http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/12442529p-13298692c.html
Ailene Voisin: Not a spur of moment to trade Webber
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, February 24, 2005
Of all his moves these past several years, this was the most improbable, what many have said was impossible, and what will surely be the most controversial. And while Geoff Petrie will say that the opportunity for the Kings to become moderately younger, deeper and more committed to defense presented itself only in the final, frenzied hours before the deadline, in reality, trading Chris Webber was a year-long plot.
Reduce the risk of another crippling injury.
Change the team dynamic.
Improve the defense.
Establish Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic as the three-tiered foundation of a franchise that these past several weeks, perhaps even months, seemed destined for a first-round playoff elimination.
The thrill was gone.
Time to move on.
"We felt we wanted to make a change in direction," an exhausted Petrie said late Wednesday night, "and we're obviously doing that. Collectively, we've got plenty of firepower, assuming Peja (sore hamstring) gets back pretty quick. But I have to tell you, I have a sense of sadness about the whole thing."
Was there one particular moment that prompted the deal that sent the team's most talented player and his $80 million contract to the Philadelphia 76ers? One specific incident? One injury-induced absence that convinced Petrie - who in turn persuaded co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof - to acquire three 76ers, none of whom remotely resembles Webber in skills or stature?
No, there were several. This was the gradual erosion of a once mutually beneficial relationship.
There was the night Webber shredded his knee and was forced to undergo a career-altering procedure. There was the eight-game suspension a year ago for lying to a grand jury and violating the league's anti-substance abuse policy. There was his refusal to blend with a unit that, this time last season, was rolling along as efficiently as the old New York Knicks, instead dooming them to a lousy finish and locker room discord that extended into the offseason.
There also were Webber's subsequent comments questioning the toughness and commitment of his teammates - this despite his own occasional transgressions, including his departure during the third quarter of a recent game at Arco - along with his perplexing, persistent reluctance to involve Stojakovic in the offense.
Mostly there were the numbers, his versus theirs. The Kings owed Webber huge dollars over the next four years, which given his fluctuating impact and often debilitating influence, was a shaky long-term investment.
With Webber these past two regular seasons, the Kings were 38-31. Without him, they were 51-16.
This is not to suggest that this is a one-sided deal. Quite the contrary. Both teams were strengthened in different ways. The 76ers granted diminutive Allen Iverson his wish with the addition of a prolific scorer, a hybrid forward whose game has moved away from the basket and toward the perimeter, yet who remains capable of scoring down low when so inclined.
In exchange, the Kings obtained a frontcourt combination of depth, athleticism and muscle, including an experienced low-post presence with the return of reserve forward Corliss Williamson. And though this trade figures to split the city into two vocal and disparate camps - the pro-Webber vs. anti-Webber factions - the environment around Arco had become toxic.
Webber ran the show. Webber was too powerful, too influential, too forceful for his own coach. He said all the right things and then proceeded to do whatever he wanted. Monopolize the ball. Dominate his teammates, though perhaps not consciously. Fail to defend the basket. He filled a box score like few others, yet intuitively and consistently failed to grasp the nuances of winning.
Had Webber, 31, accepted his physical limitations and exploited his still-extraordinary assets that include fabulous hands and uncanny passing, the width to set withering screens, the presence of teammates with their own versatile scoring talents, he might have been a King for life. He might have been worth the gamble posed by a creaky knee that will only worsen with time.
Instead, he lived in the past, forcing the Kings to move ahead.
Now the pressure swings to Stojakovic, who has no more excuses, and to Rick Adelman, who has to demand more from his players in terms of defense, rebounding and effort. This is Webber's team no longer. These are new times.
But I remember when Webb was out last season and a month ago, I saw Miller and Bibby having a lot of potential together. With Pedja back, hopefully it should get better. Of course winning a Championship or a playoff game will be much tougher, but I'm willing to give these guys a shot cause I believe in them. GO KINGS!
