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If Webber stays healthy, deal looks like steal
[size=-1]By Marc Narducci[/size]
[size=-1]Inquirer Staff Writer[/size]
The early consensus seems to be that the 76ers pulled one over on the Sacramento Kings by acquiring five-time all-star Chris Webber along with forwards Michael Bradley and Matt Barnes for Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner on Wednesday.
The consensus also seems to be that the 76ers improved themselves with the addition of forward Rodney Rogers, who was acquired yesterday, along with Jamal Mashburn from the New Orleans Hornets for forward Glenn Robinson.
Mashburn, sidelined by a knee injury, is never expected to play for the 76ers.
Webber, who turns 32 on Tuesday, will earn $17.5 million this year and is scheduled to earn $19.12 million, $20.7 million and $22.3 million, respectively, over the next three years. Webber will be worth the investment if he can stay healthy.
To some, that is a big question mark. Webber averaged 21.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the Kings in 46 games this season. But he hasn't enjoyed the same explosiveness since undergoing micro-fracture surgery on his left knee; that procedure caused him to miss the first 50 games last season.
"Webber doesn't practice a lot and playing back-to-back games is a problem," an NBA Eastern Conference executive said yesterday. "The big thing is the knee. What happens as he gets older?"
Sacramento general manager Geoff Petrie, a product of Springfield (Delaware County) High, addressed the injury issue in a phone interview yesterday. Some have described Webber as "playing on one leg."
"He has missed eight games this year and he has had some soreness and hasn't played at times," Petrie said. "There are times when his practice time is limited, but you can say that about a lot of players in this league. What is most important is what happens at 7 o'clock."
Many NBA games tip off at 7 p.m. Webber's game productivity after that time can not be questioned.
"He is not the Chris Webber who you saw playing at [the University of] Michigan, but he is the Chris Webber who is averaging 21 [points] and [nearly] 10 [rebounds]," Sixers president and general manager Billy King said. "And there are not a lot of guys doing that."
Given that productivity, Petrie was asked about his reasons for trading Webber. Was it Webber's knee, his age, his contract, or all of the above?
"It really comes down to our team is changing," Petrie said. "With the nucleus we had for so long, there is always the sense of wanting it to be the way it was when it can't be the way it was. I think we helped our depth on our front line, which we really needed."
Webber is considered one of best passing big men in the NBA.
"You have a guy with a very high basketball I.Q.," King said. "Sacramento has a very good passing team and Chris was a big part of it."
If Webber stays healthy, the Sixers are a much more formidable team than they were before the trade.
"From Philadelphia's standpoint, it adds a star in Chris Webber, which in their hopes will complement Allen Iverson," New Jersey Nets general manager Ed Stefanski said. "From that standpoint, you have two very good players."
If Webber stays healthy, deal looks like steal
[size=-1]By Marc Narducci[/size]
[size=-1]Inquirer Staff Writer[/size]
The early consensus seems to be that the 76ers pulled one over on the Sacramento Kings by acquiring five-time all-star Chris Webber along with forwards Michael Bradley and Matt Barnes for Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner on Wednesday.
The consensus also seems to be that the 76ers improved themselves with the addition of forward Rodney Rogers, who was acquired yesterday, along with Jamal Mashburn from the New Orleans Hornets for forward Glenn Robinson.
Mashburn, sidelined by a knee injury, is never expected to play for the 76ers.
Webber, who turns 32 on Tuesday, will earn $17.5 million this year and is scheduled to earn $19.12 million, $20.7 million and $22.3 million, respectively, over the next three years. Webber will be worth the investment if he can stay healthy.
To some, that is a big question mark. Webber averaged 21.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the Kings in 46 games this season. But he hasn't enjoyed the same explosiveness since undergoing micro-fracture surgery on his left knee; that procedure caused him to miss the first 50 games last season.
"Webber doesn't practice a lot and playing back-to-back games is a problem," an NBA Eastern Conference executive said yesterday. "The big thing is the knee. What happens as he gets older?"
Sacramento general manager Geoff Petrie, a product of Springfield (Delaware County) High, addressed the injury issue in a phone interview yesterday. Some have described Webber as "playing on one leg."
"He has missed eight games this year and he has had some soreness and hasn't played at times," Petrie said. "There are times when his practice time is limited, but you can say that about a lot of players in this league. What is most important is what happens at 7 o'clock."
Many NBA games tip off at 7 p.m. Webber's game productivity after that time can not be questioned.
"He is not the Chris Webber who you saw playing at [the University of] Michigan, but he is the Chris Webber who is averaging 21 [points] and [nearly] 10 [rebounds]," Sixers president and general manager Billy King said. "And there are not a lot of guys doing that."
Given that productivity, Petrie was asked about his reasons for trading Webber. Was it Webber's knee, his age, his contract, or all of the above?
"It really comes down to our team is changing," Petrie said. "With the nucleus we had for so long, there is always the sense of wanting it to be the way it was when it can't be the way it was. I think we helped our depth on our front line, which we really needed."
Webber is considered one of best passing big men in the NBA.
"You have a guy with a very high basketball I.Q.," King said. "Sacramento has a very good passing team and Chris was a big part of it."
If Webber stays healthy, the Sixers are a much more formidable team than they were before the trade.
"From Philadelphia's standpoint, it adds a star in Chris Webber, which in their hopes will complement Allen Iverson," New Jersey Nets general manager Ed Stefanski said. "From that standpoint, you have two very good players."
