SPARKS: UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES DERAILED SEASON LOSSES OF LESLIE, HOLDSCLAW HURT.

Byline: EARL WILLIAMS 

Staff Writer

This past season, Carla Christofferson and Katherine Goodman quickly learned that it's a lot easier to be WNBA fans than owners.

The Sparks' new owners saw their dream of winning a title begin to crumble before the opening tipoff, and not even key personnel changes to the coaching staff and to the roster could prevent the franchise from suffering the worst season in its 11-year history.

"It's kind of like a jury trial. It's pretty unpredictable," said Christofferson, who is also a lawyer. "You do everything right, but at the end of the day, certain things happen that you cannot control."

Before the season started, the owners brought back Michael Cooper, who had guided L.A. to titles in 2001 and 2002, to replace Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. Bryant, who had guided L.A. to first place in the Western Conference and to the conference finals in 2006, was fired because he couldn't commit to the owners' year-around business operation.

But the biggest change was one they didn't plan for: They lost All-Star center Lisa Leslie to pregnancy. Taj McWilliams-Franklin was brought in from the Connecticut Sun to replace Leslie, who eventually gave birth to Lauren Lockwood in late June but was unable to return to the team. They brought in La Toya Thomas and Marta Fernandez to add firepower to the roster.

What they didn't plan on was for point guard Temeka Johnson to be out for most of the season after offseason knee surgery. Surprisingly, they released veterans Tamara Moore and Doneeka Hodges-Lewis and entered the season without a true point guard on the active roster.

They didn't foresee All-Star forward Chamique Holdsclaw retiring in early June.

Unexpected injuries to McWilliams-Franklin (sore knee) and Thomas (calf strain) during a crucial stretch of the year only added to the team's woes.

All of this proved to be too much, as the Sparks compiled a record of 10-24 to tie the Minnesota Lynx for the worst record in the WNBA. The proud franchise didn't qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

But the Sparks have a very good reason to be optimistic about the 2008 season. The Sparks, who are in the lottery, could end up with the No. 1, 2 or 3 pick in the draft. Management plans to address its greatest needs -- at center and at power forward -- through the draft as well as the free-agent market.

A number of top athletes are expected to be available.

"Our work is just beginning, man. (general manager) Penny (Toler) and myself will get out there and do our homework so we can field a good team for next year," Cooper said.

Right now, the jobs of Sidney Spencer and Marta Fernandez, both rookie-of-the year candidates, and Sherill Baker, a second-year player, appear to be safe. Others appear to be on the bubble.

Leslie, 34, who signed a contract to play for three more years, needs more athletic post players around her in order for L.A. to go from being a pretender to a contender again.

"We need players who can hit shots closer to the basket," Cooper said. "We had to change the offense a little bit to use our guards to post up. -- Adding some athletic fours and fives are high on our list, some players who can do some things with their backs to the basket."

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