WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR PICKS!

Here are my top picks for 2013 WNBA Coach of the Year

1. BRIAN AGLER- SEATTLE

The Storm lost Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird,  and more but never stopped scrapping, never stopped fighting and earned themselves a spot in the post season!

2. LIN DUNN- INDIANA

The defending champs were riddled with injuries all season long, but still managed to lock down a playoff berth in the East.

3. MIKE THIBAULT- WASHINGTON

After his unceremonious dumping in CT., Thibault moved to the Mystics, revamped a team that had won a total of 11 games the last two seasons and turned them into a playoff squad.

4. POKEY CHATMAN

The Sky's head coach and general manager has been putting the pieces together in Chicago the last few years. Elena Della Donne was the key to the puzzle and this team rose to the top of the East and made history with its first-ever playoff berth.

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FAKING IT??

Who is zooming who in the NFL??

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/cowboys-players-owner-jerry-jones-accuse-giants-faking-133239012--nfl.html

MOST POINTS EVER AND MOST IMPROVED, TOO???

It may seem hard to believe but Tina Thompson, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, deserves consideration for the league's Most Improved Player award in 2013. Tina was supposed to contribute off the bench for Seattle this season, but major injuries to Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, forced Thompson into a starting role for the Storm and she has stepped up big time!

Tina has already started 30 games- 25 more games than in 2012.
She is averaging 29 minutes- 10 more per game than last season.
Thompson is putting up 14 ppg- 5 points more than last year.
She is pulling down 6 boards per game- 3 more than in 2012.
Tina's Fg and 3pt fg percentages are down a bit from last year's numbers, but she has made more field goals, 3pt field goals, and free throws than she did during the 2012 season.

Tina Thompson plans to retire after this season, but you can put the rocking chair on hold for awhile. This lady is 38 years old, but she is Seattle's leading scorer and rebounder this season and she has been a driving force to get the injury depleted Storm into this year's playoff picture. (Seattle clinched a playoff berth Saturday night when San Antonio lost to L.A.) Seventeen years in the WNBA and Tina is still going strong!

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I recommend  that the L.A. Sparks adopt  Tom Petty's 

"I WON'T BACK DOWN" as their official theme song. The lyrics just seem to fit, especially after the team's heroic come-from-behind victory over the Shock. 

Pic courtesy of Noah Graham/ NBAE/ Getty Images

The Sparks were down and out and playing terribly, but they refused to back down and pulled out the win.

"I WONT BACK DOWN"

"Well I won't back down, no I won't back down

You could stand me up at the gates of hell

But I won't back down

Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around

And I'll keep this world from dragging me down

Gonna stand my ground and I won't back down

Chorus: Well I know what's right, I got just one life

In a world that keeps on pushin' me around

But I'll stand my ground and I won't back down 

Hey baby there ain't no easy way out

Hey I will stand my ground

And I won't back down"

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LB note: As much as I enjoyed calling the Sparks amazing victory, I can't help feeling bad for the Shock. That team plays too hard to be 0-5 in overtime games and have just  9 wins this season!

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TALKIN BASEBALL- LAWRENCE "YOGI' BERRA!

I taped some interviews recently for Bio.com.

It wasn't the fanciest studio setting, but I was pleased to be asked to offer my thoughts and opinions for their mini-doc series on several sports legends. This one is all about Yankee great 

Yogi Berra.

http://www.biography.com/people/yogi-berra-9210325

 I'll be posting more from the Bio.com 

sessions here in future blogs.

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MORE BAD NEWS FOR DELLA DONNE!

Elena Della Donne had an MRI, Wednesday, that revealed a mid-foot sprain of her left foot. The super-rookie could be sidelined for several weeks.

Tuesday night, Elena put up 9 points and 3 rebounds in less than 11 minutes of play before suffering the injury in Chicago's game against the Sparks in Los Angeles. Who knows what numbers EDD might have produced if she had not been forced to leave the game? Who knows what the final result might have been if EDD had been on the floor in those crucial moments of the second half? Think about it. Chicago only lost to the Sparks by 4 points with their top scorer unavailable for most of the game.

This is not the first injury that Della Donne has suffered in her rookie season. Just before the All-Star break, EDD went up for a jump shot v Washington, came down in tight quarters, and cracked her head on the Verizon Center floor. Elena told me that is when everything got really fuzzy!

Elena Della Donne: "Assistant coach, Christie Sides, was trying to tell me what to do on offense and I was just staring at her with this blank look. I had no idea what was going on . She said, 'What is wrong with you' and I told her, 'I hit my head. I'm sorry.' She said, 'You NEED to see the doctor. There is no way you can play the rest of this game."

EDD had a concussion that was going to keep her out of action and out of the WNBA All-Star game in late July. Bad news for any player, but even worse for Della Donne who was the first rookie ever to be the league's top vote-getter for the stellar affair. Even after the fall, she was planning to fly to Connecticut, but doctors told her EDD that all the noise and activity at All-Star weekend might slow her recovery.

EDD:  It was very upsetting because it was such an honor to be the #1 vote-getter and to be in my first All-Star game, but  everything happens for a reason and I was able to rest a little bit and get ready for the second half of the season. That's all I did during the All-Star weekend. I rested in a dark room where I wouldn't get too much of a headache. I was trying to get my symptoms down, but I just kept thinking about when I could play again. That was tough because a lot of times the symptoms didn't seem to be there, but you have to go through this whole process to get back on the court, so I had to be patient and realize that my brain is very important. My coaches were helping me through that."

In spite of Della Donne's bump on the head and a sprain of on the foot, her transitions to the WNBA has been almost seamless. She is Chicago's leading scorer, is posting 18 points and 5 rebounds per night, while leading the WNBA in 3 point shooting and free throw percentage. 

EDD: "It's been a pretty smooth transition. Obviously, there's been some ups and downs as a rookie, but my teammates have really helped me along the way to make it as smooth as possible. I thought I would fit in really well with this team, so I am not really shocked that I have fit into the system and been able to produce. I'm just glad that we've been able to be successful and gel the way we have.

The Sky players give EDD credit for making them better and Chicago's record proves it. Della Donne brings a versatile skill set to the game that is rare to find. Since elementary school, she has worked with a personal coach to improve her footwork and ball-handling ability, but EDD feels that her new teammates are making her an even better player and making her transition to the pros as simple as possible.

EDD: " I am 6-5 and I've got guard skills, so that really helps me. It give me some extra room to work, but my teammates are amazing! Everyone on this team is so spectacular, so it makes my life a whole lot easier. The toughest part for me has been the travel. It is tough on your body and you really have to get your rest and  revamp for the next game because you probably have only one or two days  between games and then it's time to play another one. I am still getting used to that." 

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LB note: Seattle Storm head coach & GM, Brian Agler told me that, "Della Donne was the most talented player in the 2013 WNBA Draft. She has become the go-to player in Chicago. Britney Griner will never be the go-to player in Phoenix as long as Diana Taurasi is there." 

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 The L.A. Sparks get back to work Friday night at Staples Center and I will too when Tamika Catchings and the Indiana Fever come to town. The Sparks "starved the Fever" in Indy, last week, held Indiana to 34% fg, and won on the road 74-64. The rematch is set for 8pm (pt) and I'll have the play-by-play call on TWC SportsNet. Pre-game coverage begins at 7:30(pt).  

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SPARKS V CHICAGO- FOWLES AND DELLA DONNE!

The L.A. Sparks are back home Tuesday night to host Chicago  in a 7:30 game that I'll be calling on Time Warner Cable SportsNet at 7:30pm(pt). Jantel Lavender was the star of the Sparks 4-1 record on the road trip. 

Lav averaged 15/8 and shot 56% fg in the four wins. She is playing with great confidence and decisiveness and is starting to look like the dominating force that she was in her college days at Ohio State.

The Sky is in first place in the East and they are coming in after an exciting overtime win over Minnesota that helped move the Sparks  within 1.5 games of first in the West.

Elena Della Donne canned the 3 pt shot that forced overtime with the Lynx. She finished with a career high 32 points and Sylvia Fowles added 31pts and 9 boards. I talked with Fowles at the All-Star game and she was happy to talk about the Sky's red-hot rookie

Fowles:  Having Elena there makes my job a whole lot easier. Elena is a big frame. She can stretch teams and shoot from behind the 3 point line, but she  can also get inside and post up. She blocks some shots and can play anywhere from the 3 to the 5. That is something that we've been missing: A. a true 4 player  B. a true 3 player and now we have both in her.

Elena has had a lot of impact on our team. You can see where we are standing at right now. She makes a difference! We can be really good, but with that said and as scary as that sounds, I still don't think that we have reached our peak."

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The Sky beat the Sparks in their first meeting of the season, back in June. Fowles and Della Donne combined for 37 points and 13 rebounds in the Chicago victory.

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Still to come in LarryB'sblog 

" Tales From the Trip"

My personal pictorial look back at the Sparks' recent road adventures

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