tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67877038838707005272008-07-24T16:56:30.656-07:00Sonics Beathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08442396184430452250noreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-87765212274224185772008-07-24T10:49:00.000-07:002008-07-24T11:01:39.692-07:00

The adidas’ i-design contest is giving WNBA fans the unique opportunity to design shooting shirts that will be worn by WNBA teams before and during games. One Storm fan, as well as one in each market around the league, will be chosen as a winner. They will receive two tickets to attend a game as well as a special version of their winning shooting shirt autographed by their respective team in

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-59609615967817715592008-07-24T09:25:00.000-07:002008-07-24T09:29:23.930-07:00

Funny report from Australia, where Lauren Jackson and her Opals teammates are going through boot camp - literally. Head Coach Jan Stirling took her charges to the Australian Defence Force Canungra base to go through exercises designed for team-building. "This is the start of building the unity, strength and courage of the team - there's no better environment to do that than here," Stirling told

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-73757255342560423492008-07-22T10:19:00.000-07:002008-07-22T12:06:08.797-07:00

With a special 10 a.m. start in Minnesota and the game on FSN, a group of us from the Storm offices have headed to Peso's for breakfast and Storm basketball. I ordered steak and eggs, but only because a Storm victory is not technically speaking on the menu. I'll drop in some thoughts. The Storm is off to a decent start, tied at 13 with three minutes left in the first quarter. Lauren Jackson's

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-48584562549012978122008-07-21T16:36:00.000-07:002008-07-21T17:13:24.794-07:00

Storm forward Lauren Jackson won the ESPY Award as the Best WNBA Player for the third time in her career at the 2008 ESPYs, hosted Wednesday and televised last night. Previously, Jackson won for her 2004 MVP campaign and also in 2005. Just four players have ever won the Best WNBA Player ESPY - Jackson, current Storm teammate Sheryl Swoopes (2x), Lisa Leslie (3x) and Cynthia Cooper (3x). Jackson

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-37668452556834215752008-07-21T12:22:00.000-07:002008-07-21T12:23:56.712-07:00

In the long run, I don't think the lopsided nature of the Storm's loss yesterday at Washington means much of anything. It does mean their numbers are no longer as dominant as we take our weekly look at WNBA advanced stats. Detroit has passed the Storm in expected wins based on point differential projected to a full 34-game season, though Seattle remains tops in the Western Conference. Team

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-83815694375566551672008-07-19T10:10:00.000-07:002008-07-19T10:18:39.848-07:00

Wow, what a win by the Storm last night. Down 17 on the road with an offense limited by the absence of Lauren Jackson, the odds were certainly against a comeback. However, the Storm persevered and came up with a seventh straight win. Resiliency is quickly becoming the team's trademark, though fortunately not to the extent it looked like very early in the season when the team was getting off to

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-28375657344846019562008-07-17T10:34:00.000-07:002008-07-17T11:06:32.787-07:00

Great feature from KING5 last night on Jimmy Quigg, a member of the Storm's practice squad. Players and Head Coach Brian Agler spoke to the importance of the practice squad to the Storm, while Quigg described how he balances his work managing property sites with his extended lunch practicing with the team. What didn't entirely come across is that Jimmy is a world-class character whose presence

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-63975508786593697322008-07-15T19:10:00.000-07:002008-07-15T19:13:53.026-07:00

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

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-60994808318622992552008-07-15T15:38:00.000-07:002008-07-15T15:49:16.494-07:00

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

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-72008849468281248732008-07-14T17:34:00.001-07:002008-07-14T17:39:42.257-07:00

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

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-82879552510166704332008-07-14T10:20:00.000-07:002008-07-14T11:30:30.546-07:00

I skipped out on last week's WNBA numbers in favor of a midseason Storm analysis. This week, we're back, and the numbers reveal just how well the Storm has played during its six-game winning streak. The Storm now has the best point differential in the league at +4.3 points per game. To reflect that, let's start our analysis with expected wins based on point differential projected to a full 34-

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-20668484885000238512008-07-12T00:36:00.000-07:002008-07-12T00:40:11.123-07:00

Make sure to tune in Saturday as NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad devotes an entire show to the Storm. NBA Access airs Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern and 3 p.m. Pacific on ABC (KOMO 4 in the Seattle area), and if you understand why it's earlier in the East than the West, you're ahead of me. Anyways, here's what you'll see: This week, NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad takes a behind the scenes look at the

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-14784322985269507072008-07-12T00:07:00.001-07:002008-07-12T00:28:19.802-07:00

With the Los Angeles Sparks and Candace Parker coming to KeyArena tomorrow (7:00 p.m., FSN, 1150 AM KKNW, TIX), I was curious whether Parker's strong start has her on pace to post the best rookie season of all time. This is the kind of question my WARP rating system is well-equipped to answer, estimating how valuable a player is to their team in terms of the wins they offer as compared to a

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-33755385602267320032008-07-09T18:53:00.000-07:002008-07-09T18:57:59.364-07:00

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

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-29942035599347631492008-07-07T12:50:00.000-07:002008-07-07T12:59:51.301-07:00

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

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-80171624603865459372008-07-07T12:44:00.000-07:002008-07-07T12:49:07.882-07:00

Check out SlamOnline.com's interview with Sheryl Swoopes, in which Swoopes touches on coming back from her back injury, her future and the fact that she's not ready yet to begin that post-playing future. “Sitting here, talking to you today and being able to just move and do things and not hurt, oh my gosh, I feel so good. I can’t sit here and say, ‘Yeah, next year I see myself coaching or in a

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-57311354604914092092008-07-05T14:13:00.000-07:002008-07-05T14:57:31.777-07:00

On Thursday, Basketball Australia announced the roster for the Opals for next month's Beijing Olympics. And, in news that comes as something less than a surprise, Lauren Jackson headlines that roster. More noteworthy is that former Storm guard Tully Bevilaqua was chosen for the roster despite choosing to play with the Indiana Fever this season. In 2004, Bevilaqua's decision to play for the Storm

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-64630504949525123662008-07-02T14:12:00.000-07:002008-07-02T15:29:08.122-07:00

Good news from Storm practice today, as Sheryl Swoopes was able to shoot around after practice wearing a brace on her right knee. Yesterday's tests, including an X-Ray and an MRI, came out negative. Swoopes is dealing with some soreness in the knee and remains day-to-day, but hopes to play tomorrow when the Storm hosts New York (7:00 p.m., 1150 AM KKNW, TIX). Look for more details later this

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-88665400335016845612008-07-01T15:49:00.000-07:002008-07-01T16:11:16.229-07:00

The Storm finished practice today without guard Sheryl Swoopes, who left early after suffering a knee injury. "Don't know yet," said Brian Agler after practice, asked about Swoopes' status. "Tweaked her knee. "I didn't really see what happened. It was away from the ball. I think she was planting and cutting. I asked (Athletic Trainer) Tom (Spencer) if it was a contact-type thing, and it wasn't

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-73402714755035617072008-07-01T11:31:00.000-07:002008-07-01T11:38:00.394-07:00

Exciting day here at Storm HQ as we got the news moments ago that Kristen O'Neill has been signed to a seven-day contract, making the Storm after putting together a strong bid for a roster spot during training camp. Everybody was pulling for O'Neill because of her work ethic and terrific attitude. Her decision to continue to work with the Storm practice squad after being cut has now paid off in a

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-72885921614640432662008-07-01T10:34:00.000-07:002008-07-01T10:41:00.121-07:00

The Storm's Lauren Jackson has been nominated for a pair of ESPY Awards. Naturally, she's up for Best WNBA Player along with Seimone Augustus, Becky Hammon and Diana Taurasi. Jackson is also competing with tennis star Justine Henin, golfer Lorena Ochoa and soccer standout Marta to be named Best Female International Player. You can vote for LJ and in all the other categories at espys.tv.

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-74668162431300725542008-07-01T09:39:00.000-07:002008-07-01T10:45:38.514-07:00

The third and final installment of the WNBA's Expect Great campaign features Storm MVP Lauren Jackson and Cappie Pondexter of the Phoenix Mercury. Check out their ads, which will make their national debut tonight during ESPN2's broadcast of Atlanta and Phoenix (4:00 p.m. Pacific). Jackson talks about her desire to add another championship to the one the Storm won in 2004. Also check out a

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-77000058652948176322008-06-30T11:13:00.000-07:002008-06-30T11:43:49.469-07:00

Two teams, Connecticut and Detroit, have hit the midway point of their seasons. The Storm will be there on Thursday. Let's take a look at the numbers, shall we? Team ORating Team DRating --------------------- --------------------- Phoenix 106.6 Los Angeles 90.4 Minnesota 103.0 Indiana 90.8 Connecticut 102.3 San Antonio

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-88853000188800999022008-06-28T15:27:00.000-07:002008-06-28T15:31:02.735-07:00

The Storm announced today that rookie guard Kimberly Beck has been waived, and the timing is significant. Tomorrow is the date when all player contracts become guaranteed for the remainder of the season, so the waiver wire has been busy around the league. "If we had waited even one day, we would not have had any flexibility," explained Storm Head Coach Brian Agler by phone after practice. With

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6787703883870700527.post-49051063227093440022008-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:002008-06-26T15:37:16.466-07:00

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

Kevin Peltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14687582294229324412noreply@blogger.com