Lindsay Whalen was the hero on Sunday: taking over the game at the end, driving the lane, winning the game, leaving even players like Tamika Catchings impressed. She's had a great season, silencing the skeptics who said she wouldn't transition well to the pros. Kevin Pelton says say she's already an All-Star, and he won't be alone in that sentiment.

In short, she's doing what she used to do here.

Now she's back, but only for a couple days. Yesterday she signed autographs at the Megamall. 132 sold at $20 a pop. (Debate here, hat tip to Dawn.)

Tomorrow she plays the Lynx at the Target Center.

In many ways, it will be one of the most significant days in the history of the franchise, and not for very good reasons. Depending on walk-ups, we may break the franchise attendance record. We will have about three times as many fans there (for a noon weekday game) as we've had for most games this year. [But see UPDATE infra.]

The simple truth is that there are thousands of women's basketball fans in Minnesota who refuse to support the Lynx. Of course, they wouldn't all come out every game if a local favorite like Lindsay or Janelle were on the team, but even 1,000 more per game would add something like $20,000 of revenue per game, and that would make a big difference.

Before the season, I argued that the Lynx rightly rejected the "four starters" trade demanded by the Sun (see here and here, eg). The basic argument was that, for the long run health of the franchise, it's better to have a playoff team without Lindsay than a last place team with her.

But at times this year I've wondered if we made the right decision. At times, it's seemed like we've had the worst of both worlds: no Lindsay AND a mediocre team that might not make the playoffs. (Mercifully, the last few games have been reason for relief.)

Winning and losing aside, the franchise won't survive here without a lot more fans in the seats. There are probably only two ways to increase attendance: win a championship, or get Whalen or McCarville. The latter is more likely. And even if we have to trade our whole team to get one of them, it's better to have a last-place team than no team at all.

I don't know what we should do. For now, we'll just play hard and reassess our situation at the end of the season. I believe that Lynx owner Glen Taylor is willing to take losses for at least another year, so the franchise isn't in imminent danger. Eventually, however, he'll have to do something. When it comes down to it, we can only hope that a last-ditch trade for Lindsay or Janelle is still possible, and that the fans will come out regularly to see them.

For those reasons, it's been bittersweet for me seeing Lindsay's success this year in the WNBA. The problem isn't just that I'm not a fan of Thibault and the Sun. The bigger problem is that as she keeps doing well and becomes a cornerstone of Connecticut's squad, it becomes less likely that she'll ever return to the Lynx, less likely that we'll maintain a franchise in Minnesota, and perhaps even less likely that the league will survive.