Imagine Tina Thompson, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, and Delisha Milton-Jones, playing on one team together, most can only dream of having a tandem as skilled and accomplished. However, for Kathy Goodman and Carla J. Christofferson, Co-owners of the Los Angeles Sparks, it will soon be a reality.
According to sources within the Sparks organization, LA is close to signing Tina Thompson. Although there has not been much information regarding the validity of the signing, it is almost a done deal that Thompson will be joining the Sparks in '09. For those holding onto the idea of Tina signing with another team in the WNBA, remember this, 1) she is 34 years old, so she's obviously only looking to join a title contender; 2) she's a native of LA (USC girl all the way); 3) she's also a former teammate of Lisa Leslie. In her position, a move to LA would be the best option. We all need to come to terms with Tina playing in a Sparks uniform, I know it will be hard, especially for the die-hard Houston fans but I'm sure you all respect that she wants to win at least one more title before she retires.
A friend of mine, had this to say of the acquisition of Thompson for LA, "She's a world-class player with class, and she has been a mentor and friend to Candace Parker. This will bode well not only for CP's acumen but for overall team chemistry."
Although Candace's return is unknown due to the baby in the oven, most are expecting her to be able to bounce back from the pregnancy and return to the Sparks late in the season. The only question now is, how will Coop decide to play his cards. DMJ at the 3, with Tina and Lisa at the 4 and 5 spots until Candace returns or will he bring DMJ off the bench? Either way, he now has THE deepest rotation at the 3, 4, and 5, in the WNBA. If Lisa, Candace, and DMJ thought last year's season was dissappointing, imagine how they'd feel if they still were unable to win a championship with Tina now on the team. 4 olympians on one team, mutiple MVPs, and countless other accolades, the Sparks are definitely the favorite.
In other big news, Lisa Leslie announced yesterday that the upcoming 2009 season will be her last as a professional basketball player in the WNBA. Leslie, like Thompson, has been a cornerstone in the W since the beginning and has undoubtedly paved the way for the Diana Taurasis and Candace Parkers.
Michael Fisher, a fan of the WNBA for years had this to say about Lisa Leslie’s upcoming retirement, “Lisa Leslie's name always been part of WNBA since Day 1, and her name will always be part of it, when people talk about the Legends of the WNBA. Lisa, no words can describe all the things you have done. I Salute You and Congratulations on a Glorious career.”
As this is turning into a post for Los Angeles sports teams, let's continue the trend. Earlier this week, Kobe Bryant set a MSG record, scoring 61 points against the Knicks. Let me repeat, against the 2009 Knicks. Impressive? Scoring 61 points, yes. Scoring 61 points against D'Antoni's Knicks, not so much. Kobe is one of the greatest players of his era but not of all time, just yet anyway. When Michael Jordan set the MSG scoring record, he was playing against a tough Knick team, headed by Mr. Patrick Ewing himself. Now, the Knicks' best player is who...Al Harrington? Wow...that's definitely something to brag about! Anyway, although Kobe's play was impressive, I'm waiting for him to elevate his game to the "Legend" status, score 50 or 60 points in a hard fought playoff game against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, the big names in the league and then I'll be impressed. Don't drop 60 on a team who is taught NOT to play defense by their head coach.
More Lakers news, big game tonight against the Celtics, in Boston. Hopefully, this doesn't turn into another blowout win for the Lakers. The top two teams in the league battle it out again, expect this game to get ugly, with Boston finding a way to pull out the win.
Side Note:
LeBron also had a historic night at MSG. Last night, he became the first since Kareem in 1975 to score 50 points and also record a triple double. He may not have scored more than Kobe but he definitely made sure his presence was felt at the Garden. Who had the better game? I'll leave that for you to decide. Do the Knicks go down as the first time to allow an opponent to enter the record books in back-to-back games?
Well that's it for this installment. Next time, we'll look at the results of the LA- Boston game and the message sent by the winner. Stay safe everyone and enjoy the game!!
Heather
According to sources within the Sparks organization, LA is close to signing Tina Thompson. Although there has not been much information regarding the validity of the signing, it is almost a done deal that Thompson will be joining the Sparks in '09. For those holding onto the idea of Tina signing with another team in the WNBA, remember this, 1) she is 34 years old, so she's obviously only looking to join a title contender; 2) she's a native of LA (USC girl all the way); 3) she's also a former teammate of Lisa Leslie. In her position, a move to LA would be the best option. We all need to come to terms with Tina playing in a Sparks uniform, I know it will be hard, especially for the die-hard Houston fans but I'm sure you all respect that she wants to win at least one more title before she retires.
A friend of mine, had this to say of the acquisition of Thompson for LA, "She's a world-class player with class, and she has been a mentor and friend to Candace Parker. This will bode well not only for CP's acumen but for overall team chemistry."
Although Candace's return is unknown due to the baby in the oven, most are expecting her to be able to bounce back from the pregnancy and return to the Sparks late in the season. The only question now is, how will Coop decide to play his cards. DMJ at the 3, with Tina and Lisa at the 4 and 5 spots until Candace returns or will he bring DMJ off the bench? Either way, he now has THE deepest rotation at the 3, 4, and 5, in the WNBA. If Lisa, Candace, and DMJ thought last year's season was dissappointing, imagine how they'd feel if they still were unable to win a championship with Tina now on the team. 4 olympians on one team, mutiple MVPs, and countless other accolades, the Sparks are definitely the favorite.
In other big news, Lisa Leslie announced yesterday that the upcoming 2009 season will be her last as a professional basketball player in the WNBA. Leslie, like Thompson, has been a cornerstone in the W since the beginning and has undoubtedly paved the way for the Diana Taurasis and Candace Parkers.
Michael Fisher, a fan of the WNBA for years had this to say about Lisa Leslie’s upcoming retirement, “Lisa Leslie's name always been part of WNBA since Day 1, and her name will always be part of it, when people talk about the Legends of the WNBA. Lisa, no words can describe all the things you have done. I Salute You and Congratulations on a Glorious career.”
As this is turning into a post for Los Angeles sports teams, let's continue the trend. Earlier this week, Kobe Bryant set a MSG record, scoring 61 points against the Knicks. Let me repeat, against the 2009 Knicks. Impressive? Scoring 61 points, yes. Scoring 61 points against D'Antoni's Knicks, not so much. Kobe is one of the greatest players of his era but not of all time, just yet anyway. When Michael Jordan set the MSG scoring record, he was playing against a tough Knick team, headed by Mr. Patrick Ewing himself. Now, the Knicks' best player is who...Al Harrington? Wow...that's definitely something to brag about! Anyway, although Kobe's play was impressive, I'm waiting for him to elevate his game to the "Legend" status, score 50 or 60 points in a hard fought playoff game against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, the big names in the league and then I'll be impressed. Don't drop 60 on a team who is taught NOT to play defense by their head coach.
More Lakers news, big game tonight against the Celtics, in Boston. Hopefully, this doesn't turn into another blowout win for the Lakers. The top two teams in the league battle it out again, expect this game to get ugly, with Boston finding a way to pull out the win.
Side Note:
LeBron also had a historic night at MSG. Last night, he became the first since Kareem in 1975 to score 50 points and also record a triple double. He may not have scored more than Kobe but he definitely made sure his presence was felt at the Garden. Who had the better game? I'll leave that for you to decide. Do the Knicks go down as the first time to allow an opponent to enter the record books in back-to-back games?
Well that's it for this installment. Next time, we'll look at the results of the LA- Boston game and the message sent by the winner. Stay safe everyone and enjoy the game!!
Heather
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