WNBA's 11-player roster limit staggered Storm

It wasn't a Hollywood ending.

For all the classic battles All-Stars Lauren Jackson and Lisa Leslie had on the court, the finish shouldn't be an unexpected embrace at midcourt. Leslie's Los Angeles Sparks booted Seattle, sans Jackson, from the playoffs for the second straight season. A native Australian, Jackson couldn't compete due to two stress fractures in her lower back.

Jackson's plight was the worst of a wave of Storm injuries that crippled the team near the end of the regular season. The WNBA's move to an 11-player roster limited Seattle's options.

The Storm, despite owning the third-best overall record (20-14), was in a bind heading into the playoffs. Against Minnesota on Sept. 5, it had eight players. Storm coach Brian Agler, who's also director of player personnel, had to sign two former training-camp invitees to meet the league minimum. And Seattle played the Los Angeles series with nine active players.

The strain wasn't there last season when deep reserves were available to fill in at practice in starting roles.

"I remember doing layups and was like, what's going on here? How come I'm sweating? How come I feel like I've just played half a game?" said Jackson of the shortened roster.

The WNBA plans to evaluate the cost-cutting measure at offseason Competition Committee meetings. The 11-player limit, along with the folding of Houston, eliminated 39 player jobs. It also cut travel, per-diem, apartment rent, and car-rental expenses.

Competition improved, too. Last-place teams Sacramento (12-22) and New York (13-21) combined for 26 losses by fewer than 10 points and the WNBA experienced 25 overtime games.

"This is probably one of the toughest years I've ever played," said Storm guard Sue Bird, who has played in eight of the league's 13 seasons.

But things might have been different if the Storm had been able to keep injury-replacement forward La'Tangela Atkinson through the season.

With Jackson, Swin Cash (personal leave), Bird (neck) and Katie Gearlds (knee) out, Atkinson signed under the "hardship rule," where teams need at least three injuries and salary-cap space to acquire a player. She averaged 5.0 steals and 9.0 rebounds in two regular-season games.

An athletic 6-foot-1 wing, she could have been contributor against post-laden L.A.

"This is probably a good case study," said Agler, whose team joined Detroit, Sacramento, Chicago and Indiana in scrambling due to injuries. "Was this the right thing to do? I don't know what the right answer is."

Although Agler is in favor of expanding the roster, he stood by the WNBA making necessary moves to survive a rough economy. And that may mean the limit stays regardless of grumbling.

"The 11-player roster has been successful," WNBA president Donna Orender said recently. "All of us want to do what's best for the game and best for the business. So there's an ongoing dialogue on how we can best manage [injury replacements]. There should be rules that we all follow, but they should be in the best interest of the game."

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067