Mystics center Chasity Melvin, after Tuesday night's win over the Sting:

Dawn Staley, immediately after being traded from the Sting last Monday:
"This is a bittersweet moment. The opportunity to go to Houston presented itself, and it will be great to reunite with (coach) Van Chancellor, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson."

Sting general manger and coach Trudi Lacey:
"Dawn Staley has been a great ambassador for women's basketball and the Charlotte Sting in every possible aspect. She has meant the world to our franchise, and we wish her nothing but the best. This gives her an opportunity to compete for a WNBA championship."

All-Star Taj McWilliams-Franklin and the Sun lost at homelast week, but still have the best record in the league. Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images

New York coach Pat Coyle after last Sunday's win at home over the Fever:
"Whether it's junk, zone, man ... if it helps us win, I'll play it as much as we can. If we can just play them zone and not give them second shots. We gave them too many in the first half, but in the second half we did a better job."

Connecticut's Taj McWilliams-Franklin, told to the Hartford Courant:
"Some days I come out here in pain, but it's the pride I have in what I do. Even if I'm not OK, I'll come out here and say, `Yeah, I'm great.'"

Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings after nearly recording her fourth consecutive double-double on Thursday night:
"We want to make it to the playoffs and we want to win a championship," Catchings said Thursday after leading the Indiana Fever to a 78-68 victory over Seattle. "As long as we win, it's all good."

Mercury general manager Seth Sulka, on the possible early departure of center Maria Stepanova:
"She's here and wants to be here. There's been no discussion about going back. If that becomes an issue, I'm sure we'll be to talk about it in time to do whatever is necessary."

Fever coach Brian Winters, after a loss to the Sun on Saturday night:
"Hey, I'm disappointed, and I know all the players in the locker room are disappointed, but life goes on," Fever coach Brian Winters said. "Our goal is still to win the Eastern Conference championship, and we're going to continue on with that quest."

Storm guard Sue Bird, after last Sunday's win at home over the Sparks:
"We’re playing well, we’re playing at home. And I really thought we could go undefeated to finish July out, with a really good win streak, and we’ve done that.”

Storm guard Betty Lennox, to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
"I'm out there playing with a lot of pain. But 40 minutes, that's what I try to focus my mind on -- 40 minutes and then I can go home and cry."

Fever guard Tully Bevilaqua, after beating her former team, the Seattle Storm:
"I'm not going to put it in their face or anything. They're just another team we have to beat on our quest to win a championship."

Shock guard Bill Laimbeer, after last week's win over the Mercury:
"The turnovers just fry my brain. But we overcame it and if we take care of the ball, we should beat teams pretty good."

New Sting coach Muggsy Bogues, who took over last week:
"My assessment is that we've got some talent. We've got talent on the team, and I've just got to find out and explore and put them in the best situation where they can be successful. I think Trudi did an excellent job with them. Now hopefully I can come in and assist them, to let them understand that we've still got 10 games left, that we're not going to rest yet. We're going to play hard, we're going to compete, we're going to get up and down the floor and we're going to get back to that winning tradition that was set in earlier years.

Liberty forward Shameka Christon, to the N.Y. Post, on how teammate Crystal Robinson has helped her:
"She talks to me before the game, after the game. She probably knows me better than anyone else in New York."

Comets coach Van Chancellor, after Dawn Staley's first game with the Comets on Tuesday:
"I think when Dawn Staley learns what we're doing, she's going to be pretty good for us. She ran our team, she got me the ball where I wanted it. That 3-pointer she hit was unbelievable. She guarded better than I thought she could...we're talking about a player that practiced 6 or 7 minutes today."

Staley, after that first game in a new uniform:
"I didn't ask to be traded...I would never ask. My loyalty will always be with the organization I'm playing with. I'm not a quitter. Just because things are not going the way I want them to and not getting positive results, I would never quit. I love the game of basketball. I like being around talented individuals. I want to see the Sting do well, but unfortunately, I won't be able to finish out with them. But I am going to go full strength ahead with this organization...they wanted me here, they embraced me and I'm going to give them everything I have."

Mystics General Manager Linda Hargrove after the Katie Smith-to-Detroit trade, to the Washington Post:
"When I first heard about it, I felt sick. I thought they might have had the most talented team before. Now, they are loaded."

Storm coach Anne Donovan, after learning that Janell Burse was named WNBA Player of the Week:
"It's so nice to see a player that really goes unnoticed for the most part be recognized at that level -- and so much deserved."

Silver Stars center Katie Feenstra, to the San Antonio Express-News:
"Finally getting a start, it shows me where I've come from. I've had to work for that spot, and it wasn't just handed to me because I'm 6-foot-8."

New Chicago owner Michael Alter, on what Chicago will bring to the WNBA:
"For starters, we'll give people the opportunity to come to Chicago, one of the best cities in the world. I know everyone is excited about that; I know the players are, too. I think that because we aren't part of an NBA team that we have a whole different perspective as to how to approach the business side and the front office, in particular. Hopefully we'll do some things right, in terms of determining who our market is a little differently from other teams, and maybe some other teams can hopefully benefit from that."

Shock guard Deanna Nolan, after losing in Houston on Tuesday night:
"It was pretty big, but we're not going to let this one game get us down. We know the things that made us lose this game and we'll just carry that over to the next game. We're still going to go out and try and win every game. We're fighting for that play-off spot and I know we have a chance to do it, we just have to get it together for 40 minutes and not just the second half. We were more aggressive in the second half, we were getting steals, playing team defense, coming after them and doing all the
little things that we weren't doing in the first half and that's what got us back in the game. We started knocking down shots and rebounding and that what got us in the second half."

Sun guard Katie Douglas, after last Sunday's home loss to the Shock, to the Norwich Bulletin:
"It just stings, period. We have done such a good job taking care of home court, no matter whom it is. We just needed to take care of business, and unfortunately we weren't able to do that (Saturday)."

Muggsy Bogues after his first game as coach, a loss to the Monarchs:
"I wasn't nervous at all. I was anxious to see how they were going to perform. It's going to take some time, and they have to be patient. For the most part, they did what I asked. We just didn't protect the basketball."

Tina Thompson, on changes in the WNBA in nine seasons:
"I just think that the way it's officiated has changed a little bit. Just the tempo of the game has changed. A lot of things are kind of (being) let go that allow the game to be a lot more fluid. For the most part, it's been pretty much the same. But there's kind of a gray area. You don't know when it's a foul, when it isn't. We've just come to the conclusion that we're going to have to play through it, don't expect anything."

Detroit's Barb Farris :
"We have such a long offseason. The international game, playing so many styles, keeps your game sharp. I want to keep my skill level up."

Seattle's Tanisha Wright, after starting her first game in the absence of Betty Lennox:
"It's kinda bittersweet sad. Betty's a huge part of this team, but it is what it is."

Washington's Temeka Johnson, to FoxSports.com:
"I've always had to prove myself to people no matter wha. Some people see me play for the first time and they say maybe it was just a fluke and we'll see what happens the next time. I think I'll have to face that the rest of my life."

Sting guard Allison Feaster:
"My husband and I are three months pregnant and blessed with our first child due early next year. After continually experiencing discomfort while playing, we decided it was in the best interest of our baby to discontinue playing for the remainder of the season.''