"We cannot continue on this path," Sheila Johnson, also a part owner of the team, said in a rare conference call with reporters. "The Mystics have not moved one ounce in their 11-year history, and we've got to start making some changes. It is the only way this team is going to survive.

"If I can't move the marker here, I'm going to lose my fan base, I'm going to lose my corporate support, and I just might as well shut down, and I don't want to do that. I want to make a difference in this team. I want a winning team."

The Mystics have defined instability since entering the WNBA in 1988. They have had 10 coaches in 11 seasons, leading to dizzying changes in philosophy and constant lineup shuffles. They entered this season's Olympic break with a 10-16 record and recently fired coach Tree Rollins, replacing him with interim coach Jessie Kenlaw. They have been to the playoffs four times, but Johnson noted the team is 70 games below .500 since it came into being.

"I think my fans are getting fed up," she said. "I'm getting fed up."

The move that prompted Tuesday's conference call was the trade last week that sent respected veteran Taj McWilliams-Franklin to Detroit for a pair of young players and a draft pick. Johnson - making a daring statement in a Redskins (web|news) town - compared the trade to the Dallas Cowboys' decision to trade Herschel Walker in 1989, part of a rebuilding plan that eventually led to three Super Bowl titles.

"Our issue has not been lack of effort. It has been lack of talent," Johnson said. "This is pro basketball, and good coaching and gutty performances can only take a team so far. The Mystics need athletes and we need scorers and we need a roster of young ladies whose collective physical skills make other teams in the league dread the thought of playing us."

"The Mystics have been operating for too long without a long-term plan," she added. "In the three years that I have been an owner and a general partner, our thinking has been far too shortsighted and our player-personnel decisions are far too needs-based. That all ends today."

Johnson's words would appear to be a searing indictment of general manager Linda Hargrove, who has put together the roster that Johnson claims has a lack of talent. Yet Johnson gave Hargrove a vote of confidence.

"She's done a wonderful job, and she knows what our new mission is," Johnson said. "And just like everybody else, she's going to be held to a higher standard."

Kenlaw's status will be reviewed at the end of the season. For that matter, Johnson made it sound as if no one's job is positively secure. "They'll be a lot of evaluation in the next month to come," she said.