The 2012 WNBA draft ended the exact same way it had been projected to be all year: weak. With the lack of acknowledgement for the last several picks, this draft ended with a thud. With that being said, several teams made significant moves forward as well as a few team lying down and rolling back down the hill. I began to write this article strictly as an angry Phoenix fan, but I figured it would be in better taste to give an outlook on several teams that I thought either got significant pieces or missed the target completely.

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Flashback to the 2005-06 season in girl's high school basketball in the state of Mississippi. The debate, at the time, was which of three teams: Meridian, Murrah and Clinton would come out on top in a talented 5A class. The best of the battles took place between Murrah and Clinton, which are located within 10 miles of each other in central Mississippi. Murrah, led by legendary coach Anna Jackson and Clinton by the extremely talented Felicia Lofton battled each other for supremacy in the capital city area. The teams played a remarkable four times; each team winning twice but with the total difference in all four games being 17 points, it seemed like this might have to come down to a pivotal fifth game if each team could find their way to the 5A state championship game at the "Big House.' That fifth game didn't come to fruition as Murrah lost in the semis to Meridian in a controversial game that still gets the blood boiling if you speak to players and dedicated fans from both sides.

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Does anybody remember Danielle Adams' introduction to the NCAA Division I women's hoops game?

Little fanfare for a player that was a JUCO transfer, even though she was an All-American. With that being said, everyone that's anyone in the world of women's college hoops remembers how it ended: an upset of my Stanford Cardinal in the Final Four and the ensuing 30-point game in the NCAA Championship game win over Notre Dame. She then proceeded to the WNBA for what would have ended with a 2011 Rookie of the Year award had it not been for an untimely injury.

Well here's a name you need to be sure to know for the graduating class of 2013: Tanecka Carey.

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Article after article has passed and I have looked for mentions of the names of players that are to follow and though I have found them in spots, I truly believe that by the end of the year, writers will regret not mentioning these young ladies in the All-America conversation. Now, the first three players are all coming off injuries in the last two years that many feel will nullify or minimize their effect but as a player that has gone thru an ACL tear, once you get that confidence in the knee back you go after it a lot harder because that's a second chance that many aren't guaranteed. (Note: I excluded freshman intentionally as I like to give all freshman a year to prove their ability on the NCAA floor.)

1. LaSondra Barrett #55, LSU: The 6'2 forward out of Jackson, MS is primed for a breakout year. Adding 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason and making a move to more time on the wing where her shooting and ball-handling ability will be showcased and pay dividends for the defensive minded Lady Tigers out of Baton Rouge. With a coach in Nikki Caldwell that will not allow her to disppear on offense as has happened in the past, "Boogie" will play at a level that I knew was coming when she was spending time shooting free throws an hour after practice ended at our alma mater Murrah High School. With stopper ability and a drive to carry her team to the top, Barrett is my choice for SEC POY and I truly think that the SEC title will run thru Baton Rouge as opposed to Knoxville.

2. Elena Delle Donne #11, Delaware: A 6'5 guard with the ability to get to the basket and shoot the three with ease, this is the best player in the nation. After leaving UConn during the summer session of 2008, she took a year off from basketball after a "burnout" that turned out to be homesickness. She led the US World University Games team to a gold medal on a team that featured Skylar Diggins, both Ogwumikes, and the two-some of Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen from Tennessee. The key for Delle Donne will be staying healthy. After battling Lyme disease last year and an ankle injury the year before, if she stays healthy I think she will be POY and if she chooses, she'll be in LA next season in the WNBA.

3. Caroline Doty #5, UConn: Think back. November 30, 2008. A game that I, as an Oklahoma WBB, fan was looking forward to as a defining game in the final year of a Paris era that I thought was going to conclude with a championship.  This was the day I fell in love with Caroline Doty. As a freshman, in a Auriemma program, Doty played 32 minutes and shot 6-9 from the field and going 6-6, YES COUNT THEM SIX from the 3. Doty will be healthy and ready to play. She is the vocal leader and will be the heart and soul of this team. Without her, this team wouldn't even be in contention because Tiffany Hayes has yet to tap into the potential that she has and in a time where the question is "what have you done for me lately" I don't expect that to change in 2011-12.

4. Jacki Gemelos, #23 USC: Take a look at the 2006 USA Today All-USA Prep Girls team. You have Maya Moore (2011 ROY & WNBA Champ, 3-time Wade trophy winner) Tina Charles (2010 WNBA ROY, 2010 Big East POY) Monica Wright (2010 ACC POY & DPOY, National DPOY, 2011 WNBA Champ) & Amber Harris (2-time A-10 POY, WBCA All-American, WNBA Champ). The fifth player on that team? Jacqueline Ann Gemelos. Compared to the best women's basketball player ever (Diana Taurasi, and rightfully so) coming out of high school, Gemelos has returned from five, count 'em FIVE ACL tears to lead this year's Women of Troy. Picked to finish second in the Pac-12, Gemelos is the motor that makes this team go and I feel that the only thing that will stop her from claiming the Pac-12 POY award is that Nnemkadi Ogwumike plays in the same conference and will likely average 30 points and 15 rebounds.

5. Sasha Goodlett #45, Georgia Tech: Take a look at the posts for the top teams in the ACC this year. Cierra Bravard has been inconsistent. Lynetta Kizer has been indefinitely suspended. UNC and Duke will have mainly young rotations. Miami's starting posts are both 6'2 and shorter and Pepper Wilson still hasn't found the fundamentals to make a layup. If Goodlett can stay out of foul trouble and demand the ball, a first team All-ACC nod is hers to take home. With range out to 18 feet and a chip on her shoulder as the GT program has gotten better each of the last four years, People also forget that she held 4-time Oklahoma All-American Courtney Paris to one of the few games she didn't finish with a double-double. Goodlett will be on a mission to prove she's a force on the East Coast. And it definitely helps that her best friend, who's also the author of this article, will be in her ear all year.

6. Whitney Hand #25, Oklahoma: Hand's coming out party would definitely be defined in her performance against Tennessee on February 2, 2009 when she helped the Lady Sooners deny Pat Summitt her 1,000th win. Hand played 40 minutes and finished 8-9 from the field, 4-5 from 3 for 20 points. She will be back to 100% this year and will flourish as she shares the wing rotations with another great shooter in Morgan Hook and a stud in Aaryn "Vegas" Ellenberg making defenses have to decide who they will focus in on. A shooter never truly loses their touch but with an ability to put the ball on the floor and make great decisions, Hand will lead a talented Sooner team to big things this year in Norman.

Thanks for those that read! Feel free to leave a comment. Also, check back tomorrow as I do a feature on a player that none of you have probably ever heard of!!

I have followed the WNBA so long and so specifically that certain occurances are quite transparent now. So when I saw that Kara Braxton would be missing the Minnesota game suspended for misconduct, I quickly figured she was about to be traded. Her seemingly forgotten lack of effort and heart had started to rear it's ugly head again and it caused one to wonder what was going on. I had been speaking on trades the Merc should make in the past few weeks but I honestly didn't expect to lose a starter for a uniformed cheerleader. This is no knock to Spencer's ability to help us as a shooter because she's a great fit, but we trade for a player that hasn't truly had an effect on the game since her rookie season in Los Angeles.

The way that I look at it is, we traded for and signed Braxton as if she didn't have these issues already. If you consider the fact that, we lost Tangela Smith and traded away a pick that became Kayla Pedersen, both great fits, positive locker room mindsets, and players with winning pedigree for a player that we shipped apparently to the first team that made an offer. Regardless of the situation, we have basically given New York a championship caliber team in the last two years and gotten back inconsistency to boot.

This trade, for me, takes the Mercury down a notch or two, as it seems that Corey has decided to make DeWanna Bonner a full-time post player which makes no sense to me. We've all heard the adage, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" Bonner is the two-time reigning Sixth Woman of the year, coming off the bench basically playing a guard position where she creates huge mismatches. But now we're basically giving teams a chance to take her out of the groove of the game by defending her with a stronger post that can push her off her spot. Combined with basically saying that we trust Nakia Sanford, whose greatest improvement in the last few years is that she only misses one layup per five minutes on the floor as opposed to four.

I also find it very hard to watch former Phoenix draft picks Plenette Pierson, LaToya Pringle and Leilani Mitchell playing quite well for their respective teams while one of our better pickups, Alexis Gray-Lawson sits seemingly permanently glued to the end of the bench. I honestly thought that these days were over when we didn't bring Taylor Lilley and Brooke Smith back but apparently Corey has the same concept, he just wanted some new faces. With players such as Ashley Walker, Ashley Paris, Jene Morris, Kelly Mazzante and even Hamchetou Maiga-Ba out there without teams.

I think this trade has the possibility to work out okay as anytime that you remove a player that's causing problems and add one that bring a great attitude it can help. This just puts the team in a position where there are no nights off, Everybody has to show up and play their best night in and night out and we've all seen how much of a struggle that is with injuries piling up this year. The posts are going to have to triple their production and the idea of Penny and DT playing less minutes has to go out of the window. I haven't given up hope on my Merc but I can say I was highly disappointed by the nature of this trade but we'll see how it works out.

MIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY!! #TEAMMERCURY

Now as a Phoenix Mercury fan I went into yesterday's home opener hoping that things would finally come together for my squad.

I was at Chili's for a friend's birthday but I made sure to keep up with the score. After seeing the halftime score I didn't even check back because it seemed like things had started to come together. Upon seeing the final score, I shook my head and started to question the issues that my team is having but after watching the game a few minutes ago, it's something that we can't control as an organization.

Flopping and the pursuit of fouls has started to bog down the game that I love and I feel it's time to take a stand on what I believe in.

Now, don't get me wrong - getting a player in the air and going into them or Kevin Durant's patented sweep thru are just smart basketball plays; but the fouls that I watched Sophia Young and Danielle Adams draw from the officials yesterday was just pathetic. The game was taken out of the player's hands as the whistle blew so much in the third quarter that I decided to fast forward thru past it.

I never respected Young's game much anyway but I can honestly say that Adams' reputation has gone down the crapper for me. I didn't get to see her as much at A&M because of her weight issues her junior year and foul trouble her senior year but it all makes sense. Basketball-wise she could have a great future and has great skills, but I see why she ended up in junior college and how she was successful.

Personally, I don't understand how you can appreciate what she does as a coach or teammate. It's one thing to take a charge and draw a foul but she's constantly throwing her hands in the air and falling to the floor like she's been hit with a sack of bricks. That's not a small girl and the referees need to realize that she's playing them for fools. I honestly feel that if she doesn't get flop calls, she doesn't last in this league. I just hope Dan Hughes doesn't hide the Twinkies from her because if he does, she loses all value. Shooting ability or not, she spends too much time baiting the officials to be truly effective. Once the league buckles down on the flopping, she'll be worthless.

After taking a look at the Opening Day rosters for each team here's my personal breakdown of the additions and improvements each team has made.

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Today is the day that we true fans relish. Final roster moves are made today and the season begins tomorrow. We start to see things shape up and develop our own perceptions of what the season will be like. So without further discussion, I give you my personal 2011 WNBA Season Preview. This will be solely an analysis of the occurences of the season. I will do a seperate roster breakdown.

PREDICTION OF FINISH:

WEST:

1. Phoenix

2. Los Angeles

3. Seattle

4. Minnesota

5. San Antonio

6. Tulsa

There has been a lot of criticism that Phoenix stood still while everyone got better, which is true but you have to take into account that the main members of the core rotation either got better playing overseas or got a lot of rest. Los Angeles will immediately be better because for the first time in three years Candace Parker is healthy but the supporting cast around her will also be a lot better. Noelle Quinn will also see an increase in her numbers as she falls from maybe the #2 or #3 option to number #4 or #5. Seattle will fall back to Earth as there starting lineup is back but a year older and I personally think that they're bench is worse off this year. Last year Abrosimova and Willingham would have started anywhere else. Willingham continues to improve but Katie Smith is a shell of herself (which still happens to be damn good) and Belinda Snell is the definition of inconsistency. I don't think there's enough basketball to go around or enough coaching ability to make this roster work in Minnesota. I see them limping into the playoffs only because San Antonio took a step back when Appel went down for the first couple weeks of the season and a slow start will not be a good thing for any team in the West this year. San Antonio will have a rough year until a consistent number three scorer shows up behing Hammon and Young. I actually question Young because teams have realized that although she plays a lot of minutes at the three, she actually lacks the ball handling ability and the range to be consistent from that spot. Tulsa....Tulsa...Tulsa.... this roster is full of what have you done for me lately's and what have you done for me yet's. I look for Ivory Latta and Amber Holt to have good years as Holt's scoring ability will be featured with a move from the forward spot to the 2-guard. This season will reveal a very soft and unpolished Elizabeth Cambage. I have also learned that both Swoopes and Lennox struggled in training camp this year, even leading to Lennox being cut.

EAST:

1. Atlanta

2. Indiana

3. Connecticut

4. Chicago

5. Washington

6. New York

Atlanta is far and above the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. Their defensive prowess and quickness will allow them to have a very good year and credit must be given to Marynell Meadors and Carol Ross for a phenomenal job of buidling this roster to compete after a struggle of a first season. Indiana has greatly improved in my opinion. Ebony Hoffman never clicked as a starter in this league for me and they have great pieces around Catchings and Douglas. Connecticut was actually going to be OUT of the playoffs for me this year until New York fell apart at the seams. With that development and Chicago taking a step back with questions of Epiphanny Prince missing time and Shameka Christon biting the injury bullet once again, Connecticut will find a way into the playoffs. Mike Thibault's coaching prowess will really be tested as this roster is loaded with potential but with just as much inconsistency outside of Tan White and Tina Charles. This will be Chicago's year. Vandersloot was almost as great of a pickup as Pokey Chatman and Sylvia Fowles will take her place as the best post player on the planet.  Washington could easily be in the three or four spot for me but I just think that this team will struggle to find ann identity with only one starter returning from last year. Alana Beard will definitely not be the same player and they will definitely miss Currie. New York, New York, New York. With the new development of Janel McCarville sitting this season out and no signs of Cheryl Ford or Deanna Nolan surfacing this year, this team will be a shell of what it did last year. The post is not proven, Nicole Powell is now a bricklayer, and Cappie Pondexter's focus and priorities are question marks in my mind.

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS:

Phoenix over Minnesota

Seattle over Los Angeles

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS:

Atlanta over Chicago

Indiana over Connecticut

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

Phoenix over Seattle

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

Indiana over Atlanta

WNBA FINALS:

Phoenix over Indiana in 4.

I think it will be a tough go for Phoenix in the West as it all depends upon Los Angeles for me. If LA establishes roles and does a better job of putting the ball in the basket they could easily be the WC Champs. I just don't trust Jen Gillom yet as she has known been a good judge of talent or rotations for me. I think the drive and will of Tamika Catchings will put them over the hump against a very good Atlanta Dream team that could easily win a championship this year. I just think that the backcourt of January, Catching, Douglas, and Erin Phillips defensively will prove to be a gauntlet too difficult for McCoughtry to navigate and the Dream goes as she goes.  With that being said, I seee a return to glory for my beloved Phoenix Mercury.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER:

Diana Taurasi over Lauren Jackson, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles and Cappie Pondexter

I actually went back and forth between Catchings and Fowles but the fact that Taurasi is rested, hungry and has a chip on her shoulder will put her over the top and make this a very special year in the Dub.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Sylvia Fowles

This race will probably be the tightest as Tamika Catchings could defend in her sleep, but Fowles has definitely grown tired of watching the playoffs and will put her stamp on this season by defending the post area like a wall. Expect to see multiple goal-tending calls for the first time in WNBA History.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

Courtney Vandersloot

Everyone thinks that the UNANIMOUS choice for ROY will be Maya Moore. I totally disagree. I have always harped on Moore's suspect ball-handling ability which feeds into her inability to get to the basket and to the free throw line and that will be exposed at this level. She will also struggle as I don't think there's enough basketball to go around in Minnesota. Courtney Vandersloot will be thrust into a pressure situation that I think she will handle easily. Maybe it's just me reading too much into the analysis but to my understanding she dominated the USA BASKETBALL CAMP and has stepped in as the heir apparent to THE Sue Bird. With Prince probably going to miss a few weeks with the Russian National Team this will be Vandersloot's award to lose and I don't think that will happen easily. A sleeper in this race will also be Danielle McCray. Thibault is very high on her and I agree with him.

6TH WOMAN OF THE YEAR:

DeWanna Bonner

There is speculation that she will slide into the starting lineup after Tangela Smith departure but I personally think that was just an idea the Merc were trying out at that time. This award will eventually have to be renamed for Bonner as she easily puts up starters numbers in a reserve role. If she does step into the starting lineup I'd have to give the nod to Candice Wiggins of Minnesota just ahead of Tan White in Connecticut.

MOST IMPROVED:

Kalana Greene

This is a very talented player on a very talented team. Unless Thibault finally starts White, Greene will step into the starting lineup and has the ability to take over a game without scoring 30 points. She will be on a mission and will be much more relaxed in this uniform with former teammates Charles and Renee Montgomery.

Scoring Champ:

Diana Taurasi over Cappie Pondexter. 

As we all look forward to the start of training camp and moreso, the start of the regular season, I sit back and think about my feelings about Nolan Richardson. I really felt as if he was more of the stunt pulled by the Shock than Marion Jones. Some of the trades made absolutely no sense to me and I didn't see where he was going, except the dog house with fans and players because the trades made one think he was tanking and looking ahead to this season. Now, as a coach myself, I don't agree with this approach because you never want to give up on your players and expect them to trust you again; then again, when you ship all of them out, why does it matter?

Personally, I still feel that Richardson is not the best choice for Tulsa in the long term. Honestly, I believe management hired Teresa Edwards as the heir apparent once this "40 Minutes of Hell" hoopla runs it's course. With that being said, Richardson has made some nice moves going into 2011. Here's a look at the current training camp roster for the Shock:

Quite honestly, some very good players will not make this roster. Just look at the guard spots: Crossley, Lennox, Riley, Lucas, Latta, Swoopes, Jones, and Juanita Ward, a local Jackson, Ms product that dominated her league overseas and barely missed the cut last year. The fact that my Mercury have so little I do expect them to make a pickup or two following cuts as Minnesota is in a simliar situation talent-wise is great but who expected Tulsa to be in this situation? Definitely not I. It will be interesting to see how this season pans out as I expect great improvement from Tulsa but I see them finishing just outside of the playoffs ahead of San Antonio. So my question to you is: Nolan Richardson: good or bad for our beloved league?

If you ask me? It's to be determined.

Intention is one of the most difficult things to determine in our society. Public perception is so important that many have shown that lying to keep one's public image is more common that we should like. Sunday night in the game against Indiana, there was some extracurricular activity between Pondexter and US Olympic teammate and Indiana forward Tamika Catchings. It was quite obvious by Catchings' (who is normally one of the coolest customers you'll come across) reaction that she was not happy with the contact and that is was excessive. Upon watching the replay, the malicious intent was quite obvious. Now I'm a double major, and I also have a minor in criminal justice. It is written in the Law of the Land that if a person has time to think about committing a violent crime, no matter what the circumstance, it is unacceptable. Since leaving my beloved Mercury, Pondexter has shown this on several occasions, beginning with the blatant hack on Penny Taylor in Phoenix on July 3rd and each time she has stated on Twitter that she is "a fierce competitor" and that "aggressiveness is apart of the game, if you can't handle women playing this way don't watch." Now first off, as an advocate of bigger following of the women's game I don't understand how one can make that statement seriously when they're supposed to be a representative of the league. Then secondly, regardless of how much of a competitor you are or how aggressive you are, plays such as these have NO PLACE in the game of basketball, MEN OR WOMEN! As a college and lifetime player, with a forgettable history off the court, I am all for defending yourself and having pride but when wrong is wrong, there is no excuse. I truly believe that the WNBA needs to do a better job of  tending to players with constant complaints of dirty plays, just like Delisha Milton-Jones has made some questionable decisions this year. I mean at the end of the day, is this TRULY the type of players we want at the fore-front of the game, supposedly setting examples for girls who have dreams of playing in the WNBA? We really need to consider these things ahead of being loyal to our favortie teams and players. 

What's going on fellow hoop fans, this is DaSharpshoota15 checking in writing my first blog :). Since the WNBA regular season has come to a close, I will give my overview of the league as a whole and my award winners.

Since the Eastern Conference seemed to be better as a whole, let's start there, from the bottom up.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Chicago Sky: The Sky really underachieved this season. With the best back to the basket player the Women's Basketball world has to offer, (let's be honest Candace Parker and Lauren Jackson HAVE NO classification they're just ball players) one would have to consider this team would find a way to make it's way to the playoffs. Veteran point guard Dominique Canty had a decent year but I was really disappointed in Jia Perkins this year. After an all-star year last year, I expected her to flourish in a Sky uniform with a healthy Sylvia Fowles but she struggled early. Epiphanny Prince had a good transition and I think that it's a no-brainer she needs to be the starter in Chi-Town next year. Mistie Bass seems to be a seamless fit next to Fowles. She does the dirty work, (setting screens, rebounding, moving the ball) and I think she gives this team it's identity and she brings it night in and night out. Erin Thorn showed me that she is much more than a shooter and it was obvious that she means more to this team than one would think because once Shay Murphy starting taking her minutes, the Sky struggled. No knock to Murphy, but Thorn opened the floor for Fowles to work and Bass to get offensive boards. A shock from this team was the suddenly consistent and productive Christi Thomas. I also think it's time to go in another direction and let Steve Key go.

Connecticut Sun: Putting my frustration with my favorite team, this is BY-FAR the biggest disappointment in the WNBA this season. With the nightly double-double of Tina Charles and players who filled their roles and did their jobs in a fairly decent fashion this year, there is no way this team should not have made the playoffs. I blame Mike Thibault. Whatever his hangup with Renee Montgomery, it cost this team. With a player of her ability, there are going to be times where she makes a mistake and you have to either live with it or punish her. Thibault chose ot punish her by relegating her to the bench and it denied this team a return to the playoffs. I'm sure I can't be the only person that saw how much better the offense flowed with her on the floor. Kara Lawson really didn't have her best season and I think she has proven that she is a win-at-all costs type player and bringing her off the bench as a scorer and not making her the starting point guard would have been best for this team. I was also shocked at the inconsistency of the playing time of Allison Hightower, Sandrine Gruda, and Tan White. I really think that this team would have been better with Kelsey Griffin playing spot minutes Hightower showed an ability to spell White as a lock down defender and her touch as a lefty is untouchable. Now it's a given that Anete Jekabsone-Zogota's injury played a big role but I still think this team had enough left to make it to the playoffs.

Atlanta Dream: This team showed signs of promise early but fizzled down the stretch and that is what scares me about this team. They haven't had the best second half and they will come into the playoffs with a chip on their shoulder and the rest of the Eastern Conference should be afraid. The best thing that could've happened for the Dream was Washington getting the number one seed. I really think that this Washington team is the weakest team in the playoffs and if the Dream jump on the Mystics early in the playoff games I think you can punch the Dream's ticket to the EC Finals. Now, this team I have a huge issue with. No knock to Angel McCoughtry, but she complains about EVERY CALL. And it shows throughout the rest of this team as she is the emothional leader. Fix that and this team can be a threat for years to come.

Indiana Fever: The only knock I have against this team is what's gonna happen when Tamika Catchings finally has that off game or gets into foul trouble. With the inconsistent play of anyone not named Catchings, you have to wonder what if. But then again, as the old adage goes, "if if was a fifth we'd all be drunk." A great surprise this season has been Jessica Davenport. She has picked up where she left off in the Finals last year and finally gives Dunn a reason not to have Hoffman and Sutton-Brown on the floor upwards of thirty minutes each night. I think the key for this team is Briann January. With all due respect to Tully, this is her team from a point guard's point of view. The better she plays, the better this team is. 

New York Liberty: This team is my pick to make it to the Finals in 2010. They have the best closer in the wnba in Cappie Pondexter, one of the most underrated point guards in Lei Mitchell, veteran presences in McWilliams-Franklin, Pierson and McCarville and young talent in Carson and Greene. Then I haven't even mentioned the X-Factor aka Nicole Powell. When she is on, this is the toughest team to beat in the league. I mean let's be honest, when Cappie makes up in her mind that she wants to do something, the only person that can stop her is herself. Then you top that off with the best coach in the League in Anne Donovan. I mean let's remember who Agler learned from??

Washington Mystics: This is by-far the biggest shock of the season to me. The Mystics took care of business down the stretch to lock up the East's 1 seed and look to take care of business in the playoffs without Alana Beard. This team has a stud at the point in Lindsay Harding and the most under-appreciated player in the Dub in Crystal Langhorne. That veteran leadership from Chas Melvin and Katie Smith and an improved Monique Currie doesn't hurt. The biggest question mark with this team is the bench for me. Marissa Coleman has struggled at a high level with this sixth-woman role and Ajavon runs hot and cold. Outside of those two there is no bench. It would really shock me if this team makes it past Atlanta in the first round.

EASTERN CONFERENCE PICKS:

Atlanta over Washington in 2

New York over Indiana in 3

New York over Atlanta in 3

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Tulsa Shock: Now this team has been the butt of my jokes all season but I totally respect this roster. I question the presence of Chante Black but otherwise this team is a closer away from being in the playoffs in a down year in the Western Conference. I'm not a fan of Nolan Richardson either, if you follow me on Twitter, it's quite evident. I've always been a fan of Ivory Latta, Scholanda Robinson and Shanna Crossley, but I think the key for this team will be the evolution of Nicole Ohlde. If she can become a go-to post scorer for this team it will definitely help this team as it moves forward. Jen Lacy also had some great moments this year but ended up at the back of the rotation. My biggest excitement for this team in 2011 will be the opportunity Marion Jones has, not as a publicity stunt but as a true WNBA player. She showed flashes of athleticism and ability that can allow her to be a solid player in this league even in her mid-30's as she doesn't have the typical basketball wear and tear that most of her teammates might. 

Minnesota Lynx: What I would have loved to have seen from this team was Cheryl Reeve move Augustus to the 2, Houston to the starting lineup as a 3 and let Monnie Wright come off the bench. No knock to Wright but Augustus playing the three usually leaves her at a disadvantage as I think she is a more natural scorer at the shooting guard position. Houston has also proven more that reliable as a wing player shooting the three and putting the ball on the floor. This would help open the floor for the great offensive rebounding ability of Anosike and Brunson. Another thing that I would like to see is the passing ability of  Anosike as a post player come into play more with the screen and roll and some high-low action. I also question the coaching of this team because there is no reason they couldn't have been the 3 seed in the playoffs easily.

Los Angeles Sparks: I know it's getting old but this is another team I think that would benefit from a change in coaching. Ticha Penichiero runs this team beautifully and I have no problem with her being the starting point, but trying to force Noelle Quinn to be a star when she have proven to be nothing more than a mediocre role player on a good night.. I think giving Riley and Tolliver more those minutes would have benefitted this team in a major way. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton has also shown a rebounding ability that this team really needed after Candace Parker went down yet saw limited time for whatever reason. I also think that the ability of Chanel Mokango was under-utilized. A 6-5 post player that can block shots and shoot the three has proven to be an asset in this league and in such limited opportunities you can't expect her to produce much. That being said, I believe Riley suffered the most injustice here. A player that is a proven scorer seeing little to no time on several occasions on a team that finished 9th in the league in scoring is an simply foolish.

San Antonio SilverStars: I think this team really struggled to find an identity without Ann Wauters this season. Incorporating so many new faces, even though those faces were talented, into a team that clearly runs a set system really didn't pan out too well. This team also dealt with a lot of injuries with Holdsclaw, Riley, Appel, and Hammon missing time due to injuries. This team also made quite a few moves before settling on Crystal Kelly and Ashley Battle late in the year. Onto the good side though, Sophia Young showed that she has put in major work on her jump shot, Roneeka Hodges played her first full season in her career, and Michelle Snow had some flashes of brilliance. This team has an opportunity to knock off my Mercury in the first round if they can take care of the ball and control tempo. Otherwise this will be a short series.

Phoenix Mercury: Yes this is my favorite team but if you think I'm going to make a bunch of excuses for their struggles this year, you're sadly mistaken. Although the team clearly missed Cappie Pondexter's presence on both ends of the floor, the loss that I think had a larger effect was Le'Coe Willingham. Willingham's ability to get rebounds seemingly out of her area, ability to finish in traffic and her never say die attitude seemed to really affect this team. Taurasi really struggled at times as well as Penny Taylor. Tan Smith really struggled early in the year and Candice Dupree took time to get adjusted and the team really had no identity early. The only real bright spots was the growth of Dewanna Bonner and Temeka Johnson. As the season went on, the Merc seemed to be finding it's stride only to dash fans hopes by struggling to close games down the stretch. I think this team would benefit more from using the big lineup of Taurasi, Taylor, Bonner, Dupree and Smith or steal erm...mid-season acquistion Kara Braxton. I also think that Taylor Lilley would be huge for this team if given the opportunity. All the talk of Ketia Swanier improving over the summer had me excited for my fav squad but it almost seems as if she's regressed. I really think that it is up to this team who ends the summer as the WNBA Champions.

Seattle Storm: Far and away the best team in the regular season but there's a reason you play the game. This team has to come out and take care of business. Although I have no doubt in my mind this team can take care of business, I have to question the bench. As I have been stating all season, outside of Willingham and Abrosimova (two former starters in this league) this team has absolutely no bench. LA would be smart to take it to this team and get the starters (preferably the posts) into some foul trouble and make the game a little bit easier. Tanisha Wright has been key for this team all year. I really think that she could be an All-Star and go-to player if she makes her mind up but you can see that her sole focus is winning a championship. Swin Cash has been an absolute monster for this team. She is the motor of this team. She leads by example on both ends of the floor. She has also added a consistent jumper to her repetoire which will make her an even tougher guard off the dribble. Brian Agler has also proven to be one of, if not the best coach under pressure this league has to offer. Then it doesn't hurt to have the world's best point guard and player in your starting lineup. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE PICKS:

Phoenix over San Antonio in 2

Seattle over LA in 3

Phoenix over Seattle in 3

WNBA FINALS PICK:

Phoenix over NY in 5

I really think the addition of Braxton is exactly what this team needed. It also helps that Seattle swept the meetings this season to give this team motivation to show up and take care of business in the postseason. I think Pondexter puts on absolute show but the frontcourt of Dupree, Smith, Braxton, and Bonner will prove too much for NYC.

All-WNBA First Team

Cappie Pondexter- New York Liberty

Tamika Catchings-Indiana Fever

Diana Taurasi-Phoenix Mercury

Lauren Jackson-Seattle Storm

Sylvia Fowles-Chicago Sky

All-WNBA Second Team

Penny Taylor-Phoenix Mercury

Angel McCoughtry-Atlanta Dream

Crystal Langhorne-Washington Mystics

Tina Charles-Connecticut Sun

Tie: Tina Thompson-Los Angeles Sparks

Swin Cash-Seattle Storm

All-Rookie Team

Tina Charles-Connecticut Sun

Epiphanny Prince-Chicago Sky

Monica Wright-Minnesota Lynx

Kelsey Griffin-Connecticut Sun

Kalana Greene-New York Liberty

All-Defensive 1st Team

Lindsay Harding

Tamika Catchings

Tanisha Wright

Lauren Jackson 

Sylvia Fowles

All-Defensive Second Team

Temeka Johnson

Tan White

Angel McCoughtry

Rebekkah Brunson

Tina Charles

Coach of The Year

Julie Plank-Washington Mystics & Brian Agler-Seattle Storm

Rookie of the Year

Tina Charles-Connecticut Sun

Most Improved Player

Leilani Mitchell-New York Liberty

Sixth Woman of the Year

DeWanna Bonner-Phoenix Mercury

Defensive Player of the Year

Tamika Catchings-Indiana Fever

Most Valuable Player

Cappie Pondexter-New York Liberty

She basically carried this team throughout the first half of the season. Yes Lauren Jackson was the best player on possibly the best team in WNBA History but the award is MOST VALUABLE PLAYER. You take Lauren Jackson away from the storm, they still get home court in the first round. You take Cappie away from the Liberty, and right now they're hoping Maya Moore comes to town. 

Thanks so much guys!! Feel free to comment!!!