Mohegan – It is difficult, nearly impossible, to form an objective opinion about the Connecticut Sun of 2015, what with the torrent of injuries, low expectations and recent seasons of distress.

But the organization did a smart thing Friday, revealed to the media after Friday's season opening loss to Washington at Mohegan Sun Arena: Coach Anne Donovan said Chiney Ogwumike – The Franchise - won't be returning this season.

Ogwumike, who underwent knee surgery in January, faces a six to nine month rehabilitation process. Questions about her return have been more prevalent than anything pertaining to the team on the floor. No more. Ogwumike is out till next year. Onward.

"Although she's getting better every day, it's a lot of pressure to put on her to come back," Donovan said. "Her doctors feel like a 100 percent Chiney is the best."

Ogwumike: "Any time I talk to a fan, a coach or a teammate, they ask me 'do you want to come back?' Everyone knows I do. But it's a long term thing. Even fans say take your time. ... You think I want to be dressed up on the sideline? Even though I look like I'm happy, I just want to run on the court sometimes. I trust in my doctors, trust in our organization and my teammates. They all see the bigger picture.

"My doctor knows I was being very competitive with my recovery. He's like, 'Chiney, you gotta walk before you can run.' My doctor said it's six to nine months, six in dire cases. You are not in a dire case. He's thinking about the longevity of my career."

So there. There is no need to discuss any ifs, wouldas, couldas or shouldas. This is the Sun of 2015. What you saw Friday night: flawed, feisty, fledgling. And Washington coach Mike Thibault said after his team's 73-68 win that the line doesn't form to the right for teams excited to play them.

"They have physicality that matches up to a lot of teams. Between (Kelsey) Bone, (Alyssa) Thomas, (Camille) Little and (Elizabeth) Williams, you have big, strong bodies that are hard to block out. They're going to rebound. They have some decent scorers. Much like us, they know they need to develop a bench. They're bringing rookies off the bench and rookies make rookie mistakes. (Chelsea) Gray and Williams are going to be good pros. It'll just take some time. That's kind of what separates teams: how many good players you can run out there. A lot of nights they're going to be pretty good."

They were pretty good Friday. Just not quite good enough. Former Sun guard Kara Lawson did an admirable job on defense on the second half, holding up-and-coming Alex Bentley to two points. (She finished with 17). Gray showed flashes. As did Williams. They rallied from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter. They have the crowd of 5,846 a chance to yell now and then.

Then there's Jasmine Thomas, who finished 1-for-10 from the field. Not sure what's more distressing: the "1" or the "10." Happily, it's a temporary dilemma. Sooner or later, this is going to be Gray's team. Can't wait. She's big, strong and athletic. Good luck stopping the pick and roll with Gray and Ogwumike.

"Last season, that third quarter would have gotten real ugly for us," Bone said. "But on the court, in the huddle and on the bench, everyone stayed positive and we believed we could fight back. Everyone's concerned and focused on what's going on with our team off the court. We've got 11 people that can play. When you start talking about draft picks and things like that ... we've got some talent in this locker room.

"This is what we've got. This is us," Bone said. "It's going to be a good thing to have Chiney around so she can see the movement make an easier transition. We've prepared for life without her. We understand the decision."

It's hard to ask the fans to stay patient. But what other choice is there?

"At this point we're looking for positives. It's the first game of the season. There's a long way to go," Donovan said. "We have a very good mature group in that locker room. They understand we can't afford to get in a big hole. ... Look at the players we've acquired. We've got a great nucleus here. We're not just looking at this team down the line. We'll continue to battle every game. We're missing some parts, but the group we have right now, don't count 'em out."

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.

Twitter: @BCgenius