2.Seattle
3.Phoneix
4.San Antonio

1.Detroit
2.Washington
3.Connecticut
4.Charlotte

Most Improved:Alana Beard
Defensive Player:Tamika Catchings
Rookie of Year:Latanya White or Kara B.(depending on her minutes)
Coach of Year:Richie
MVP:Swintayla

Detroit over L.A.

_________________
Back For The First Time

Avatar: K.Haynie and I

[KeiraNY]

Well, I'm going to be bold...since EVERYONE else has put the Libs last or next to last, I'm going to stick up for them (of course, I may have just jinxed them too).

WEST

1. LA
2. HOU
3. MIN
4. SEA

EAST

1. CHARLOTTE
2. DETROIT
3. NY
4. CT

Ok, let's see how bad I've screwed up the Liberty now

[Slovydal]

LOL!

BCBG - I just re-read your post. I hope I don't jinx anyone..Last year was too funny. I was WAY off! I had SASS @ 2nd or 3rd in the West and Indy @ 3rd in the East. I had picked Nicole Powell to win Rookie of the Year too - lol!

[MT_Swoopes]

Western Conference

Seattle Storm
1. While the Storm lost a few key role players, they have their core returning (Bird, Lennox and Jackson). Not to mention, they have a sure thing in an excellent coaching staff. Chemistry is key in this league, and having Sue Bird ensures instant chemistry from the first game of the season. So, the champions will be fine.

Los Angeles
2. Who knows which way this will go? There are questions with regards to this team, entering the season. There's a new head coach, which will mean a new system. Not to exclude that Holdsclaw isn't just one piece to implement into the team. She's a key piece. What will that mean for the chemistry of this team? This team has one sure thing; the best center in the history of basketball, who is still in the prime of her career. Her leadership and post defense will not allow her team to be any less than second in the conference.

Sacramento Monarchs
3. So far Yo is still a Monarch. If she stays with Sac, this team will be fun to watch. Their post is packed with the returns of a matured Brunson, Walker and Yo. Their perimeter is more potent with Powell joining Lawson, as a long-range threat. Of course, they have the magician ball-handler to initiate the offense. Last but not least is an excellent coach (especially on defense), who will know how to make it work.

Phoenix Mercury
4. The second-year superstar guard has Vodichkova to help the team in the post. In addition, the return of scoring threats Taylor and DeForge. When you add that to my pre-season pick for ROY (Sandora Irvin), I see Phoenix being good enough to beat out three teams for the last 2005 postseason spot.

Remainder of the Western Conference Standings:

5. San Antonio SilverStars- Hughes is a good coach, and will definitely have his team, playing as a unit on both ends. I think his All-Star backcourt will be successful under his system. However, I think they will fall in a battle with Phoenix for the final spot.

6. Minnesota Lynx - A team with no starting point guard in the league won't be a successful one. The loss of Edwards and Darling will hurt this talented team, who will go as far as Smith can take them.

7. Houston Comets - A lineup like this will scrap and be in every game. However, I only see a few wins. This team needs a floor general and a new head coach. In other words, the Comets have no leadership, where it counts most for a basketball team. Oh, and the team's best player is pregnant.

[sambista]

[KeiraNY]

Thanks for the vote of confidence! LOL!! It's just that even last year, everyone picked the Libs to do poorly and we were a few games away from the Finals...Wouldn't it be a kick in the pants if this year's team would take everyone by storm???

Ok, now I'm fully awake....and Blaze still sucks!

[PennyTfan1]

I'm not one to make predictions....usually....but I'll give it a stab. I acknowledge ahead of time that I am combining popular opinions with major bias when making these selections. As usual when I make predictions, I have no scientific evidence to back up my hunches.


East - 1. Detroit
2. Connecticut
3. Washington
4. Charlotte
5. New York
6. Indianapolis


West - 1. Los Angeles
2. Phoenix
3. Seattle
4. Sacramento
5. Minnesota
6. San Antonio
7. Houston

East playoffs round 1 Detroit over Charlotte / Washington over Connecticut

round 2 Detroit over Washington

West round 1 Los Angeles over Sacramento / Phoenix over Seattle

round 2 Phoenix over Los Angeles

Finals Detroit over Phoenix

MVP - DT
ROY - Wecker
MIP - Powell
COY - SFO/Graff - tie

[MT_Swoopes]

Eastern Conference

Detroit Shock
1. Swin Cash is back! Mahorn will be on that bench to make sure that he sees the 80s version of his Pistons. That's not good news for the league, when you consider who will be in the post with Cash (the chain gang of Braxton, Farris, & Ford). Ivey is a HUGE addition for the Shock, as her game is a damn near perfect complement to the way Lambeer runs his teams with respect to the guards. She won't start, but that just adds to the depth of this team. I haven't even mentioned the starting backcourt of Nolan, and a healthy Powell. Oh yeah, and there's also Ruth Riley. The team is loaded, and Laimbeer will lead everyone to come back with a vengeance. Did I say the team's MVP, Swin Cash is back!

Washington Mystics
2. Adubato is a very good X's and O's coach. Alana is an excellent leader on the court, and led a less-talented team to the playoffs last year. She shouldn't have any less of a problem doing that this year with the return of Milton-Jones, who will might prove to be the biggest offseason acquisition. Her and Alana's versatility on defense will produce win after win after win after win. Alana will get to play off the ball more with a stack point guard rotation of Brown, Jackson and Johnson. Melvin and Smith-Taylor are also capable posts, but like I said. It will start and end with Beard and Milton-Jones.

Connecticut Sun
3. Here's the awesome combination of excellent coach and all-star point guard. This type of leadership (on the sidelines and on the court) will get the defending eastern conference champions in the postseason. Who knows what Rothstein can do with Dydek? It may not matter, but it will help the saavy veteran McWilliams-Franklin to play at the four. So, the post will be fine. Sales will put in work on an all-star level, on both ends of the floor. Douglas will continue to be one of the league's most consistent long-range shooters.

Charlotte Sting
4. I'm not sure how safe this pick is. Nonetheless, I think Sam can give more to the guard position than Stinson did last year. The league's most fundamentally sound player will not allow for dumb plays to be made. I think the acquisition of Smith could be the beginning of a good high-low post game between her and McCarville. It will be interesting to see what Perkins can contribute.

Remainder of the Eastern Conference Standings:

5. New York Liberty- I don't see anything that this team has done to get better in the offeason, while the team's above them have made key acquisitions. The development of Christon will be huge for the team, but it will take blood, sweat, tears, heart, soul and much more that the past Liberty teams have given to compete for a playoff spot.

6. Indiana Fever - Catchings is an MVP candidate every year. However, she doesn't make players around her better. When she first stepped into camp during her rookie season, all of her (then) teammates jaws dropped and didn't know how to participate with someone of that caliber. They tend to stand around and watch her. That's why the development of Tan White is so crucial to this team's present and future. She will have to handle the ball, and make sure that her teammates gel, while Catchings goes absolutely crazy on both ends. I am not sure if this could be done, until the team acquires a new head coach.

[MT_Swoopes]

Most Valuable Player - Lauren Jackson
Defensive Player of the Year - DeLisha Milton-Jones
Coach of the Year - Bill Laimbeer
ROY - Sandora Irvin
Most Improved Player - Rebekkah Brunson

Eastern Conference Championship
Detroit vs. Connecticut

Western Conference Championship
Seattle vs. Sacramento

2005 WNBA Championship
Detroit vs. Sacramento

2005 WNBA Champions
Detroit Shock (win in four games)

[gopher5]

This was my first time officially making preditions and was tough to do. I am probably off on most of this since I again went with more of what I want to happen. Right now, I could see there being tight races in both conferences.

Western Conference:

Seattle – Still the team to beat even with key losses to free agency. I really like Anne as their coach.

MN – I am expecting (and hoping) this to be a breakthrough year for the Lynx to finish near the top in the conference. I think Teresa Edwards is a huge loss, but Darling proved she was not starter PG material.

Phoenix – They made a lot of good moves in the off-season to help inside and have their great back court returning.

LA – They have the talent on paper to be the champs, but I am not convinced they have the right coach and will have the right chemistry this year.

Sacramento – I was torn on putting the Monarchs here. I want them to do better than the Sparks and really like a lot of the players.

San Antonio – They seem like they may be in a rebuilding year, but should improve on last year.

Houston - With Van still coaching, and Tina out for at least part of the season I do not have much hope they will do better than last year.


Eastern Conference:

Detroit – They should be tough with their starters back again and a good draft to help the bench. If Swin is slow coming back, they could drop a little lower.

Connecticut – I am not convinced that Margo will actually try and work, but I like everyone else and hope the great chemistry they had last year will continue.

Washington – Alana proved to be a great leader and a dominant player as a professional. It will be interesting to see how everyone comes together, but they look like they will be tough.

New York – They did pretty well last year while going through the injuries and not having a starting center during the playoffs. Their draft picks did not do much to help, but I think they can make the playoffs.

Charlotte - I am looking forward to seeing Janel as a pro and hope she actually gets an opportunity to play. She will be playing with one of the best in Dawn, but I am not convinced the coaching situation is the right one.

Indiana – I love Tamika and think they could do better than this, but agree with others that they likely will not go very far with their current coach.



Most Valuable Player – Katie Smith
Defensive Player of the Year - Alana Beard
Coach of the Year – Anne Donovan
ROY – Janel McCarville
Most Improved Player – Lindsay Whalen

Eastern Conference Championship
Detroit vs. Connecticut

Western Conference Championship
Seattle vs. Minnesota

2005 WNBA Championship
Minnesota vs. Connecticut

2005 WNBA Champions
Minnesota in 5 games

[sambista]

my three outside-the-box predictions:

1. old school nostalgia is out; fresh, young and hot is in. that means no more trotting out of the same 10 players everyone knows, no more l.a., no more houston, no more lisa leslie and mique in the spotlight. we'll see the young lions on display - bird and jackson (and coach donovan), beard helping pull her team out of the muck, taurasi continuing her team's turnaround, tan white, nicole powell, some of the foreigners, etc. this will be driven by donna o., who'll want a fresher, broader face on the wnba.

2. still, the news/dish will focus on veterans - lisa leslie losing it, in some way; mique losing it, in some way; swoopes losing it, in some way; chancellor losing it, it some way. and other vets retiring in midseason. the vet who'll emerge as timeless: yo griffith.

3. the hot team this season, the one capturing the lion's share of promos, will be washington. for the team's turnaround, for the coach's natural nba hook, for alana beard, for the phenomenal feats of undersized temeka johnson, for the revived games of delisha, chas and page. and especially for the fans at the phone booth, who never gave up on their team.

[jammerbirdi]

[jammerbirdi]

And another thing. All of you predicting the Comets to finish last in the West... the Olympics were a major distraction to the Comets more than any other team last year. What with the head coach, Tina's first Olympics, and Swoopes seemingly still debating going until the last minute. When they came back from Greece, their teammates had gone south on them. And there might have been, as I said last year, a MAJOR breach of security and trust on that team that created a meltdown post Olympics.

They're not finishing last in the West this season, and they'll be back to playoff team status. I PREDICT!

_________________
I'm too big to fail.

[wadethered]

[MT_Swoopes]

[mercfan3]

East

Connecticut- With Ketia and Lindsay + Margo I see a really good team. I expect the East to be a bit like last year, except New York, and Connecticut are going to seperate themselves a bit(New York being the worst)

Indiana- It will be a battle between Tamika and Alana for the second and third spots. I'm going with Indiana because it is going to take some time for Washington to create chemistry, I feel that will cost them some games in the begining of the season.

Washington- The other teams left really don't have a superstar like Alana to lead them into the playoffs.

Detroit- Swin's health is going to be a factor here, but I think they'll be able to make the final playoff spot.

West
Phoenix- You have the big three, (Not to mention another superstar in Diana) And Now Vodi, and hopefully Irvin will have a good freshman year. They have the best backcourt in the WNBA (Including Penny) Not to mention, the chemistry is already there. (Between the three guards.)

Seattle- Yes, they lost two starters, however LJ Birdy and Lennox are still there. I think this will give them a solid second place finish, not to mention AD had a very good draft.

LA- I see chemistry problems, but there is so much talent that they will, without a doubt, make the playoffs, but they won't be as good as expected.

Minny- It will be tight between Minny and Sac, but Katie will be back, and she'll probably put her team into the playoffs.

MVP- DT, because If I'm right, and Phoenix does make the playoffs, the league would love to give it to DT..and Dt's is a "media darling."

MIP- Nicole Powell

Defensive POY- LL

ROY- McCarville

[bluewolfvii]

Favorites-East

1. Charlotte- Love the Sting' off season moves, offensive mix, and attitude. Not your grandmother's Sting.

2. Connecticut- Hunch is we'll see a career season from Dydek. The Sun won't be sneaking up on anybody this season, but the Sun will win the close ones.

3. Detroit- Word is Swin isn't 100%, and effects of Powells' and Nolans' off season trouble is TBD. Braxton might help win a championship, or help to open Pandora's Box. But even in a worst-case scenario, Ford, Riley, and Farris keep the team in the hunt.

4. Washington- There's talent and coaching, but these are the Mystics and this is Richie. If either New York or Indiana surprises, these Mystics might fulfill the every-other-year tradition and earn a 2006 lottery pick.

5. Indiana- The Fever helped its backcourt immensely with the signing of Bevilaqua, and with the draft's no. 2 selection, Tan White. And not only does Indy now boast the WNBAs no.1 fan, but it has the makings of a workable frontcourt. Every year there's an East surprise- this year, Indy could be it.

6. New York- Is there a team that did less to help itself in the draft and the off-season?

[CamrnCrz1974]

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Connecticut
2. Detroit
3. Charlotte
4. Washington
5. New York
6. Indiana


WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Los Angeles
2. Sacramento
3. Phoenix
4. Seattle
5. Minnesota
6. Houston
7. San Antonio

[sambista]

[bluewolfvii]

Favorites- West

1. Los Angeles- Teasley, Dixon, Mabika, Holdsclaw, Leslie, Macchi, Thomas, and Hodges, coached by Bibby? You can't touch this.

2. Minnesota- The Lynx frontcourt Ohlde, Williams, Hayden, Svet, Lassiter etc. add Kristen Mann and Batteast. Backcourt returns Katie Smith and Kristi Harrower. Amber Jacobs and Tasha Butts are promising 2nd year players who gained experience.

3. Seattle- Batkovic and Wright help to shore up team that lost Vodichkova, Sam, and Bevilaqua, but Vodichkova and Sam were starters, and Lennox had a career season after several bad ones. But the Storm boast an excellent coach, a league MVP, and the best point guard in the league.

4. Phoenix- The teams in front of them are stacked, but Phoenix has Taurasi, DeForge, and Taylor and added Vodichkova and Irvin. It won't get them past the Big 3 often enough, but it will be enough to get them invited to the same party.

5. San Antonio- San Antonio will be nipping at Phoenix's heels all season because LaToya is a force, Marie and Pee Wee are All Stars, Wecker is a phenom, and because Dan can (even if his center is named Feenstra, Ngoyisa, or Ugo Oha).

6. Sacramento- Didn't trade its leading scorer, Yolanda Griffith, but not for lack of trying. Did trade its 2nd leading scorer, Tangela Smith. Can Nicole Powell help? Can its draft picks?

7. Houston - Nancy Lieberman liked Van Chancellor's draft so much she wrote, 'Houston is now a monster of a team in terms of size with Lyttle joining 6-5 Michelle Snow and 6-4 Tiffani Johnson. And don't forget about the talented backcourt with Janeth Arcain, Dominique Canty and Felicia Ragland already on the perimeter. Grade: A-plus. The Comets just shored up every weakness they had.

I had a hard time reconciling terms such as 'monster of a team' and 'talented backcourt' with Houston. Not that 00, Ragland, and Canty are not serviceable players who can help from the bench, but they wouldn't be starting on anyone else's team.

TT's out until mid-season, Swoopes is on the block, and Lyttle is a project, albeit a talented one.

[CamrnCrz1974]

[therese_defarge]

Eastern Conference

Can't rank them. 6 uninteresting, untalented, homogenous blobs doing nothing more than making up the numbers.

Western Conference

1. Minnesota
2. SASS
3. Houston
4. Sacramento
5. Phoenix
6. L.A.
7. Seattle

COY: SMS again
MVP: Nicole Ohlde
MIP: Kristi Harrower
DPOY: Katie Smith

_________________
Tell the wind and fire when to stop but don’t tell Therese

[BCBG25]

COY: Richie Adubato
MVP: Chamique Holdsclaw
MIP: Vanessa Hayden
DPOY: Alana Beard
ROY: Tan White

_________________
I'll change this tagline again when FFO resigns.

[bkvbkvbkv]

so who is right so far half way through....
in the west: smenko (hous was wrong, but almost everyone was)
in the east: mercfan3 (got top 4)
totally wrong: jammerbirdi (yo rocks)

[CamrnCrz1974]

[Swoopes_Tompson_Comets22]

Houston is showing alot of people up..That put them in 7th or 6th place but the season is still young but i think they will only get better

[bigbri131014]