Jackson, the league's MVP in 2003 and 2007, inked a one-year deal. The Storm, citing team policy, declined to comment on the terms of the deal, but the Seattle Times, reported an unnamed league source who indicated her compensation would $100,000. That sum is roughly consistent with the league maximum of $99,500 before post-season and individual awards bonuses, which Jackson, an eight-year veteran free agent returning to her prior team and a six-time WNBA All-Star, would be expected to draw.
The announcement ended a suspenseful duel between the Storm and the Phoenix Mercury, who both sought the services of the league's most prominent free agent. Jackson missed five games at the end of last season to compete in the Beijing Olympics with the Australian National Team, finishing with silver, then failed to return following the break, opting instead to undergo ankle surgery for a painful injury that has been a chronic problem.
Jackson, now recovered, just finished her spring season in the EuroLeague with Moscow's Spartak Vidnoje team, winning a record third straight title but falling two points short in a bid for the Russian SuperLeague crown. UMMC Ekaterinburg denied Jackson's Spartak squad in the deciding game of the SuperLeague Champoinship Series, 70-68, on a basket by "Biba" (Polish wing Agnieszka Bibrzycka) with 0.9 seconds left. With Storm guard Sue Bird and Mercury wing Diana Taurasi accompanying her on the Spartak roster, Jackson was naturally drawn to the prospect of playing with both of the Connecticut legends. Until last year, when Opals teammate Penny Taylor took the season off to prepare for the Beijing Olympics, the Mercury would also have held the allure of Jackson joining her Aussie running mate. However, though Taylor played in Europe this winter for UMMC Ekaterinburg, she has not yet decided whether she will return to the WNBA this season.
Jackson, too, was ambivalent for a time as to whether she would return to the WNBA. Much of the foot and ankle problems she has encountered since entering the WNBA as a 19-year old prodigy eight years ago has been attributable to the stress of the repetitive pounding her body takes in year-round play with inadequate opportunity for recovery, she explained to Full Court during the Olympics. But even once the decisin had been made to return to the "W," the two-time league MVP had a surfeit of options, before ultimately narrowing her choice to the Storm or the Mercury.
Storm Coach Brian Agler mounted a campaign that included three off-season trips to Europe to make sure that there was never any doubt in Jackson's mind that she was wanted and valued in Seattle. On his last excursion, to the Euroleague Final Four in Salmanaca, Spain, Agler carried with him a book containing hundreds of printed e-mails from Storm season ticket holders, expressing how much Jackson's return would mean to them, as well as a highlight reel of Jackson's career in Seattle.
Apparently that, and the familiarity of her teammates and the city that she has called home in the U.S. for the last eight years, tipped the balance.
"I'm honored to return to the city of Seattle and the Storm organization as I take this next step in my WNBA career," said Jackson in a statement released by the Storm. "To have the opportunity to continue to play under Coach Agler and alongside Sue [Bird] and the rest of my teammates in front of the most loyal and passionate fans in the WNBA means the world to me. I appreciate the patience and continued support of our fans, and I look forward to celebrating the Storm's 10th anniversary with them at KeyArena this summer. I can't wait to return to Seattle and begin working toward another championship."
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| Seattle Storm's Lauren Jackson, behind, hugs teammate Sue Bird on the bench as they watch the final moments of their game against the San Antonio Silver Stars during an WNBA basketball game, Friday, June 23, 2006, in Seattle. Jackson led all scorers with 27 points in the Storm's 87-57 win. Jackson indicated her relationship with her teammates and the outpouring of sentiment from the city's "passionate" fans were instrumental in her decision to return to Seattle. |
Agler and the Storm brass were elated by the news of Jackson's return to the team. "Lauren is a key to the team's success and we're thrilled she has decided to continue her career in Seattle," said Agler. "She's an MVP, an All-Star and one of the best women's basketball players in the world. Her renewed commitment to this organization is a big asset as we continue to work toward bringing another WNBA championship to the city of Seattle."
Though she couldn't be entirely happy at the prospect of repeating this courting dance next year, Karen Bryan, President and CEO of the Seattle Storm owners' group, echoed Agler's sentiments. "We are thrilled to welcome back Lauren Jackson, who has been a cornerstone of the Storm franchise for the past eight seasons," said Bryant. "We look forward to her continued contributions to our team and our community on behalf of the Storm organization, the city of Seattle and our fans."
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| It was bad news for the Storm's new co-owners this January when two-time league MVP and team anchor Lauren Jackson turned free agent and the pursuit to romance her back to Seattle began in earnest. Though there are relieved faces in the Storm front office this week after Jackson announced her decision to re-sign with the Storm, the one-year contract means it could be déjà veux all over again this time next year. Here, Storm co-owners, Anne Levinson, left, and Ginny Gilder, second from left, and Storm chief operating officer Karen Bryant meet with Storm player Lauren Jackson, right, at a practice for last season's home opener. |
Jackson and Bird led the Storm to the 2004 WNBA title, and the dynamic duo has kept the franchise competitive over the past several years. Last season, the Storm's outlook appeared to be quite promising until the Beijing Olympics and Jackson's season-ending ankle surgery. The Storm fought gallantly against the Los Angeles Sparks in the first round, but Candace Parker proved to be too much for a Seattle squad that--with Jackson on the sidelines--lacked the imposing post presence needed to reach the Western Conference finals.
By staying in the Pacific Northwest with Bird, her trusty teammate, Jackson will be motivated in 2009 by the thought of attending to unfinished business and making the playoff push her right ankle prevented last season. Jackson averaged 20 points and seven rebounds with the Storm before the Olympics--and her injury--got in the way of a return trip to the WNBA Finals. Now that Seattle's stars are together for yet another year, motivation should not be a concern for this ball club.
But as the four-year title drought since 2004 has proven, even such talent as Jackson and Bird is not by itself enough to guarantee success in an ever-improving league. Last year Agler and the Storm front office gave their superstars what might have been their best shot at recapturing the title, surrounding them with players who though growing a bit long in the tooth, radiated All-Star quality and experience. With salary cap concerns, the reduced 11-player roster, and the perceived need to regroup, the Storm took a scythe to the talented 2008 roster. In a busy offseason, Agler, who serves as director of player personnel as well as head coach, let go of two of the WNBA's all-time greatest players--WNBA MVPs, Olympic gold medalists and All-Star recidivists Sheryl Swoopes and Yolanda Griffith--to create a younger team within a manageable salary structure.
Looking ahead to Seattle's 2009 season, the Jackson signing will obviously inject the organization with a fresh dose of confidence while keeping the team's core intact. The biggest questions surrounding this team are whether Jackson can stay healthy for a full season and how she and Bird will gel with the reshuffled roster.
One move that will no doubt please Jackson is the signing of Suzy Batkovic, the talented, 6-4, 28 year-old center of the Opals. Batkovic, who played for the Storm franchise in 2005--her only year in the WNBA, is not just Jackson's Aussie teammate; Jackson has referred to her as one of her best friends. Together with the re-signed 6-5, veteran forward-center Janell Burse, who was part of the Storm's 2004 championship run, and the younger, 6-4 center Ashley Robinson (a five-year veteran and free agent who first came to Seattle in 2006 after stints in Phoenix and Chicago), Batkovic will help absorb some of the nightly pounding in the Seattle front court.
While youth and depth appeared to be the operative factors in front-court decisionmaking, Agler tilted in the opposite direction in the back court, signing free agent guard Shannon ("PeeWee") Johnson to back up Bird at the point. Agler also brought back a much younger guard in free-agent Tanisha Wright, a four-year veteran. Wright, a natural shooting guard, complemented Bird on the perimeter in the latter stages of last season.
As it stands, the Storm roster shows 15 players, but Kimberly Beck, Kasha Terry and Melanie Thomas are signed only to training camp contracts. Kelly Santos and Kristen O'Neill, who had been signed to a training camp contract, are already gone, having been waived in late March and at the end of April, respectively. In theory, that leaves 10 players under contract, with only one roster spot yet to be decided. Mara Freshour (6-1, G), Seattle's third-round pick, had a great season at Florida State, but seems unlikely to stick in the pros on a team as talent-laden as Seattle. Whether first-round pick Ashley Walker, the 6-1 power forward who averaged 19.8 points and 8.6 boards per game last season while leading Cal to the Sweet 16, will snag the remaining spot remains to be seen.
Absent any further transactions up Agler's sleeve, when training camp opens on May 17, Walker will be competing against not only Freshour, but also Beck, a guard who played spot minutes for the team last season; Terry, a 6-3 forward/center, formerly of the Atlanta Dream and the Indiana Fever, where she averaged an unimpressive 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last season; and rookie guard Melanie Thomas, who has been averaging 22.3 points per game in Ireland's SuperLeague since leaving UConn, where she posted averages of 9.5 points and 2.0 assists per game over four seasons. Beck might benefit from experience within Agler's system, and Terry has endured the rigors of a WNBA season, but the conventional wisdom suggests that Walker--as the Storm's first pick in the April draft--has the inside track to the final roster spot. It's a brave new world with the reduction in roster sizes (last year's roster limit was 13), but that's the reality facing the Storm and every other team in the WNBA.
In any event, the lion's share of minutes will likely go to these seven players in the coming season: Jackson, Bird, Wright, Johnson, Burse, forward Camille Little, and forward Swin Cash. With respect to this seven-deep rotation, it's worth pointing out that Burse, though not injured, sat out the 2008 season after loading up on year-round basketball. Cash, a two-time All-Star, was once a mainstay on the Detroit Shock, helping lead them to the WNBA championship in 2003 and going along for the ride in 2006, but has been a mere shadow of her former self since tearing her left ACL in 2004. After an adequate but less than All-Star level showing last season, Cash is recovering from what is said to have been successful back surgery performed in early March, and is expected to be ready to go when the regular season begins on June 6. The extent to which Burse and Cash respond to the disruptions in their careers will hugely affect the ways in which Agler doles out minutes to his new-look lineup.
If the likes of Burse and Cash display more than a little rust, the trio of Robinson, Batkovic and guard Katie Gearlds could very well see extended playing time, especially in June and July. Due to the upheavals that have visited the Storm over the past several months, it's entirely possible that this drastically different roster will need extra time to mesh. If that proves to be the case, the back end of Agler's bench will play a vital role in shaping the trajectory of Seattle's season.
In the final (preseason) analysis, Jackson's return to Seattle would appear to make the Storm a solid bet for the playoffs as long as injuries don't enter into the equation. Bird would have been stranded without a post player of Jackson's caliber, but now that Seattle has its veteran inside-outside combo for yet another season, the Storm will possess the balance and versatility needed to score late in games and create opportunities with little time left on the shot clock.
As mentioned above, the keys for this team concern the pieces gathered around Jackson and Bird. Though shooting guard tends to be a somewhat inconsistent position, Wright and Bird combined well in the backcourt late last season. While PeeWee Johnson, who played for Agler on the American Basketball League's Columbus Quest in the late 1990s, is past her glory days, her experience will lend cohesion and form to Seattle's backcourt as it evolves in 2009. Guard play has never been a problem area for the Storm since Bird's arrival and seems likely to remain as good as ever -- if not actually improving -- It this season.
Small forward remains a question mark, depending heavily on the speed and extent of Cash's recovery.
Ultimately, however, the center position (if one considers Jackson to be a power forward) stands to be the make-or-break area for Agler's assemblage of athletes. Whoever is playing alongside Jackson in the paint will need to excel as a rebounder and defender in order to take pressure off the Australian superstar. There might be times when the Storm will use a three-guard lineup of Bird, Wright and Johnson, but when only two guards are on the floor, all eyes will be on Burse, Batkovic, Robinson, and/or Walker. Each carries with them her own question marks: For Burse, the effects of a year off; for Batkovic her ability to adapt to the routine pounding of the WNBA; for Robinson, the extent to which she can and will elevate the level of her game; and for Walker, the ability of a rookie to make the grade in the pros. But if winning NBA teams require glue guys--those players who do the dirty work and allow the stars to shine on the stat sheet--consider these the "glue gals" who will enable Jackson's re-signing to possess a maximum of impact.
The Seattle Storm just got a lot better this week, chasing the dark clouds away in a city known for rain. But if this franchise is to produce another special season, Brian Agler's bunch--with Lauren Jackson back in the fold and its backcourt in good shape--will quite literally more from their role players in the months to come.