Winds of change swirl around WNBA’s Storm

SEATTLE – When Sue Bird finally arrived at Seattle Storm training camp after an off-season in Russia, she found that her old squad was filled with unfamiliar faces.

Change is inevitable, even for the WNBA champs.

“Every year it’s a new team,” Bird said. “Every year it’s totally different and people kind of forget or lose sight of that.”

The Storm will open their season today against Western Conference foe Los Angeles. Bird, former league Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson and WNBA Finals MVP Betty Lennox are back, but there are plenty of questions about this year’s team.

Before the game, Seattle’s first professional title banner since 1979 will be unveiled and the Storm will receive their championship rings.

“We have to know that people are going to come kick our butts,” Bird said. “We have something that everybody wants, every single team. We have to defend that title.”

Seattle revamped its roster and returns six players from last year’s run. Storm coach Anne Donovan freely admits it will take time before the roster is set and a rotation develops.

The amount of change is not new for Donovan. Before last season, Seattle acquired Sheri Sam, Janell Burse and Lennox, and it took time to develop chemistry with the trio.

Seattle went 20-14 in the regular season but found its stride in the playoffs. The Storm swept Minnesota, then beat Sacramento 2-1 to win the Western Conference.

In the WNBA Finals, Seattle lost Game 1 at Connecticut, but rallied to win the final two games at home.

“You kind of want to jump into where we left off last season,” Lennox said.

But Seattle can’t. Sam signed with Charlotte and starting center Kamila Vodichkova went to Phoenix, leaving two holes in the starting lineup.

Still, the Storm kept Lennox.

The 5-foot-8 guard found a home in Seattle, especially after her playoff performance when she averaged 22.3 points in the Finals. Lennox bounced around to three teams before Seattle selected her in the 2003 dispersal draft from Cleveland.

The way Storm fans embraced her played a role in the decision to stay.

“Anytime you’re in an atmosphere like that it makes you feel like all your hard work isn’t really going down the drain,” Lennox said. “That it’s really paying off.”

Retaining Lennox was vital, but Jackson and Bird are still the faces of the franchise.

Jackson took the winter off, having surgery to repair a damaged ligament and remove bone spurs in her right ankle instead of playing in her native Australia.