Rookie Update

Of the bumper crop of rookies to enter the league this year, two have proven to be a cut above the rest: Los Angeles' Candace Parker and Minnesota's Candice Wiggins. Parker, the top pick in the 2008 draft, poured in a rookie record 40 points on July 9 against Houston while grabbing 16 rebounds. Playing in a major market for a title contender, the former Tennessee star is the woman to beat for Rookie of the Year honors.

Wiggins however, isn't far behind. The third overall selection in this year's draft trails only Parker among rookies in scoring and assists and has helped lead the young Lynx into playoff contention. Chicago's Sylvia Fowles meanwhile, etched her name into WNBA history on June 3 when she became the first player to receive a goaltending call. Unfortunately for the No. 2 overall draft choice, she injured her knee on the play and has missed over a month of action.

Five Questions With Atlanta's Betty Lennox

Q: How good did that first win (on July 5) feel?
A: It felt good; it felt really good. We've been working hard all season and in the second part of the season, we got a win. That was good for all of us.

Q: You've had a long career with a lot of accomplishments -- being named the 2000 Rookie of the Year and the 2004 Finals MVP. What's it like playing for an expansion team right now?
A: It's difficult, very difficult. It's kind of like starting all over again -- you really (have to) have patience. A lot of things have changed for me here, my playing time, sacrificing things I am very comfortable doing, but it's all for a reason. I don't know what that reason is right now, but it's very difficult. But I like the experience.

Q: Is there anything positive you can take away from the 0-17 start?
A: Every game, I think, we've gotten better. We've seen improvements. Other teams we've played have said, "You are such a different team from the first time we played you." So, you really have to focus on that stuff -- every game we play, we are getting better.

Q: Do you take any solace in the fact that individually you are having a good year, scoring a lot of points?
A: You know, I haven't really paid attention to my individual stats. Maybe some people have and say in some sense that I am kind of selfish, worried about my stats, but I haven't paid attention to that because stats don't mean anything to me.

Q: You come from a big family -- five brothers and three sisters -- did that help form that competitive drive in you?
A: Definitely. I think that if I hadn't been raised the way I was, then I would have probably taken things easier. The way I was raised and having the big family that I have has instilled in me to appreciate every moment, every opportunity that I have and not to ever, ever take it for granted.

Winning is Contagious

Lennox and the Atlanta Dream enjoyed their first win -- a 91-84 victory over Chicago on July 5 -- so much that they followed it up with another, upending Minnesota 73-67 four days later. Too bad for Atlanta the WNBA isn't a split-season league -- after going winless during the season's first half, the expansion team began the second half 2-0.

Team USA Finalized

On July 10, Los Angeles’ Delisha Milton-Jones, Indiana's Tamika Catchings and Sacramento's Kara Lawson were added to the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team, finalizing the 12-player roster. Minnesota's Seimone Augustus, Seattle's Sue Bird, Chicago's Sylvia Fowles, L.A.'s Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker, Phoenix's Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi, Detroit's Katie Smith and Houston's Tina Thompson had previously been named to the squad.

And Finally …

Because this is an Olympic year and the league will take a month break for the Beijing Games, there will be no All-Star game this season. It will be the first season since 1998 without a midyear classic.