No it couldn't have. And I of course have the been-saying-so-since-the- asinine-moment-that-trade-was-announced chops to say that.
No it couldn't have.
It was an absolute classically bad NBA trade. Absolute classic. The major player (off of the 5th winningest team in the league at the time even!) for veteran spare parts with long term deals (longer even than the major player) trade is the absolute prototype for what you do not do. Like ever. No matter who the players involved are. When the major player happens to also be the best player in franchise history and the final piece in a charisma-sapping soulectomy you have just given your team, it was just embarrassing. More embarrassing still to listen to the swine try to sell it on air and in print. It was a horrifically wrongheaded and delusional move. This whole "proven" wrong thing is a misnomer -- there was nothing to "prove". It was 100% wrong from the start. So wrong in fact that even with Webb's knee steadily deteriorating and forcing retirement, it STILL looks godawful. And trying to pin the godawfulness of it on Kenny Thomas, as if any possible performance by Kenny freaking midget PF Thomas could ever possibly justify it, is just missing the point. There was absolutely no scenario where that trade works.
Lets look at the facts Bricky. And lets try and do it without emotion, because its obvious to me that your very emotional about this subject. I know you don't like to be contradicted. Especially when your so dead sure your right.
Here are the facts as I see them. It was obvious to me, and I'm sure to you also, that Webber was never going to be the player he once was. The type of surgery he had, can be sucessfull at a pretty high percentage when the player is young. I certainly hope so for Portland's sake. But with older players, the sucess rate drops dramaticaly. So the Kings were looking at a situation where they're star player, with a huge contract, probably wasn't going to be able to meet the expectations that came with that contract.
So now what do you do? You have two choices as I see it. One is live with the contract and make the best of it until maybe you can move it in its final year. In the meantime, you have a player on the team with a huge ego that still thinks he can do all the things he used to do. I'm not knocking his attitude. Thats what made him a star in the first place. Show me a star, and I'll show you an ego. But any sane person can see where that can be a problem. Old stars are the last one's to see the reality of the situation.
The second option, is to try and trade him. Probably not a popular option. Lets face it. Webber had a huge following. He was loved by many in this town. So unless you could pull off a major face saving trade for someone of significance, you were going to catch flack. I recall at the time, people on this fourm saying that it would be impossible to trade Webber. That no one in his right mind would eat that contract. Many pundits around the country said the same thing.
I don't know for a fact, but I would guess that the phone wasn't exactly ringing off the hook in Petrie's office. So what do you do? What do you do when the phone rings and you actually get an offer. At the time, it doesn't seem great, but in all honesty, it doesn't seem all that bad either. If I'm Petrie, I'm thinking, I know I can move Corliss. I'm also maybe thinking, hell, If I can move Webber, how hard can it be to move Kenny Thomas. At least he can still play.
Was it a gamble at the time? Sure. Did it turn out badly? It would appear. In truth, or maybe I should say in my opinion, the Kings were between a rock and a hard place. If they had kept Webber, who knows what might have happened. It might have turned out even worse. We don't know. I know you think you know, and I respect your opinon. But on this one, we disagree. I don't think there was a good answer. It happens in life..
