Sue Bird Stays Aggressive, Storm Start 2-0
Stick Lauren Jackson's season-ending ankle injury last season in that pantheon of injuries to a superstar that end up helping the team long-term.
We're thinking of David Robinson's broken foot, which led to a Spurs' season so dismal that they got the #1 pick and Tim Duncan the next year.
Or the sheared blood vessel Drew Bledsoe suffered in 2001, forcing the Patriots to turn to an untested Tom Brady.
When Jackson missed the last third of last season, the outcome was one coach Brian Agler had been hoping for since he was hired: Sue Bird started shooting more. Bird ended up taking more shots last year than in any of her previous six WNBA seasons, averaging more than 10 shots per game for the first time since '03.
She's being even more aggressive so far this season, having put up 25 shots in two games (both Storm wins, at Sacramento and here against Sacramento in the home opener.)
Bird's only made ten of those shots, but by establishing herself as an offensive threat, she's forcing teams to guard her and opening up the floor for her teammates. As a result, Bird leads the league in assists with sixteen in two games.
Jackson still leads the team in scoring, with 23 and 25, respectively, in the Storm's two wins. But Bird's continued aggressiveness makes the rest of the team more dangerous.
You can watch Bird do her thing today at 4 p.m. on ESPN2, the Storm game at Indiana will be televised to a national audience.
Look for Bird to be at her best against Indiana Fever rookie Briann January, who the Times' Jayda Evans profiled in today's paper.
And, as per reader request, look here for a recap of this and every Storm game through the regular season and (hopefully) the playoffs. If you prefer to watch the games yourself, you can thanks to the WNBA's fantastic new LiveAccess feature which will let you watch webcasts of most games live or archived--but, most importantly, free. Storm games are here.
Sorry about the photo, by the way. It's what the WNBA provides. Much more attractive pictures of Bird here, and, for balance, sexy pictures of Tom Brady here.
