New-look Storm strive for perfection

SEATTLE – Four years ago, after bringing the WNBA championship trophy to Seattle, Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson appeared on the cusp of a lengthy run atop the league.

They were talented, experienced and, most important, young enough to create a long-standing championship contender every year in Seattle.

Three years, and three first-round playoff exits later, the Storm looks little like that title team, except for Bird and Jackson, the reigning league MVP. In place is a star-studded roster of Olympians and All-Stars, constructed with the belief that egos and credentials can be set aside and “The Perfect Storm” – as the team’s marketing gurus are promoting – can bring another championship to Seattle.

“A lot of teams look at this roster and say, ‘Wow, it’s a nice roster,’ ” said new guard Sheryl Swoopes. “And on paper, it is. But it doesn’t matter what’s on paper, it’s what is out on the floor.”

The Storm open their season of lofty expectations tonight against Chicago, and what will be on the floor is a lineup that features Jackson, Bird, Swoopes, former league MVP Yolanda Griffith and Olympian Swin Cash. They’ll be playing for new coach Brian Agler, the architect of this remodel, and in front of an appreciative fan base assured the team will seemingly be in Seattle permanently.

When Force 10 Hoops LLC, a group of four Seattle businesswomen, bought the team from Seattle SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett for $10 million, it was not only a move that assured the Storm would stay in Seattle but it was also the catalyst for a series of big off-season moves.

First was the hiring of Agler to replace Anne Donovan, who suddenly stepped aside after last season. Next was a series of trades that landed Cash in Seattle after six standout seasons in Detroit.

After Cash came Swoopes and Griffith. Both were the faces of their franchises, having spent their entire careers with Houston and Sacramento, respectively, each garnering loads of honors and bringing titles to their teams.