WNBA Power Rankings

Shortly after canning coach Jenny Boucek and replacing her himself, GM John Whisenant declared his beleaguered Monarchs would make the playoffs. Now that they've gone 0-2 since he assumed control, we wonder whether he meant this year or next. The only indication that he might be looking more toward the future than the present is that he's increased Courtney Paris' (pictured) playing time. The four-time All-America rookie out of Oklahoma made starts last week against Seattle (69-56) and Detroit (69-65), playing an average of 22.5 minutes.

Next three: 7/22 at Connecticut; 7/23 at New York; 7/26 at Washington