Can the Seattle Storm Improve in 2016?

At one time, Seattle women's basketball was a beautiful thing.

The 2000's proved to be a fruitless decade for the Seattle Supersonics. The team only made the playoffs twice during that span, and left the Pacific Northwest after the city and owner Clay Bennett were embroiled in a nasty lawsuit involving the team's lease agreement at Key Arena.

It was definitely not a good time to be a fan of the Green and Gold.

However, things weren't all bad in the Emerald City. The WNBA arrived in Seattle in 2000, and in two years, the Storm were a playoff contender, making the playoffs 11 out of 12 years, winning the WNBA Championship in 2004 and 2010. The mainstay of the franchise, Sue Bird, has made the WNBA Western Conference All-Star team nine times, and in many ways, outside of Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Ray Allen and Nate McMillan, is one of the most important basketball figures in the history of Seattle.

In other words, she is a basketball goddess.

That was then. This is now.

The team missed the playoffs in 2014, going 12-22. Coach Brian Agler and the team decided to part ways, and assistant coach Jenny Boucek took the reigns on the bench. This year, hasn't been much better, as the team currently has the worst record in the league.

It's not that the team is lacking talent by any means. Bird is still a productive guard, averaging 10.4 points a game, and just under 6 assists a contest. Crystal Langhorne is a three-time All-Star, leading the team with 10.8 PPG, and 5.9 rebounds a game. They are keeping loyal fan interest going as the team decides what direction it wants to go in going forward.

The team is 2-8 in their last 10 games. The team struggled mightily in their game Friday night against the Indiana Fever, losing 75-63. They play their next game on Friday night at home against the San Antonio Stars.

The team drafted a gem this year in guard Jewell Lloyd, who had a pretty nice game on Friday against the Fever, scoring 15 points. She figures to be the future of the Storm, and will be called upon to carry the load once Sue Bird retires.

There's a pool of really good talent in the 2015 WNBA Draft. It's going to come down to Seattle and San Antonio vying for the right to draft Breanna Stewart. The 2015 Associated Press player of the year, she has led Connecticut to the NCAA title three straight years. Having Stewart on the Storm would definitely be a game changer for a franchise that definitely needs it.

Things are about to get real interesting for the Storm in these next few years.  Don't miss it, it should be fun!