deeoriginal1

It's a good decision for Washington Mystics General Manager and head coach Trudi Lacey to hire Jennifer Gillom.

Gillom is a Hall of Famer and the menacing Grand Mah-Mah from her days playing in the WNBA.

But it would have been an even better decision by Lacey if she had fired herself and hired Jennifer Gillom as the Mystics head coach.

But no such luck, huh?

At any rate, Gillom will have an immediate impact on player development in the post positions.  She will also be a marked improvement over Lacey in the team morale department.

But if Gillom is not given the power or authority to implement necessary changes with the Mystics... then her presence in D.C. will be wasted... meaningless.

Lacey needs to relinquish the head coaching responsibilities to Gillom... and focus her energies on being a good General Manager.

After all, the Mystics have some major free agents to re-sign before the season starts... Crystal Langhorne, Alana Beard, Nicky Anosike, Monique Currie, Kelly Miller... and DeMya Walker, if she can get into shape.

Then the Mystics have to hone-in on who they want to take in the upcoming WNBA Draft... with the 8th and 10th picks in the first round of the 2012 WNBA Draft.

Maybe if Lacey has enough sense to step down as the Mystics head coach... maybe... just maybe... Mystics fans can put last season behind them... when Lacey single-handedly turned a 22-12 team into a 6-28 team.

But I can't help but wonder if the hiring of Jennifer Gillom as an assistant coach means that Laurie Byrd got the axe toward the end of the season last year?  Laurie just disappeared from the sidelines last season... never to be seen again... probably because she didn't approve of a lot of the mess that Lacey was doing last year.

It just nauseates me to think that Lacey will try to coach the Mystics again this season... especially after the mess she made of the team last season.

The Mystics had a top-5 rebounder in Nicky Anosike for the entire season last year... that is... until Lacey benched her toward the end of the season.

Kelly Miller was the third-best 3-point-shooter in the WNBA last season... shooting 44% from behind the 3-point arc.  But Lacey didn't have a clue as to how she could best use Kelly.

Lacey thought that rookie Victoria Dunlap was good enough to start in Crystal Langhorne's place for three games last season... when Crystal was injured... wherein Victoria averaged 12 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game.

After Crystal's return to the starting lineup... however... Lacey didn't think that Victoria was good enough to even sub-in for more than an average of 4 minutes per game... after having played Victoria for an average of 32 minutes per game in Crystal's absence.

Crystal Langhorne was top 5 in scoring and top 6 in rebounding.  But she and Matee Ajavon were also top 4 in turnovers... second and fourth, respectively.

Then top all of that off with Lacey letting the #8 pick in last year's draft, 6'6" Ta'Shia Phillips, go to another team IN THE SAME CONFERENCE... for absolutely NOTHING!  No trade.  No money.  No nothing!

Then Lacey picked Kerri Gardin up off of waivers... fired her... and picked her up again... all within a couple of weeks in the middle of the season.

Then Lacey picked up some baby-mama-drama off of waivers when she signed DeMya Walker... and turned the entire ballclub into babysitters for DeMya's small child... who accompanied DeMya EVERYWHERE on team business.

But perhaps one of the biggest mistakes Lacey made last year was cutting four veterans from her final training camp roster and keeping four rookies... two of which she waived in the middle of the season, anyway.

Lacey should have kept 6'5" Angel Robinson out of Mystics training camp... especially after cutting 6'3" veteran Chasity Melvin.

But what's truly amazing is that after all of this... Lacey still has her job!

What is Mystics owner Sheila C. Johnson on?!

I mean... what could she possibly be thinking?

All I can say is that Lacey has got to convince Crystal Langhorne to stay in D.C.... eventhough Lacey is remaining on as the Mystics' head coach.

Then there's Alana Beard, Nicky Anosike, Monique Currie and Kelly Miller.  What's to motivate them to stay in D.C.?

But instead of tackling these very important free agents... Lacey already announced in The Washington Post last year that she plans to re-sign Kerri Gardin and DeMya Walker... two nobodies.

For the life of me... I just don't understand why Lacey would make these two ladies priority signings!  

I only hope that Kerri Gardin emasculates her image... and develops a frickin' game! 

I also hope that DeMya Walker loses some of her massive butt... and gets into shape.  If so, her up-side is good.  If not, she needs to take lil' DeMya and hit the road. 

Seriously!

The Mystics do not need any additional problems. 

We have enough problems... with Lacey calling the shots!

Rick Pitino is what you call a NAME in college basketball.

And I think... sometimes that NAME overshadows his team and clouds his judgment.

NOW... this thread could end right here... because that's my point.  But it won't... because there's so much more to be said on the matter.

Every Rick Pitino team at every school he's been at... in the last 27 years of his 36-year coaching career... has been all about him and his NAME.

It hasn't been about these schools' basketball programs nor the athletes he's coached over those years.  It's been all about him... Rick Pitino... the NAME.

That's why none of his former players really burst out into the NBA and have Hall-of-Fame-like careers... with the exception of maybe Antoine Walker or Jamal Mashburn.  And it would truly be a stretch to imply that either of those two will make it into the basketball Hall of Fame.

Rick Pitino seems to stifle the drive of any extraordinary basketball talent that he coaches in order to maintain the spotlight on himself.

When Rick Pitino gets his hands on great players, he steers them away from their own personal strengths and brow-beats them into taking-on the style of play that HE thinks they should have.

The end result is that great players don't become greater players under Rick Pitino.  They regress to become mediocre players... who... once they get away from Rick Pitino and into the pros... struggle to regain the extraordinary talents that made them great players in the first place.

Many great players go into Rick Pitino's program... but very few come out.  And he has had some really great players go into his system... like Ron Mercer, Winston Bennett, Kenny "Sky" Walker, Derek Anderson, Rodrick Rhodes, Francisco Garcia, Juan Palacios, Terrence Williams, Derrick Caracter, Earl Clark, Samardo Samuels and others.

But Rick Pitino... the NAME... wants to be seen as the king-maker.  That's why Rick Pitino is credited with turning out great head coaches.  Not great players.

Pitino wants to be credited as being the reason why his teams are so good.  He does not want his team's success to be credited to the individual talent of his players.  And it's little wonder that both Rodrick Rhodes and Derrick Caracter... once casted-out by Rick Pitino... found flourishing careers in other schools under very different coaches.

So, Tuesday night... as I watched as Rick Pitino benched Russ Smith... a prolific-scoring-guard out of Brooklyn, New York, who scored 30 points against the likes of the second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on New Year's Eve... I listened to ESPN sports analyst Doris Burke speculate as to why Russ was not in the game as his Louisville team took a pounding from Providence.  "Rick Pitino seems to be sending this young man a message," she mused.

Yep.  And that message is:  "There's only room for one star on this team.  And that star is ME... Rick Pitino!"

It was quite clear that if winning was the name of the game for Rick Pitino... Russ Smith would have been in that game.

But winning is not the name of the game for Rick Pitino.   Rick Pitino is the name of the game for Rick Pitino... polishing his brand... preserving his NAME.
 

Speaking as an SEC Kentucky fan... believe me... there is no love lost between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats... EVER!  I'm a Gator hater... whenever and wherever they play the Big Blue!

And when it came to Tim Tebow at Florida... I really didn't care for the way Urban Meyer just shoved Tebow into his lineup in his freshman year... completely dousing any hopes that senior quarterback Chris Leak had of being considered for the Heisman Trophy in his final year in Gainesville, Florida.

Tebow was the freshman phenom who stole all of the headlines and credit from Leak in Florida.  And maybe that's why it was kinda nice to see Leak... and not Tebow... be named the MVP of the BCS National Championship Bowl, as Leak placed the national title in Urban Meyer's lap in his final game as a Gator.

That was sweet... for Chris Leak!

But then there was Tebow's sophomore year at Florida... when he was the starting quarterback.  He was named the Associated Press Player of the Year and the NCAA Quarterback of the Year.  And he also won the Heisman Trophy that year.

And what did Tebow do in his junior year at Florida?  Well... he won a BCS National Championship against Oklahoma!  That's what!

So, by Tim Tebow's senior year at Florida... I think everyone everywhere-else had heard just about enough of Tim Tebow.  And that's why I didn't mind it too much when Kentucky flattened his little haloed-S and gave him a concussion in his final year.

Sick?  Yeah, I know.  But it was kinda nice to see Tim Tebow knocked out of his element.  Because when he was in his element...he was unstoppable.

At any rate... as far as I was concerned... thank God Tim Tebow was on his way OUT of the SEC!

And I really thought that Tebow would be welcomed into the NFL with opened arms... especially since the pros were trying to persuade him to enter the NFL draft after his sophomore year.

But like the piranhas we all know that they can be... the so-called pro football experts and sports pundits trashed Tim Tebow's draft prospects on some completely fabricated and trumped-up notion that his throwing motion was too slow or too low for the pros.

Now... mind you... this is the same throwing motion that had won Tim Tebow a Heisman, two national championships and countless player and quarterback of the year awards.

And there ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr., was... a man who had NEVER played an NFL game in his life... taking it upon himself to downgrade Tebow's draft status. 

So-called experts like Kiper were hellbent on humbling Tim Tebow and shattering his golden boy aura.  And they succeeded.

Tim Tebow... who should have been the #1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft... slipped down to the Denver Broncos as the 25th pick of the draft.

And despite being haunted by all of this contrived mess about his throwing motion by Kiper and others... Tim Tebow's rookie stats were better than most other starting NFL quarterbacks' rookie stats... with very few exceptions.  But yet... all of these so-called experts kept raising the bar higher and higher for Tebow to hurdle.

And finally... this year... after the Denver Broncos had dropped to a 1-4 record behind Kyle Orton... Tim Tebow finally got the nod to replace Orton as the Broncos' starting quarterback.

And again the so-called pro football experts and sports pundits piled on and said Tim Tebow would be an utter failure as Denver's starting quarterback... for this reason and for that reason.  Even John Elway and others in Denver's own front office have been very vocal about their lack of confidence in Tim Tebow's playing style.

But all Tebow did was reel-off a 7-1 record for the Broncos and placed them at the top of the AFC West Division for Denver's first division title and playoff appearance since 2005.  And in a year when my Indianapolis Colts lost starting quarterback Peyton Manning and managed to win only ONE game... what Tebow was able to do in Denver sounds pretty damm remarkable to me.

Week after week... game after game... soooo many of these so-called pro football experts and sports pundits have had to eat their words and wrong predictions about Tebow... on the air!  But that has not stopped them from setting the bar higher and higher for Tim Tebow with each passing game.

In the playoffs... these experts predicted that the #1 defense in the NFL and a one-legged 2-time Super Bowl champion quarterback would be too much for Tebow in the first round of the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And they were wrong.

Tim Tebow threw a 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime Sunday night to send the #1 defense in the NFL and their one-legged quarterback home... back to Pittsburgh.

Completely stunned and apologetic for their wry Tebow critiques and predictions... AGAIN... these same experts' crow was barely down their throats before they began to predict Tebow's demise against the 31st defense (out of 32 teams) in the NFL and a 3-time Super Bowl champion quarterback next Saturday in New England.

Maybe they're right.  Maybe they're wrong.

But however the game turns out between Tim Tebow's Broncos and the New England Patriots this weekend... it will not negate the fact that Tim Tebow has ALREADY proven all of his naysayers to be wrong... sooooo many times this year.

He has nothingelse to prove to them or to us as NFL fans.

The guy is legit.  He has already proven that he is better than, at least, 22 other starting quarterbacks in the NFL... by advancing through to the second round of the playoffs.

Like it or not... he has arrived in the NFL.

And it's about damm time that these so-called pro football experts, sports pundits, fans and Denver's own front office stop dicking-this-kid-around by continually raising the bar for his acceptance, acknowledgement and respect in the NFL.

Tim Tebow has made it!  He has proven himself!

So, they need to stop this pretense that there's somethingelse Tim Tebow needs to prove!  There isn't!

And if his season should end tomorrow... Tim Tebow will have had a great season... by ANY standard!

Ain't it bad enough that poor dumb-S Kris Humphries had to run out and marry a selfish-ho like Kim Kardashian?

Now, why did Forbes.com have to go and name poor Kris "the most disliked player" in the NBA this year?

Last year, LeBron James earned the dubious distinction for being the league's "most disliked player" in a Forbes.com poll. That was soon after his nationally televised "Decision" turned the masses against him. This year? Kris Humphries takes the crown. Yes, the same guy who decided it was not only a good idea to marry Kim Kardashian but also star in her reality TV show.

But I ain't mad at him.  Kris Humphries-Kardashian just signed with the New Jersey Nets for $8-million.  And he gets to keep all of those expensive wedding gifts... even if he didn't get to keep his bride... the skanky Mrs. Kim Humphries-Kardashian!

But to be honest with you... Kris Humphries doesn't deserve to be on Forbes' list of "the most disliked players" in the NBA.  He hasn't accomplished anything in the NBA.  His only claim to fame is humping-on and hooking-up with Kim Kardashian... a renowned locker room slutt.

Kris Humphries is a nobody!

He's like... what's that guy's name who married recording superstar Mariah Carey?  Or what's that guy's name who married WNBA superstar Candace Parker?

He's a nobody!  So, who cares enough about him to even bother disliking him?

Not I!

C'mon, now... who would have ever placed Kris Humphries at the top of a list that included big NBA names like LeBron James (as the 2nd most disliked player), Kobe Bryant (the 3rd most disliked player), Tony Parker (the 4th most disliked player), Metta World Peace (the player previously known as Ron Artest and the 5th most disliked player), Chris Bosh (the 6th most disliked player), Carmelo Anthony (the 7th most disliked player), Paul Pierce (the 8th most disliked player), Dwyane Wade (the 9th most disliked player) and Lamar Odom (Kris Humphries brother-in-law, by marriage, and the 10th most disliked player)?

This guy definitely doesn't belong in this company.

Kris Humphries would probably fit-in better with wild-S-hoes like NeNe and Kim on The Real Housewives of Atlanta or with Gilbert Arenas battling fiance on Basketball Wives: LA. 

In fact, it kinda irks me that Forbes would publish something that would make this guy matter in ANY conversation regarding the NBA.

Kris Humphries doesn't matter in the NBA for what he's done on the basketball court... but rather for who he's done off of the basketball court.

 

All of the players and coaches who participated in the Cincinnati-Xavier brawl Saturday should be suspended from NCAA competition... FOR LIFE!

And that would send out a stern enough message to any other would-be brawlers that the NCAA will not tolerate this krapp.

Basketball is a sport.  Not a thuggerated street fight!

If the Xavier players wanted to prove that they weren't "no punks" and could not be bullied by the Cincinnati players... even though the Xavier players were 9 seconds away from thoroughly defeating the Cincinnati players... they should be given that opportunity to prove that they're not "no punks"... in the streets and not on the basketball court.

The NCAA should toss every last one of these players in the streets and out of the NCAA for the rest of their collegiate lives.

The NCAA is an association.  And these student athletes and coaches are members of that association... by virtue of competing for their respective schools in an NCAA-sanctioned game.

This disgusting brawl that occurred Saturday is more than enough reason to ban all of the participants in this brawl from any future NCAA competition... in ANY sport.

Their memberships should be REVOKED!

And perhaps... this will remind all of the players and coaches throughout the NCAA that it is a privilege to compete in the NCAA.  Not a right.

And it should also remind them that basketball is a sport... that requires sportsmanship.  Not thuggery.

If the Cincinnati players wanted to intimidate the Xavier players... they should have done so by winning the game.

And if the Xavier players wanted to prove that they could not be intimidated... they should have finished the game... and notched the win.

This whole debate about whether two teams from the same conference should face-off for the college football national championship... especially since the two teams just recently met-up in a regular season matchup... seems vaguely familiar.  Almost like deja-vu.

Yep... when LSU toppled Alabama, 9-6, on Nov. 5th in their much-publicized regular season matchup... they were ranked #1 and #2 in the nation, respectively.  And the SEC looked pretty fierce up to that point... much like the Big Ten Conference looked 5 years ago with #1 Ohio State and #2 Michigan.

Back on Nov. 18, 2006... #1 Ohio State defeated #2 Michigan, 42-39, in their regular season matchup... just weeks before the final BCS pairings were to be announced.

Ohio State had been ranked #1 in the BCS rankings for 7 straight weeks... the entire length of the BCS ranking period.  And Michigan had been ranked #2 in those same rankings for 5 straight weeks.  The Michigan Wolverines even maintained their #2 BCS ranking for one week after their only loss to the Buckeyes that season.

But did Michigan get the BCS nod for the national championship game against Ohio State that year?

Hellnaw!

Some argued back then that it was because the two teams had already faced-off a couple of weeks earlier during the regular season... and a rematch would just be redundant.  Nobody wanted to see that matchup again.

Yet, others argued that it was because the two teams were in the same conference... and it would be more like a conference champion.  Not a national championship.

Sound familiar?

Whatever the reason... the BCS obviously caved-in to public opinion and selected 4th-ranked Florida to play Ohio State for the national championship that year.

Florida... a team that had not been ranked any higher than #4 in the BCS rankings and that had been ranked below Michigan for 7 weeks... all of a sudden was catapulted into the #2 spot in the final week... leap-frogging Michigan.

And of course, Florida's selection over Michigan was vindicated that year... simply because they defeated Ohio State for the national title.

Now... in light of how 2006 turned out... why didn't the BCS selection committee show a little consistency this year... and avoided an all-SEC matchup in the national championship game?

I mean... the BCS selection committee would have been more justified avoiding an all-SEC national championship matchup this season than they were in avoiding an all-Big Ten national championship in 2006.

LSU is undefeated... just like Ohio State was in 2006.

And just like Ohio State was in 2006... LSU was ranked #1 in the BCS rankings for 7 straight weeks... the entire ranking period.

Additionally, LSU defeated their conference rivals, the 2nd-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, just weeks before the final BCS rankings... just like Ohio State had defeated their conference rivals, the 2nd-ranked Michigan Wolverines, weeks before the final BCS rankings in 2006.

Alabama was ranked #2 in the BCS rankings for 5 of the 7 weeks of BCS rankings... just like Michigan was ranked #2 in the BCS rankings for 5 of the 7 weeks of BCS rankings in 2006.

So, why didn't #3 Oklahoma State get the same BCS nod to play for the national championship this year that #4 Florida got from the BCS selection committee back in 2006?

That is the question!

Oklahoma State was, at least, ranked #2 in the BCS rankings for two straight weeks prior to suffering their only loss this season.  And Oklahoma State and Alabama have identical 11-1 records.

At least, Oklahoma State is this year's Big 12 Conference Champions.  Alabama didn't even make it to the SEC Conference Championship game this year.

In 2006, Florida was selected over Michigan... despite never being ranked among the top 3 BCS teams throughout the BCS ranking period... that is... until they were selected to play for the national championship in the BCS's final rankings.

So, what gives now?

Why is it okay for two SEC teams to play for the national championship NOW... when it wasn't okay for two Big Ten teams to play for the national championship back in 2006?

Cronyism?

Payoffs?

Your guess is as good as anybodyelse's.

But anyone who thinks that Alabama deserves to play for the national championship this season is... uh... well... probably wearing crimson and white... and not wearing orange and black.

When I say I'm a Tennessee Lady Vols fan... I really mean that I'm a Coach Pat Summitt fanatic!

I mean... growing up in nearby Kentucky in the 1970s when the legendary Coach Adolph Rupp was ruling NCAA men's basketball with his Kentucky Wildcats... then-Coach Pat Head was more than his equal on the women's side of the ball.

There was nothing and nobody quite like Pat Head and her Tennessee Lady Vols.

All she did was win... year after year after year!

And everybody loves a winner... even if that winner is nestled in a remote little Appalachian town in eastern Tennessee... even if the school's colors are a gaudy orange, white and Columbian blue... and even if it is a girls' basketball team.

Yes... in a man's world of basketball, with good ol' boys hoarding all of the accolades, attention and respect... Pat Summitt is the exception.  Hers is a name that instantly silences the good ol' boys and their lauders.  For Pat Summitt set the bar for excellence in basketball so high over the past 37 years that none of her male counterparts can even imagine coaching long enough to match or surpass her achievements.

She is the winningest coach in NCAA Division I basketball... male or female... with 1071 wins (and 199 losses) in 37 years.  The closest men's coach to Pat's record is Duke University's Mike Kryzewski... with 907 wins (and 284 losses) in 36 years.

Never mind that Coach Pat Summitt was the NCAA Coach of the Year 7 times or the SEC Coach of the Year 8 times.

But in April 2000... Pat Summitt was named the James A. Naismith Basketball Coach of the (entire) 20th Century!

And never mind that Coach Pat Summitt has won 8 NCAA Championships and 16 SEC Championships.

But in 1999... the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame located itself... not in New York... not in Los Angeles... not in Indiana, Michigan or North Carolina... but in Knoxville, Tennessee... simply because that's where Pat Summitt hangs her clipboard!

Coach Pat Summitt's steely blue-eyed glares... her quirky superstitions... her fierce competitve nature... and her insatiable desire for excellence... are all tempered by her class and impeccable integrity... her love for the game... her gracious ambassador-like demeanor... her warm, homespun sense of humor... and her desire to not only coach basketball but to teach basketball.

And more than any other coach in the South... Pat Summitt kicked the door wide open for black women basketball players from inner cities like Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York; Stratford, New Jersey; St. Louis, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Cleveland, Ohio, to excel... even in the SEC.

She placed these young ladies on a national stage and molded them into champions... forcing SEC sports commentators to have to awkwardly attempt to pronounce names like Chamique and Tamika and Semeka and Shyra... with their thick southern drawls.  And all the while... Pat Summitt made sure her players looked and acted like ladies at all times.

Pat Summitt has done it all.  And she has done it all the right way... all of the time.

Pat Summit is so immensely popular in the State of Tennessee that she could have been elected Governor of Tennessee or hired as the head coach of Tennessee's men's basketball team.  But neither one of those titles or positions is greater than the one she holds.

And now that Pat Summitt has announced that she is in the early stages of dementia... I can't help but feel that the Pat Summitt that we all love, respect and admire is going to slip away from us.  Somehow... 37 years is simply not long enough.

I feel like I don't want to blink... because I don't want to miss even a second of the time that I have left to see this special phenomenon called Pat Summitt.

Even the sports commentators who cover her games are more focused on what Pat Summitt is doing or not doing on the sidelines than what her 8th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols are doing on the basketball court.  "Is she the main voice in her huddles during timeouts?"  "Is she taking a backseat to her assistants?"  "Is she coherent?"  "Is she involved?"  "Is she the Pat Summitt we all know and admire?"

Who knows?

Who cares?

All I know is that I could care less about the Lady Vols out there playing on the court!  I want to see Coach!  And I thank the University of Tennessee for affording me... and the world of Pat Summitt fans and followers... an opportunity to witness... grasp... every drip-drop of the remaining moments in Coach Pat Summit's fabulous career.

Never mind the score or the outcome of the Tennessee Lady Vols' games.  I'm watching something truly special... something that comes along only once in a lifetime... a phenomenon.  I'm watching greatness... the Coach... Pat Summitt.

Jeepers! What would the NBA be nowadays without Kobe Bryant or LeBron James or Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony or Dwight Howard or Dirk Nowitzki?

And despite the current player-lockout in the NBA... NBA fans have never really had to try to grasp the notion of the NBA without its brightest stars... since the NBA is the biggest and best stage in men's professional basketball... in the world!

But the WNBA... well... that's another story.

The WNBA is neither the biggest stage nor the best stage in professional women's basketball... in the world.

And while the allure of playing professional ball in the United States may have been enough to attract the world's best players to the WNBA in its first 13 or 14 years... it's becoming increasingly apparent that playing pro ball in America is not enough to keep these players loyal to the WNBA.

Professional women basketball players playing abroad in Europe and Asia play 20-25 games over a 5- or 6-month period throughout the winter and spring.

In contrast... when those same players play in the WNBA, they are required to play 34 games in 3 months during the summer.

It's no wonder why the top players... especially Americans... flock to these overseas leagues every year... not only because they offer longer and less congested schedules... but because they offer the big bucks... mucho dinero... mo' money, mo' money, honey!

But for some inexplicable reason... all of America's best players and many of the world's best players usually complete their overseas obligations and hurry back to the States in time to kickoff the WNBA season... for much less pay... every year... that is... until now.

In recent years... it seems like more and more big-name-players in the WNBA just choose not to play in the WNBA... and choose, instead, to cater to their overseas teams during the European offseason. 

And no matter how the fans try to shake off the fact that these players are choosing to do other things... instead of playing in the WNBA... it's becoming more and more apparent that the WNBA is losing both its swagger and the loyalty of its primetime players. 

Already during the WNBA's offseason that began about a month ago... Australian-born Seattle Storm superstar center Lauren Jackson... a 3-time WNBA MVP and a 2-time WNBA champion... has announced the signing of her $1-million contract to play 3 years in her native-Australia.  And although Lauren's contract will span 3 seasons in the WNBL in Australia... she will be paid for FIVE years!

So, what reason does Lauren Jackson have to return to the WNBA's Seattle Storm next season... where her salary is capped-off at $103,500 for the 2012 season?

What does this say about the WNBA? 

A couple of years ago, American-born San Antonio Silver Stars superstar point guard Becky Hammon left her WNBA team for two weeks... right in the middle of the season... to play for Russia overseas.  That's because Becky Hammon had signed a 4-year contract with the Russians in 2008 for $2-million to apply for dual citizenship and play for the Russian National Team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Becky Hammon is capped-out at about $101,500 per season in San Antonio of the WNBA.

Even when former University of Tennessee standout Candace Parker entered the WNBA as the #1 pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft... after capturing back-to-back NCAA titles with the Lady Vols... and finished as the WNBA's 2008 Rookie of the Year and MVP, Candace's spectacular rookie season in the WNBA netted her little more than $44,064 for the entire season.

Candace Parker almost received as much in post-season bonuses ($30,000) for league MVP, Rookie of the Year and All-WNBA First Team honors than she did from her Los Angeles Sparks WNBA rookie contract.

So, it's little wonder that Atlanta Dream starting post players Sancho Lyttle and Erika De Souza would both decide to leave their WNBA team this season to join Spain's National Team overseas for a week or two for various FIBA European competitions.  In fact... Erika De Souza opted to leave her Atlanta Dream team right smack in the middle of their run in this year's Eastern Conference Finals and the WNBA Finals!

But at least Erika and Sancho showed up this season, huh?

Connecticut Sun star forward Sandrine Gruda didn't even bother to show up for the 2011 WNBA season this year. The frenchwoman opted to stay in Europe... with the French National Team.

And while you can probably blame Sandrine Gruda's absence and Sancho Lyttle's and Erika De Souza's midseason breakaways from the WNBA on their loyalty to their countries' national teams... what is the excuse for American players like New York Liberty starting center Janel McCarville and Chicago Sky forward Mistie Williams who decided to stay in Europe and skip the WNBA season this year, as well?

It seems that the WNBA's high demands and low pay has finally caught up with it. And the players are no longer willing to put the WNBA's needs ahead of their own. 

Money talks... a lot!

And the WNBA just hasn't had much to say to its star players in that regard.  As a result... the WNBA is beginning to take a backseat to professional leagues and national teams overseas... in the minds of its primetime players.

The WNBA is at the complete mercy of these players.

And while the NBA fans are hoping that the NBA's player-lockout will soon end... the WNBA fans are hoping that the star players in the WNBA don't decide to lockout the WNBA and stay in Europe, altogether.