Welcome back, Candice ... for a game
Stashing water guns in the locker room might be the best thing the Phoenix Mercury has done all summer.
By engaging in regular water gun fights, the defending WNBA champions are not only beating the steamy desert heat, they're also having a great time together.
"Well, it is extremely hot here, so I guess it helps with that," Mercury forward Candice Dupree said with a laugh. "But it's really just about having fun. It's the kind of group we are. I don't know if many teams would have water gun fights before games or spray silly string around the locker room. We know when it's time to be serious, but we also have a lot of fun."
Dupree is having fun off the court with the Mercury, as well as on, which might be tough for Chicago Sky fans to hear.
They used to cheer for her here. For four years.
Dupree was traded from the Sky to Phoenix just days before training camp started last spring, and on Tuesday, she'll play in Chicago for the first time as an opponent.
The Mercury visits Allstate Arena seeking to sweep the teams' two-game season series (7 p.m., Comcast Channel 100).
Dupree, who is averaging a career best in points (16.9) and rebounds (8.2) this season, had been the face of the Chicago Sky since its inception in 2006. She was the first draft pick in franchise history and lived up to that billing by finishing as the team's leading scorer in three of her four seasons.
But during the last off-season, Dupree asked Sky management to be traded, citing her desire to play for a more established contender.
The Mercury won WNBA championships in 2007 and 2009. The Sky has yet to make the playoffs.
"I'm happy now," Dupree said. "I like living in Phoenix and I like playing on this team. I'm enjoying it."
Dupree says that she's also having a blast with the Mercury's ultra fast-paced style.
Phoenix, which has won eight of its last 10 games, is averaging a WNBA-best 96.9 points per game and has scored 90-plus points in 10 straight games, a WNBA record.
On top of that, the Mercury has rolled up 100 or more points in five of its last eight games.
The frenetic pace is much different from what Dupree was used to in Chicago, where defense and a strong inside game are emphasized.
"Initially, it was an adjustment for me here," Dupree said. "I came to (training) camp in shape, but there's nothing like preparing for that kind of pace until you actually get out there and do it in a game.
"The first couple games into the season, after like four or five minutes, I was dog-tired and I had to get a sub. Now, I can last just about the entire 40 minutes, and I'm loving all the easy layups I'm able to get in transition."
Credit league icon Diana Taurasi for many of those gimmes.
With her precision passing and Energizer Bunny mentality, the star guard and defending MVP of the WNBA is the engine that keeps the Mercury moving up and down the floor nonstop.
"She is so fun to play with," Dupree said of Taurasi. "Obviously, she's a great player. She also has a great personality. She's always making everyone laugh.
"On the court, she just works so hard, and that motivates you. It's fun to play with someone who has the mentality that she is always the best player on the floor."
Taurasi is arguably the best women's player on the planet.
As top dog with the Sky for four straight years, Dupree knew that her role would change instantly the minute she signed with Phoenix.
"That was something I had to think about prior to asking to be traded from Chicago," Dupree said. "I knew if I went to another team, there was probably going to be another player there already that was the face of that franchise. That was something I was ready for."
But Dupree says she's not sure if she's ready for the emotions she'll feel when she plays in Chicago.
"It may be a little weird, a little awkward playing in front of all the fans I played in front of for four years," Dupree said. "But I'm excited to see everyone. I still have a lot of friends there."
pbabcock@dailyherald.com