MINNEAPOLIS -- Even with their top two bench options out for the start of the season, the defending WNBA champions aren't exactly in a bind -- not yet, anyway.
But the absences of guard Monica Wright and forward Devereaux Peters until further notice place further stress on identifying players who can make a difference right away. And that can be a tough task after just a week of training camp and one exhibition game.
"These are rookies. All of them," head coach Cheryl Reeve said. "So for us to put too many eggs in a basket would lead to some up-and-down. We're gonna have to put some eggs, I think, in somebody's basket, though.
"We've got to figure that out."
If there's one concern for Minnesota entering its second chance at defending a title in the past three seasons, it's depth. Reeve doesn't expect Wright or Peters -- both out with left knee injuries -- to be ready by the time the Lynx tip off the season May 16 at Washington.
Their ailments, combined with the aging of starting posts Janel McCarville and Rebekkah Brunson, means a rookie big will have to fill the void. That was true even before Peters' injury; behind the three returners, Minnesota doesn't have a power forward or center on the roster with any previous WNBA experience, unless flex star Maya Moore -- who Reeve says will play more four this year -- is counted in the mix.
Wright, Minnesota's skilled sixth woman who averaged nine points, 2.3 assists and one steal per game last season, underwent an arthroscopy on her knee April 25. The Lynx announced Monday that Peters will undergo the same procedure later this week.
Peters said she expects to be back in 4-to-6 weeks. No timetable has been given for Wright's return.
"I knew something was wrong, but I didn't think it was going to be that serious," said Peters, who tore her ACL in the same knee twice during college at Notre Dame. "I'm glad it's now, early on, so we can get it done and get on with the season."
It makes for a central roster battle between now and the start of the season.
"It definitely puts a lot of pressure," said rookie center Waltiea Rolle, who spent last season playing in the Czech Republic. "(Peters is) a really good player. Those are big shoes to fill."
The filler could be Rolle, who led the Lynx with 17 points and five rebounds in their preseason victory Monday night over the Australian National Team. The Lynx drafted the 6-foot-6, 199-pounder out of North Carolina in the third round last summer and signed her to compete with fellow posts Damiris Dantas and Asia Taylor for a spot in the rotation.
With Rolle leading the way, the trio combined to make 14 of 17 shots and scored 38 of Minnesota's points in an 82-66 win.
"I think the players that are battling for spots showed some really nice things," Reeve said.
There's more experience present at the guard position. The Lynx traded away guard Sugar Rodgers this offseason to make room for veteran free agent Tan White, who enters her 10th WNBA season.
Playing mostly point guard behind Lindsey Moore, White scored 11 points and dished out a team-high eight assists Monday.
She, too, knows there's more of an impetus for her to get up to speed with her new teammates.
"That's the fun part," White said. "I'm sitting here, evaluating myself to see how I can contribute to this team. With the system that they have here, for me to just come in and just fill in, I think it's gonna be fun and exciting, because you have a bunch of players that like to play together."
With her pseudo-replacement getting her feet wet, Wright watched alongside Peters and dressed-but-inactive returners McCarville, Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus at the Target Center, along with a thin, exhibition-worthy crowd of 2,550. Every Lynx player is back in the United States from overseas play, and only Brunson has yet to join the team (she likely will after its two-game preseason tournament at Disney World this weekend).
Reeve plans to waive three players before practice Monday. Injured forward Asya Bussie, long-shot guard Theairra Taylor and 2014 draft picks Tricia Liston and Christina Foggie could be on the chopping block.
Reeve said she's already made up her mind on who's going and who's staying. The first round of cuts will pare the roster down to 15, leaving three more players to let go before the season begins.
The league's new collective bargaining agreement added a 12th roster spot for teams to use.
They're important decisions for any club. For one trying to become the first WNBA team to repeat as champions since Los Angeles did it in 2001-02, they've taken center stage.
"When someone goes down, you have to step up," said Moore, who had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 24 minutes Monday. "This is a great opportunity for some of the younger players to come in and take ownership and get an opportunity that they otherwise wouldn't have had."
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