Approaching Opener, Storm Making Decisions

With less than 48 hours remaining until the Seattle Storm opens the 2009 season Saturday in Sacramento (1:00 p.m., Alternative Talk 1150 AM), the Storm is beginning to close in on some important decisions. The first of those came after Thursday's practice, when the Storm waived guard A'Quonesia Franklin and wing Aja Parham to get down to its 11-player roster (which will actually be 10 for the opener because center Suzy Batkovic-Brown will be arriving from Australia Sunday).

Storm Head Coach Brian Agler also said after the practice that he's got a likely starting lineup in mind to face the Monarchs.

"We'll probably go with Lauren (Jackson) and Camille (Little) and Sue (Bird), T (Tanisha Wright) and Shannon (Johnson) starting the game," said Agler.

Center Janell Burse will likely come off the bench after experiencing a subluxation of her left shoulder that limited her in practice yesterday. Burse was back on the court today.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to her since practice was over to see how she feels and how she responds," said Agler. "She's going to play, I know that. She was in practice the whole day. We went into practice thinking it might be in and out - she was pretty much in the whole time."

Burse felt good about her practice effort. She wore a sleeve on her left shoulder, something she has not done in the past because she hates the sleeve, which slightly limits the mobility of her shoulder.

"Before, I never wore it even when it was more serious," Burse explained. "Now I'm trying it because I really want to be out there and hopefully not reinjure it. When you're out there playing and you're 'in the zone,' I guess, you don't think about it."

Forward Swin Cash was also out on the floor.

"I envision her playing this weekend," said Agler, though her minutes will likely be limited. "I think it will all depend on her. I'm sure we will (limit her). She has practiced sparingly."

How much Cash can play may impact the rest of the rotation and how Agler uses his other three active reserves - Katie Gearlds, Ashley Robinson and rookie Ashley Walker. He anticipates the Storm's first-round pick being in the rotation, though finding time for her could be difficult.

"It's not easy to get everybody in here who we feel like can help us," Agler explained. "We're still sort of evaluating how things are going to go. I think she's going to be in the rotation. How much? I don't know."

As other teams have been cutting down to their final rosters, experienced players have been hitting the waiver wires. In the short term, Agler has no plans to bring anyone in. He wants to see his team at full strength, with Batkovic-Brown in the mix, before seriously considering adding a player who has come available.

"I like a lot of them," said Agler, "but to make that decision ... I don't think we can really do a whole lot before we fully understand what Suzy's going to bring."

Burse Participates in Non-Contact Practice

Storm center Janell Burse participated in the non-contact portion of practice Wednesday after leaving Tuesday's session early when she experienced a subluxation of her left shoulder. For Burse, the injury was a surprise because it was the first time since May 2007 her shoulder has subluxed, or slipped out of the socket.

"It was more shocking that it actually happened again," said Burse, "because it hadn't happened in so long."

While a partial tear of her shoulder labrum has left Burse vulnerable to subluxations, she has been able to control them by strengthening the surrounding muscles. She did not experience any trouble with the shoulder during the 2007 regular season or in either of her last two overseas campaigns.

Burse underwent X-rays that showed no bone bruising in the area, and is currently day-to-day.

"They just wanted to X-ray it to get a look at everything and make sure everything was still intact because my range of motion was bad yesterday," she said. "Today it's much, much better. Hopefully I'll be fine much faster because I've kept strengthening it all this time. I think I'll come back fast because of that."

"I think we're moving forward," Storm Head Coach Brian Agler said of his team's health. "The only thing I can say is we've got two more days to move forward here and we're going to move forward."

Forward Swin Cash participated with contact after being sidelined the last two days by an allergic reaction that caused swelling in her left knee.

With two practices left before Saturday's season opener in Sacramento (1:00 p.m., Alternative Talk 1150 AM), Agler feels good about his team's progress, though he won't really know whether the Storm is ready until the game is played.

"I think when you're in a situation like this, you never know if you're prepared or not," he said. "You try to do your best and you go into the game and see how things play out. You try to prepare your team. Do you underprepare? Do you overprepare? I don't know. I guess you can answer that question after the game. That's the only time you really know."

- The WNBA waiver wire continues to be busy as teams cut down prior to Friday's deadline for final rosters for the start of the season. However, Agler doesn't anticipate at this point bringing in a player cut by another team.

"I think, to this point, unless we really get a chance to study it, our 11 I think we have here (in camp)," he said. "Well, our 11 isn't here because Suzy (Batkovic)'s not here. Once Suzy gets here, I think we'll get a better evaluation."

Storm Makes Second Round of Cuts

- While taking Sunday off, the Seattle Storm made the decision to waive training-camp invitees La'Tangela Atkinson and Kasha Terry, bringing the roster to 13 players. 12 are now in camp, with Suzy Batkovic-Brown (spending this week on her honeymoon after her marriage last weekend) the only player remaining overseas. Amongst that group, the Storm has two invitees remaining - guard A'Quonesia Franklin and guard Aja Parham.

Franklin

Parham

"I think it's a tribute to them that they're still here if you look around the league at who's getting waived and who's released right now," said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler. "They've worked hard and they're good players. They can play in this league, and that's why they're here."

The deadline for finalizing rosters is Thursday, and Agler indicated the working assumption is the Storm will not make its final cuts to reach an 11-player roster until then.

Having a slightly smaller group will help the Storm's regulars spend more time on the court, an important consideration after Agler said the team appeared to wear down in the fourth quarter of Saturday's preseason loss at Phoenix.

"I think reps is the most critical thing right now," he said. "We've got a few days to prepare. Hopefully we'll make use of them."

- For the first time all training camp, the Storm had a couple of players on the sidelines during Monday's practice, though neither injury is considered serious.

Forward Swin Cash was watching her teammates, but not because of anything relating to her back surgery. Cash has experienced some swelling in her left knee.

"That's the extent of it," explained Agler. "She's going to get back out, hopefully tomorrow, doing some things."

Rookie Ashley Walker was also sidelined due to her calf.

"She's fine - she'll be back out tomorrow," said Agler. "In the past, she's had some issues with her calf. After that game the other night where she played extremely well, she had some tenderness there and we wanted to get it checked out."

Storm Wraps Up Preseason

Aaron Last/Storm Photos

The Seattle Storm's preseason finale will be Saturday night in Phoenix against the Mercury, and Head Coach Brian Agler has indicated he sees the game as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the start of the regular season just over a week away. After the Storm practiced Friday in the Valley of the Sun, Agler said he'll draw his starting lineup from the group of Sue Bird, Shannon Johnson, Tanisha Wright, Camille Little, Ashley Robinson and Janell Burse. The players likely to be in the Storm's rotation will get the bulk of the playing time.

"Obviously we need to keep improving in our defense," said Agler of his focus for the game. "That and playing together, trying to get our people acclimated to playing together and go from there."

Though Swin Cash got in her first work with contact during Friday's practice, Agler does not necessarily expect her to see any action against the Mercury as part of her rehab process.

"I don't know if we'll get that far," he said. "I have no idea, but we'll see. I envision her, though, getting back in the swing of things here next week. She didn't necessarily play herself out today, so that was a good thing."

As for evaluating the players fighting for roster spots, that was done in part during Thursday's series of scrimmages between the Storm, the Mercury and the Sacramento Monarchs. "They got plenty of time," said Agler, who enjoyed the format and singled out Robinson as playing well in the scrimmage setting.

Road Trip

Kasha Terry and Janell Burse battle for a rebound in practice. Aaron Last/Storm Photos

After spending the first week and a half of training camp in Seattle, the Storm is ready to head out on the road for the first time. The team flew to Las Vegas this afternoon and will join the host Sacramento Monarchs as well as the Phoenix Mercury for a three-team controlled scrimmage tomorrow. Friday, it's on to Phoenix for Satuday's exhibition finale against the Mercury. Since the Storm hosted Sacramento in its home preseason game, the WNBA's three westernmost teams will know each other intimately by the start of the regular season.

The Storm has now had eight days of practice, having taken Tuesday afternoon off before returning to the floor at The Furtado Center for a session Wednesday morning.

"I think we're improving," Head Coach Brian Agler said afterward. "I think that's a better question to ask after we play, how we stand. We've really been proactive on trying to get a lot of things in. When you do that in a short period of time, you don't get the reps that you want on certain things. I like how we're advancing, but how sharp we are trying to do those things, that's another question."

Agler explained that the coaching staff will use the two settings for different purposes. On Thursday, the focus will be on evaluating talent. The teams will alternate playing quarters against each other - two teams on, one team watching.

"I think tomorrow will be a good (test)," said Agler. "Tomorrow we'll get a chance to watch people in more of a controlled situation, up close. I think it will be a good evaluator."

Saturday, the focus changes to what Agler calls "our last dress rehearsal." Rotations will be more "game-like" as the Storm prepares for the regular season. The lineups will be different from the ones Agler used in the Storm's previous preseason game.

"We have Tanisha (Wright) now and we see Tanisha playing big minutes for us this year. She'll get some quality time. Obviously Sue (Bird) will be on the court. Sue didn't play the last game."

Then there could be a wild card on Saturday - the potential availability of Swin Cash, who is making progress in returning from her back surgery and continues to feel good.

"I sort of envision Swin trying to get in the swing of things sometime either Saturday or early next week," Agler said. "Everything's based on her. Knowing Swin and knowing how well she's feeling, I would guess she'll get on the court more in practice as time goes on. If she feels like she can go, then we'll give her some minutes."

Cash Practices

Aaron Last/Storm Photos

Saturday was Swin Cash's first practice with the Seattle Storm since her back surgery, and it went well. Cash, who is still restricted from contact action, went through shooting drills before practice and joined her teammates when they dummied through the offense (going through the motions of plays without any defenders). She also rotated in and out on one defensive drill the Storm did before the training staff shut her down for the rest of the day.

"I felt good," said Cash after practice. "I was kind of getting annoyed with myself because I missed a couple shots and fumbled the ball a few times, but it's to be expected. All in all, I thought it was a good practice. I felt like I shot the ball well in our warmups, but it's just about the timing. That's going to come because I'm not all the way go just yet."

"She looks good," echoed Storm Head Coach Brian Agler. "I was impressed by how live she was. She looked live and looked real active and quick. She was no contact today, but she got into a couple of live drills, looked good running up and down the floor. It's going to take her getting back into contact and getting the ball in her hands and in the flow of things."

Agler said Cash will visit a rehab specialist later in the day as the team continues to plot her course back to full action. That will depend on how Cash responds to this limited work, and what her doctor and the Storm's medical staff feel she is capable of doing.

- The Storm expects to get another player in town tonight when Tanisha Wright returns. The plan is for Wright to get her physical done before tomorrow's afternoon practice so Wright can be out on the floor. "We're anxious to get her in here," said Agler.

- During yesterday's day off, the Storm made its first two cuts of training camp, with Kimberly Beck and rookie Mara Freshour being waived. Agler called making cuts "the toughest thing about this position or any position."

He reiterated his position after the Storm's preseason opener on Thursday that the pace of training camp required the team to cut down its numbers, and the decisions had little to do with what Beck and Freshour had done or not done in camp.

"They'll do well," Agler said. "They'll have opportunities overseas to play and hopefully they'll get another opportunity here this year with another team or maybe something next year."

- Agler closed practice by having the players run the length of the court and back with a 10-second countdown. Guard Sue Bird was the apparent winner from this vantage point, using a veteran move. She ran through an open door off the practice gym to keep from having to slow down as quickly.

Wednesday Practice Notes

Not a lot noteworthy from Wednesday's practice, as most of our attention was focused on today's feature story looking at tomorrow's preseason game and the fight to make the roster. One thing that is notable for not producing notes: The Storm's health, which right now gets a clean bill.

"So far, so good," said Head Coach Brian Agler. "Knock on wood. We're doing pretty well."

- Storm forward Swin Cash is not yet back in Seattle, having been delayed in her travel. She's now expected in Thursday. "Storm fans, I'm trying to get to Seattle, trust me," Cash said via her Twitter account. The current plan is for Cash to get her physical either Thursday night or Friday, when the Storm will have the day off, and then begin working her way into practice.

"She won't be full-go when she gets here," said Agler. "We're going to ease her in and sort of let her be the barometer of those things."

- As for guard Tanisha Wright, her expected arrival is now on Saturday night, which would allow her to get on the practice court for Sunday's session.

- The Storm's broadcast team of Dick Fain and Adia Barnes were both in attendance, and Fain participated with the Storm's practice squad. Barnes just returned after a stopover in San Diego, having spent the offseason playing in Italy.

This is actually from yesterday, but check out (amateur) video of a couple of plays from the Storm's practice resulting in threes for Sue Bird and Katie Gearlds:

Notebook: Cash On Her Way

The Storm is anticipating the arrival of forward Swin Cash on Wednesday after Cash's 10-week checkup with her doctor went well on Monday. Cash will undergo her physical tomorrow and then could begin working her way back into practice.

"She had a good report from the doctor and I think we're going to move forward," said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler. "There's no red flags. We anticipate her gradually getting back in the practice situation."

The Storm should also have Tanisha Wright back in camp by this weekend. Wright, whose final game in France was on Sunday, is traveling from Paris to her hometown of Pittsburgh and then to her offseason home in Charlotte. She's got some details to attend to there after purchasing a home. From there, Wright will make her way to Seattle. Because Wright is experienced in the Storm's system and coming off a long season in France, Agler doesn't mind her getting an extra couple of days off.

The players who are in camp focused on the defensive end during Tuesday's practice, the third of four the team will have before Thursday's preseason finale. They wrapped things up by going 5-on-5 against the male practice squad during the portion of practice open to the media, primarily working on offense but also testing their transition defense.

"By the end, when you guys get in," explained Agler, "that's trying to get some conditioning - get up and down the floor, incorporate the things that we've worked on."

Generally, Agler has split the team up into two squads - a black unit made up of veterans Sue Bird, Shannon Johnson, Katie Gearlds, Camille Little, Ashley Robinson and Janell Burse and a white team of rookies Mara Freshour, Aja Parham and Ashley Walker; newcomers La'Tangela Atkinson, A'Quonesia Franklin and Kasha Terry; and Kimberly Beck. Today, a variety of players from both teams worked together against the practice squad.

The format does make it a challenge to work everyone in.

"It's hard the way we like to run practice against the guys to keep everybody on the floor and those types of things," Agler said. "I like playing against the guys. As we move forward and our roster shrinks, we'll get a lot more reps for our key people and get more cardio."

- The starting lineup for the preseason opener figures to come from the group of veterans. Bird will not play in that game to rest and give other players Agler needs to evaluate more time on the court.

- Next week, the Storm will spend a day in Las Vegas scrimmaging behind closed doors with the Sacramento Monarchs and the Phoenix Mercury. The Monarchs, whose owners (the Maloof family) own the Palms where the teams will stay, have organized the event. For Agler, it's a chance to work against an unfamiliar opponent in a controlled setting - more than a typical practice, but less formal than a preseason game.


A'Quonesia Franklin attacks from a pick-and-roll. Aaron Last/Storm Photos


Sonics legend and Storm fan Slick Watts stopped by practice, chatting with Coach Agler after its conclusion. Aaron Last/Storm Photos

Monday Practice Roundup

Does this look physical to you? Aaron Last/Storm Photos

With the Storm practicing at The Furtado Center and the Sparks at the nearby KeyArena, the media had a chance to get the perspective from both sides going into tomorrow's Game 2 (6:00 p.m., ESPN2, 1150 AM KKNW, TIX).

One of the major topics of the day was what is acknowledged to be the physical nature of this series, though we haven't seen anything like Ebony Hoffman's takedown of Plenette Pierson in Detroit that earned a Flagrant Foul. In fact, no Flagrants have been called in this series, and I don't think any have been warranted. The media might be making a bit too much of the physicality angle, but both sides have been happy to play along and maybe try to work the officials a little bit.

"It's just about welcoming it," said Sparks forward Candace Parker, who compared the way the game was called yesterday to the more physical international style. "That's the way they feel they can stop the Sparks is to be physical. I guess it's our job to show them that it doesn't matter. They were just as physical in Game 1 as they were here."

"It's been a physical series," offered Sue Bird. "I think they're a very physical team. For them to say we're more physical is not really accurate. If anything, it's equal. I think it's two physical teams going against each other. I don't know that one is more physical than the other."

Most of the rest of the players and coaches were of the opinion that both teams are in fact physical.

"I think both teams are physical in two different ways," said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler. "I'm not going to say how I think they're physical, but I will say that I think we just try to stay in plays with people. We're undersized at times and we have to stay in plays, we have to stay in position. At times we have to hold our ground. At times we have to really be mentally tough in how our ballhandlers are being guarded. I think that we have to keep our composure in regard to things that happen after the whistle blows."

"Both teams are physical," Tanisha Wright said. "Luckily, yesterday, the refs let us play too."

Agler emphasized the importance of dealing with the style of the game and adjusting to the way it is refereed as a key to the outcome of Game 3. His counterpart, Michael Cooper, bristled at the suggestion that his team might need to be more physical Tuesday, suggesting that could backfire.

"We just have to be the smarter team," he said. "Sometimes, physicalness can work against you, because if you're too physical the officials are going to call it. You can play physical and play smart at the same time and be successful."

Cooper and Parker also downplayed the importance of adjustments by the Storm in terms of explaining Los Angeles' 15-point first half during Game 2. As is probably approriate in terms of preparing for the next game, the Sparks looked within to find an explanation to their struggle to score.

"I don't think they forced anything on us," said Cooper. "It was our inability to do anything. Their defense was what it was - the same defense they had in Los Angeles. We were just apprehensive about what we wanted to do with the basketball. But we'll be ready to play tomorrow.

"We had some wide-open shots, the same we were getting in Los Angeles. We didn't knock them down - we did in Los Angeles. That was the difference. When a team is not shooting well from the perimeter, it makes the defense get bigger and bigger than what it was. They've done nothing more than just play harder this last game."

"If you look at the overall game, it was just us - it really was," Parker added. "It was that we weren't able to knock down open shots, we were turning the ball over. It wasn't anything different that they did."

Agler didn't entirely disagree, saying, "I think a lot of it had to do with they missed some shots. I don't know if you can count on that all the time. I think we saw how they're capable of shooting down in L.A. Tomorrow's just hard to say."

I do think both sides glossed over the role of transition defense in the low-scoring first half. Part of the reason the Sparks guards were able to get going in the first half of Game 1 and have a big game was that the team got out and ran in the first quarter thanks to turnovers and missed shots by the Storm. In Game 2, L.A. had just three fast-break points in the first half and constantly had to play against a set defense. In addition to better ballhandling, the Storm's decision to eschew the offensive glass in favor of getting back to defensively had a lot to do with that.

Other notes:
- After attempting to practice Saturday, as reported by the Seattle Times, Lauren Jackson was not dressed for Monday's very light workout and film session.

"She was in here earlier than I got here," reported Agler. "I think she just had a typical workout in the weight room."

Bird was impressed by the fact that her teammate and friend would even attempt to come back early, saying, "It's great. It just shows how competitive she is. It's one thing to be sitting at home in Australia rehabbing, but I think when she's here seeing this, it's hard for her not to want to be on the court. I think after seeing Game 1, I'm sure she's thinking to herself how much she could help, how much she wants to be out there. I think it's great that she's trying. I would never ever want to push her. I wouldn't expect her to be able to play. It's just way too soon. She hasn't tested herself out enough."

"I guess Willis Reed is the guy that's been named a lot lately," Bird later joked. "One shot - that's all we're asking. Make one and you can sit the rest of the game."

- While the Storm's rotation players were finished after doing some brief shooting, reserves Kimberly Beck, Shyra Ely, Katie Gearlds, Kristen O'Neill and Kelly Santos played 4-on-4 against the team's practice squad to get some extra work and stay sharp. Agler used all 11 of his active players in Game 2 and said he expects to use a large rotation again in Game 3.

- Storm forward Swin Cash celebrated her 29th birthday at practice, saying a win tomorrow would make an ideal present.

PRACTICE AUDIO

- A one-one with Cash
- Agler
- Bird
- Wright
- Cooper
- Parker

Shootaround Update

LOS ANGELES - Hello from the STAPLES Center, where we're less than eight hours away from Game 1 of the Storm's first-round playoff series with the Los Angeles Sparks (7:30 p.m., NBA TV, FSN delayed at 11:00 p.m., 1150 AM KKNW). Everything is in place, including the WNBA Playoffs logos, as the Storm goes through its shootaround.

Before that started, Storm Head Coach Brian Agler chatted with the media, reporting there is nothing new with the condition of forward Swin Cash.

"Same status as yesterday," said Agler. "I know you can't say day-to-day anymore because we're on the day, but hour-by-hour."

The team is also still "up in the air" as far as a starting lineup.

After the Storm practiced yesterday, Agler had a chance to watch the first two playoff series kick off, including his former Silver Stars squad going into ARCO Arena to win Game 1 of their series with the Monarchs.

"I think San Antonio played very well," said Agler. "I think Sacramento played great defense in the second half to get themselves back in the game. I think they really competed - they did that all year long. That's why they got in the playoffs, because they play as hard as anyone in the league. San Antonio's just very, very solid in team defense and then they put a lot of people on the floor who can score and play well together."

- While we were talking to Coach Agler, Sue Bird was taping an interview with KOMO 1000 AM's Matt Pitman (aka the Storm's PA announcer). You'll be able to hear that interview in the 3:00 p.m. hour on KOMO. (UPDATE: Pitman says to tune in at 3:45 p.m., while you can hear the interview in its entirety online.)

- Lauren Jackson was preparing to jump on an exercise bike while her teammates go through shootaround. Jackson continues to rehabilitate her right ankle.

- This is a battle of time-related slogans. The Storm's playoff theme is "It's Time," while Los Angeles continues to use "It's Showtime," a nod to the Lakers Head Coach Michael Cooper played for in the '80s. (UPDATE: I guess I was wrong about this. It looks like they're going with "There Can Only Be One," the NBA's most recent playoff slogan. So it is, in fact, the Storm's time.)

- I'm pleased to report that, despite not making any of my own shots, I managed to best play-by-play broadcaster Dick Fain and Ryan Williams from PR in H-O-R-S-E on the STAPLES court while the Storm watched film by virtue of them both having an H and me having nothing when film was complete. Earlier, Fain beat Williams in a spirited Around the World matchup of two former high-school stars.

UPDATE: Kristen O'Neill was the big winner in the half-court shooting contest that is a post-shootaround tradition. O'Neill ended up making two out of four attempts to win a shootout against Bird, who also initially hit from half-court.

Cash Not Likely to Play Game 1

I just spoke to Storm Head Coach Brian Agler after the team practiced this afternoon at the STAPLES Center. While Sheryl Swoopes remains on track to play in tomorrow's Game 1 (7:30 p.m., NBA TV, FSN tape delay, 1150 AM KKNW), Agler is not necessarily expecting to have Swin Cash in the lineup.

"Swin is still day-to-day," he said. "If I was going to say anything on top of it, I would say doubtful.

"But I will say this. It's not because she doesn't want to. She wants to play, but we've got to put her health first."

The coaching staff is still considering who would step in if Cash is unable to go, with Swoopes one of the possibilities.

Cash, Swoopes Return to Practice

Swin Cash talks to media after practice.
Aaron Last/Storm Photos

As the Seattle Storm took the floor at The Furtado Center for the team's first practice in preparation for the playoffs, there was a welcome sight: starters Swin Cash and Sheryl Swoopes, dressed and on the floor.

"They did a little bit," said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler. "Not necessarily full go, but they were out in uniform and active. We didn't do a whole lot of up-and-down. It was mostly half-court things. Sheryl was in and out, not in for the whole time. Swin was more limited."

Both Cash and Swoopes were getting their first work in with the team since the Sept. 6 win over the Minnesota Lynx, 10 days ago. In that game, Swoopes suffered a concussion in a scary fall, while Cash had the back injury that she has dealt with throughout the last two seasons flare up. They missed the Storm's last three games of the season to rest.

Now, the question is their availability for the Storm's series against the Los Angeles Sparks, starting Friday at the STAPLES Center (7:30 p.m., NBA TV, 1150 AM KKNW). Will they be ready?

"I think Sheryl's moving that direction," said Agler. "I think Swin, we need another 24 hours on that. She's still talking to some physicians."

"That just kind of depends on the powers that be," added Cash, who is consulting with doctors, her agents and her family. "I go day-to-day with my body and the powers that be make a decision and we go from there."

For Cash, it was important to get back on the floor after the extended absence. Swoopes, meanwhile, has been feeling better and is no longer troubled by lingering headaches after the concussion.

Agler said that even if both players were able to go, he doesn't anticipate returning Tanisha Wright to the bench, which would leave one of them as reserves. Wright has started every game since the Olympic break after starting just three of the Storm's first 23 games.

Even in her first practice back, Cash could tell the playoffs are coming.

"That's the one thing that I noticed even about today's practice - intensity has to go up," she said. "Your practices, how hard you cut, you rebound, box out - all those things have to go up come playoff time because everyone is just going to be on the top of their game. You have to expect that."

Storm Stands Pat at Deadline, Looking at Free Agents

After taking the last two days off, the Storm returned to the practice court Friday. At the end of practice open to the media, the team was working on applying and playing against full-court pressure with a very interesting drill: Three offensive and defensive players on each side of the court, none of them allowed to change sides. It was sort of like the old 6-on-6 game that women used to play in many parts of the Midwest.

Following practice, Storm Head Coach Brian Agler offered an update on the team investigating potential options to help add depth in the frontcourt with Lauren Jackson out for the next 4-6 weeks after ankle surgery. Yesterday's trade deadline came and went without a move from the Storm (or any other WNBA team). Agler walked reporters through the team's thought process with regard to a potential deal.

Having dealt a second-round pick to Atlanta for Camille Little in June, the Storm still has its first-round pick available, but Agler emphasized that the big picture has to be taken into account, especially making a deal this late in the season.

"Obviously, everybody's always interested in first-round draft picks," he said, "but what you consider trading a first-round draft pick, you want somebody who can come in and make an immediate impact for you. Then you have to evaluate that person and what the status of their contract is. If we were going to trade a first-round pick for somebody who was an unrestricted free agent, we would basically have them for eight games and, if we're fortunate enough to get into the playoffs, the playoffs. Then you have no more rights. Now, you can get them and get them extended into a contract to keep them out of that free agency [as Detroit did with Taj McWilliams-Franklin last week].

"There's just a lot of things to consider and we didn't have a lot of time to put all those pieces into place."

The Storm still has the opportunity to add a free-agent post player to the roster, and Agler said the team continues to explore those options. Immediately, many fans considered the possibility of signing a player who is currently playing in the Olympics but will be freed up at their conclusion. The Storm has looked into that, but Agler noted (specifically in regards to the Russian team) that visa issues could make adding an international player difficult.

"Unless they've got great contacts in the U.S. embassy," he said, "to get something turned around to get a visa, it's going to take weeks."

Jackson's Aussie teammate and former Storm center Suzy Batkovic might be a good fit, but she is getting married this fall and is not available.

The name of Russian center Maria Stepanova entered the rumor mill when Phoenix Mercury GM Ann Meyers Drysdale, offering color commentary for the U.S.-Russia semifinal, said Stepanova could sign with San Antonio after the break. A standout internationally who has played for the Mercury in the WNBA, Stepanova is now a free agent. However, it doesn't appear she will be coming to the league.

"I know there were rumors out there of her going to San Antonio," Agler said. "That was sort of the talk over there (in Beijing). Her agent said that's not going to happen.

"It's been a stretch to get her to come over for a max salary. Now we're talking about a short period of time, getting a visa, people not having big dollars to throw at her to do it, because most people are stretching their cap as it is. I think that people looked into it, obviously, but when it's all said and done it would have been real hard to do that."

Storm Works on Offense

Just a couple of quick notes from today's practice. The Storm focused on offense during the session of about an hour.

"We scrimmaged quite a bit today - six-minute sessions," said Head Coach Brian Agler. "We talked quite a bit about our offense today, some different actions we're trying to incorporate. We tried to bring those out in a live setting, so we got out our guys that we're working against.

"Tomorrow, we'll break down our defense a little bit more."

Sheryl Swoopes was on the floor after missing Tuesday's practice with a bruised left heel. Agler really thinks this extended time to practice will help Swoopes.

"Everybody's going to benefit," he said. "It's been very, very good for Sheryl. Sheryl was banged up physically before the break. She's obviously physically looking a lot better. She's got a heel bruise, but she is practicing through it and doing well."

Surprise: Another Seven-Day Deal for O'Neill

Tuesday was expected to bring a decision on Kristen O'Neill's future with the Seattle Storm. Would O'Neill be re-signed for the remainder of the season or leave the team with the expiration of her second seven-day contract? The answer, as it turned out, was neither. After a conversation with the WNBA league office, the Storm found out that teams are not limited to two seven-day contracts for a given player but can sign them to as many seven-day deals as they want. With that knowledge, the Storm opted to give O'Neill another seven-day contract, keeping her on the roster but maintaining flexibility for the future.

"It has nothing really to do with anything negative towards Kristen," said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler, explaining why the team would continue with seven-day contracts instead of signing Agler for the remainder of the season. "Everything's real positive. We like her on our team. Just in case something could happen where we would need to go out and get a specific type of player, it gives us that insurance policy."

Both the Storm and the media had been working under the assumption that players were limited to two seven-day contracts. Last year, the team signed Doneeka Lewis for the remainder of the season after her second seven-day contract came to an end. While the NBA specifically places a limit on 10-day contracts, their equivalent of the WNBA's seven-day contracts, neither the previous WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement nor the current one that took effect this season contains such language.

The way the rules were previously interpreted, O'Neill would have gotten a decision on her long-term fate today. She admitted some nervousness about the news last night, before she found out about the possibility of further seven-day contracts.

"To feel like I was finally going to have an answer either way was of course on my mind," she said. "But I came in here today and had a good talk with coach and the staff and I'm here to help the team. I'm happy to still be here."

Even had O'Neill gotten a guarantee for the remainder of the season, she surely would have continued the hard work that has made her so valuable to the Storm's coaching staff. Still, the short-term nature of her status only reinforces the importance of that work.

"It has been a challenge," O'Neil said, "but it has been making me stronger because every day you have to bring it. Every day you have to come ready to compete as hard as you can and you can't let up."

During her two weeks with the Storm, O'Neill has played 13 minutes over four games, three of them at KeyArena. Her every move during home games has drawn huge applause from fans who fell in love with O'Neill during her time at the University of Washington or even before that at Edmonds High School.

"It's been a pretty incredible feeling," said O'Neill. "There's nothing like playing in front of your home crowd, but I've been so moved by the way that the community has supported my dream. This is what I've wanted for so long and a lot of people have helped me achieve that, whether through coaching or by being a fan and really getting behind me. That's meant so much, so to see the support from the community has been incredible."

O'Neill Will Sign Third Seven-Day Contract

Quickly after practice. The release hasn't yet gone out, but the Storm will sign guard Kristen O'Neill to another seven-day contract after finding out from the league office today that there is no limit to the number of seven-day contracts for a player.

In the NBA, players are limited to two 10-day contracts, and that had been the assumption in the WNBA as well. I'm looking into whether this is a change with this year's new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Monday Practice Report

In the first of four practices this week, three in Seattle, the Storm scrimmaged extrensively against its mostly-male practice squad. It was the most action the media has seen in a while. Some highlights:

- Katie Gearlds was on fire, as you can read about in today's feature story.
- Tanisha Wright and Camille Little ran a pick-and-roll to perfection, resulting in a layup for Little.
- Little drew some laughs when a pass bounced off her back on defense when she was faceguarding her opposing number and not looking at the ball. "Nice defense, Camille," yelled one teammate. (In fact, it was.)

Swin Cash and Yolanda Griffith took the practice off to rest, and we did not see Sue Bird on the floor either.

According to Storm Head Coach Brian Agler, with the Storm defense clicking, it's the offense that will be more of a focal point this week.

"We'd like to tighten up our offense a little bit if we could," he said. "Hopefully stay with our same rhythm defensively, keep focusing on the rebounding side of things, blocking out. We'll work against the press this week. We're playing against some teams that will press us the next few games."

Today is the last day of Kristen O'Neill's second seven-day contract, meaning the Storm will have to make a decision tomorrow whether to sign O'Neill for the remainder of the season or allow her contract to expire and fill the open roster spot with another player. Agler said the team hadn't made any decisions yet on O'Neill's future.

Swoopes Battles Sore Left Knee

Storm guard Sheryl Swoopes came off the bench during Tuesday's win at Sacramento, the first time this season she has not been in the starting lineup. After injuring her right knee in practice last week, Swoopes has been dealing lately with swelling and soreness in the other knee.

"It feels a little better, but it's bothering me," Swoopes said after working out Wednesday following practice. "It's just one of those things. I tried to warm up and it wasn't feeling very good. If I can't go out there and give 100 percent where I feel like I'm going to help the team, it's better for me to sit and be the best cheerleader I can be - which is what I kind of had to do last night. Taking yesterday off and coming back and doing a little bit of stuff today, it feels better than it's felt in a couple of days. Hopefully I'll be able to go tomorrow."

There's no structural damage to Swoopes' knee. Her suspicion is that it's simply fatigued a little over halfway through the season. Only playing 10 minutes against the Monarchs should help, and after Saturday's game the Storm will have five days off. Swoopes will get far more rest when the WNBA breaks for the Olympics at the end of the month.

"I said the other day that the break can't get here soon enough for me personally," she said. "I think it's tired and to be able to take a couple of days off is probably what my whole body needs."

Tanisha Wright stepped in to make her third start of the season, each in place of a different player. Wright had 11 points, a season-high six assists and five rebounds in a season-long 34-minute outing. She was one of five Storm players to score double-figures.

"She's played exceptionally well this season," said Swoopes, "regardless of whether she's starting or coming off the bench, how many minutes she's playing. Offensively and defensively, she's played really well. It's not like I felt like we were losing anything with her starting."

While Storm Head Coach Brian Agler would prefer to have Swoopes available, he's comfortable going with Wright if Swoopes is unable to play Thursday when the Storm hosts Phoenix on Kids Day (12:00 p.m., 1150 AM KKNW, TIX).

"If (Sheryl's) able to go, then she'll start," said Agler. "If not, we'll go with Tanisha."

Tomorrow's Noon start will present a change from the Storm's usual routine.

"I think they're good for the league," Agler said of kids days around the WNBA. "You get a different demographic - I'm sure we'll have a lot of kids in there tomorrow and exposed maybe to their first WNBA game. That's good. I think it's good from a player and coach standpoint that you don't have to sit around all day worrying about the game. It just hits you right off the bat. It's different and you're always concerned about how you prepare."

That's the downside for the Storm, which got to The Furtado Center at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon after flying in from Sacramento. That left time only for some film and a walkthrough. The early start means no opportunity for a pregame shootaround.

"If we didn't play yesterday and had yesterday and today (to practice) and then played at Noon on Thursday," said Agler, "that would be great."

Robinson Returns to Practice

Storm center Ashley Robinson returned to practice Monday after rolling her right ankle last Thursday and missing Saturday's win over Minnesota. She was on the floor for the brief live action we saw at the end of practice.

"I feel fine," said Robinson. "A little achy, but it's normal. It's still a little bit (swollen), but it's under control and it goes down a lot every day."

Robinson and the Storm's training staff have been working hard to get her ankle ready to go over the last few days.

"Ice, stim treatment," she said. "Compression boot, exercises for it - I'm trying a little bit of everything."

The Storm should have Robinson available for tomorrow's game in Sacramento (7:00 p.m., 1150 AM KKNW).

Storm's Focus: Getting Better

After a travel day between Los Angeles and Seattle yesterday, the Storm took the floor Thursday at The Furtado Center with a singular focus: getting better. In the wake of a 76-62 loss at Los Angeles that dropped the Storm to 8-7, there is surely room for improvement - particularly in terms of the defensive end of the floor and rebounding.

"We brought some things to their attention and worked on them, rebounding being one," Head Coach Brian Agler said after practice. "We've got hopefully a couple more days to try to get better. Our focus right now is just getting better. We've got to get better in some areas and also prepare for the next game.

"I'm not thinking two weeks, three weeks down the road. I'm just really trying to get better in this window we have here and play well on Sunday."

During a spirited session, Agler could be heard exhorting his players to apply more pressure defensively and for everyone to make rebounding a priority.

"We watched a lot of film," he said. "We spent 45 minutes really reviewing some of the things we talked about after the Connecticut game. Watched a lot of our film, broke a lot of our defense down. I don't think it's just all our defense - we've got some improvements to make offensively too, but when you only have X amount of minutes, you ought to focus on one and get one shored up as much as possible."

The Storm was able to take a positive from Tuesday's game in terms of the performance of the second unit. Agler started the fourth quarter with five reserves together on the floor, and they were able to slice Los Angeles' lead from 14 points down to nine. Later, Agler put the second unit back in the game after the starters were unable to make further progress.

"I guess I just look at this way," Agler said of going back to the reserves. "If we weren't going to do the things we were capable of doing, then I felt we should take advantage of the opportunity to let some of our second group play."

The reserves combined for 21 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Katie Gearlds was able to get her confidence going from the perimeter, knocking down a pair of three-pointers.

"I think it was good for Katie," said Agler. "Kelly Santos had some bright spots, Ashley (Robinson) had some bright spots, so I thought it was really good for them."

The Storm will have two more days of practice, tomorrow and Saturday, before returning to action by hosting the Washington Mystics (6:00 p.m., 1150 AM KKNW, TIX).