KingKong
Starter
On the ball with C-Webb
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
He expects the Philadelphia 76ers to overtake the New Jersey Nets and win the Atlantic Division. He expects to play four or five more years on that creaky knee.
He expects your skepticism about the knee and his relationship with Allen Iverson.
In return, Chris Webber simply expects you to hear him out as he addresses all of the above and more. Averaging 19.8 points and 9.8 boards -- but only 3.3 assists -- for a team that was one game under .500 when it got him and which presently sits at 30-29, Webber stopped for a brief chat in Dallas recently, just days after commemorating the one-year anniversary of his trade from Sacramento to the Sixers.
The highlights:
Webber on the perception he and Iverson don't mesh well:
"I heard that more in the beginning of the year, but I don't pay any attention to it. I don't think people understand our relationship. I live five houses away from Allen. I still respect the fact the he brought me here. He knows that I want the ball in my hands -- but not when he has it. There's enough to go around.
"But when he doesn't have the ball, I feel I should have it, because even if I'm not feeling up to it, I can get Kyle [Korver] good shots or other guys good shots. I just want to be able to get the most out of my passing. I'm not going to lead the league in scoring. I've told Allen I want him to average more than he is now.
"When I got here, Kyle told me that he wanted to play like Peja [Stojakovic did with Webber in Sacramento]. Me, too! I just want to bring my knowledge and be able to use it, that's all. Thirteen years of playing against everybody from Hakeem [Olajuwon] to Moses Malone to now, I think I can bring a unique perspective and Allen knows this. We talk about it all the time. It's not like it's a secret."
On the source of his well-documented frustration this season:
"The thing that bothers me is that I come from winning. Losing is what frustrates me. Being on the East Coast and losing, where it's not as good as the [Western Conference], that frustrates me. When I want to be the distributor sometimes and I don't get the ball, that frustrates me. But playing with a guy like Allen? Like I said, I don't think people understand our relationship."
On the Sixers exploring the possibility of trading Iverson:
"When all the [trade] rumors were going around [last month], I was saying, 'Don't leave me by myself here without him.' I don't know if he was really worried, but I do know he doesn't want to go."
On what the Sixers need to shake their up-and-down ways:
"I think anything can happen in the playoffs. But I've got to give guys like Andre [Iguodala] a lot of credit, and John Salmons, because they've been thrown into the fire without a veteran [swingman] to show them the ropes and all the shortcuts. A guy that has been in the wars and has been in that situation, so they've made their mistakes. It's a lot of trial by error right now. And I'm not putting the onus on them, but I think that's what we're finding and defining.
On the state of his surgically repaired left knee at 33:
"Actually, truthfully, my body feels wonderful . . . to be able to rebound this year and to be able to jump off one leg. I can't wait until this summer. This is the first year fully healed, and then in the summer I can take that workout to a different level. I know it's just talk and you have to show it, but I feel really good. I'm getting better and I can go four more years, five more years -- strong. I know I was really athletic at one time, but I can still get to the hole, still dunk, still do things."
On his future alongside AI:
"For me and him, we look at this as an opportunity to get in there and win. He's very popular, but we both feel the same way -- not everybody wants him and I definitely feel the same way. We try not to preach it because we don't want to make a big story out of this until we win a championship, but me and him hang out so much it's ridiculous. I look at him like my little brother and I've got to protect him. I don't want to make this a tear-jerker, but that's my dawg."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-060308
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
He expects the Philadelphia 76ers to overtake the New Jersey Nets and win the Atlantic Division. He expects to play four or five more years on that creaky knee.
He expects your skepticism about the knee and his relationship with Allen Iverson.
In return, Chris Webber simply expects you to hear him out as he addresses all of the above and more. Averaging 19.8 points and 9.8 boards -- but only 3.3 assists -- for a team that was one game under .500 when it got him and which presently sits at 30-29, Webber stopped for a brief chat in Dallas recently, just days after commemorating the one-year anniversary of his trade from Sacramento to the Sixers.
The highlights:
Webber on the perception he and Iverson don't mesh well:
"I heard that more in the beginning of the year, but I don't pay any attention to it. I don't think people understand our relationship. I live five houses away from Allen. I still respect the fact the he brought me here. He knows that I want the ball in my hands -- but not when he has it. There's enough to go around.
"But when he doesn't have the ball, I feel I should have it, because even if I'm not feeling up to it, I can get Kyle [Korver] good shots or other guys good shots. I just want to be able to get the most out of my passing. I'm not going to lead the league in scoring. I've told Allen I want him to average more than he is now.
"When I got here, Kyle told me that he wanted to play like Peja [Stojakovic did with Webber in Sacramento]. Me, too! I just want to bring my knowledge and be able to use it, that's all. Thirteen years of playing against everybody from Hakeem [Olajuwon] to Moses Malone to now, I think I can bring a unique perspective and Allen knows this. We talk about it all the time. It's not like it's a secret."
On the source of his well-documented frustration this season:
"The thing that bothers me is that I come from winning. Losing is what frustrates me. Being on the East Coast and losing, where it's not as good as the [Western Conference], that frustrates me. When I want to be the distributor sometimes and I don't get the ball, that frustrates me. But playing with a guy like Allen? Like I said, I don't think people understand our relationship."
On the Sixers exploring the possibility of trading Iverson:
"When all the [trade] rumors were going around [last month], I was saying, 'Don't leave me by myself here without him.' I don't know if he was really worried, but I do know he doesn't want to go."
On what the Sixers need to shake their up-and-down ways:
"I think anything can happen in the playoffs. But I've got to give guys like Andre [Iguodala] a lot of credit, and John Salmons, because they've been thrown into the fire without a veteran [swingman] to show them the ropes and all the shortcuts. A guy that has been in the wars and has been in that situation, so they've made their mistakes. It's a lot of trial by error right now. And I'm not putting the onus on them, but I think that's what we're finding and defining.
On the state of his surgically repaired left knee at 33:
"Actually, truthfully, my body feels wonderful . . . to be able to rebound this year and to be able to jump off one leg. I can't wait until this summer. This is the first year fully healed, and then in the summer I can take that workout to a different level. I know it's just talk and you have to show it, but I feel really good. I'm getting better and I can go four more years, five more years -- strong. I know I was really athletic at one time, but I can still get to the hole, still dunk, still do things."
On his future alongside AI:
"For me and him, we look at this as an opportunity to get in there and win. He's very popular, but we both feel the same way -- not everybody wants him and I definitely feel the same way. We try not to preach it because we don't want to make a big story out of this until we win a championship, but me and him hang out so much it's ridiculous. I look at him like my little brother and I've got to protect him. I don't want to make this a tear-jerker, but that's my dawg."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-060308
