2004 WNBA Draft lottery set for December 3rd

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/7342847.htm

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The six WNBA teams that failed to make
the playoffs last season will draw for the rights to the top three picks in
the regular draft's first round, to be held in April.

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The No. 1 pick on the women's side means the opportunity to select
Connecticut senior Diana Taurasi. She is considered the top collegian and
anticipated to be an immediate impact player when she joins the professional
league.

It wouldn't be surprising if a WNBA coach echoes Connecticut coach Geno
Auriemma's boast last season as to why the Huskies continued to dominate:
"We have Diana Taurasi, and the other teams don't."

Of course, it won't be total disappointment for the teams landing the second
and third picks, because Duke's Alana Beard, Penn State's Kelly Mazzante,
Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde and Stanford's Nicole Powell are also among the
best of in the most plentiful NCAA senior class in the last several seasons.

This is also the second time in three seasons that a Connecticut star is the
focus of the lottery. In 2002, the Seattle Storm, which didn't own the best
chance in the first WNBA drawing for No. 1, landed Sue Bird.

Seattle is in the pool again, but at the bottom of a group that has Phoenix
with the best chance.

The Mercury had the WNBA's worst record (8-26) last summer, just ahead of
the Washington Mystics (9-25). The order of best opportunities for No. 1,
after Washington, has the San Antonio Silver Stars, New York Liberty and
Indiana Fever ahead of Seattle.

"I'm ready to play anywhere," Taurasi said last summer while attending a
WNBA game.

The idea of playing for New York has to be the most tantalizing of all - for
the Liberty, the league, and Taurasi, who is expected to land a slew of
endorsements.

If New York gets lucky next week, the same sort of snickers from observers
will probably occur as when the Liberty's parent Knicks didn't have the best
shot at No. 1 but somehow won the draw and gained the chance to pick Patrick
Ewing.

One team not in the mix that will also be eager to learn the lottery winner
is the Connecticut Sun, which would have been in the pool had they not made
the playoffs on the last day of the season.

The Sun, which play an hour away from Connecticut's campus in the Mohegan
Sun casino-entertainment complex, are ready to deal players, the hotel,
several award-winning restaurant chefs and other commodities to trade for
the rights to pick Taurasi.

The results will be announced live on NBA-TV at 8 p.m. during the pregame
show before the broadcast of the Los Angeles-San Antonio game.
Representatives of the winning team will be interviewed at halftime.