Mechelle catches up with Big Bad Bill.

It was a chilly "yes, winter's coming" morning in Detroit in October, the day after the Shock had won the franchise's third WNBA title. Coach Bill Laimbeer called it particularly gratifying, considering what the team had been through, including a distracting midseason on-court fight with Los Angeles and the loss of a key starter to an injury.

Yet there seemed to be something else in his expression and voice then. He appeared ready to say goodbye to the Shock.

"I was," he confirms now.