裁裁裁 http://www.courant.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sports/hc-sun0129.artjan29,0,3464455.story WNBA Reduces Rosters From 13 To 11 By JOHN ALTAVILLA | The Hartford Courant January 29, 2009 Rosters for the 13 WNBA teams will shrink from a maximum of 13 to 11, a move that further condenses the league's job market. "I'm not for it, although I understand why," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "From a practical standpoint there will be fewer jobs. And I don't know if people have figured out the implications once injuries arise, how it affects practice. It was nice for me to always have the extra roster spot or two." The move comes two months after the Houston Comets folded. That and the roster reductions leave 39 fewer roster spots available. Sun general manager Chris Sienko said the reduction wasn't based on the sagging economy as much as the need for conformity. "I can't say this is because of the economic times," Sienko said. "There were some teams in the league that weren't even carrying that many [because of cap space]. We carried 12 last year season, 13 the year before. And we always brought our extra players on the road. "The ultimate question became, 'What's best [for the league]?' Are we trying to keep things [uniform] across the board?" The league's salary cap will stay the same ($803,000). So the savings provide teams an extra $70,000. Thibault said the extra money cannot be spent on high-end players because there's a cap limit [approximately $100,000) to what they can earn. "You can't reward them anymore," Thibault said. "But it won't stop me from pursuing the players I want. What it might mean is, if we get some of the players, others may lose their jobs as a result." The Sun's major free agent pursuits remain All-Stars Lauren Jackson and Tina Thompson. Thibault is also looking for an outside shooter. The Sun are close to signing Latvian Olympic team captain, Anete Jekabzone, 25, a 5-foot-9 guard who was third in scoring at the Beijing Olympics. Former UConn standout Svetlana Abrosimova, who joined the Sun after the Olympics last season, is an unrestricted free agent but likely won't return because of her commitment to the Russian national team. The Sun have re-signed Danielle Page, Barbara Turner and Kerry Gardin to join Tamika Whitmore, Gruda, Asjha Jones, Amber Holt, Ketia Swanier, Erin Phillips and Lindsay Whalen. Still unsigned are Lauren Ervin, a third-round pick in 2008, Tamika Raymond, another ex-UConn player who is an unrestricted free agent, and restricted free agent Jamie Carey, a high school coach in Colorado. --

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