The more I think about having C-Webb on the team, the more I don’t like it. I guess maybe I just haven’t thought about it hard enough until now but it would definitely make me nervous.

I could have sworn that the Celtics said they weren’t going to go after Payton because they wanted to avoid veterans with big heads and move towards role players who buy into the system (that is, Ray, KG, and Pierce get 85% of the shots).

I also looked at who the Pistons could get as a change of pace 3 and the only guy I could come up with was Mo-Pete and I don’t really like him that much.

I also think that Walter Hermann could be the change of pace 3 we’re looking for…one reason why I think that he’s been getting the nod from Flip more recently.

james b.,
while i see what you’re getting at, it’s a chicken and the egg argument. they might be more likely to put their egos aside to win a championship, but their inability to put their egos aside may be the reason WHY they’ve never won a championship.

if you ask me the celts would be much better served to continue developing davis.

I agree with you that the personalities in Boston don’t exactly promote the idea of team play that so many of us Pistons fans take for granted (i really don’t think there is a tighter knit team on and off the court), however, they all share one thing in common: they’re all old and haven’t won a ’ship.

You have to figure that they can at least set their differences aside for a 1/3 of a season and post season if it means a better shot at winning a championship.

Paul Pierce has a fragile ego, and now you want to throw Webber in there? Kevin Garnett is often looked at as the consummate professional, but that’s false too. He’s a hot head. Remember when he threw a basketball at Antonio McDyess and then ran from him like a little girl? Garnett’s always screaming and hollering if you actually watch him play. I’m not surprised the guy hasn’t won a title. Add a little Chris Webber to that mix, and head for the hills, Doc Rivers.

We’ve seen the extreme lack of foot speed Webber has. How is the #1 defensive team in the NBA going to maintain that level of play with him out there? As much as Kendrick Perkins generally sucks on the offensive end, he’s young and not a bad presence on defense. So Boston gets a better scorer and passer, just a more reliable offensive player than Perkins, but they also get a defensive liability. They open up their offense, sacrifice their defense. And this is all assuming that Webber performs well in serious minutes after missing half of a season. I think that’s trouble for them as well. Doesn’t sound like a great move to me.

The thing that Boston needs is either a) a REAL backup PG (one who can defend Chauncey) or b) a tougher starting PG (again, one who can defend Chauncey). Rondo is a very good player on offense, but he can’t hang with Chauncey, so they pull him. They have Tony Allen (easily rattled and not a true PG) and Eddie House (Not as good overall as Rondo, but a better jumpshot. No improvement matching up with us.). Another PG is what they need against us, not Webber. If the Webber move somehow facilitates a worthy PG coming to them, then it’s a good move in my eyes. Otherwise, it’s lateral.

When the season started, I admit I wanted Webber. I wanted him contingent on him being nothing more than insurance and/or the fourth big coming in BEHIND Maxiell. I felt sympathy for his Detroit roots and quest to win a title. After seeing Brezec’s spirited play, I’ve changed my mind. Webber says he wanted to be here, but Brezec shows it. Webber taking a back seat role while keeping his mouth shut is a serious leap of faith. That was another contigency I would’ve wanted Webber on, but I was living in a fantasy land expecting him to play nice. Instead, I’ll take the guy who shows he wants to be here, even with the vast talent disparity between the two, over the guy who just says it. It’ll guarantee that team morale won’t suffer as a result.

If you take your reasoning regarding getting better but not good enough to beat your competition, then what was the point of all of Joe D’s moves over the past three years? Are all of his moves meaningless as well simply because we didn’t win championships?

You don’t know if a move like this will make you better than your competition until after you make it. And you can’t exactly characterize a move before its made as meaningless because you don’t know how Webber on the Celtics will affect that team.

To set up the space to sign Webber, we’d need to trade two guys (Flip and either Primoz or Walter, or even all three if the right deal came along).

We make this trade and get a small forward (Morris Peterson maybe?) that brings something different to the table than what Jarvis brings. This provides additional depth behind the hardest played player on the team - Tayshaun.

So now we have at least one roster spot open to sign C-Webb and here is why we sign him:

No matter what you say about Chris Webber being a liability, if he signs with Boston he will improve that team considerably. Boston’s offense takes a hit when you take Rajon Rondo out of there because Eddie House can’t handle the pressure at point. But if you bring Webber off the bench for 10-15 minutes a game, you allow the offense to be run through a great veteran post passer which effectively reduces the pressure on Boston’s back up PG.

Boston with Chris Webber coming off the bench is not a team that I want to face in the playoffs. Their bench is already shaping up to be pretty good and they still have roster spots open.

We sign Chris and have him play the Nazr role (which is opened up after trading Primoz). He comes in when certain matchups can be exploited or when we need to help Stuckey run the offense. But most important we sign Webber so that our competitors can’t.

Webber will take a back seat role because he wants a ring more than anything, and he’d much rather win that ring playing in Detroit.

“Craig (PA): Since you are an expert on the fundamentals, wouldn’t an excellent passer like Chris Webber fit nicely into the triangle offense in LA?

David Thorpe: If the NBA moved to a half court, 3-on-3 game. Yes.”

Therefore, I encourage Chris to find a spot everywhere but Detroit.

Anyone who wants him as a deep bench player should also be reminded of their foolish love of Amir Johnson and the contradiction of the screams for getting younger at this time last summer while watching San Antonio humiliate the Cavaliers (instead of bouncing the Pistons) in the Finals.

Because Webber was replacing a comparably abled Nazr Mohammed instead of Kendrick Perkins. There is no such thing as a hump, really, and the only thing teams should want is to get better. Webber would make them better.

and to me, webber’s almost one steal per game (.98 regular season, .88 playoffs in 2006-2007) doesn’t offset brezec’s overwhelming advantage in foot speed. at least twice now i’ve seen brezec pick up a guard at the top of the key, stay in front of them and direct them harmlessly to the baseline. on a team notorious for allowing penetration and getting killed in the paint, i would think that this ability would be more important than a high fg%.

To me, both are bad defenders because they have no lateral quickness. Brezec plays tougher and is much more willing to bang. But, Webber has quicker hands and gets a lot of steals (of course, that’s because he plays D with his hands and not his feet).

Equally good shooters and finishers. But Webber gets the edge with his passing.

I was in the anti-Webber camp before. But if he’s taking Brezec’s spot, I’m cool.