Sky better hope Fowles’ wrist injury isn’t serious

An uninspired effort Thursday night at Indiana dropped the Chicago Sky to below .500 (8-9) at the halfway point of the WNBA season.

But the league’s All-Star Game today, which features three Sky players — more than any other team in the Eastern Conference — was supposed to help fans forget all about that. At least temporarily.

Now, there might be something even more pressing to worry about. And no amount of all-star hype (2:30 p.m., ABC 7) will mask it.

Superstar Sky center Sylvia Fowles, who leads the league in scoring (20.4 ppg) and blocks (2.3 bpg), will be joining teammates Epiphanny Prince and Courtney Vandersloot in San Antonio for the WNBA’s showcase game.

But she won’t play in it.

The 6-foot-6 Fowles, a three-time all-star who anchors the Sky on offense, on defense and everywhere in between, saw a specialist late Friday afternoon to have her left (non-shooting hand) wrist examined. It has been causing her pain for the last month, likely the result of a collision she was involved in during the Sky’s win over Connecticut on June 23.

Fowles has been wearing an unassuming, black wrap around her wrist ever since, yet has still been dominant. With the injury seemingly manageable, and the schedule fast and furious (the Sky played 10 games in the 28 days since the collision), Fowles decided to put off a trip to the doctor until the all-star break.

Her exact status has yet to be diagnosed, but to be on the safe side, doctors and team officials told her to skip the All-Star Game.

Let’s hope that’s all Fowles needs to skip.

If Fowles was relegated to the injured list, the Sky would go from mostly sunny to dark and ominous in an instant. To say this team would be in big trouble would be putting it mildly.

Even with Fowles, the Sky’s quest to earn its first playoff berth in franchise history will be a challenge in a league that is dripping with parity.

Without Fowles, I’m afraid the Sky’s playoff hopes would be all wet.

Star-studded honorees: As part of its historic 15th season celebration, the WNBA is honoring the most influential players since its inception in 1997, and the top 15 players of all time will be unveiled during a special halftime presentation at today#146;s All-Star Game.

Voting was conducted by fans and select national and WNBA-market media, as well as current players and coaches. There were 30 nominees to choose from and they were selected based on performance and ability, leadership, sportsmanship, and community service, as well as to contributions to team success and the overall growth of women#146;s basketball.

Bye-bye Bjorklund:

The Sky waived rookie guard Angie Bjorklund (1.1 ppg) on Friday and will be looking to add a new player before the second half of the season starts Tuesday.

Bjorklund, a 6-foot standout from the University of Tennessee, was selected 17th overall in the 2011 WNBA draft.

Starring the Red Stars:

Get ready for some top-notch soccer, post Women#146;s World Cup.

The Chicago Red Stars will be competing in and hosting the Women#146;s Premier Soccer League Final Four next weekend at the Benedictine University Sports Complex in Lisle.

The semifinals will take place at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 and the league championship game will be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 31.

The Red Stars (10-1-1) are playing their first season in the Women#146;s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) after spending the 2009 and 2010 seasons in Women#146;s Professional Soccer (WPS).

Visit the Red Stars#146; ticket page at www.redstarsgear.com/tickets2011.html. For more information, call 312-546-3670 or email info@chicagoredstars.com.

Ÿ Patricia Babcock McGraw, who covers the WNBA for the Daily Herald, also provides color commentary for Chicago Sky broadcasts.