Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Houston disbanding, leaving WNBA with 13 teams

The WNBA has decided to shut down the Houston Comets, ending the run of a once proud franchise. A formal announcement will be made Tuesday.

WNBA president Donna Orender told the Associated Press -- and has said throughout the last two years -- that the league has never been stronger, and that Houston's failure isn't a sign of things to come for the rest of the league's 13 teams.

How does this affect the Sun and the rest of the league? There will be a dispersal draft on Monday (Dec. 8) for players signed to contracts with Houston. That doesn't include some of the team's biggest stars who are free agents, including Tina Thompson, Michelle Snow, Latasha Byears, Mwadi Mabika and Hamchetou Maiga-Ba. It also tips the balance of the league, as the East now has seven teams compared to the West's six. Two years ago, it was the exact opposite following Charlotte's shut-down and before the creation of the Atlanta Dream.

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