Lynx players scatter overseas

With their WNBA season over, most of the Lynx players are planning to scatter overseas.

Guard Seimone Augustus will play this offseason in Istanbul, Turkey. Last winter she played in Russia for a team in Moscow.

In Europe, the top WNBA players can easily make double or triple their U.S. salaries, which were capped at $97,500 this year for the league's best veterans.

The first four rookies taken in the WNBA draft last April, including guard Candice Wiggins of the Lynx, were paid $44,064.

Wiggins will take classes at Stanford this fall. She needs a few more credits to graduate. But, in January, she plans to go overseas, too. She is not sure where yet.

Before playing again, Wiggins might need surgery on her right knee to repair a torn lateral meniscus. She was injured Sept. 9 in a home victory over Indiana and missed the last two regular-season games.

Dr. Sheldon Burns, the Lynx team doctor, said the recovery time for such a surgery would only be a couple weeks.

Forward Kristen Rasmussen, who has played in Spain for several years, will play for a team in Athens, Greece.

Center Vanessa Hayden-Johnson will play in Italy, Augustus said. Hayden-Johnson played in Turkey last offseason.

Guard Lindsey Harding, like Wiggins, is unsure what country she will play in.

Forward Nicole Ohlde and guard Anna DeForge probably will stay in the Twin Cities until January before going overseas. Last year Ohlde played in France, DeForge in Poland.

Here are two web sites to follow how Lynx players are doing in the offseason:

The Lynx will have a link on their web site to some of the same information once games begin overseas. That will be soon. Games in Poland start Sunday, for instance, and in Russia on Oct. 10.

Fewer moves needed Second-year Lynx coach Don Zierden said his team roster is getting close to what he wants.

After back-to-back 10-24 seasons, Minnesota improved to 16-18 this year. That tied the Lynx with Phoenix for sixth place in the Western Conference standings, but they still missed the playoffs.