what's wrong in washington http://espn.go.com/wnba/columns/voepel/1813904.html Tuesday, June 1 Updated: June 2, 2:30 PM ET Next two weeks pivotal for Mystics -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mechelle Voepel Special to ESPN.com The Washington Mystics have had the WNBA's best fan support, having led the league every season but once since joining in 1998. They're advised on personnel by the legendary Pat Summitt. They drafted two of the premiere college standouts of the past decade, Chamique Holdsclaw and Alana Beard. Alana Beard, the No. 2 overall pick in April's draft, is shooting 23 percent from the field. They've got pictures of -- among others -- Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony (motto: "Failure is Impossible'') on the cover of their media guide this year, which is themed "Girl Power.'' They've got a mascot named "Charm.'' So how come as a franchise, they've made the playoffs just twice and finished with a winning record just once? Why does this year's team not really look anything like what Summitt would put on the floor at Tennessee? Should the mascot actually be called "Vexed?'' The Mystics are off to a 1-3 start going into games this week at Detroit (Wednesday) and at home vs. Connecticut (Friday). Then a week after that, they are host to the Shock and two days later play New York at the University of Maryland's Comcast Center. On June 17, they're back at the MCI Center. So it's pretty clear: Washington needs to figure a lot out during its more than two weeks at home. Here's the chance to practice, rest, attempt to do some bonding and change chemistry. We say "change'' instead of "build'' because the Mystics always have had a lot of chemistry. The bad kind. Like Dr. Bunsen Honeydew used to mix up in "The Muppet Show'' lab as his assistant Beaker quivered in constant terror. The Mystics do think, though, that chemistry so far this season is better than last year. "We were just starting to get it at the end of last season,'' Mystics guard Stacey Dales-Schuman said. "In the WNBA, if you don't click early, it can be tough. "I know all of us have improved from last year. But the bottom line is three things: We've got to play defense, we've got to rebound -- we're last in the league at that -- and we've got to play together. If we do those things and understand the talent we have, we can be successful. One thing you can hope for is that you get along well, and we do.'' But that has already being tested, and if the next couple of weeks don't energize the Mystics, a repeat of last season could happen. The Mystics were 9-25 in 2003, and it wasn't so much that they always played badly. But they had bad streaks even in their good games, and that was a big part of their undoing. Washington picked up Chasity Melvin from Cleveland in the dispersal draft. Thus far, that has been little help. She has averaged 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. There have been times on the court and the sidelines where "half-hearted'' actually would seem like an upgrade for her performance/demeanor. Melvin and the rest of the interior players have not taken weight off Holdsclaw's shoulders. "We've got to get tougher. I love my teammates, but you've got to get the job done,'' Holdsclaw said after Washington's 73-62 loss at Minnesota last Friday. "We've got to get our inside production up. We've got to have that monster inside who we can get the ball to and can score. Stacey Dales-Schuman believes chemistry is an important part of a team's success. "I post up, but I'm not a '4' player. I can't be the No. 1 option there. I shouldn't be.'' Against the Lynx, Melvin played three minutes and had no points nor rebounds. Aiysha Smith, Nakia Sanford and Murriel Page combined for 12 points and 10 boards. Along with improving inside, the Mystics have to play defense to their capability throughout the game, not just in momentary surges often fueled by desperation. They trailed the Lynx 18-2 less than five minutes into their game, so they were trying to crawl out of that hole the rest of the way. They are good enough defensively to rally from such horrible start, and did get to within one point of the Lynx early in the second half. But then the game slipped away again. "The frustrating part is, I know we can get it done. And we show spurts of it, but you've got to put together the package,'' Holdsclaw said. "I know if you're down now and bury yourself deep, you're not going to help the cause. You've got to challenge yourself and challenge your teammates.'' Holdsclaw's statistics have been terrific her entire basketball career; through four games this season she's averaging 21.8 points and 8.0 rebounds. The last two WNBA seasons, she has averaged a double-double. However, personality-wise, she is not the one a team wants to try to make its "Hey, let's go'' inspirational leader. She is too insular for that. She will produce; she always has. But she needs to be on a team where at least one other player is good at handling the various amounts of "personal maintenance'' with team members. Similarly, Beard isn't that person, either. Duke tried to make her that way -- the "team leader'' -- and Beard believes she did that and loved the role. But Beard was never the best fit there. She's a hard worker, sets an example with her daily energy level in practice ... but she could have used someone else to be her emotional anchor. In many big games, she tightened up more often than played with relaxed certainty. Beard is averaging 7.8 points and shooting 22.9 percent from the field. She has to forget about what the WNBA's star-making "machine'' has been building her up to be and just work on her game and how she can be a better teammate. Dales-Schuman points out how much Holdsclaw and Beard can bring with their skills. "Chamique has the most magnetic hands of anybody I've ever played with,'' Dales-Schuman said. "Alana is one of the most athletic women I've ever seen. I threw a pass to her in the Indiana game -- I don't know how she caught it, first of all. She was at the top of the free-throw line and had a defender running with her. She got it, took one step -- one step! -- and finger rolls it in. "It was jaw-dropping. That kind of stuff makes you appreciate the game.'' But, as is proven again and again in all of pro sports, the team's "mix'' is as crucial as its "talent.'' It's hard to see anyone besides Dales-Schuman on this Mystics team who can be an effective "mix-master,'' if you will. She does have the right personality. She did it at Oklahoma, and her sincerity as a team-first player should be recognized by everyone with that franchise. Then again, Washington's "big-picture'' vision has been strangely muddled. Mystics players seeking to make the atmosphere positive have been swimming against tide because the coaching situation has been so unstable. Sure, the carousel has gone round and round for many franchises. But Washington has defined dysfunction. The Mystics are on their seventh coach, Michael Adams, in seven seasons. Everyone else -- Jim Lewis, Cathy Parson, Nancy Darsch, Darrell Walker, Tom Maher and Marianne Stanley -- imploded, fled, failed, gave up, were given up on or never belonged there in the first place. Adams' qualifications seem dubious, other than fitting the now-popular profile of former NBA player-turned-WNBA coach. Handing him the reigns of a franchise that has been the league's enigma ... well, the Mystics certainly rolled the dice on that. It could turn out OK, and he could surprise people. Or the coaching door might keep on revolving. All this said ... is it too early to predict another summer of gloom for Washington? Of course it is. "Once we start clicking,'' the ever-optimistic Dales-Schuman said, "we will win games.'' But it's not too soon to say that if things don't jell in the next couple of weeks when the schedule favors the Mystics, then the last two weeks of June have a damaging potential. Washington will have four games in two weeks on the road to close out the month. Things better be clicking by then. Mechelle Voepel of the Kansas City Star is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. She can be reached at [email protected]. --

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