Webber tonight: 10 pts, 4-18 shooting, 8 rebounds and five turnovers. He got booed by the home crowd. Meanwhile, though they haven't been winning, the Kings are getting solid production out of the three forwards they traded for. Everyone was calling the Webber trade a steal for Philly, but could it be that Geoff Petrie and GMs around the league know something we don't? From what I've seen of Chris, he has virtually no lift left, which is bad for his inside game. Tonight, he got stripped in the post repeatedly when he tried to jump, then pouted to the refs because they didn't give him the call. I know shooting is one of his strengths, which could serve him well under Jim O'Brien, but is he any better at it then Kenny Thomas or Marc Jackson? Could it be that he has been overrated for the past few seasons, only looking like his old self because of the Kings' passing game?
I think one of Webber's best attributes the last few season's was his passing in that fluent Sacramento offense. Now, he basically only has one offensive playmaker that gets open and hit shots...there is going to be a lot of pressure on C-Webb to deliver now that everyone thinks Philly is a finals contender. But yeah, the Kings offense really made him look good for a guy that's past his prime. I think he's got some gas left but AI is still going to have to carry that team.
They key for Webber is to get the message that he's no longer a number one guy in the offense. He never understood that in Sacramento, when Peja was coming alive and his knee was giving out. He still wanted to be the first option, still wanted the possessions to go through him, and still wanted to take his 20+ shots a night. If he does the same thing in Philly, they're going to hate him in that locker room in no time flat. He doesn't have his A game anymore. But yes, Webber's shooting really is that much better than Kenny and is on a different plane than Jackson. If he would accept playing more in the high post with Iverson, he could still be effective in their system. But if he insists on posting up every possession, all he's going to do is clog the lane and make things harder on AI. Evan
To me, this is on O'Brien. Webber seems willing, AI has proven to be willing, now Obie needs to come up with a system that works. Webber has sent five assists to eight turnovers in his time as a Sixer, with three of those dimes (that I've seen) being shoves to AI for three-pointers. This was an ok trade for the Kings, those forwards can all play (I'm still high on Skinner, because I'm an idiot), but their contracts are horrid. Philly kept their kids (A+) but lost their frontcourt depth (D+), and they've lost three of four. Meanwhile, those nutty Celtics keep winning.
