<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MIAMI - The relationship between 76ers coach Jim O'Brien and Chris Webber is still a relatively new one, and O'Brien is trying to show his star forward that he is willing to communicate with him when a problem arises. Such a problem arose Saturday night, when Webber sat out nearly 12 minutes of the second half in the Sixers' game in Atlanta and appeared unhappy in the locker room while most of his teammates were celebrating a one-point win.</div> link
this really kills me. what was everyone expecting? Iverson, while being extreamly talented is still a ball hog & there has not been one player who relies on having the ball to be effective paired up with him successfully yet. Webber is all offense. for him to do what he has been doing he has to have the ball in his hand and be initiating his offense from the elbow especially since he has suddenly developed an allergy to the low post game... that is exactly what the Kings did and that is why he has had so much success this year. but that is not how the sixers offense runs. everything goes through Iverson even to the teams detriment. the amazing part to me is that this should have been something that everyone picked up on when the trade happened, not a week or two after. I thought at the time that philly could do that and if they did, they would be in great shape going into the final stretch of the season, but apperently Iverson and O'Brian have decided that Webber should just change his game & start doing something that he hasnt had to do since.... well pretty much since Michigan. I guess the sacramento media was correct... this is probably going to wind up being the worst trade in the history of the sixers. (but I hoped that they would not wind up being right)
Webber brought all this on himself though. He's a good enough player to learn how to adjust to play with Iverson and adapt to Philly's offense. Complaining about playing time and hard practices has put a target on his back. The Philly fans and media are ruthless and Webber's confidence has been shook since he's put on a Sixer uniform. He's shooting under 40% and is missing layups, put backs, and is not making the elbox shots he did when he was with the Kings. In Sacramento the Kings play a read & react style of offense, in Philly the 76ers read & react to Iverson. Webber refuses to buy into that concept so he's struggling and Iverson is frustrated and has lost confidence in him already. Iverson needs a forward him can play in the post, the way Derrick Coleman and Todd McCullough did for the 76ers. Webber does not like playing in the post, so he's not the answer for this team as the 2nd option to Iverson. Unless the 76ers trade Iverson, they need to do what Larry Brown did when the team made it to the Finals and surround Iverson with a slew of defensive role players.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">He's a good enough player to learn how to adjust to play with Iverson and adapt to Philly's offense.</div> I don't think it's the offense that he's going to have the big issue adjusting to. Webber's knees will never survive in OB's.....excuse me....Dick Harter's defense.
The best harbinger of the future is history. You guys have done a nice job of bringing out Webber's history. When has he ever been happy? He was not happy last year because Peja was having an MVP-type year and Webber came back and screwed up the Kings' roll. He's a malcontent and will always be one.
I heard an interview with a reporter from the philly inquirer on the way home from work today that really made a lot of sense and really puts the focus where it probably should be. the problem here all coaching and here's why: Adelman's style of offense is to take what he has and put players in the best position possible to succeed. O'Brien tries to figure out the guys game and then fit him where he thinks the guy should be. The best analogy is that O'Brien is trying to mash a square peg in a round hole while Adelman was taking a drill to the hole and making it fit the player while not making the hole completely mishapen. Now when you read that, then look at all the players that have had success in their days with the Kings, then moved on & really went nowhere after that, it really does fit the situation. Take in this info and tell me, is it Iverson's fault for not getting Webber more involved in the game, Webbers fault for not stopping on a dime & changing the way he has been playing for the last seven years or O'Briens for not taking the reigns in and puttin the house in order (for whatever reason that might be) After six and a half years of watching Webber play, watching Iverson take just about every shot possible for years and the current situation, I gotta put the blame more on O'Brien for not knowing what he should do with the situation and Billy King for not knowing what he was getting into before pulling the trigger on the deal.
