Re: WNBA to stop play during 2004 Olympics

"NFL1" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]

> The teams without the Olympians are likely the teams struggling to be as
> competitive in the league, so why not let them have a mid-season
> training camp without the Olympians?  Even teams with a national team
> member or two could benefit from work together without their star (see
> what happened to Houston with so many injuries this year?  Even they
> could have benefitted by this kind of training camp time w/o their
> olympians.)


The NBA Board of Governors basically wrecked the 2004 WNBA season
in order to get as good a showcase Olympics women's tournament
as they could.   A season with a one month gap in it is no season
at all.  Like having a strike interrupted season.

The one advantage they get is that the WNBA season starts up again
right after the Olympics end so that any "afterglow" from
the Olympics tournament will be picked up in the final weeks of the
WNBA season and the WNBA playoffs.

The Lauren Jackson-Lisa Leslie thing could really get to the forefront IF
Australia gets to the finals.   Maybe the United States should lend a few
players to the Australians that got snubbed in the U.S. core team selections
like Sue Bird, Chamique Holdsclaw, Natalie Williams, Sheryl Swoopes, Yolanda
Griffith, Marie Ferdinand, etc. etc. Give them instant, temporary Australian
citizenship or something.

Then bring the LJ-LL rivalry back for the final weeks of the WNBA season and
the WNBA playoffs IF Seattle and LA both make the playoffs. Schedule all
three Seattle-LA games AFTER the Olympics.


>
> It would be better for development of the product on the floor and the
> league in general if the teams are allowed to continue to practice.  I
> think there will be several teams vying for the title next year, and
> this could really help make it as competitive a playoff as it can be.
> (And provide for some real young stars to stand out, like Detroit did
> this year.)
>
> Nancy

The Detroit Shock have no players picked for the Olympic team
yet and they're the defending WNBA Champions with three
players on All-WNBA second team .