Libertys vision goes far beyond WNBA title repeat

The Liberty don’t want to be a one-hit wonder.They want to establish themselves as the premier franchise, a perennial title contender, the crème de la crème — think the WNBA’s version of the Boston Celtics or the New England Patriots.Last season’s championship, the franchise’s first, no doubt was “phenomenal” and “means everything” to general manager Jonathan Kolb.But winning one title was never New York’s end goal.“We want this franchise to be a legacy franchise,” Kolb said Saturday.

“We want this franchise to be iconic.It only happens through winning.”So here comes the Liberty’s next, arguably more difficult test: doing it all over again.

Defending the championship crown can be more challenging than capturing it in the first place.Every opposing team sees the Liberty as the one to beat.New York will be used as a measuring stick for some opposing franchises throughout the season.“Winning is really hard,” Kolb said.

“It’s really difficult in this league — for good reason.Look around, there’s so many good teams.

And so for us, when you have a chance, you have a real chance to do something really special.You need to be all-in with that.

We are all-in with that.”The Liberty years ago identified Natasha Cloud as a player who would fit well in their system.She’s a two-way, dynamic guard who can complement Sabrina Ionescu as a backcourt tandem.New York didn’t anticipate Cloud to be available this past offseason, but when the Phoenix Mercury traded her to the Connecticut Sun as part of a four-team deal that brought Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally to Phoenix, Kolb got to work.It took two first-round draft picks, including this year’s No.

7 selection, to bring Cloud to Brooklyn, but Kolb believes she’s an ideal piece for this year’s puzzle.Kolb was also high on re-signing Marine Johannes and Kennedy Burke along with adding Rebekah Gardner to the equation.On paper, the Liberty have put together a deep roster that s...