Morning Links: Spoiled Returns On A Busy Tuesday Night

It was a five-game night last night and it was headlined by a few disappointing returns to action.

Here's a brief look at the key storylines of the night, but - as usual - feel free to drop any of your favorite links in the comments along with your wonderful insights.

Starting five:

• Ramona Shelburne of ESPN LA got an explanation from Shelden Williams about the reason for Candace Parker's outburst in the the Los Angeles Sparks' 84-79 loss to the Atlanta Dream last night: six weeks. Read more >>>

• John Nash of The Hour writes about Maya Moore's underwhelming return to Connecticut in which the Minnesota Lynx got trounced by the Sun. Read more >>>

• While all eyes were on Maya Moore in Connecticut, point guard Lindsay Whalen was also making a return and trying to single-handedly carry the Lynx to victory, at one point scoring 14 straight points, as described by Jim Fuller of The Middletown Press. Read more >>>

• Odeen Domingo of The Arizona Republic details the Phoenix Mercury's comeback against the Seattle Storm last night, the second-biggest in franchise history. Read more >>>

• Dave Hutchinson of The Star Ledger takes a closer look at Cappie Pondexter's game-winning drive against the Washington Mystics at The Prudential Center last night. Read more >>>

The rotation:

• Ned Griffin of The Day reports that the Sun feel like they're starting to round into a good team and have a chance to advance far in the Eastern Conference. Read more >>>

• Richard Cohen of the WNBAlien blog recaps the Eastern side of last night's slate of games, with a nice look at the Washington Mystics' late-game execution. Read more >>>

• Katie Douglas didn't score a point against the San Antonio Silver Stars last night, but coach Lin Dunn said her impact on the game is evident from Becky Hammon's line. Read more >>>

• Jemele Hill of ESPN.com asks a question that the adults looking to line their pockets with TV dollars seemingly never bother to ask: how would realignment affect the student-athletes? Read more >>>