Not About The $Money$

** Sunday morning update . . . Mel Greenberg, who broke the news yesterday of Angela's departure, has more on his blog today, here**

When the BCs read Dr. J's two-sentence statement this afternoon explaining that Angela Taylor was no longer with the Mystics because her contract had expired and the team could not reach "a new deal to retain her," we couldn't imagine what insurmountable stumbling block in the negotiations could have caused the Mystics to lose THE BEST GM IN FRANCHISE HISTORY. But there was one thing we truly believed . . . that it wasn't about the money.

This evening, Angela herself spoke out via Twitter, and had this to say:

Thanks 2 Mystics fans players & staff for two incredible years. I'm proud of what we were able 2 accomplish & wish u the best in the future.

For the record, I've been vested in the W for 14 years. It's never been about the money. It's about respect & doing things the right way!

So we were right. But being right doesn't make us feel one iota better. We're still sitting here depressed . . . feeling like we were sucker-punched. When Greg Bibb introduced us to Angela two years ago, we became immediate fans of the new GM. Sometimes you just sense that someone is the right person, in the right job, at the right time. We felt that about Angela. And in the 24 months since then, that feeling has been reinforced time and time and time again. We really came to like, and we really came to respect, Angela.

And now she's gone. We expect she will land on her feet, career-wise. The great ones alway do. But as for the Mystics, well, only time will tell. In our opinion, the Mystics organization has suffered yet another major loss. Just as we were beginning to put the playoff disappointment behind us and begin to look ahead to the Mystics + Alana 2011 season, we now have to cope with losing THE BEST GM IN FRANCHISE HISTORY.

We've been fans of the WNBA since before there even was a Mystics team. And, maybe we're just getting old and our memories are fading, but neither one of us can remember any WNBA team losing a successful coach or GM because they couldn't "reach an agreement" on a contract renewal. It's just unprecedented in our recollection. Until the Mystics finished first in the regular season this year, most of the "firsts" in Mystics history were things we wish we could forget. And today the list grows longer. Now, we can add this: the first time a team couldn't find a way to retain THE BEST GM IN THEIR FRANCHISE HISTORY.

For the last two seasons, we finally felt like the Mystics "got it" and that the team was on the right track. Angela was the linchpin that held it all together. We don't know anybody who didn't like -- and respect -- her.

How could this happen? We feel sick.

Angela, thank you, we will miss you.