Until now, “champions” and “Minnesota Lynx” never have been used in the same paragraph.
As the Lynx open their 12th season today at Tulsa, followed by their home opener Sunday against Washington, they believe a remarkable offseason has set them up for a magical season. Experience and all-stars have replaced subpar talent.
Is the hype for real, or are fans just getting set up for another downfall and the continuation of a postseason drought that began in 2005?
“The Lynx have certainly opened a lot of eyes,” said ESPN’s Carolyn Peck, a WNBA analyst.
In the WNBA’s eighth annual survey of 12 league general managers, 45 percent said the Lynx will be the most improved team. Good enough to make a championship run?
“They could be,” Peck said.
Offseason headlines included hiring coach Cheryl Reeve, trading for former University of Minnesota star Lindsay Whalen, picking all-star Rebekkah Brunson in the dispersal draft, selecting Virginia star Monica Wright No. 2 overall in the college draft and signing free agent Hamchetou Maiga-Ba.
“You would hear the chatter from others in the offseason saying that we were going to be much tougher and a fun team to watch,” said Whalen, who plays in Prague, Czech Republic, in the offseason. “I think, overall, the talk was that we were going to be pretty darn good. I think people see the talent and personnel we have here.”
But how will this whole thing play out?
Can the Lynx really erase their fans’ memories of sitting indoors at Target Center on so many summer evenings, watching bad basketball? Are the Lynx, who finished 14-20 last season, going to get off to yet another fast start when they were 4-1 and then 7-3 only to stumble to a 3-10 finish over the final 13 games in front of a lot of empty seats?
“I want these players to have short-term memories,” said Reeve, a former assistant coach under Bill Laimbeer (now a Timberwolves assistant) when the Detroit Shock reached four WNBA championship games, winning two. “I don’t care about the past and what has happened here. I care about the now. We have a great opportunity before us, no question.”
The Lynx, however, might not immediately look like a championship contender. Two starters won’t play in the opening weekend.
Augustus is out about two more weeks while recovering from a hysterectomy last month during surgery to remove fibroids in the abdominal area. Top reserve and oft-starter Candice Wiggins will return about the same time, after undergoing right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus suffered during the EuroLeague season.
“When they come back,” Reeve said about Augustus and Wiggins, “I have to admit that we are pretty loaded.”
Brunson won’t return until next week at the earliest. Her offseason team in Italy is still alive in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Lynx will replace Augustus in the starting lineup with Wright, whom Peck said has the potential to be compared to WNBA pioneer Sheryl Swoopes. Charde Houston, an all-star last season who was expected to be the Lynx’s first player off the bench, will replace Brunson in the starting lineup.
Maiga-Ba could start at the No. 3 spot, but she has had just two practices this week after arriving late from her offseason team. Second-year forward Rashanda McCants could start in her place but be quickly relieved if necessary.
The talent and depth is easily the best in franchise history.
“No one is feeling sorry for us that Augustus and Wiggins are out for a bit with injuries,” Reeve said. “The biggest thing I heard in the offseason from coaches and other WNBA people was ‘Don’t you have enough (talented) players already?’ I think what really put us over the top was when we signed Hamchetou. She was the final piece that really made people turn their head toward us.”
Scoring won’t be an issue for the Lynx. Seven of their top eight players who played in the league last season averaged a combined 83.6 points per game. Wright was a prolific scorer in college, averaging 23.7 points. After surrendering almost 80 points a game since 2006, the Lynx should be better on the other end of the court, as well, considering Reeve is a defensive specialist.
“You either have to score more points or find a plunger to stop the bleeding,” Peck said. “This Lynx team now can put a lot of points on the floor. The acquistions of Brunson, Maiga-Ba and, of course, Whalen, are huge on the defensive side. They also had a terrific draft. Meshing all of the pieces together will be key for Cheryl Reeve and the Lynx.”
Whalen agrees.
“We have to be like a family here,” she said. “We need to understand each other, we need to work with each other and be consistent. I think that with the people we have here, we should be just fine. I think we are excited for the challenge before us.”
Opening night can’t come soon enough for the Lynx.
“Enough of the talking,” Reeve said in the final days of training camp. “Let’s get to it,”
“We do understand that we have a great team here and we aren’t going to take that for granted,” Houston said. “The names we have here mean a great deal.”
“It’s pretty simple, really,” Augustus said. “The front office made a bunch of great moves. Now we need to deliver.”
