From J.A. Adande at ESPN (hat-tip: Fel):
Fourteen-year veteran Chris Webber is close to returning to the NBA, with the Pistons his likely destination, a source close to Webber told ESPN.com.
“Look for him to be back the first week of January,” the source said.
The Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers had also inquired about Webber’s services, with the Heat intensifying their efforts after backup center Alonzo Mourning suffered an apparent season-ending injury to his patellar tendon in a game at Atlanta Wednesday night. But for Webber, a Michigan native, his familiarity with the Pistons players and coach Flip Saunders’ system after playing there last season appears to make them the most desirable team.
I have absolutely no idea if the Pistons even want him (update: they don’t — see below), but they certainly made it easy to create a roster spot by breaking Nazr’s contract into two, easily digestible pieces via the Charlotte trade. There’s no way Webber would return as a starter, and there’s no way he’d be signed to take away minutes from Jason Maxiell. It’s been suggested in the comments that he could fill Nazr’s role as a little-used backup C, but that’s what Primoz Brezec is here for, right? Not saying the Pistons are married to the idea of keeping and/or actually playing Brezec, but when I look at this roster, I don’t automatically think, “this team could use another veteran big.”
What do I see when I look at the roster? Like I mentioned in the last post, I see a handful of expiring contracts that could be used in a larger deal. Adding Webber to the mix (especially as a little-used reserve/mentor) makes a potential trade that much more difficult to swing. If he ever returns to the Pistons, I’m guessing it won’t be until much, much closer to the trade deadline when Joe Dumars has more time to see what other options are available.
So what do we make of this report? I’m guessing it’s strictly P.R. from Webber’s camp, indirectly reminding the league that he’s available and willing to latch on somewhere for the remaining two-thirds of the season. Mourning’s injury in Miami makes for good timing to make it look like he’s in demand, but I highly doubt he’d jump on board that sinking ship.
Update: Chris McCosky received confirmation that Detroit wasn’t interested:
ESPN.com’s J.A. Adande, citing an unnamed source, is reporting that Chris Webber could return to the Pistons as early as January. President Joe Dumars told me tonight that was not true. In fact, Dumars has told Webber’s representatives this week that he is content with the roster as it is and has no immediate intentions of changing it.
I think where Webber would come in is if we DID make that 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 swap using our expiring contracts. Say we were to move, I dunno, Murray and the 2 Charlotte guys, then Webber could come in and fill one of the roster spots that opens up.
I wouldn’t make a move for the sake of making a move though. Webber just doesn’t add a whole lot more than the guys toward the bottom of our roster. Plus he’d probably take some minutes from Amir (not that he’s getting any anyway ::mutter::) and Maxiell and that’s not a good thing.
Let’s hope Joe doesn’t find any “intentions of changing it”. Webber would bring nothing positive to this team as it stands now.
Packer487: That’s a good point, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re right.
I can understand the case for not starting Webber. However, if he is in game-shape, why would he be a bad option at backup center? He’s a great passer, a decent rebounder, still has a solid post game, and has playoff experience.
Mohammed’s departure freed up minutes. Can someone make an objective case for why Webber should not have a shot at earning them?
The question at the heart of all this is the same one we’ve batted around for a while: what’s the balance between utilizing our vets and developing the bench? And a lot of it centers on Amir. The way I see it, there’s a limit to how many rookies/young players you can develop in a year, and as of now, we must continue to work on Max, it seems as though Afflalo is going to get burn, and we’re hopeful about Stuckey. Can we develop FOUR young players? Can we also work in Amir this year? I don’t think we can. We didn’t play Max that much last year, but let him come along slowly. So assuming that Amir is going to only get spot minutes, we will need a reliable (ie veteran) backup big. Brezec could certainly be it, but I don’t know much about his game. I’d like to see Webber here in a 4th big role - he knows the system, he’s a proven commodity, and he’s a homie. With JMax coming along as a good rebounder, and with Dice and Sheed continuing to play top-notch defense, I think Webber would be an asset, not the liability he was in the starting role last year.
On another note, the Pistons roster is getting really difficult to spell. Webber would alleviate this tension somewhat.
Yeah, you’d think that Mohammad’s departure would help with spelling, but now we’ve got Heeerrrmmmann and Brezeck.
Guys, and I realize this isn’t going to be a popular opinion around here but I think it needs to be said. We’ve been absolutely BLESSED on the injury front as a team the past 5 years. Really NOBODY who’s mattered has been hurt when it mattered… Now picture this, the trade deadline has passed, Detroit is cruising towards 50+ wins and home court until at least the ECF and in a meaningless game in Milwakee… Sheed’s knee explodes. Just watching it you absolutely KNOW he’s done for at least this season. Primo Brezec checks in at the 5 and inside of 2 mins you realize there’s almost no WAY he can contain Andrew Bogut.. which gets you wondering if he can contain KG…. poof, season over.
Webber isn’t the player he was, but he’s CAPABLE of starting beside McDyees on an NBA championship team……. Primo isn’t.
It’s that simple.
no offense pistons girl. your a smart cookie, but your wrong here. If we loose sheed were not winning a championship with either brezec or weber. That is still the goal right? If weber was still that good he would be on someones team. As it is Boston is tough(one game doesnt mean jack), loosing an all star like sheed would hurt any team. Think if chauncy got injured… I guess if your forced to die and have to choose a way, fine C-web it is. Although he can’t really jump anymore.
Rob G I loved your post right up until the whole limit of talent development stuff. We have one of the top teams in the east. We know what were getting from everyone who starts and a few of the bench guys. The regular season means squat for us. We need to play well, yes of course. But its good to get amir into enough games to get him some seasoning. Improvement must come from new players or young talent development. We either make a trade that puts us over the top or one of our young guns steps up. Thats either amir or stuckey. Spellcheck has an outside shot. Remember when prince came in against the sixers? You will never know if a talent will become a skilled pro until you let him play. Could you imagine watching C-webb trying to contain KG? laughable. At least with amir there is the chance he could learn how.
I saw give Brezec a little time tonite and see if the Heat are willing to bite on a trade (draft pics) for Brezec/Murray. This frees up two roster spots. We pick up Webber for the Vets minimum as an insurance policy.
If Miami is desperate for a big man then perhaps we should try taking advantage.
Here we go.
We give Primo Brezec, Flip Murray, and the #28 Pick in 2008 for Miami’s #2 Pick. we could sweeten by adding Pistons #56 pick.
Mourning is not coming back… not this season anyway.
Besides O’neal the Heat carry 4 other centers on the roster. A rookie, a sophmore, a third year player, and Mark Blount in his 7th year.
Earl Barron is a sub 30% shooter in hit limmited NBA time.
Joel Anthony is a D-leauge pickup who appear to be a defensive specialist.
Alexander Johnson is listed as a Center but is actually a 6′9 230# Forward who has zero minutes this season.
#2 Pick could come in handy next year.
I think bringing Webber back would help the second unit. Chauncey runs the first team offense. Stuckey will eventually run the second team offense but his injury has slowed his development at point guard. With Webber, we could run the second unit offense through him in the post and it would alleviate some of the pressure and growing pains of our young, unexperienced point guard. Webber knows the system from last year. He is still a great passer. Think back to him hooking up with Rip and Tay cutting to the basket. And remember Chauncey kind of complaining last year about the offense running through Webber? Nevermind the fact that while we did, we were on a pretty significant winning streak. I would love to see Webber out there initiating the offense and being our experienced guy on a young, second unit.
Webber isn’t a good fir for this team at the moment… I think having a vet like C-Webb is good most of the time in the case of catastrophic injury, but if that happens to either ‘Dyess or ‘Sheed this year, then the title shot is probably done no matter what and they’d be better off tossing in the younger guys for more minutes.
If I was Orlando, I would be blazing a trail to Mr. Webber’s door right at this very second… Howard has never had a veteran big on the roster who can coach him up at practice while still playing. Yeah, I know they have Ewing as a coach, but I see no downside to having another former MVP on the roster showing the young fella some moves…
PistonsGirl,
if sheed goes out of the starting line up and we replace him with c-webb it’s over. we’ll be lucky to get another championship with Sheed, we can’t MAJORLY downgrade and expect to still win it. Brezec might not be much of a factor, but he wouldn’t hamper the other four as much as Webber’s busted ass would. After watching Webber in last year’s finals it’s baffling to me how you can see him as a starter on a championship team.
Kevin s.,
in the 2007 playoffs Webber averaged 1.5 assists per game (the least of any starter). He also averaged 1.56 turnovers per game. When you average more turnovers than assits YOU’RE NOT A GREAT PASSER!
He also had fewer rebounds than Tay, Sheed or McDyess (who didn’t start and averaged 2.8 fewer minutes per game). And may I remind you that all of his playoff experience is of the losing variety.
Rob G.,
Maxiell doesn’t need to be developed, he didn’t need to be developed last year, he just needed his benchaphobic coach to unleash him. Afflalo is smart and knows where to be and how to contribute. The only developement we need now is Amir and possibly Stuckey. And considering how Amir has performed EVERY TIME
Webber has absolutely one upside, he has a high fg%. So if you can find a way to slip him in for a few minutes a game to score a few buckets that is great, but bear in mind that is ALL you are going to get. his rebounding, blocking, defense, movement without the ball, movement in general are ALL NEGATIVES. He’s a broken down, perpetual loser. I understand he’s a homie and we all have a soft spot for him, but honestly, Nazr will put up better numbers in Charlotte this year than C-Webb will ever put up for the rest of his life.
PistonsGirl,
if sheed goes out of the starting line up and we replace him with c-webb it’s over. we’ll be lucky to get another championship with Sheed, we can’t MAJORLY downgrade and expect to still win it. Brezec might not be much of a factor, but he wouldn’t hamper the other four as much as Webber’s busted ass would. After watching Webber in last year’s finals it’s baffling to me how you can see him as a starter on a championship team.
Kevin s.,
in the 2007 playoffs Webber averaged 1.5 assists per game (the least of any starter). He also averaged 1.56 turnovers per game. When you average more turnovers than assits YOU’RE NOT A GREAT PASSER!
He also had fewer rebounds than Tay, Sheed or McDyess (who didn’t start and averaged 2.8 fewer minutes per game). And may I remind you that all of his playoff experience is of the losing variety.
Rob G.,
Maxiell doesn’t need to be developed, he didn’t need to be developed last year, he just needed his benchaphobic coach to unleash him. Afflalo is smart and knows where to be and how to contribute. The only developement we need now is Amir and possibly Stuckey. And considering how Amir has performed EVERY TIME he’s been asked too, i’m not sure he really needs all this “developement.”
Webber has absolutely one upside, he has a high fg%. So if you can find a way to slip him in for a few minutes a game to score a few buckets that is great, but bear in mind that is ALL you are going to get. his rebounding, blocking, defense, movement without the ball, movement in general are ALL NEGATIVES. He’s a broken down, perpetual loser. I understand he’s a homie and we all have a soft spot for him, but honestly, Nazr will put up better numbers in Charlotte this year than C-Webb will ever put up for the rest of his life.
ugh, sorry
I don’t see any point of having cwebb back. joe dumars is pretty clear that he has no intention of changing the roster at this time, although, we all know that he’s gonna make a move before the trade deadline, but i doubt that it will involve webber. our bigs are doing pretty good including our back up maxie and eventually amir will kick in, not to mention the new addition brezec, why go for cwebb? if anything, it will be a low priority, joe is fishing right now and not paying attention to cwebb, why? bcuz the bottom line is, there’s a lot of fish in the sea. do i want him back? sure why not BUT after finding out who’s a better fit and worth taking for the pistons cap space.
Webber is a better backup big than anyone on our roster. All around. Court vision. Game intelligence. Passing ability. Etc.
PG4L nailed it.
Webber’s knees did not look too bad last season when he was dunking above the rim… I guess some of you have selective memory. Or none at all. Or just prefer to hate on the guy.
Whatever. I’d take him as a backup C.
Kyle,
Maxiell was a lot more inconsistent last year than this year. And he’s still, in a very mild manner, inconsistent. I think you’re writing revisionist history in terms of Maxiell’s output when he got a chance last season.
I like Rob G’s outlook. I think RIGHT now with the healthy (knock on wood) roster we have, if we are able to make a trade that frees up a roster spot, I say give it to Webber. I am biased though as I don’t care what Webber does (or doesn’t) bring to the table, I just wanna see a Detroit bred guy who breathes the city get a shot to win a ring on this squad. If the mandate is and has been to stay young within reason (ie: play Maxiell, not necessarily Amir, because clearly he hasn’t even been an overwhelming priority this season which I’m totally fine with), then adding Webber can only hurt us if he disrupts locker room chemistry as a whiner. I believe this is possible, but probably unlikely seeing that he’s practically begging us to sign him. The fact is, if he comes here without any injuries to the current rotation, he’s gonna sit like Jalen on Phoenix last year. Him and Amir will get the same type of spot minutes, and fine, they should. People keep forgetting that although Amir is a third year pro like Maxiell, he’s only TWENTY.
Pragmatically though, I don’t see how Webber joins this squad unless someone gets hurt. Joe is smart, Flip APPEARS more competent than he’s ever been as Pistons coach (or at least more willing to listen to Joe if you object to giving Flip credit), and there’s no in-fighting thus far. We have the formula to win it all, far be it for the excellent management to screw this up. If we don’t get the job done, it’ll be on the court, not through poor roster management.
Basically, this overwhelming urge to see Webber on this squad is just wishful thinking from a guy who wants to see a guy he grew up LOVING win a ring on the hometown team that Webber shares our love for. It’s grounded entirely in the mutual admiration Webber and I have for the city of Detroit and my incessant desire for related nostalgic, warm and fuzzy storylines.
And for me, it’s about getting a former 20/10 guy to come off the bench and play good minutes while Dice rests. The homie part is good, too.
Amir is going to be good. Not this year, though. It takes time. Everyone cites Tay’s first major minutes coming in during playoff games, shutting down TMac, etc, but they don’t mention he was in college for four years. Amir hasn’t taken Comp 101, let alone been the beneficiary of some Tubby Smith lovin’.
Almost forgot: It’s Flip, baby!
Just for fun, I checked Webber’s stats last year:
11.2 ppg, 3.1 apg, 7.2 rpg, 0.67 blk, 0.98 stl, 45% fg. He also averaged 29 mpg, which is a LOT.
Not bad for a creaky old guy. I think those numbers are better than any of our current options, so put me in the pro-Webber camp. Even if he only plays 8 minutes per game, I have more confidence in him than in Berecezceezcecz or Hermann.
Kyle, I’m with you on all fronts.
So we all circle back: young guy (Amir) vs. a vet (Webb, etc), with DBB readers divided. We need a Solomon-esque wise man to make the call. Someone with the knowhow and the elbow-grease to lead us to a new land. Someone like… Joe Dumars.
Interesting discussion so far. At the end of the day, whatever Joe Dumars does will probably be the right decision. I think he has to see first whether Brezec will fit in or not. Remember, we’re not discussing a starting spot, but the fifth big man spot.
First, I’m a long-time Pistons fan, first time poster to this blog, which I recently discovered. Nice place!
This is a tricky issue. I think Packer487 got it right in the first post — we’re probably only acquiring Chris as part of some other deal where we free up roster space. But should we even then. . . ?
On the one hand, the young guys need to be developed. And Chris played poorly in at least most of the playoffs last year. But he did play well during the year. And let’s take the example from PistonsGirl4Life. Sure, maybe if Rasheed goes down, Detroit has no chance at winning the championship, but suppose McDyess or Maxiell go down? Wouldn’t you rather have Chris Webber around to fill those minutes than, say, Amir Johnson (this year) or Brezec?
thats a good point toledo joe, thats exactly what i was trying to say to be atleast open minded about cwebb. joe dumars needs to get a back up for the three bigs, sheed, dyes and maxie…right now, its only amir, whos ready to go, unlike brezec. however, we should focus more on who else is available other than cwebb…..we need to see whos’ available from each team of the nba not just cweb. we have flip to use for trade plus the cap space that nazr left us.
Lawyerboy,
you’re right, Maxiell was more inconsistent last year. Remember how everybody on the bench was inconsistent last year except McDyess (until the playoffs where his shot disappeared)? That’s what happens when the coach has no interest in the bench and reacts to hard work and good play with nothing more than surprise (Amir anyone?) I wonder how Maxi could have done if he’d gotten the regular rotation that many of us (despite your accusations of revisionist history) were calling for.
The “Flip doesn’t play the bench” complaints didn’t start with the ‘07 ECF’s. It started the 64 win season. It may be revisionist history, but I remember there were lots of people calling for more bench focus.
I can see adding Chris Webber if you need to play better during the regular season because he’s a very solid offensive player and good passer who will help you win more games to make the playoffs. But if you think you are going to make the playoffs Chris Webber is not very helpful because he can’t guard anybody anymore.
And he’s not really that much of a “big”. At this point Webber is 6-10 and soft rebounder with bad legs who doesn’t block shorts or move his feet. I’d rather have Maxiell guard the post at 6-7 or roll the dice with Amir or Samb then convince myself that Chris Webber is magically going to be able to move his feet on defense at this point in his career. Juwan Howard and Vlade Divac were the true “bigs” when Webber played in his prime, never Webber.
Garrett,
those stats are fine, but look at them like this
‘06-’07 Regular Season:
11.2 ppg, 3.1 apg, 7.2 rpg, 0.67 blk, 0.98 stl, 45% fg, 29 mpg
‘07 Playoffs:
9.9 ppg, 1.5 apg, 6.3 rpg, .56 blk, .88 stl, 52% fg, 25.3 mpg
All I care about is the post-season and in the last post season he was an anchor around our necks.
and anyone who keeps going on about what a great passer he is earns a big FAIL. you don’t average 1.5 assists and 1.56 turnovers in the playoffs and still get to keep the title “great passer”
Listen to joejoejoe. Webber does well in the regular season, but struggled in the playoffs AND compounded matters by adding to the locker room dissension last year. He had his chance, now give one to somebody else.
Is it just me, or does this mean there’s no way Webber’s coming back at the moment?
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AhPJ7Gh5OJ34beeFo8qAqJy8vLYF?slug=txpistonssamb&prov=st&type=lgns
I assume this is because they have better dentists in the greater Auburn Hills area…
I think Webber would be a much better backup big for us now than Brezec oe Amir. I understant the desire to develop the youth, but when you’re a current contender like the Pistons, you need to win now, while you can.
Pistons recall C Samb from D League
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Au0wb6gPEtwtXIrj_5kmvrx80bYF?slug=txpistonssamb&prov=st&type=lgns
Anyone have any idea what this is about?
I got two reasons why Samb’s been recalled: the left front tooth and the right front tooth.
I can’t continue to participate in any discussion where someone SERIOUSLY tries to tell me Primo Brezac is a better player than Chris Webber.
You all need to go watch some film from the OTHER 97 some odd games out team played last year instead of just game 5 of the ECF… kay?
Seriously it’s like we don’t even watch the same NBA.
As for how and when? It’s pretty simple, wait until the deadline or Webber produces an actual offer sheet… then swoop in and add him for half a season’s worth of dollars. I said ALL along that the Pistons were hoping C Webb wouldn’t sign anyplace else, so essentially they could “stash” him in case of a significant injury.
And fwiw, the reason Webber isn’t on a team right now is because he’s been holding out for either 2 years or Detroit. It’s NOT BECAUSE HE’S THE WORST 5 IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA LIKE YOU PEOPLE SEEM TO BELIEVE.
Also and then yeah I really am done with this topic:
For those of you waiting for Amir/Stuckey this year to solve anything, you DO realize we’re now more than a quarter through the season and neither player has done anything right? We’re 2 months away from the big deadline push when EVERYONE tries to make up for starting slow and crash the playoffs….
I think the dream is over, if either player were going to have a significant impact THIS season, they would have…
I don’t even want to THINK about Amir Johnson lining up vs Dwight Howard, or trying to win a 7 game series vs even the BUCKS with Maxy/Dyess at the 5 and a kid who doesn’t know where he’s supposed to be on the floor at the 4.
Stop believing, it’s past game 22. The team your watching now is the team that will either win or lose…. Amir is NOT going to save THIS season… period.
I couldn’t disagree more with PistonsGirl. I’m not trying to start a fight, but let’s be honest for a minute. I didn’t get the impression that anybody was seriously arguing that Brezec is a better player than Webber. I don’t want Chris Webber anywhere near this team. The last 2 seasons have felt strangely like our team chemistry was teetering on the edge of going somewhere bad. This year, everybody is in lock step. The upside of adding Webber (spot minutes) is way offset by the potential negatives he brings (potentially being unable to accept 10-12 minutes a night when he was starting for this exact team a year ago). I always felt like he was quietly stoking the anti-Flip flames, I have no basis for that, it just seemed a little… less stable with him when things starting going bad.
Our first team D is much better without Webb on the floor. How in the hell is he going to fit in with our bench players? Afflalo, Max, Jarvis, and anybody else contributing meaningful minutes are energy guys. What lineup combinations are acceptable with him? I don’t see how you can play him next to Max. Plus, I don’t entirely trust Flip to not start messing with Max’s minutes. The bench is playing as well as any of our benches since the championship year. I’d prefer not to mess with a good thing.
I agree with “Other Matt.” It’s not about Brezec being a better player. Right now CWebb, to me, is a poor man’s McDyess. Equivalent shooter, better passer, worse at everything else. I think we’re better served with the change of pace that Amir (and even Cheick’s) athleticism provides.
If Sheed or McDyess, go down, Webber is not the answer. His game simply doesn’t translate to playoff basketball. Ben Wallace easily rendered him useless by not giving him enough room to make his passes or get off his set shot.
That being said, if Prezec, Hermann and/or Flip go in a 2 or 3 for 1 trade, I guess I’m okay with Webber riding the pine (and only riding the pine) as insurance.
RE: ALL-STAR VOTING
There was a post a week back rallying everyone to vote for Chauncey to start in the All-Star game.
I say we vote for the Big Three from Boston. Let’s add as many minutes to their season as we can. And we should all vote for Jason Kidd and whoever else plays PG to get in above Chauncey. Less minutes for our players and more of a chip on their shoulders.
I have to imagine that since Samb cant play in any mad ant games that they called him up so he can workout/practice with the team. Might as well keep a close eye on him while he is out so we can fatten him up over the holidays.
Ahhh i like the way you think QuickDarshan. Good idea.
The upside of adding Webber is having a starting 5 if Sheed goes down. I never said a damn thing about “Spot mins”……. and I’m sorry but the fact is as it stands this team is out of the playoffs if Sheed can’t go… As for the cancer thing, I do agree though being 100% fair thats the ENTIRE reason you keep saying “we aren’t interested” and wait until the LAST possible min to sign him… because as you said, you might not need him. This ISN’T about getting a backup 5, we have one of those. It’s about getting ANOTHER STARTING 5 if Sheed goes down because it’s the one area of our team that would cut our wrists IMMEDIATELY if it happened.
Seriously though I don’t see how we can even have a discussion. I have C-Webb’s talent placed at a certain level that I feel is HIGHLY based on what I saw last year. The description of C-Webb i’ve read in this thread by supposedly informed basketball fans has been similar to Eric Dampier on a bad night. That’s not the C-Webb I know so clearly we’re talking about a different fantasy land C-Webb.
I don’t talk fantasy land NBA.
Wrong, Kyle. WRONG. One bad series does not invalidate an established record of being a savvy passer with great situational awareness. Anyone who judges a guy’s abilities on one short series earns a big FAIL.
To deny Webbers passing prowess is asinine! To compare assist totals to passing abilities and turnovers is just plain ignorant, a perfect example is Allen Iverson, his STAT line in Philly (10.2 years 6.2APG) was not indicative of a PG who can pass, yet less than 2 years as a Nugget, his assists are at 7.3 per game. Did he suddenly become a prolific passer just buy moving to Denver? NO! His assists went up because the guys he was passing to SCORED THE FREAKIN’ ball!! In the ECF Detroit’s starters were so damn tired from playing 800 minutes a night they couldn’t buy a bucket! Not Webbers fault.
As for Amir, the kid has extreme upside, let him develope like Maxi. Next year will be Amir’s year, who would be a better mentor to Amir than C-Webb (other than “The big Fundamental”). I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it Amir is 5 he just don’t know it yet! Watch for Hunter to move to the front office as soon as Stuckey is comfortable, that will then be Webbers spot. If Maxi is for real (and I think he is), Amir will not see an increase in minutes this year at the 4 unless Sheed and McDyess go down HARD (if that happens we are done this year), let Amir learn the 5 from (arguably) one the best all-round bigs in recent memory. Webber off the bench for 10-12 minutes a night and Amir with video camera and a notebook…that is a recipe for the future!
I’m with PistonsGirl4Life, except I’m not even willing to grant the “bad chemistry” argument. What, exactly, did Chris do to mess up any chemistry last year? When he came in, Detroit was barely above .500. They wound up with the best record in the East. I didn’t see or hear anything about him being selfish or creating bad chemistry.
Sure, he didn’t do well in the playoffs. And sure, Chris is old, can’t jump, and can’t play defense well. That’s why he shouldn’t be a starter, or even the first big man off the bench. And yes, if ‘Sheed goes down, the Pistons have no chance at a championship. But if ‘Dyess or Maxiell go down, I think the Pistons would still have a decent chance with Webber playing some significant minutes — and this year, I would rather see those minutes go to him, if necessary, than to Amir Johnson or Brezec.
I don’t think Detroit really NEEDS to sign Webber, but I think he would be a good insurance policy.
for the record, he didn’t average more turnovers than assists in the Eastern Conference Finals, he averaged more turnovers than assists in the entire playoffs. Everyone turns up their game in the playoffs, Webber had nowhere to go, so he was left behind. He was faultering and losing minutes before the series with Cleveland. And am I the only one who remembers that by the ECF’s he’d pretty much stopped even attempting to pass?
He was a great passer, in the past. He was great at most things, in the past. But this isn’t the past, this is now. If you want him as an insurance policy, that’s fine. But I’m willing to bet money that no team will ever again legitimately contend for a title with Webber as a starter or the first big off the bench.
ps. i’ll go the hyperbole route and say that Brezec is absolute crap compared to Webber. But in the Grizzlies game I saw Brezec start defending a GUARD at the top of the key, and he managed to stay in front of him all the way to the baseline. Ain’t no way in hell Webber will ever be able to do anything of the like again.
Detroit Basketball is defense and hustle. Two things Webber can’t do
Kyl:
Then maybe we don’t really disagree. I don’t want Webber to start, or be the first big off the bench. I would only want him as an insurance policy if ‘Dyess, or Maxiell fall to injury. And I think Detroit would probably be OK without him. But if there’s a 2-1 or 3-1 deal in Detroit’s future, which there might be, I think getting Webber as an insurance policy to fill a roster spot would be a good idea.
Again Kyl, I’m with you on all fronts. I hated what I saw out of Webber in last year’s playoffs. Anyone who comes back with “but cleveland” or “but the box score says” doesn’t remember those games. He was a cancer in the playoffs. I’d be okay with giving him 12 minutes per game. But even then only as a last result.
I remember the Cavs series last year — painfully, but I do. And I remember Webber playing badly. What I’m trying to remember is what other Pistons played consistently really well in that series. Chauncey had a horrible assist-TO ratio, Rasheed got himself kicked out of game 6 when the Pistons could have still won it, and I don’t think it was Webber who was guarding LeBron when he went off in game 5.
It’s easy to blame Chris for everything now that he’s not on the team because we like to like our current players. But there was a lot of blame to go around.
Again, I would only want Webber as an insurance policy in case of injury, and I think if Detroit stays healthy, they could be fine without him. So I’m not sure we all disagree that much.
A REAL “DETROIT PISTONS” FAN WANTS C WEBB!! OF COURSE HES NOT GOING TO START AND I DONT WANT HIM TO TAKE ANY MINS FROM OUR UP AND COMING BIGS! BUTT HES AN ICON OLD OR NOT AND HIS SMATRS ON THE GAME WOULD BE A GREAT HELP TO THE UPCOMING BIGS!!!!! AND HES A “DETROIT” NATIVE FOR GOD SAKES LET THE ICON FINISH HIS CAREER HEAR!!! DONT PAY THE HATERS ANY ATTENTION C WEBB COME ON BACK!!! WE ALL LOVE YOU! !!!!!DETROIT BASKETBALL!!!! LOUD AND CLEAR
GOTTA BE 2008 CHAMPS!!