Seattle Storm Media day

LarissinhA escreveu:Pooooooooooooxa gente!
O training camap começa e ninguém fala nada???
A propósito ontem foi o midia day. A do Storm foi meio desfalcada sem Lauren, Cash e Batkovic, mas o Storm é o Storm! Dei conta que tava com saudade até de ver aquele uniforme (Armani que me perdoe, mas o Storm é insuperável!)

A boa notícia é que a Bird, que ano que vem se torna free agent, tem compaixão pelo nosso pobre coração stormfan e ao contrário da Lauren já está acertando a renovação!



Media Day Notebook: Bird Considering Extension

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Kevin Pelton, stormbasketball.com | May 19, 2009 Sue Bird spent the offseason watching from close range as her teammate and close friend Lauren Jackson went through the process of free agency, ultimately deciding to re-sign with the Seattle Storm. Now Bird, who will become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, may decide to pass up a similar situation in favor of signing an extension to her current contract.
"Lauren and I are totally different," explained Bird. "She has had her reasons for wanting to see what's out there. I'm not so sure I feel the same way. But it's still early - maybe I'll make you guys sweat the same way she did."

<table width=295 bgColor=#cacab0><tr><td>"Lauren has had her reasons for wanting to see what's out there. I'm not so sure I feel the same way." Terrence Vaccaro/NBAE/Getty Images </TD></TR></TABLE>

When Bird's contract was up after the 2007 season, the Storm made her a core player to take her off the market. She and the team than agreed on a two-year contract. Because she is playing under a multi-year deal, Bird became eligible for an extension on the anniversary of signing that contract, which came in March. She has begun discussions with the team about an extension, which are still just beginning to take shape.
"They're going," Bird said when asked to characterizing the progress. "We just started. We'll see. It's very early."
One way or another, Bird's desire is to stay in Seattle. In discussing being part of the team's 10th Anniversary season - having played in eight of those 10 seasons - Bird reiterated that she would like to finish her career where it started, with the Storm.
As she told stormbasketball.com in a video interview early in the offseason, Bird generally stayed away from discussing Jackson's decision with her.
"I really wasn't doing anything," she said. "People are probably mad at me that I wasn't. It was her decision. I spoke my peace early on. We had a few conversations, but for the most part it was her decision no matter what. I just wanted her to do what was going to be best for her, and I think she did."
Here's a little bit of what every other Storm player shared at Media Day:
LA'TANGELA ATKINSON
When she was invited by the Storm to training camp, Atkinson was reunited with a childhood idol - new Storm guard Shannon Johnson, who like Atkinson is a native of South Carolina and played at the University of South Carolina, where the two met years ago.
"Believe it or not, when I was in high school, I would go to the South Carolina camps and I remember her being there," said Atkinson. "She ended up giving me a pair of her shoes. I get home and I can't even wear the shoes - my feet were too big! But I always remembered it, and back at my mom's house, I still have that poster from Shannon that she signed for me on the wall."
KIMBERLY BECK
Beck has a new number this season, going from the No. 8 she wore as a rookie to No. 5, which was her number at George Washington University. That jersey was taken by Roneeka Hodges when Beck was first drafted by the Storm, but she got a chance to switch this offseason.
"I'm thrilled," Beck said. "8 was actually like my 10th pick last year. Missy called me and was like, 'Pick a number.' I said, 5,' and she said no. I said, '10,' and she was like, 'Yeah, right.' I threw out like three other numbers and 8 was the final number, so I'm very happy to have No. 5 back. I was actually 10 in high school, and that was taken in college, so I went to No. 5. That was my number for four years."
It will be a much more difficult task to get the No. 10 jersey away from Bird, who has worn it throughout her career.
"I'm working on it," said Beck. "I'm going to shoot her for it. That might not work out in my favor, but I'm still going to try."
SUE BIRD
One apparent lowlight of Bird's offseason - getting booed at KeyArena. That happened when she was in town in December and attended the Battle in Seattle men's game between her alma mater, Connecticut, and Gonzaga. When Bird was shown on Arenavision during the game, she received some heckling from the partisan Zags fans.
"I can't believe I got booed!" Bird recalled. "I know there were Gonzaga fans there, but dang. Oh, well. A first time for everything."
JANELL BURSE
It has been seven years since Burse last played for Brian Agler, who originally drafted her into the WNBA while coaching in Minnesota. From then, Agler's offensive system has evolved dramatically, a change Burse noticed in her first practice this year.
"Oh, it's totally different," she said. "I think there's more freedom, definitely. It's more random - it will be harder to scout for other teams. There's just more movement in general, which is always better, because you don't want to just stand in place and be easy to guard. I like the new system."
A'QUONESIA FRANKLIN
A third-round pick by the Sacramento Monarchs last spring, Franklin spent all season in Sacramento as the backup to point guard Ticha Penicheiro. Dealt to Phoenix in a multi-player deal in a three-player deal in March, Franklin did not fit on the Mercury's training camp roster and was invited to camp by the Storm.
Franklin chose the Storm, she said, "Just because of the way they play defense. In college [playing at Texas A&M for Gary Blair], that was my coach's biggest things - defense. That's one of the best skills I have to bring to the floor is my defense. The way they push the ball up and down the floor, it made Seattle a great fit for me."
MARA FRESHOUR
One of two rookies fresh out of college, the Storm's third-round pick from Florida State was pleasantly surprised by her first experience with a WNBA practice.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought," explained Freshour. "They broke some things down and went at a slower pace on the first day. I'm sure things will continually get faster and more overwhelming, but right now we're working our way in, so I was glad that it wasn't as bad as I thought."
KATIE GEARLDS
Last year, the Storm's coaching staff worked extensively with Gearlds on her defense, a process that continued for her playing in Greece this offseason and one that she knows will play a key role in determining her playing time.
"Overseas, I was always matched up against the other team's best player," Gearlds said. "I feel like I did pretty good. I feel confident, and that's all it is - it's a matter of confidence and believing in myself and knowing that I can do things, even on the defensive end. In reality, when I say I've got to be able to stay on the court, I've got to be able to stay on the court defensively. I think people know what I can do offensively. We'll see. I'm ready."
SHANNON JOHNSON
Franklin is also of of the WNBA's smallest players, listed at 5-4. That makes an unusual experience for Johnson, nicknamed "Pee Wee" at 5-7, to tower over one of her teammates.
"She's smaller than me," observed Johnson. "You don't get that opportunity where you see people smaller than yourself - I've been the smallest on almost every team."
CAMILLE LITTLE
Little had an unpleasant experience playing in Turkey, where she was disappointed with her accommodations and ultimately decided to leave the team when she returned home for the winter break.
"I had to break (my contract), and then they wouldn't release me," Little explained. "I was upset because I wanted to go play other places, but they wouldn't let me go, so I just stayed home, had some good home cooking and enjoyed myself."
The irony is that Little's spot on the roster was eventually taken by Storm teammate Ashley Robinson, who was able to work through the housing situation.
"I had the same room Camille had and the same apartment Camille had," she said, "but I was only over there for about 45 days, so I only had to deal with it for less than two months."
AJA PARHAM
For Parham, who completed her career at Boston College in 2006, this is a first opportunity to attend a WNBA training camp. While she's realistic about the uphill battle she faces to make the Storm, especially with this year's reduced rosters, Parham is excited about the opportunity.
"I clearly have no control over it," she said. "It's a tight roster - you can only hold 11. I'm here to have a good time, show how I have improved over the years, and just go with it from there. I have no demands to make the team, but if it becomes a situation where I do, I'll be happy and blessed to take on that responsibility."
ASHLEY ROBINSON
Noted for her style, Robinson was happy to put on the makeup for the annual Media Day extravaganza and sporting a new hairstyle. After Sunday's first practice, she reminded the rest of the team to look their best, though not everyone went along. Bird joked that her makeup-free look was "all natural."
KASHA TERRY
When Terry looks at Robinson, she sees a very similar player.
"Me and A-Rob are probably about the same player in terms of what we do," she said. Both players are defensive-minded posts who make use of their athleticism and have budding offensive games. The biggest difference might be Terry's love for contact in the paint.
"I would say that I'm a banger," she asked, offering a self-scouting report. "I would say I'm a little foul-prone. I would say they need to box me out and, and I would say they probably have to run the floor behind me."
ASHLEY WALKER
After spending most of last week in Seattle, Walker returned to Berkeley over the weekend for her college graduation.
"I did black grad at Cal, which is for all the African-American studies majors and then all the black students in school can participate," she said. "The best part of that was they start with the commencement song, and then it scratches to 'I'm Black and I'm Proud' and 'Celebrate Good Times.' So we just danced while we were walking, the whole time. That was probably the highlight."