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You will notice C-Webb is still representing the Kings rather nicely... 
Salmons knows he made right decision with Kings
By PHIL JASNER
jasnerp@phillynews.com
John Salmons knows that most 76ers fans don't understand. He knows that some in the media don't understand. They don't understand how he could have walked away from a 5-year, $23 million offer from the Toronto Raptors when he had nothing else on the table.
"People close to me understand," Salmons said yesterday after flying cross country and signing a 5-year, $25.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings. "It was a very stressful process. I didn't really know what was going to happen. I'm glad it's over."
In one of the most bizarre sequences in 76ers history, this is how Salmons, a four-season veteran with the Sixers, landed with the Kings:
As a restricted free agent when the season ended, the 6-6 Salm-ons had two offers in sign-and-trade deals, including a 5-year, $22 million deal with Phoenix.
Salmons chose the Raptors. And then, inexplicably, turned it down. Once that happened, the Sixers, who weren't including Salmons in their plans, withdrew their qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent, because they were concerned that he might have simply accepted the qualifier. This way, Salmons and agent Joel Bell could negotiate with any NBA team; wherever else he signed, they would receive no compensation.
"Originally, I felt like I had to make a decision," Salmons said. "But I didn't really feel [Toronto] was where God was leading me..."It was hard to tell [Bell], but I had to," he said. "It took all the courage in the world. I had faith something good would happen, but I'm human like anyone else; I was still nervous. I tried not to worry. Joel was pulling out his hair. Then a couple days later, he told me Sacramento had called... I slept on it. It felt right."
Salmons, who grew up in Philadelphia and played at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High, was a Spurs first-round pick in 2002 and traded on draft night to the Sixers.
"[The 4 years] wasn't like I planned it when I was traded there," he said. "I'm from there. I looked at it coming in that I wanted to do well, that we'd win, that the city would be on fire. It was pretty much the total opposite. I'm disappointed in that sense."
He told the Sacramento Bee: "[Allen Iverson] is a tremendous player, pound-for-pound one of the best players to ever play the game... But sometimes people just don't play well together. It was just one of those situations where two people didn't play well together on the court and we just had to go our separate ways."
Salmons said he received a voice mail from Sixers forward Chris Webber, a former King.
"The last year-and-a-half, me and Chris were in similar situations in Philadelphia; we talked a lot and kind of, especially last year, reached out to each other with the situation that was going on last year and became pretty good friends. He was just letting me know that I was coming into a good situation."
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Faith kept Salmons patient while waiting for Kings' ransom
By Joe Juliano
Inquirer Staff Writer
His friends could not believe that John Salmons would change his mind and turn down a five-year, $23 million offer from the Toronto Raptors. Even Salmons admitted to being "a little nervous" about doing it, especially with no other offer to consider.
But the former 76ers swingman, a deeply religious person, said his faith told him that Toronto was not the place to be, even with all that money on the table.
"It was nothing about Toronto," Salmons said yesterday in a telephone interview from Sacramento, where the Kings introduced him to the local media one day after he signed a five-year, $25.5 million deal.
"It was just more of a spiritual thing. I'm a pretty spiritual guy and I didn't feel like that's where God wanted me to be at. I had no idea what the reason was, but I just asked God.
"I was going on faith. I was a little nervous not knowing what was going to happen. It was one of those things where I made the decision and it was all prayer after that."
Salmons rejected the Raptors' offer last Friday, and the Sixers lost out on a sign-and-trade deal with Toronto that would have netted them a second-round draft pick and a $2 million trade exception. Because the Sixers rescinded their qualifying offer to Salmons after his change of heart, making him an unrestricted free agent, they got nothing in return when he signed with Sacramento.
Asked if he was disappointed by Salmons' reversal of his decision to join Toronto, Sixers president and general manager Billy King replied, "Not really.
"As I told Toronto and Phoenix, it's up to you to make a deal with him," he said. "Whichever team he decides on, I will do a deal either way.
"I don't look at it that he made us look bad. He has decisions to make and so do we. I'm happy for John. I'm glad things worked out for him."
Salmons also had considered a five-year, $22 million deal from Phoenix before accepting - temporarily - the Toronto offer on July 13.
The 26-year-old Salmons, who was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Plymouth Whitemarsh High, summed up his four seasons with the Sixers as "a difficult situation" and a "little disappointing."
"It wasn't quite how I had figured it out in my head," he said. "Everything happens for a reason. I grew up a whole lot there. I wasn't quite a man when I got drafted, but I'm definitely leaving as a man. I just want to take the lessons I learned there and move forward."
Salmons averaged 7.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists with the Sixers last season. His four-year averages were 5.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Salmons told a Sacramento news conference that Allen Iverson was "a tremendous player, pound-for-pound one of the best to ever play the game" but indicated it was tough at times to play with him.
"When you've got one of the best scorers to ever play the game, it's hard not to give him the ball," he said. "Sometimes people just don't play well together. It was just one of those situations where two people didn't play well together on the court and we just had to go our separate ways."
Salmons said he received a voice mail yesterday from ex-teammate Chris Webber, a former King, who told him "how good the organization is, and it's a great opportunity" for him.
Salmons knows he made right decision with Kings
By PHIL JASNER
jasnerp@phillynews.com
John Salmons knows that most 76ers fans don't understand. He knows that some in the media don't understand. They don't understand how he could have walked away from a 5-year, $23 million offer from the Toronto Raptors when he had nothing else on the table.
"People close to me understand," Salmons said yesterday after flying cross country and signing a 5-year, $25.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings. "It was a very stressful process. I didn't really know what was going to happen. I'm glad it's over."
In one of the most bizarre sequences in 76ers history, this is how Salmons, a four-season veteran with the Sixers, landed with the Kings:
As a restricted free agent when the season ended, the 6-6 Salm-ons had two offers in sign-and-trade deals, including a 5-year, $22 million deal with Phoenix.
Salmons chose the Raptors. And then, inexplicably, turned it down. Once that happened, the Sixers, who weren't including Salmons in their plans, withdrew their qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent, because they were concerned that he might have simply accepted the qualifier. This way, Salmons and agent Joel Bell could negotiate with any NBA team; wherever else he signed, they would receive no compensation.
"Originally, I felt like I had to make a decision," Salmons said. "But I didn't really feel [Toronto] was where God was leading me..."It was hard to tell [Bell], but I had to," he said. "It took all the courage in the world. I had faith something good would happen, but I'm human like anyone else; I was still nervous. I tried not to worry. Joel was pulling out his hair. Then a couple days later, he told me Sacramento had called... I slept on it. It felt right."
Salmons, who grew up in Philadelphia and played at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High, was a Spurs first-round pick in 2002 and traded on draft night to the Sixers.
"[The 4 years] wasn't like I planned it when I was traded there," he said. "I'm from there. I looked at it coming in that I wanted to do well, that we'd win, that the city would be on fire. It was pretty much the total opposite. I'm disappointed in that sense."
He told the Sacramento Bee: "[Allen Iverson] is a tremendous player, pound-for-pound one of the best players to ever play the game... But sometimes people just don't play well together. It was just one of those situations where two people didn't play well together on the court and we just had to go our separate ways."
Salmons said he received a voice mail from Sixers forward Chris Webber, a former King.
"The last year-and-a-half, me and Chris were in similar situations in Philadelphia; we talked a lot and kind of, especially last year, reached out to each other with the situation that was going on last year and became pretty good friends. He was just letting me know that I was coming into a good situation."
---------------------------------
Faith kept Salmons patient while waiting for Kings' ransom
By Joe Juliano
Inquirer Staff Writer
His friends could not believe that John Salmons would change his mind and turn down a five-year, $23 million offer from the Toronto Raptors. Even Salmons admitted to being "a little nervous" about doing it, especially with no other offer to consider.
But the former 76ers swingman, a deeply religious person, said his faith told him that Toronto was not the place to be, even with all that money on the table.
"It was nothing about Toronto," Salmons said yesterday in a telephone interview from Sacramento, where the Kings introduced him to the local media one day after he signed a five-year, $25.5 million deal.
"It was just more of a spiritual thing. I'm a pretty spiritual guy and I didn't feel like that's where God wanted me to be at. I had no idea what the reason was, but I just asked God.
"I was going on faith. I was a little nervous not knowing what was going to happen. It was one of those things where I made the decision and it was all prayer after that."
Salmons rejected the Raptors' offer last Friday, and the Sixers lost out on a sign-and-trade deal with Toronto that would have netted them a second-round draft pick and a $2 million trade exception. Because the Sixers rescinded their qualifying offer to Salmons after his change of heart, making him an unrestricted free agent, they got nothing in return when he signed with Sacramento.
Asked if he was disappointed by Salmons' reversal of his decision to join Toronto, Sixers president and general manager Billy King replied, "Not really.
"As I told Toronto and Phoenix, it's up to you to make a deal with him," he said. "Whichever team he decides on, I will do a deal either way.
"I don't look at it that he made us look bad. He has decisions to make and so do we. I'm happy for John. I'm glad things worked out for him."
Salmons also had considered a five-year, $22 million deal from Phoenix before accepting - temporarily - the Toronto offer on July 13.
The 26-year-old Salmons, who was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Plymouth Whitemarsh High, summed up his four seasons with the Sixers as "a difficult situation" and a "little disappointing."
"It wasn't quite how I had figured it out in my head," he said. "Everything happens for a reason. I grew up a whole lot there. I wasn't quite a man when I got drafted, but I'm definitely leaving as a man. I just want to take the lessons I learned there and move forward."
Salmons averaged 7.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists with the Sixers last season. His four-year averages were 5.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Salmons told a Sacramento news conference that Allen Iverson was "a tremendous player, pound-for-pound one of the best to ever play the game" but indicated it was tough at times to play with him.
"When you've got one of the best scorers to ever play the game, it's hard not to give him the ball," he said. "Sometimes people just don't play well together. It was just one of those situations where two people didn't play well together on the court and we just had to go our separate ways."
Salmons said he received a voice mail yesterday from ex-teammate Chris Webber, a former King, who told him "how good the organization is, and it's a great opportunity" for him.
