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| Thursday, May 31 League could grow without expanding By Michelle Smith Special to ESPN.com |
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Late last week, the Chicago Bulls announced they were interested in a WNBA franchise. So much so, in fact that the team was beginning to solicit potential season-ticket holders to place their orders.
Funny thing is the WNBA has no immediate plans for expansion. Don't get me wrong. Chicago would be a fine market for a WNBA franchise. As would Boston because of its proximity to basketball-happy Connecticut, as would the Bay Area or Philadelphia. Not coincidentally, these are some of the biggest media markets in the country. Also not coincidentally, these are four cities where the NBA product (Philly has become the exception) hasn't exactly thrived in the last five years. The WNBA would like to be in at least a couple of these markets. But again, there is no immediate plan for further expansion. At least that's what they say now. There is, however, a strong possibility of relocation. Charlotte and Utah are the most frequently mentioned candidates for relocation. Charlotte may lose its NBA franchise anyway and the league has reportedly refused to extend Utah's franchise agreement beyond the 2002 season. The interesting twist is that WNBA president Val Ackerman is now saying that the league may be willing to stray from its original business model of placing teams exclusively in NBA cities. That would seem to open the door for someplace like Hartford, where the New England Blizzard were the best draw in the old American Basketball League, or San Jose, where the proximity to the fan base for Stanford women's basketball is much closer than Oakland.
Here's the thing. The WNBA should have no immediate plans for expansion. Only this season, with a strong draft and players improving themselves measurably overseas, has the WNBA talent pool caught up with the league's rapid growth. There is no longer a place for borderline players on WNBA rosters. There's barely a place for some obviously talented ones.
Sixteen teams seems the right number for the forseeable future.
News and notes
The Western Conference wins the TV tally by a large margin with 39 appearances, compared to 23 for East teams. In addition to L.A. and Houston, Sacramento and Phoenix make seven appearances each. On the low end are Miami, Indiana, Detroit and Seattle with one appearance each, followed by Portland and Charlotte, the only teams that will not make a national TV appearance.
Sacramento, for example, spent its entire training camp without Ticha Penichero or Yolanda Griffith because they hadn't yet returned from Europe. Griffith remains in Italy, where her team is playing for a title. She may not be in Sacramento in time for Saturday's season opener.
Cleveland is still missing Rushia Brown and Ann Wauters, a pair of starters, who might not make the season debut either.
Ackerman said the WNBA may have to talk with FIBA, the international governing body, about the problem.
All these missing players is going to make a slow start for the affected teams and for the league, which would like to build as much early momentum as possible.
Michelle Smith of the San Francisco Chronicle is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. |
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