http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_20350.shtml<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Ah Chris Webber.Well if Karl Malone once served in the purple and gold, then so be it.Just a handful of days ago this column walked through the rosters of the 29 teams the Los Angeles Lakers could do business with the desire to improve their roster. The notion was that injuries to both Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown could trigger the Lakers to recruit reinforcements should either player have a setback.The conclusion led to Webber as the most likely target though it was still unclear if the Philadelphia 76ers were willing to go through with a massive contract buy-out.As of Thursday morning, Webber was indeed waived by the Sixers. He won't clear waivers until after the weekend at which point he's free to sign with whichever team he should choose.Once word leaked that the Webber would be a free agent, a list of teams allegedly on his hit-list surfaced: Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Lakers.Prior to his live appearance on TNT, multiple reports announced Webber was close to landing in Detroit. On air, Webber denied that any deal was close and expanded his list to also include the Orlando Magic.To make things interesting he spoke very highly off the Lakers' organization, specifically of Coach Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant.Soon after additional reports reaffirmed that the Pistons are indeed his likely destination.Friday's Philadelphia Daily News reports that Webber indicated via telephone that he had four serious possibilities including the Lakers, Pistons, Spurs and Heat. The article also says that Webber had "spoken with a coach or general manager of each of those teams." He also listed the Magic as a team with "an outside chance"The Detroit Free Press writes that Webber is likely to choose Detroit over Miami or LA, but that no agreement had been reached. The paper cites a Webber representative who states that "he'll sleep on it."The Los Angeles Times got in contact directly with Webber's agent, Aaron Goodwin who verified that the Lakers are a consideration. Of the five teams listed by the Philadelphia Daily news, Goodwin leaves the Spurs out completely . . . at least in the Times' report.The article also goes on to quote Laker GM Mitch Kupchak saying Webber is "a heck of a player," and that the team was considering their options.One final comment by Goodwin, "Chris loves Los Angeles."If some of the Detroit papers, Yahoo! and other various sources are to be believed, Webber will ultimately end up a Piston.Other sources suggest the decision hasn't been made and that the Lakers are still very much in the running.Assuming that the LA Times had the correct list of possible teams (somewhat of a leap considering the misinformation that usually surrounds this sort of thing), the finances break down as follows:The Lakers and Pistons can offer Webber $1,178,348 of which $257,070 would be set-off of what Philadelphia still owes him. In other words, he would earn an additional $921,279. Neither team would have to worry about luxury taxes.The Magic can pay him $2,605,000 without going over the luxury tax of which $970,396 would be set-off, leaving him with an additional $1,634,605.The Heat on the other hand are in the luxury tax. They also have their full mid-level exception to offer. If they gave Webber the full exception of $5,215,000 it would cost Miami a whopping $10,430,000. Suffice it to say, that's not going to happen. If, however, they feel inclined to equal the Orlando bid . . . the Heat would have to foot twice the bill.With all of these factors, it would appear unlikely that Webber chooses a team because of a $713,326 difference in salary. Only the Heat can make it significantly worth his while but with the luxury tax hanging over their heads . . . the decision will probably come down to best fit and not salary (Webber may want a two-year deal with a player-option to give himself some additinal security shoud he suffer a significant injury).Arguably all four teams would have a shot at making the NBA Finals this season, especially with the addition of a healthy Chris Webber.The Pistons can make room for him in their front court and have the home-town advantage.The Lakers have the pedigree and spot for him in the lineup considering their injuries.The Heat may be down in the standings but the Eastern Conference is weak and Shaquille O'Neal is expected to be back in action on Monday.The Magic may be a young team, but they're one of the brightest prospects in the East. They may be more of a long shot based on track record, but there's no question Dwight Howard is the real deal.Certainly the Spurs should at least be considered still as a viable option for Webber. They have a slight financial advantage with their $1.75 million Bi-Annual Exception (worth $1.21 million to Webber after set-off). San Antonio is over the luxury tax so such a move would cost the team $3.5 million.The Bottom LineWebber, on TNT, was clear that he wants a chance to win a championship. He wants to start. He doesn't mind playing center.With so many insiders claiming Webber is a lock to Detroit only to hear him deny a decision was made . . . there's probably no choice but wait until an official announcement.So many people seem sure the Pistons are the team, it's hard not to consider them a favorite but certainly the Lakers have a shot until a deal is done.In the meantime, expect Luke Walton to be wearing the number four jersey whatever the outcome.Finally, if the Lakers are serious about acquiring Webber's services . . . they should enlist former Michigan State star and part owner of the team, Magic Johnson. Set up a conference call and get this deal done.</div>Basically sums up the situation. His top two teams really seem to be the Pistons and Lakers. If he indeed did sign with the Lakers he could very well be the missing piece to the puzzle. He would especially help with all the injuries we have had. I hope we do get him and I wouldn't have a problem waiving Mckie as reported by the LA times as the player that would be released if the Lakers did sign Webber.
Didn't read the whole article scanned through it more...But I would think an addition like CWebb would be great escpecially with the injury status now.
If there's any way for us to pick him up for cheap, then I'd be all for it. With all the lost players recently a guy like Webber could be a good band-aid and even a decent player in the future. But he won't be the same person he was in his good days.
Don't want him. He's a post with no defense with a great midrange game. Do we really need another Brian Cook? I mean, sure he's better but he'd just be coming off the bench anyways and I'd rather give the PT to guys like Cook and Turiaf who are still on their way up.
He doesn't even have a good mid range game anymore. He only shot 37% as a Sixer so far this season and thats with 90% of his shots coming from mid range. Why anyone wants him I don't understand. It's basically a lose/lose situation. You can either give him starting position, a good amount of shots, and a good role with good playing time and just let him F*ck up out on the court or you can have him come off the bench and listen to him bi*ch and complain for not having a higher role. I don't think I need to tell you guys how much of a liability he'll be on defense. All Webber will do is hurt the team that stupidly signs him.
If he did sign with us, I would like him to start at center and have Kwame and Bynum come off the bench. Maybe even start him at PF and have either Bynum or Kwame start and keep Odom at SF and have Luke Walton come off the bench. Luke could be a the spark plug we need off the bench and IMO Webber would be a good asset to have. I just heard on the radio, Phil Jackson was speaking of Webber and said he would have no problem talking to him about coming to the Lakers if his agent would answer his phone calls...so it seems even though Webber said the Lakers are one of the few teams he would like to join and he said quote "I love LA" it seems that he agent has not talked to the Lakers organization and only the LA Times.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LakersFan247 @ Jan 12 2007, 10:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>OMG!This is a fake BTW </div>lol obviously. you'd just send us to a link to the article, not a screen shot.I think it'd be a nice pickup for the Lakers. I really do feel it could be the missing piece. Webber, granted enough playing time, could put up 15/10, which is a very nice addition to many teams. However, with that said, I'm not sure about the defense he is going to provide on some of the better Western Conference Power Forwards.
I see all you guys apparently don't know how bad Webber is. Take it from a Sixers fan. You don't want him and you'll regret it if you do sign him. He'll bi*ch and complain if he doesn't gte the playing time he doesn't deserve, he doesn't even both on defense anymore, he's soft, he ruins the chemistry and development of younger players, his post game is unheard of now, he's injury prone, etc. I could go on and on. Not too mention you guys won't be able to sign him w/o overpaying him.
Another Hoopsworld article on the Matter:<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>As the Chris Webber watch continues, the Los Angeles Lakers wait for his agent to return their calls. "We won't know anything until we actually speak to his agent, if he ever intends on returning our calls." said Coach Phil Jackson before the Laker home game against the Orlando Magic.The Lakers have been named by Webber as one of five teams he would like to join now that his contract has been bought out by the Philadelphia 76ers. Once he clears waivers on Tuesday, he'll be able to sign to a team of his choosing. The other teams on his list, per a live interview on TNT Thursday night, included the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic."There are some qualifications to joining the running in this beauty contest. There are a number of things we can do obviously," continued Jackson. "Mitch [Kupchak]and I sat down and talked about it."Webber is looking to play a major role on his new team preferably as a starter. It's unclear how much of a commitment the Lakers can make long term with both Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown expected to return from injury in the coming weeks.In the meantime, the Lakers could certainly use another forward of Webber's caliber. One caveat is the complexity of the team's triangle offense."There's definitely a break-in period, without a doubt. That's a consideration we have to make," said Jackson. "A lot of these players have been around this game, they've played hundreds of basketball games. They just have accumulated a lot of knowledge. They know how to play, it's about finding comfort zone and spacing out there."That time depends. We've had guys who have just stepped right in. Dennis Rodman [in Chicago] stepped in and played a role and there wasn't any problem at all for him," continues the Laker coach, "You would have thought that Dennis would have been a player that would have had difficulty, but he wasn't interested in shooting. He just found a way to pass, react and play within the offense."If Rodman was to be able to pick up the offense, Jackson joked, "It can't possibly be that complicated."How long the adjustment period would take, should Webber choose the Lakers, is difficult to ascertain. That said, Webber is smart basketball player with sharp passing skills. On paper he would be the ideal triangle power forward (at least the Webber in his prime)."There is some mutual admiration obviously," says Jackson. "We had a great series against Sacramento and there's a tremendous amount of respect for the way he passed the ball, and for the way that played as a teammate in the past."The Lakers seem the right team for Webber, but so do the Pistons and for that matter the Heat.So what's the hold-up? Should the Lakers do the full court press? Get Magic Johnson with his Michigan roots on the phone?"I don't think we're going to push this envelope farther than we have to. We know that there's some help that we can use right now," says Jackson. "We think that in the background we have some guys coming back who will help us when they return, Lamar and whenever Kwame gets back. We know our team is going to come back and we're going to have some talent."We're just sitting and watching the drama unfold."Ultimately the decision will come down to Webber. The Lakers are not desperate, despite coming off back-to-back losses ... despite the injuries to Odom and Brown. LA may already be a contender in the powerful Western Conference.The addition of Webber might put them over the top, but it's up to him to take advantage of the opportunity.If only his agent would return their call . . .</div>
I'll take your word for it AIF... I only knew of what he did pre-sixer, I thought he was pretty good. Seems like he is washed out now, too bad for the Lakers. But who knows, he could be in a more comfortable situation in LA and do better.
