<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Memo to Billy King: What was the rush? Why not sit back and take your time before shelling out $38 million of the $43 million Chris Webber was owed this year and next? Webber desperately wanted out so he could join a winner. King appeared to hold all the cards, yet seemingly hurried to make Webber go away. Why? The buyout apparently will allow the Sixers to avoid exceeding the $65.42 million luxury tax this season, but the luxury-tax number is determined at the end of the year. Waiting another week or two wouldn't have affected the tax. Why not play hard ball and see how badly Webber wanted out? He might have been willing to agree to less than a 90 percent buyout, which computes to $2.11 million for each of the 18 games he played for the Sixers in 2006-07, if forced to sit out a little longer. If Webber started becoming a major problem by ripping coach Maurice Cheeks or other members of the Sixers, as Allen Iverson did prior to his Dec. 19 trade to Denver, then there would've been a reason to set him free. Besides, it's not like the Sixers will be able to use any of the $5 million the buyout saved them to sign other players because they'll be above the salary cap until July 2008. ?I'm happy that I'm out of Philadelphia,? said Webber on TNT Thursday. ?I really appreciated my time there, but I really want to go somewhere I can win. I thank Billy King and Ed Snider for letting me go.? And he should. Look, I don't blame King for dealing Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner and Corliss Williamson to the Kings for Webber and Matt Barnes in Feb. 2005. He took a shot and it didn't work out. At least he tried. But that doesn't mean you have to give Webber a $38 million golden parachute. As for Webber, he's on the verge of a serious reality check. He says he wants to win a championship, play a big role on his new team and make up the $5 million he lost in accepting the Sixers' buyout. It's not possible to do all three. Two out of three might not be realistic, either. Webber ? and the team he ends up with ? is in for a rude awakening. Webber expects to be a key contributor for a contender. But given his lack of mobility and quickness, it's hard to imagine him getting significant minutes for the Pistons, Spurs or Mavericks. It'll be interesting to watch how Webber reacts if he only winds up with 15 or 20 minutes a night. Don't be surprised if Webber makes waves when he's not starting, let alone limping out there for 25 or 30 minutes off the bench. </div> Link
I think the reason he rushed this was mainly because he didn't want Webber becoming a cancer to the young players and feeding them false information about the organization/management. It was a good move in my opinion he needed to go. I love how everyone still speaks only about King and not Larry Brown.
Couldn't the Sixers management just send him home? I don't see how he can be a distraction if he doesn't play, or practice with the team
