The night was going well for WNBA all-star Diana Taurasi. She had just led the Phoenix Mercury to an impressive 93-81 win over the Seattle Storm with 22 points and four blocked shots.

Diana Taurasi was pulled over for driving under the influence after a key win again the Seattle Storm.

Yet, the celebration quickly turned sour when Taurasi was pulled over by a cop in the wee hours of the morning. According to ESPN.com, the officer who pulled her over smelled alcohol and gave Taurasi several field sobriety tests. She was then escorted to a mobile DUI van where she gave a sample of blood.

Though her blood alcohol content is unknown, Taurasi was cited for a DUI. The Mercury were immediately informed of the incident though they have yet to issue a statement.

Image: Zuma Press

First, let me apologize for the pun. Second, where in the world did this come from? How funny is it that this “shocking” move happened to a team called the Detroit Shock?

Bill Laimbeer added a certain amount of clout to the WNBA when he took over as Detroit’s head coach in 2002. He has led his team to three WNBA titles in three years and has made the Shock into a basketball powerhouse. He talked his bosses out of folding the team after the 2002 season before engineering a worst-to-first championship run the very next season. But after three games into the 2009 season, he called a press conference and called it quits.

The reason? Two words: the NBA.

Bill Laimbeer resigned from his position as head coach of the Detroit Shock.

“It’s time for me to be doing something else,”  Laimbeer said, according to ESPN.com. “I want to coach in the NBA, and I think it was not fair to the Shock to try to coach them while my focus and passion were somewhere else. I don’t have another job, but it is something I want to explore. Whether it is a head coaching job or something as an assistant, that’s what I want to do.”

Laimbeer was a member of the Pistons’ “Bad Boys” championship teams of 1989 and 1990 before retiring in 1993. “I never expected to be here for this long, and I never expected to have this level of success,” he said. “I wouldn’t give a second of it back.”

It’s no secret that the WNBA has been losing money since its inception. The NBA is basically carrying the women’s league on its own shoulders. But, because the WNBA has a solid fan base and has helped to showcase the nation’s top talent in women’s basketball and bring women’s college basketball into the national spotlight as well (would we know so much about players like Candace Parker with out it?), the promotional powers-that-be are doing their best to help keep the WNBA alive.

WNBA President Donna Orender welcomes Candace Parker into the league in the spring of 2008.

The basic necessity is money. You can’t run a league with out money — in any sport. So here’s where WNBA execs have gotten a bit creative: Sponsorships. That’s right, teams like the Los Angeles Sparks and the Phoenix Mercury have inked deals with Farmers Insurance and LifeLock (respectively) to sport the company’s logo on their warm-ups and jerseys.

“We are pleased that the appeal and value of the WNBA will be utilized to its fullest behind this new partnership between the Sparks and Farmers Insurance,” said WNBA President Donna Orender. “Strong brands continue to be attracted to the league, not only for its elite athletes, outstanding entertainment, and high level of play, but also for its authentic connection to communities, families, and women.”

This is just another innovative way to help keep the WNBA afloat. Since 1997, women’s basketball has made incredible strides and it would be a shame for it to come to end due to financial issues. Hey, the government bailed out the banks and automakers. Perhaps a bailout  for the WNBA would also work? Kidding.

And she wants it before she retires. So Candace Parker better hurry up and recover from having her baby, because Lisa Leslie is planning on retiring at the end of this season.

Lisa Leslie is hoping to win a WNBA championship this season. Candace Parker is the key.

Parker is a key component to the Los Angeles Sparks‘ success. She’s the reigning WNBA MVP and was voted rookie of the year last season.

“I think Candace is going to come in when she knows she’s effective and she can contribute,” Leslie said, according to ESPN.com. “I think the beautiful part of it is that she is young enough that she will be able to do it faster than any of us here that have been able to do it. I would say by the end of June she would be in practice.”

In addition to Parker, Leslie also has Tina Thompson, Betty Lennox and DeLisha Milton-Jones at her side. Her teammates want to send her out on a high note and a WNBA championship certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility for the WNBA veteran and most recognizable face of the Sparks.

Los Angeles opens the season at home on June 6 against Detroit, the defending champions.

Image: Zuma

Last year, the Atlanta Dream didn’t do so well. This was to be expected from an expansion team, as the players learn how to play with one another and function together on the court.

But after obtaining a dismal 4-30 record (the worst in the WNBA’s 2008 season) the Dream made some impressive off-season moves and  have positioned themselves to have a successful season.

Angel McCoughtry could have an immediate impact with the Atlanta Dream this season.

With the number one pick in the draft, the Dream drafted Angel McCoughtry, the former Louisville star who proved to be both an offensive and defensive force throughout the NCAA tournament. In addition, the Dream also signed free agent center Michelle Snow and former Tennessee standout Chamique Holdsclaw.

Add Nikki Teasley and Sancho Lyttle to the mix and the Dream have the foundation for a force to be reckoned with. And I can guarantee that they win more than four games this season.

Image: Zuma

In 2007, former Tennessee standout Chamique Holdsclaw retired from the WNBA.

Many people, including myself, were shocked by her abrupt departure. There were rumors that Holdsclaw was depressed and that she had lost her love for the game. Though she had played  in the WNBA for seven seasons and averaged 17.7 points per game, Holdsclaw never seemed as comfortable or motivated in the WNBA as she did at Tennessee under Pat Summit’s guidance.

Chamique Holdsclaw only played five games for the L.A. Sparks before retiring abruptly in 2007.

Sometimes it’s good to step away from things and situations in order to get a better perspective. Two years after her sudden retirement, Holdsclaw is returning to the WNBA to play for the Atlanta Dream.

Seeing her on the court this season will be a “Dream” come true for her hometown of Atlanta. According to ESPN, Holdsclaw said the fan support made her “hungry” again and the thought of playing at home was appealing.

The Dream have also signed several other veterans, including Michelle Snow, Nikki Teasley and Sancho Lyttle.

Photo provided by Newscom.

Fans of the Connecticut Sun should already be following Matt Stout’s blog, but if not, here’s the reason to start. For the next 12 days until team functions resume during the Olympics, he’s going to be evaluating all the players on the team.

First up: Jolene Anderson.

The time is here. Becky Hammon will leave the San Antonio Silver Stars following Sunday’s game against the Detroit Shock to join Team Russia as they begin their quest for Olympic supremacy with its newest, most-visible citizen in the Stars’ point guard.

David King of the San Antonio Express-News takes a good, long, in-depth look at the diminuative point guard and her struggled to make a name for herself, including her struggles as she decided to join Team Russia for its’ playoff run. One of my favorite parts of the article doesn’t detail Becky’s stateside troubles, but those within her own Olympic squad across the pond.

It also helps that Hammon, who has three years left on what is reportedly a $2 million contract with CSKA, won over members of the national team. Some had objected to the idea of playing with a U.S. point guard, both in the media and with Grudin, before the 2007-08 season.

“There was a big question mark about ‘How is she going to fit in with the Russian girls? How is she going to treat them? Is she going to be a pain in the butt on this team? Is she going to be a good teammate? Is she going to be somebody we can trust and rely on?’” Hammon said.

“And after they saw me on a day-in and day-out basis, they’re like ‘OK, we’ll take her.’”

King also provides a basic Olympic primer for those who want to know what to expect prior to the Olympic games.

Of course, the brawl’s been in the news over the last few days. Hell, I had a discussion about the brawl with a recruiter I met with while here at the UNITY convention in Chicago. Anyway, Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News asked the question, and here’s his answer.

But here’s what the skirmish proved: There is passion in the women’s game. For many, the WNBA is a below-the-basket game played by the old girls club. The brawl has revealed the players to be competitive athletes who would not be more at home on the Ladies PGA Tour. No one is advocating turning the WNBA into the WWE, but an outpouring of pure emotion is never bad for a sport. 

The fact that a bunch of people are talking about the league now can’t necessarily hurt, but the question has to be asked whether a fanbase that includes some alienation from other more prone-to-violence sports might risk turning off some viewers if these fights become more commonplace.

Something about the Palace at Auburn Hills.

At least the league’s not sweeping it under the carpet with its coverage.

Safe to say Candace Parker and Delisha Milton-Jones are getting suspended for a game, though.