The Storm now know that they will be without center Lauren Jackson for eight-to-12 weeks after surgery was performed on her injured left hip on Thursday. The defending WNBA champion Storm are all but a lock to make the playoffs again this season, but how high of a seed they can get in the Western C
onference will depend on how far the healthy players can take them.
The challenge begins today in Connecticut against the Sun (5-3). It is a game that features the current No.2 seeds in each conference, and so far in 2011, the Sun are a perfect 4-0 at home.
On Thursday, the Storm officially signed Polish center/forward Ewelina Kobryn to help fill Jackson’s void in the paint. Kobryn, who averaged 14.7 and 7.7 rebounds per game in Poland, joined the Storm on the east coast for today’s game – it is unknown if she will see any action.
If it isn’t Kobryn, the Storm will need someone to step up inside to deal with Connecticut’s Tina Charles. Charles, the Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, is averaging 19.8 points and 11 rebounds this season. The Sun defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in their last game, and Charles scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds, her fifth straight double-double.
While the Storm have lacked some of the offensive firepower they had one year ago, they have been able to rely on their defense stay competitive. Last Friday, the Storm held the Minnesota Lynx to just 30.9 percent shooting in a 65-55 victory.
The Storm will need to be that good defensively, and need improvement from the offense in order to try and get a win tonight. The Sun’s record at home, mixed with the fact that Seattle has lost seven consecutive games in Connecticut dating back to 2003, means that the Storm are in for quite the challenge.
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