The Seattle Storm have been one of the best "find a way" franchises in the WNBA. They've made the playoffs 11 of their 15 seasons, including 10 consecutive appearances before falling short last year.
The Tulsa Shock have been a "lost their way" franchise, failing to make the playoffs since the move from Detroit in 2010. In five seasons in Tulsa, the Shock haven't even come close to a .500 record.
Last season, both teams ended up in the same 12-22 boat at the bottom of the Western Conference, far from powerhouses Phoenix, the eventual league champion, and Minnesota at the top.
Less than two weeks ago, the upcoming WNBA draft -- in which the Storm and Shock combine for the first three selections -- did not seem a potentially transformative event for either franchise.
Then the whole complexion of Thursday's draft (ESPN2/WatchESPN, 7 p.m. ET) changed when Minnesota center Amanda Zahui B. and Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd said they would leave school early for this draft, which they are allowed to do because they turn 22 this calendar year.
How much does that change things for the Storm and Shock? It's quite significant. Both players are legitimate No. 1 selections. Before their declarations, there wasn't one player who stood out as a clear No. 1.
Many observers probably leaned toward UConn's Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, but she comes with some question marks, as do the likes of Duke's Elizabeth Williams and Cal's Reshanda Gray, among others.
For that matter, Zahui and Loyd aren't without questions, either, but it's accurate to say their potential is enormous. I would lean toward the 6-foot-5 center Zahui if I were picking first, but Seattle might go with 5-9 guard Loyd. Either way, the Storm will get someone who should make an impact soon. But now the same can be said for Tulsa with the No. 2 pick, because that feels a lot more like a top selection than it previously did.
The Storm, who pick third as well, haven't had a No. 1 pick since getting back-to-back selections at the top spot in 2001 (Lauren Jackson) and 2002 (Sue Bird). Bird is the signature player for the franchise and three-time league MVP Jackson, when healthy, has been best player the Storm has ever had. Those picks were golden for Seattle and got the Storm two league titles.
Seattle had consistency at the top of the organization for a long time. Karen Bryant, president and CEO, stepped down after last season following 15 years with the organization. Brian Agler coached the Storm for seven years, including the 2010 championship season. He is now coach of the Los Angeles Sparks.
The duo now leading the Storm brain trust -- president/general manager Alisha Valavanis and coach Jenny Boucek -- are essentially beginning a new Storm era. Boucek knows Seattle extremely well, of course. She has had two stints as a Storm assistant -- including for the past five seasons -- and is now in her second head-coaching position in the WNBA. Valavanis worked in coaching and administration at the college and pro levels before coming to Seattle last summer.
During the offseason, Valavanis and Boucek talked about their confidence in the patience and perspective of Storm fans in dealing with the changes the organization was going through. The franchise is still in revamping mode, but the chance to get either Zahui or Loyd could accelerate the process.
They're very different players. Zahui, who is from Sweden, is a big, powerful center with some shooting range. She averaged 18.8 points, shooting 55.5 percent from the field, and 12.9 rebounds this past season for the Gophers. It's not fair to compare her -- or any rookie -- to the great LJ. But considering Jackson's age (she turns 34 in May) and injury history, it doesn't seem likely she has that many WNBA games left. Jackson's last full season in the league was in 2010, and she didn't play at all in the WNBA the last two years.
With Western Conference teams having to contend with the likes of Phoenix's 6-8 star Brittney Griner more during the regular season, might Seattle go for the interior potential of Zahui? Or will the lure of Loyd, an electric scorer and playmaker who has appeared in the last three Final Fours for the Irish, be too strong?
Loyd was not at her best in this NCAA tournament, and you have to wonder if pressure about the impending draft had anything to do with that. Even though Notre Dame insisted during the tournament that Loyd was "100 percent" staying for her senior year, the rumor mill churned during the Final Four with speculation that she would leave early.
Taking into account Loyd's college body of work, she absolutely has credentials to be a No. 1 pick. She averaged 19.8 points and 5.3 rebounds this season, with 118 assists. For her career, Loyd was 99 of 270 (36.7 percent) from behind the arc, so defenses certainly couldn't just give her that shot.
Loyd has the kind of athleticism that makes her hard to pass up, which is why Seattle might take her, even if Zahui might seem to fill a bigger long-term need for the Storm. Guards -- even top-notch ones -- tend to be more plentiful than really productive centers, but we'll see if that impacts Seattle's thinking.
That brings us to the Shock, who need better interior defense and definitely could use Zahui. Tulsa -- despite its 41-129 record in five years -- has never had the top pick in the draft. The four No. 1 picks during the years that Tulsa had a lottery selection were Maya Moore, Nneka Ogwumike, Griner and Chiney Ogwumike.
The Shock's picks during that time were No. 2 Liz Cambage, No. 4 Glory Johnson, No. 3 Skylar Diggins and No. 2 Odyssey Sims. Cambage, the Shock's prodigal center, has never seemed to want to be in Tulsa, playing 53 games in two seasons there. The Aussie standout Cambage suffered an Achilles' tendon injury last September and missed the FIBA world championship.
Cambage has been in this non-committal, "it's not you, it's me" relationship with Tulsa since being drafted; it might be time for it to end. That said, would the Shock have any concerns after drafting another foreign player should Zahui be available?
Tulsa has its drawbacks in the glamor department, but like any city, there is more to do there once you become familiar with the possibilities. WNBA players, who are mostly playing games, practicing, resting or traveling all summer, aren't exactly looking for a bevy of free-time activities anyway. Also, the Tulsa fan base, if given the chance to get behind a winning team, will do so. Tulsa's a smaller pond, but for pro women's basketball, that's not a bad thing.
Longtime WNBA presence Fred Williams became the Shock's fourth coach in five seasons last year, following Nolan Richardson, Teresa Edwards and Gary Kloppenburg. Williams led the Shock to their best record in Tulsa and it seemed as if the franchise might be getting a little closer to a breakthrough. Although, that still remains difficult to do in the Western Conference.
Most every draft has a few unexpected twists, and this one might still hold some surprises. But for the two teams at the top of the board, the draft became more bountiful. That's something that the Storm and Shock surely needed and appreciate.