Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans reports that Seattle Storm free agent acquisitions Katie Smith (Achilles) and Belinda Snell (ankle) will be out for today's 2 p.m. game against the Tulsa Shock at KeyArena.
She has also said on Twitter that Storm coach Brian Agler has indicated that both players are making progress with the regular season opener on June 4.
The other question confronting the team is how to reduce the roster from 13 to 11 players by June 2 and today's game should definitely serve as an opportunity to figure out who is worthy of a roster spot. One such player who has already made an impression is rookie forward Ify Ibekwe from Arizona, according to Kevin Pelton of StormBasketball.com.
STORM: Storm Returns to Key Sunday
The one newcomer Agler anticipates using early in the game is second-round pick Ify Ibekwe, who has impressed the coaching staff during practices."I think she's shown something through training camp that we're getting close to saying she's somebody we should work with and give some time to," explained Agler.
If Ibekwe ends up making the roster, she could end up being one of the biggest steals in the 2011 WNBA Draft - she was on the Storm's radar as a first round pick and shot 42.4% from the 3-point line at Arizona.
Pelton also writes that the injuries to Smith and Snell are not likely to influence those roster decisions.
For more on the Tulsa Shock and the WNBA, visit SB Nation's women's basketball site Swish Appeal.