A repeat of last season - a loss in the Western Conference finals - would hurt, especially with Lisa Leslie and coach Michael Cooper leaving after this season. Leslie will retire and Cooper is headed to the college coaching ranks at Southern California.

So what did the front office do to make sure there would be help? It picked up the WNBA's second-leading career scorer behind Leslie: Tina Thompson, Leslie's former Olympic, college and high school teammate.

"I love it," said Leslie, who won gold medals with Thompson in 2004 and 2008. "I think I'm a great person to follow and I think she's a good person to have following me. She's a great teammate and we have great chemistry. For me, it was a no-brainer."

So far, the decision to add Thompson has taken a load off Cooper.

"They've got a good rapport and they know each other well," he said. "It saves my hair because I don't have to worry about too much, I'm losing mine already. With those two out there, it's less thinking so much."

Thompson, who averaged 18.1 points and 6.9 rebounds last season, was available after the Houston Comets folded. She mulled retirement, but didn't want to leave the game yet. She said yes to the Sparks partly because of the attraction of playing with Leslie again, and to be closer to her mother who lives in the Los Angeles area.

"We played with each other for a long time so it takes a matter of minutes for us to get back together," she said. "It's not hard for us to get going. I know which way she's going to turn in certain situations and where she likes the ball so it's not something I have to figure out. It goes without saying."

After landing Thompson, the front office turned to filling another void: finding someone to improve the Sparks' transition game. That was Betty Lennox, a nine-year pro who signed in April.

"Betty is the piece we needed. She's locked in," Cooper said. "The last guard we had with that kind of capability to score was Mwadi Mabika and Tamecka Dixon and with those two players we won back-to-back championships. It's a joy to have her here."

Lennox was the leading scorer for the Atlanta Dream last season before being waived. She averaged 17.5 points, but never felt quite at home.

"My personality fits with this team. I fit right in," she said.

"I'm a sore loser, especially when we don't put all our effort out on the court. This is a gold mine for me here. They have the same desire, mentality and work ethic as I do."

Her stint in Los Angeles will be her sixth with a WNBA team, with speculation that she's volatile and uncoachable, causing her many moves.

But the Sparks didn't shy away from signing Lennox, the 2000 rookie of the year and MVP of the 2004 finals.

"She hasn't shown that at all," Cooper said. "I hate to lose and that's why we fit in together. I have the ultimate level of respect for her because anybody her size that can go out there and compete and is not afraid to take the falls, that's my kind of player. She works well for us."

So does Parker, last year's WNBA MVP and rookie of the year who led the league in rebounds and averaged 18.5 points.

"I expect her sooner than later," Cooper said. "Her key is just to go ahead and do what she has to do as far as being a mother first and then worry about the team. But you can see the anxiousness in her eyes."