Bird fuels the fire for Storm.

'02 WNBA: STORM OPENER: Bird fuels the fire for Storm
2002-05-31
by Greg Johns
Journal Columnist

SEATTLE -- You'll hear a dozen times in coming weeks that new Seattle Storm standout Sue Bird is a great role model for young girls. But that's only half the story.

It's time to start looking at women's sports in a different light. Sue Bird isn't just a good role model for girls, she's a wonderful role model for anyone who plays point guard at any level of basketball. This is a young woman who understands the game. Understands how to distribute the ball, to set up teammates, to take control.

If you're a typical sports fan, you probably haven't paid a ton of attention to the Storm in their first two years. The franchise has struggled to win games and fans. It has played in the considerable summer shadow of the Mariners. It competes in a league unfamiliar to those who don't work at familiarizing themselves with women's basketball.

But if you like a quality point guard, it's time to take a look. The Storm opened their third season last night at KeyArena with last year's No. 1 draft pick Lauren Jackson sidelined by an ankle sprain. The result was a 78-61 loss to the high-powered New York Liberty. Yet it wasn't a loss for anyone who came to see Bird.

The first pick in this year's WNBA draft is a point guard with a killer crossover, a sweet shooting stroke and confidence that drips off her like sweat rolls off Kazuhiro Sasaki. This isn't Kate Starbird, the former top draft pick of Seattle's ABL franchise who never quite lived up to her billing. Instead, she is closer to Larry Bird of the women's game, a player who makes everyone else better.

In her first professional game last night, Bird led Seattle with 18 points and six assists. Clearly, she is ready for the WNBA. The question is, are the Storm ready for her?

Bird easily would have doubled her assist total last night if teammates had simply finished the plays she set up with pinpoint passes. Too many blown shots led to a frustrating night.

``We've only been together a limited time,'' Bird said. ``It's tough to learn people's games that quickly. I make some no-look passes, but if you haven't played with somebody they might not expect it. That's not my fault or their fault. Actually, it probably is my fault. I need to get used to everybody's games.''

The Storm have never had a player like Bird. Not only can she take over a game from the point guard position, she already has taken over the team one game into her rookie season.

Midway through the first half, Bird was loose on a 2-on-1 breakaway with teammate Takeisha Lewis. When Lewis failed to create proper spacing, then looked surprised when Bird's pass bounced off her hands from close range, Bird didn't hesitate to let her fellow rookie know where she should have been. And when Lewis said something back to Bird, the point guard stuck a finger in her teammate's chest, got in her face and had to be pushed away by veteran Sonja Henning.

Not exactly the lovefest we've come to expect at Storm games, but certainly a sign of the new attitude that comes with the ultra-competitive Bird. It seems there might be a little Gary Payton in the new Storm point guard.

``I think Sue is going to go through a period of time where it's very frustrating for her to lose,'' Dunn said. ``She doesn't know how to lose. She hasn't lost in years and years and years. She's going to have to learn that this is going to be a tough, challenging season. It's very important for her to provide positive reinforcement for her teammates. That's just an adjustment she needs to go through.'' But this is what the Storm sought when they selected Bird. She is a natural leader. If coach Lin Dunn wanted an on-court assistant, she got one in Bird.

From start to finish she pointed and prodded, coaxed and coached. How her teammates respond remains to be seen, but they'd be foolish not to take direction from a two-time All-American who led Connecticut to a pair of national championships. Though Bird has never been a huge scorer, she hit 4-of-8 3-pointers last night and led both teams with her 18 points. ``Whatever we need,'' she said.

The only downside was Bird's five turnovers while dealing with pressure from an aggressive New York squad.``I thought at times Sue looked like a rookie and at other times she looked like an All-Pro player,'' Dunn said. ``She can't have five turnovers. She needs to cut that down to about two, max. But I'll keep her.''

No arguments there from Liberty coach Richie Adubato. ``I've watched Sue Bird at Connecticut the last two years and I know she's a great player,'' said Adubato. ``But she looked even better tonight. She's done some terrific things with that crossover. She's just a great, great player. I wish she was in New York.'' Instead, she's in Seattle and she should be treasured here by basketball fans of both genders.

Sue Bird isn't just a good women's player. She's a good basketball player, plain as that.

Greg Johns can be reached at gjohns@juno.com.