Every season, there's often a team or two that fails to reach expectations, whether these expectations are created by the media or the fans.
Last year for the 2013 season, we had a list of standings predictions out there, and looking back on it, some teams over-performed where we projected them to be. The most notable cases were the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm. We projected both to be the bottom teams in the East and West respectively in 2013, but they both ended up being playoff teams.
Others underperformed. The Connecticut Sun should have been in the playoff picture in 2013 but ended up last in the Eastern Conference. In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Mercury was projected by many other places (not Swish Appeal) to be the team to beat in the WNBA, but their head coach was terminated midseason after a mediocre start. His replacement did get the team to the Conference Finals, but he too decided not to return.
It is kind of hard to predict which teams will disappoint, because it is subjective to one's interpretation, but if I had to guess, teams heading into the season with a lot of hype, such as the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks figure to be in the conversation if they for whatever reason do not play like contenders this summer.
Then the teams which surprised people in the standings last year, like the Washington Mystics and the Seattle Storm also could be "disappointments," not because we are hyping them as 2014 WNBA Finals contenders, but maybe fans of their teams could be expecting more than what the teams are really capable of, so if these teams finish below .500 this season, which is below their 2013 records, and/or if they miss the playoffs in 2014, it could be disappointing in that way to their fans.
So, which teams do you think could be disappointments relative to preseason expectations in 2014?