http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/106910.html
Marcos Breton: Kings, Webber spiraling together
By Marcos Breton - Bee Sports Columnist
Published 12:00 am PST Friday, January 12, 2007
How ironic is it that the Philadelphia 76ers dump Chris Webber at the same time the Kings are in the dumper?
It's as if the fortunes of the Kings and the greatest King Sacramento ever knew are still linked, as if both are going down together after setting Sactown ablaze not long ago.
It sounds crazy -- and appears moot, as www.yahoo.com reported late Thursday that he will join Detroit once he clears waivers -- but C-Webb in Sacramento would be a welcome sight right about now.
At least the man has a personality.
At least the man makes you care, inspires people to get in their cars on frigid January nights to pay obscene prices for Kings tickets, parking, concessions.
You already know that the fellas wearing the Kings laundry today are an enigmatic grouping of disparate parts that fall short as a basketball concept or a diversion.
You know that this Kings team is lacking an image, an identity that could help take the edge off being 14-18 and in last place in the Pacific Division.
You know you could take the losing if there was somebody in the Kings' organization communicating with you that better days are in the offing.
But there isn't. What we mostly hear from the owners and team president is silence. What we mostly hear from veteran players are backhanded slaps at the coach and younger players.
Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Ron Artest are very talented players, but are there three guys who give a greater impression of a three-legged racehorse -- both on the court and off in conflicting messages?
Are these guys on the same page with each other? With coach Eric Musselman? With Kevin Martin, the anointed Kings star of the future?
No one knows the answers to those questions and that's the problem -- losses amid uncertainty are a huge buzz kill.
You know this because you are leaving a lot of empty seats at Kings "sellouts" these days, or you're booing louder than ever. You're leaving a lot earlier than ever. And last week's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers -- where a four-point Kings lead with mere seconds left evaporated?
Was that a Kings home game or a Lakers home game? It was hard to tell, as if a regional hoops war once waged passionately had been won by the SoCal side.
Capitulation was spelled in three letters chanted again and again -- at Arco Arena! -- when Kobe Bryant touched the ball: MVP! MVP! MVP!
Which brings us back to Webber, or more precisely -- to the idea of Webber, the memory of Webber, the meaning of Webber.
Everyone knows his once-explosive game has diminished greatly. Just as his trade from the Kings to the 76ers two short years ago made perfect sense as a salary dump, though no one wanted to call it a salary dump.
No one at Arco Arena wants to use the word "rebuilding" either, but isn't that the bitter pill that needs to be swallowed by the Kings now?
If the losses continue along with a veteran core at odds with team direction -- calling out guys who "don't want to win" and coaches who don't make adjustments -- what else can you do for fans paying exorbitant prices?
You give them hope by building toward a new future. And you give them a distraction to pass the time, something to feel good about -- a vessel of hope.
It's what the Giants did by signing Barry Zito for crazy money that had as much to do with his marquee value as his game.
It's what Major League Soccer is doing by paying stupid money to David Beckham, the British soccer star/pop icon who is so overrated it's not even funny -- but who puts people in the seats.
Webber's got his 76ers money after the team waived him Thursday, and it appears the Pistons got him for a bargain. Love him or hate him -- and Sacramentans did both when he was here -- he is an attraction who still could have helped the Kings in the most important court of all: the court of public opinion. But the guy wants to play for a title contender, which the Kings certainly are not.
The point here is: The image of Webber as a King again is more appealing than the image of the current Kings.
"C-Webb's House" is definitely haunted.
About the writer: Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096 or mbreton@sacbee.com.
Marcos Breton: Kings, Webber spiraling together
By Marcos Breton - Bee Sports Columnist
Published 12:00 am PST Friday, January 12, 2007
How ironic is it that the Philadelphia 76ers dump Chris Webber at the same time the Kings are in the dumper?
It's as if the fortunes of the Kings and the greatest King Sacramento ever knew are still linked, as if both are going down together after setting Sactown ablaze not long ago.
It sounds crazy -- and appears moot, as www.yahoo.com reported late Thursday that he will join Detroit once he clears waivers -- but C-Webb in Sacramento would be a welcome sight right about now.
At least the man has a personality.
At least the man makes you care, inspires people to get in their cars on frigid January nights to pay obscene prices for Kings tickets, parking, concessions.
You already know that the fellas wearing the Kings laundry today are an enigmatic grouping of disparate parts that fall short as a basketball concept or a diversion.
You know that this Kings team is lacking an image, an identity that could help take the edge off being 14-18 and in last place in the Pacific Division.
You know you could take the losing if there was somebody in the Kings' organization communicating with you that better days are in the offing.
But there isn't. What we mostly hear from the owners and team president is silence. What we mostly hear from veteran players are backhanded slaps at the coach and younger players.
Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Ron Artest are very talented players, but are there three guys who give a greater impression of a three-legged racehorse -- both on the court and off in conflicting messages?
Are these guys on the same page with each other? With coach Eric Musselman? With Kevin Martin, the anointed Kings star of the future?
No one knows the answers to those questions and that's the problem -- losses amid uncertainty are a huge buzz kill.
You know this because you are leaving a lot of empty seats at Kings "sellouts" these days, or you're booing louder than ever. You're leaving a lot earlier than ever. And last week's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers -- where a four-point Kings lead with mere seconds left evaporated?
Was that a Kings home game or a Lakers home game? It was hard to tell, as if a regional hoops war once waged passionately had been won by the SoCal side.
Capitulation was spelled in three letters chanted again and again -- at Arco Arena! -- when Kobe Bryant touched the ball: MVP! MVP! MVP!
Which brings us back to Webber, or more precisely -- to the idea of Webber, the memory of Webber, the meaning of Webber.
Everyone knows his once-explosive game has diminished greatly. Just as his trade from the Kings to the 76ers two short years ago made perfect sense as a salary dump, though no one wanted to call it a salary dump.
No one at Arco Arena wants to use the word "rebuilding" either, but isn't that the bitter pill that needs to be swallowed by the Kings now?
If the losses continue along with a veteran core at odds with team direction -- calling out guys who "don't want to win" and coaches who don't make adjustments -- what else can you do for fans paying exorbitant prices?
You give them hope by building toward a new future. And you give them a distraction to pass the time, something to feel good about -- a vessel of hope.
It's what the Giants did by signing Barry Zito for crazy money that had as much to do with his marquee value as his game.
It's what Major League Soccer is doing by paying stupid money to David Beckham, the British soccer star/pop icon who is so overrated it's not even funny -- but who puts people in the seats.
Webber's got his 76ers money after the team waived him Thursday, and it appears the Pistons got him for a bargain. Love him or hate him -- and Sacramentans did both when he was here -- he is an attraction who still could have helped the Kings in the most important court of all: the court of public opinion. But the guy wants to play for a title contender, which the Kings certainly are not.
The point here is: The image of Webber as a King again is more appealing than the image of the current Kings.
"C-Webb's House" is definitely haunted.
About the writer: Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096 or mbreton@sacbee.com.
