Early in the A.M.

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I was very impressed with myself when I came up with the title for this post. See, it has two meanings. First, that we’re early in the tenure of Aneesah Morrow. Second, with the Tempo on a West Coast road swing, for those of us watching in Toronto, the games mostly end after midnight, technically in the morning.

Pretty clever, right? So maybe I should have stuck more closely with that theme. But the truth is, between the late nights and how few home games we have left, most of my thinking this week wasn’t about the early. It was about the late. How we’re late in the season. And to the extent that the purpose of a season is to reach the postseason, we might be near the end.

And this is where I have to make a confession – this was the week I started thinking about next season.

Truthfully, I’m not sure this is something fans have to “confess.” Our experience is our own, and if we’re so welcome to indulge in nostalgia, i.e. live in the past, why shouldn’t we also be able to live a bit in the future? Likewise, though they have to be careful with their language, management is also expected to balance an interest in the now and the beyond. It’s really only for players that talking about the next season in any specific way is taboo. Mostly because to do so sounds like giving up, possibly even the dreaded “tanking.”

To be clear, I too hate tanking. In addition to it being essentially cheating, gaming a system that exists for a reason, it breeds a poor culture. Players should want to win, and there’s nobility in keeping up the fight when you’re not going to. Arguably more nobility, since the only stakes are pride and principle.

Credit where it’s due: the Tempo demonstrated a will to win in their last two games, even though they lost. They went down big and then clawed their way back, providing at least a modicum of tension in the late stages. Still, the losing continued, and it’s particularly annoying that the Fire seem to have our number, as that’s the only sub-.500 team left for me to see the Tempo play in person this season. I’d love to see at least one more win… and for you superstitious sticklers, I’ll note I’m not discounting the possibility of us making the playoffs, just the possibility of us playing a team with a losing record there!

As you may have picked up on, I’m a smidge disheartened. But despite how things have been going of late, I do see promise… and that starts in the early A.M. Aneesah Morrow, that is.

I touched on it last week, but this really was a steal – a rotation player acquired without giving one up or mortgaging the future. Mind you, the fact that our Great Rebounding Hope is only 6’1” really becomes noticeable when you see her “in context.” But to quote the chorus of the Liz Phair song 6’1” – and how could I not? – “And I kept standing six-feet-one / Instead of five-feet-two / And I loved my life / And I hated you.”

Which is to say, she plays with what I’ve come to think of as the Tempo attitude – a mix of playfulness and “don’t mess with me” edge.

Not to keep sleeping dogs from lying, but it occurred to me recently that it’s extra-crazy that Sandy Brondello got suspended for calling Angel Reese a “protected species” - purportedly for being dehumanizing - when the phrase “got that dog in her” is constantly issued by and about WNBA players as a compliment. Anyway, Aneesa Morrow has that dog in her. And there was one magical moment in her first game, when her and Kiki were pressuring the ball on D, that I saw the future.

So yes, when I say I’m looking ahead, it’s not that I’ve lost my enthusiasm for the current season. I look forward to seeing every game and watching the team compete. But we just acquired another player on a rookie contract… and if we’re willing to accept a harsh truth, there’s a good chance we’re going to have a lottery draft pick. Two rotation-plus players for bargain prices… it’s hard not to do a little imagining.

Let’s say our first-rounder is a top three pick. As of right now, barring any trades or the like, or the emergence of another top prospect, that likely becomes JuJu Watkins, Madison Booker, or Hannah Hidalgo. All blue-chip generational talents.

So, in terms of rotation, our guards/wings would include Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, Julie Allemand, Kiki Rice, and that first-rounder. For bigs, we’d have Aneesah Morrow (also still on her rookie contract) and likely Nyara Sabally, who’ll be a restricted free agent. In terms of the unrestricted free agents we’d like to have back, there’s really only Isabelle Harrison. Who might be in line for a bit of a raise, but she also missed a number of games, so who knows? I’m hopeful we can make it happen.

Then there’s Maria Conde and Laura Juskaite. Who might move down a bit in the pecking order, but could be great off the bench. And they’re both reserved free agents, meaning with a qualifying offer, the team retains exclusive negotiating rights. So even if they go up from the minimum they’re currently making, they shouldn’t break the bank.

You may have noticed some names missing from that list.

In my vision, I’m not sure if Kia Nurse is back. It’s possible there’s an upgrade available. But I will say, though I’m mostly drawing from social media and her work as an analyst, she does seem to have made a role for herself as a leader, maybe a bit of a player-coach. And though I assume the need has gone down somewhat, I know there was value in having her around this year to help everyone with the Canada of it all. Honesty, I don’t envision her staying in the rotation… but with a veterans’ minimum contract, there might be room for her at the end of the bench.

Likewise, I haven’t really seen enough to know if Teonni Key will or should stick around. But with salary cap considerations, rookies who can contribute at all are valuable, so if management continues to see potential in her, there are worse things to do with a roster spot.

And then there’s Temi Fagbenle. Who for a variety of reasons, including injuries, hasn’t really worked out. And it’s a bummer – when they signed her, though it seemed to me to be merely the best of the not great remaining options, I had hopes. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see her have a resurgence elsewhere. But assuming we do move on… that’s a million dollars in salary to spend elsewhere!

That rotation I was talking about before? Add another premium player to it.

If we want to dream impossible dreams, we can buy into the rampant speculation that happened when Phee only signed a one-year contract. Or maybe Nneka would want to try life north of the border. Maybe we prioritize youth and size and go after Awak Kuier, 6’6” and currently just a few weeks shy of twenty-five. Maybe we roll the dice that Sandy Brondello can bring about the resurrection of her Opals player Alanna Smith, taking on that salary in a trade. And those are just some of the possibilities for a million dollars of freed-up salary space!

And that’s why and how I’m thinking of the future when I’m watching games. Every time I think “It’d be different if Slim was playing,” I remember that she’ll be back. And though “healthy Nyara” may be something of an oxymoron, based on her history, there’s hope that there’s more stability among our forwards too. And whenever I think “Boy, we’re just a few good players short of really having something” or “Geez, Marina’s looking beat up and frustrated,” I realize there’s every reason to think those few good players will be here next year and Chef will have more room to cook.

Maybe I’m in denial that I’m giving up on this season. But I really believe I (and others) can enjoy the present and see moral victories while also dreaming about the future. Because even when, at times, it feels like the season has been long and may even be dragging, we can’t lose sight of this – for the franchise, we’re still early in the A.M.

I don’t know if it’s incumbent upon me to address the headlines surrounding the WNBA recently, but here goes…

Trans women are women.