WNBA 2010 – Can the Sparks Make the Playoffs?

This has been a very strange season for the Western Conference in the WNBA. About 2/3 of the way through the season, the Los Angeles Sparks have a W-L ratio of .273 with a record of 6-16. Most years, you’d be saying that this team was definitely going to the lottery. But this isn’t most years. At this point, L.A. (who don’t have the worst record in the conference, amazingly enough) is just two games back from a playoff spot, and only four games from second place. With twelve games remaining, there is still more than enough time for them to make a play-off run.

Much has been made of the loss of Candace Parker for the season due to a recurrence of a shoulder injury followed by much-needed surgery. It’s one of those events that has a devastating effect on teams. But–and this is important–L.A. wasn’t doing that well when she was in the line-up. When you also add in the extended absence of Betty Lennox, you have a 9-player-deep team that is going to struggle to find wins. That’s just a given with the talent level through the league.

That said, the Sparks still boast two Olympic veterans on their roster as well as the best passing point guard in WNBA history. Add in a few scoreboard-lighting young players, and there’s definitely to think that you can make some lemonade. But it’s not happening. With a losing record at home and a 1-10(!) record on the road, something definitely needs to be tweaked.

I’ve made no secret that I think that L.A.’s offense is plodding. Even for a half-court team, it’s slow and lackluster. When Parker was in the line-up, the offense was designed for her to post up and either create or pass out of the double/triple team. Everyone else pretty much just stands around. Every now and again, you have motion and weaves and scrubs, but mostly, there’s just a lot of standing around. Since Coach Gillom doesn’t seem to be tearing the team a new one on the sidelines for their lack of movement, I have to guess this is by design. If so, it’s a bad design–with or without Parker.

ESPN announcer, Carolyn Peck, has lately been vocal (on-air and on-Twitter) that with the Sparks having Kristi Toliver and Andrea Riley just itching to go out and shoot threes, that perhaps the Sparks need to do just that.

Given the general abilities of the players and the offensive philosophy, one thing is certain: L.A. shouldn’t pattern themselves on Phoenix (at least, not this season) but more like Seattle. The Storm have a style that echoes the one that Gillom has been trying to put in with the Sparks. The thing is–the Storm players not named Bird or Jackson don’t just stand and watch hoping the ball comes to them. They are active.

Though you see it in spurts, most of the time you don’t see the Sparks giving you high-energy. The thing is: the WNBA has moved to requiring up-tempo. You can’t just lope up the court to get on offense. Even half-court teams know you have to get in the frontcourt quickly to give you enough time to run through sets and options. You have to commit.

As for defense–again, L.A. is lacking in energy. That said, they are also lacking in personnel. After a while, it doesn’t matter how high-energy you are, you do need the size. L.A.’s defense has been improving. Still, there are times when they look more like a pick-up team instead of disciplined professionals. There needs to be more of a Top Gun “I’m not leaving my wing-man” philosophy: help when needed, but stick to your assignment.

So, can the Sparks make the playoffs? They have the personnel. Phoenix has shown that you can get by with a lack of size on defense but only if you are willing to commit on offense. In the end, that’s the tip for the season: the coach and players have to commit to being offense-oriented. That means, as Ms Peck has said, you need to get your scorers off the bench. Yeah, Toliver and Riley are going to have poor shooting games. So does Taurasi (though fewer now than she used to).

The fact is, the future of the Sparks isn’t Thompson, Milton-Jones, or anyone else with a decade or more of service. To get to the playoffs, Gillom and the front office might just have to take a gamble and go with youth and allow for the occasional bone-headed young player mistakes. There’s not a lot more left to lose at this point, but there is most definitely a lot to gain. Ask Atlanta.