Editor’s Note: Lea B. Olsen is a women’s basketball icon in the state of Minnesota. She’ll be sharing her knowledge with her weekly blog on our website along with broadcasting Lynx games for Fox Sports North this season.

MIDSEASON CHANGE:

Coach Reeve and her savvy coaching staff are doing their jobs and not being content with the pieces of the puzzle they have put together to make another run at the championship. Adding Anna Cruz may have appeared to be the last roster move the Lynx would have made this summer. But things happen in the world of basketball that does not allow one to stand still. Injuries are simply part of what it is to play in the WNBA and the Lynx are not immune to such issues. Monica Wright was one of those players who had been dealing with a nagging injury from the start of the season and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery on her knee. We say farewell to Monica Wright who was nothing but a classy professional in her time in Minnesota. Monica tweeted

“Thank you @MinnesotaLynx and the great state of Minnesota for 6 great seasons! This is a very special place.”

Thank you, Ms. Wright for all of your work in helping bring two championships to Minnesota. Maybe we will see you when your new team rolls into Target Center for the last game of the season.

REMEMBER RENEE:

Welcome back Renee Montgomery. In Minnesota we are always happy to welcome players who spent their college years at the University of Connecticut. It is very exciting to bring a player into the mix who can easily feel comfortable in the Lynx system. Montgomery’s style of play is uptempo and fun to watch. She is a speedy guard with a scorers mentality. Her role will be to back up the starting guards and to hopefully provide some needed scoring from the 3 point line. She also brings a big energy to the team that will definitely be needed as the Lynx push through the hardest part of the season.

KNEES: WHO NEEDS THEM:

Knee injuries are such a huge part of basketball that it has become a habit for me, whenever I meet an athlete, to glance down to their knees to see what type of scars they have. Do they have the classic long scar from an old school ACL surgeries? Or were they lucky enough to have only small marks to indicate they just had a scope. When I played at the U of M there was always one or two players sitting out due to knee injuries. I myself sat out for a year with a knee injury but avoided surgery. Seimone Augustus in her 10th season is feeling the wear and tear of knees that have put on a lot of miles on the basketball court. Seimone has battled through her ACL tear in 2009 and soreness in her knee that kept her out of ten games last season. It was such a bummer to lose her again this season after having arthroscopic surgery on her right knee. Let’s hope we see her back on the court in September when the most important basketball of the season starts.

LETS KEEP AN EYE ON IT:

No one sees the court like Lindsay Whalen so the thought of her getting her eye poked in the win against Tulsa makes me queasy. Her presence was greatly missed in the Connecticut loss and it was too bad she had her consecutive starts streak end at 106. All that really matters is that Whalen’s vision returns to normal and that there is no long term damage to her eye. Rest up Lindsay and we hope to see you on the court after the All-Star break.

LEA LIKES:
• Renee Montgomery returning to Minnesota.
• Our three All-Stars.