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Do you believe in curses? The Tulsa Shock must
Published: 8/28/2012 12:40 PM
Last Modified: 8/28/2012 12:40 PM

Aren't superstitious? Don't believe in curses?

Maybe a few minutes studying the star-crossed existence of the local WNBA franchise might change your mind.

If you look up snake-bit in the dictionary, a Tulsa Shock logo must pop up.

The latest indignity for the franchise came Monday when team star Liz Cambage refused to get on her flight from Australia to Tulsa. The center's tenure in town likely ended Tuesday when the team said she wasn't returning this season.

Her agent put out a flimsy statement about a draining Olympic experience -- which would be perfectly believable had two of her Australian Olympic teammates not already rejoined their respective WNBA teams.

Ok, we get it. Cambage isn't overly mature. And she obviously doesn't like Tulsa that much. It's too bad, because now the Shock will likely have to trade her for pennies on the dollar.

We hope you enjoy playing in New York or LA next year.

No matter what Shock president Steve Swetoha says, now is the right time to put an end to this disappointing chapter for a franchise that has known nothing but disappointment since moving from Detroit.

Here's your Tulsa Shock history timeline in a nutshell:

* The team left most of its best players in Detroit when it moved to town three years ago.

* It made a ridiculous local hero hire by picking Nolan Richardson as its first coach.

* And not once, but twice, Tulsa has had the worst record in the league and not won the WNBA draft lottery. In 2011, that unlucky bounce cost them Maya Moore and stuck them with Cambage instead. Last year, Tulsa picked fourth in a draft that was one superstar deep. Now that's some brutal luck.

As it stands now, the Shock is in a dead heat with Phoenix and Washington for the worst record in the WNBA this season. I perfectly expect the Shock to finish last and miss out on the top pick in the lottery again. Or perhaps more fitting, win the rights to Baylor phenom Brittney Griner only to have her decide to quit basketball and travel the globe seeking the meaning of life instead.

I understand it's the WNBA and few people care, especially in Tulsa where games I've watched have been sparsely attended.

But no matter what you think about the WNBA, Tulsa deserves a better product before the Shock decide the city can't sustain the franchise.

And the city certainly deserves better than Cambage.


Reader Comments 3 Total
I normally don't personally comment outside the parent blog, but oh man is Tulsa hurting for a sports franchise to cheer like Oklahoma City's beloved almost-NBA-champion Thunder.

I went to one Shock game with my husband once because I was offered tickets and because I attended (and loved) many OU womens basketball games over the years. I may return again someday, but my husband declared that he wouldn't.

- The blaring PA system
- The flashing lights (that were about at eye level where we were sitting) around the BOK Center
- The non-competitiveness (it was the Shock's first year in Tulsa)
- The empty seats
- The few in attendance sitting on their hands or sipping beers instead of getting into the game

I had really hoped for a Lloyd Noble-like experience. I had even attended an OU women's game at GIA in Stillwater and despite it being mostly empty, it was still tons of fun having the Poke fans heckle us, so I would have settled for that too.

I hope for the very best to the WNBA and the Tulsa Shock franchise.
snoop (6 months ago)
I would go if a limo picked me up, had a flemmings dinner before and stopped by the melting pot for desert, short of that....no thanks its a waste of time
WilsonReagan (6 months ago)
Love the arrogant okc/ou post by althea. A Lloyd Noble-like experience. hahahahaha now that is funny stuff.
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The Editor's Desk

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

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Michael Peters
mgpeters23
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