http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/15643853.htm
David Aldridge | 76ers believe, but can they deliver?
By David Aldridge
Inquirer Columnist
On media day, you aren't asked to do anything but believe.
So, Chris Webber can believe, at 33, that his knee is fully healed and that he will be the all-around force that he was in Sacramento - before the mileage, before the dreams of a title crashed on the rocks, before May 8, 2003.
That night, Webber's already-sore knee gave out in a playoff series against Dallas, and so did the Kings. He's never been the same since. Neither have they.
The pre-injury Webber, the all-star Webber, dominated games from the high post. With his quickness, he got to the rim with impunity. His jumper made him next to impossible to guard. And with those hands, those amazing, Velcro-like hands, he could convert anyone's wayward pass into a basket.
That Webber, with Allen Iverson, could take the 76ers places.
What we saw in Philadelphia last season was a copy of a copy, someone with the smarts to put up numbers, but not the physical gifts to dominate - and a defensive liability.
But that's the beauty of media day. Reality, which never shows up until opening night, is still enjoying its off-season, putting on a few pounds, drinking too much, staying out way too late.
So, before they flew to Spain late yesterday to start training camp, Webber, Iverson and the other Sixers talked the talk at the Wachovia Center about lessons learned last season.
They remember all the games they let slip away early in the season. They expect that continuity both on the roster and with coach Maurice Cheeks returning will make a difference. And they earnestly say they've taken the constant talk about defense and accountability to heart.
"I think we're all going to be held accountable," Webber said. "Accountability is something that causes you not to sleep at night. Accountability is something that causes you to question whether you want to continue playing. It causes you to question your passion, because you're so passionate. I don't think you can be passionate about this game and not be accountable."
He spoke about how you have to mentally buy into believing you can win, and putting yourself on the line emotionally. He equated his lack of a championship after 13 seasons to asking someone to marry you 13 times and getting shot down, year after year.
"It hurts," he said.
Man, Webber is a great quote.
But is he still a great player?
Not a productive player - you don't average 20 and almost 10 on one leg if you don't know what you're doing out there. But that's not the same as a great player. Great players keep other teams from sleeping at night.
Webber watched his old self on tape this summer - part tutorial, part reminder of what he once could do.
"What I watched the most was the year I got hurt," he said, "and compared that with last year, and the year before, my first year in Philly. Saw some improvements I made, saw how I was limited in some areas. And then I went to the court, went to the beach, went to the places you need to go to work on those things to try and improve in those areas."
But Webber's challenge won't be all physical.
Here is whom he and Iverson should think of this season: Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
With apologies to Lamar Odom, Bryant was basically all the Lakers had last season. Yet Bryant (and Phil Jackson) coaxed 45 regular-season wins and a playoff berth out of that bunch - and should have gotten to the second round - because he got the other guys involved.
Would you take 45 wins and the second round with these Sixers?
Shaq had even better results in Miami.
He insisted that Pat Riley bring in Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey, then spent an uneven regular season lying back, making them take ownership. When the playoffs came around, though, they didn't blink, and they responded, as responsible for Miami's title as O'Neal. (Though not as much as Dwyane Wade.)
It would be great if Iverson took fewer shots, or if Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert and Kyle Korver became more consistent this fall and next spring. But a healthy Webber - and it's now three years post-surgery - can raise the Sixers' profile dramatically.
"Like I tell everybody all the time, me and Kevin Garnett talk all the time," Webber said. "We can say all we want, but [ex-Laker] Mark Madsen's the man. He has the championship. He's dancing on stage with Shaq. At the end of the day, to me, it's about the ring. That's what I want."
That he believes it is still possible, there is no doubt.
Reality will be waiting.
And then, we'll see.
David Aldridge
