Mystics In a Total Freefall as Midway Point of Season Approaches

Alright guys judging by all the nasty emails and twitter mentions I've been getting about the Mystics midseason report not being posted, I know that you all have been anxiously waiting and I'm SORRY. You can all exhale now because here it is.

I finally decided to use my down time in the office a little differently this morning. Usually when things are slow at work, people will know. Well at least on Facebook they'll know. I mean I'm talking about an Abdullah Sharif newsfeed takeover. I'm liking at least 1 out of 3 statuses, commenting on peoples stupid posts with witty one liners and of course utilizing my key expertise of clowning fellow colleague Asad Naqvi in any which way I can. And if I'm still bored then I'll most likely either be stalking Lindsay Lohan's twitter, trying to squeeze my head into my mini-Dolphins helmet, or just zoning out to my coworker's computer screen as he shops online for weird stuff like replacement switches for ceiling fans (yeah, they have them at Lowes.com - not available in stores).

Anyways, so here I am now behind my desk somehow trying to put this dreadful start to the Mystics season in perspective.

All I can think about are the poor DC basketball fans who have acknowledged and accepted that their Wizards won't be around for a while, and are left with no choice but to resort to women's basketball.

Not that its any different from men's basketball right? Just like those PSA's we've seen on NBA TV with Dwight Howard vouching for WNBA credibility by stating that "basketball is basketball". Well, that may be true..I guess.. but for the few percentage that actually believes in that statement, the Mystics so far seem to be doing everything to make them lose interest.

The Lady Wizards have won only 2 of their first 11 games with their closest margin of loss being 7 points. I mean most of these games haven't been close at all. They've lost their 9 games by an average of 11 points. I can't even say much about their 2 wins. One came in overtime against Atlanta in which the Mystics made a late comeback, while the other win came against the only team with a worse record than us. After covering a few home games earlier in the season and following them on the road I am now trying to put together the pieces of why we suck.

It's quite simple. It's been a combination of horrible starts, lack of chemistry, and failure to close out games. Many times this season we have, or should I say, I have witnessed the Mystics falling behind early, playing catch up after halftime, then finally letting go in the 4th. If you're trying to get your mind off the horrible season the Wizards had this past year, don't watch a Mystics game.

Besides our superstar Crystal Langhorne, only two other Mystics players are averaging double figures. One of them barely. Matee Ajavon has become a favorite for me thus far. And that's not just because she pushes a 6 series Beamer with 22" deep dishes. "Damn Abby you've rode in her car before??" No I cut her off on 395 on the way to the Verizon Center last month.

But seriously, Matee has been on the upside of this bad season. Averaging just under 15 a game, she's one of the only few on the squad that has been bringing it night in and night out. Granted she's had her rough moments, quite a few of them, but what do you expect.. we're the second worst team in the league.

So in a nutshell, before this article gets boring or my A.D.D. kicks in, the Mystics have a lot to address as the season comes to a half. Like how will first year coach Trudi Lacey get her squad to finally gel and perform well for an ENTIRE game? Will underachieving rookie Victoria Dunlap ever come along before we decide to ship her away? Will they EVER get rid of that corny panda mascot?

In the midst of a 5 game west coast road trip, the Mystics have lost the first 3. They wrap up in Phoenix and finally L.A this weekend before returning back to D.C. If they somehow end this road trip on a high note, the flight home could be a little sweeter and maybe a little momentum can factor in as well. We shall see. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.