CWebb:Why the Rockets didn't pursue him aggressively

CWebb:Why the Rockets didn't persue him aggressively

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/news/sports06_20010930.html


Webber's summer on the brink: The power forward discusses his thought process during free agency and why the Kings weren't his first choice.


Chris Webber arrives at a new NBA season surprised that he's happy to be back in Sacramento.
His plans to relocate were dashed by the personnel moves of other teams and maybe a twinge of jealousy.

But now that he's wedded to the Kings for the next seven years, Webber says he's ready to lead Sacramento to a championship.

In a lengthy interview as the Kings prepare to open training camp this week, Webber said at the start of last season he intended to leave Northern California when he became a free agent last May. He hoped to play in a larger city, ideally on a team with colleagues friendly and familiar.

Those plans were pushed aside when the veteran forward saw prospective employers making maneuvers that left doubts about their interest in Webber.

"I just knew I was gone," Webber said. "I really didn't care about pressure here. I felt like if I never come back, I have turned around my career and helped turn around the team, so I really honestly felt, just go on and keep doing what you've been doing, and everything else will work itself out.

"I didn't want to come back. I wanted to play somewhere else. I just felt that I could have more of a chance to win other places. I felt like that since I was back where I wanted to be as a player, I should go back to where I wanted to be -- a major city. I should play with my friends, and now I had the opportunity to do it."

In the end, Webber found his best opportunity in Sacramento. The revelation took several forms, not the least of which was money. Webber agreed to stay with the Kings after they gave him a contract worth about $123 million.

Yet money wasn't everything. Webber was accustomed to financial security, having completed a six-year agreement valued at $60 million.

For Webber, the essential factor in re-signing with the Kings was their ability to challenge the Los Angeles Lakers, NBA champions the past two seasons and probably well into the future.

And there was more. Webber reveled in the freedom and affection he received from brothers Joe and Gavin Maloof, point men in the family that owns the Kings.

"Really, there are two reasons," Webber said, recalling the process that brought him back. "The Maloofs, and that the only team that's better than us is the Lakers. That's real."

In Webber's mind, the Western Conference is the perfect place for an assault on the Lakers. Given that goal, he said playing on the West Coast was an ideal situation.

"Nobody on the East Coast is going to beat the Lakers, and the only team that can beat the Lakers over here is us," Webber said. "I felt last season if we had been in the championships against the 76ers, they couldn't have beaten us. I felt it would have been a nice series."

As for the Maloofs, Webber said his trust for the family made him feel secure. Webber delayed signing his contract until he received some 11th-hour assurances from the Maloofs that went beyond the written guarantees made on paper.

"I know the Maloofs wanted me, and I know they'll take care of me," Webber said. "I mean, forget the contract. They are people I can talk to, people I have talked to. Then, you add in the team, and man, I'm here."

Webber was asked about rumored problems with coach Rick Adelman and whether their relationship weighed on his decision. Webber said Adelman has provided him with more freedom and opportunity than any other NBA coach he has played for.

"I think the best thing about coach is he lets me play," Webber said. "He tells me what he doesn't like that I do. Not so much what he likes, but what he doesn't like. He lets me play my game, and that comes whether I want to shoot a long-distance three or go inside. I can't be a fool with it, but I love the fact that he gives me responsibility, and it's up to me to work with that responsibility.

"And just from the first day I came in, I always will have respect no matter what happens, because it would have been easy for him to try to do the 'J.R. Rider' to me or treat me bad just on the tails of what happened in the past.

"I can't really say there is much I don't like about him. But I think his strength is coaching starters and players that depend on him as much as he depends on them. If you talk to the Jon Barrys and some of those guys like him, they may have something different to say.

"I only can talk from my aspect, and there is really nothing I can say we don't get along with. ... I can't complain about anything."

Webber has never been confused about the motives of Adelman or the Maloofs. But as he waded into the waters of free agency, he developed interesting perspectives concerning teams that purportedly wanted his services.

Two notable suitors were the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers, Webber recalled.

"I really looked at those possibilities," he said. "I really thought about going to San Antonio. They called me when they told David Robinson they weren't going to pay him. The day they gave David Robinson the final notice to sign for $5 million, they called and said if you're coming, we don't want him back, and that's just the honest-to-God truth.

"I didn't go visit anyplace except Detroit and Indiana because I didn't want to go anyplace else. It was toughest to say no to (Indiana coach) Isiah (Thomas) because I love him, trust him and respect him so much.

"I didn't go visit New York. In the end, it wasn't necessarily because I didn't want to go anyplace else, but my best opportunity was here. It probably would have been hard to get to New York, and there was no place else.

"I would love to play with Tim Duncan or Steve Francis or those guys, but truthfully none of those teams are better than ours, I just feel."

As for the Houston Rockets, Webber said the Texas team didn't pursue him aggressively. Webber said he thinks he knows why.

"Steve Francis told me they thought I was cocky, and I'm going to try to kill them every year for that," Webber said. "Steve and Cuttino Mobley told me they thought that I didn't want to go there, that I was cocky and didn't want to play there. But I really was interested. I don't know how interested, but I know that's the feeling the team had."

Along the same lines, Webber likely will remember the treatment -- or lack of it -- he got from the Orlando Magic. Webber was interested in moving to Florida, but his mood changed when the Magic made a move for free agent Antonio Davis.

"Tiger Woods was on what's-his-name's, uhh, Antonio Davis' doorstep at 12 a.m.," Webber said with a smirk. "They went and visited my man at 12 and all that. I was like, 'OK, y'all have him.' That's what I said. I know Tracy McGrady wanted me there.

"I'll leave it at that. I just did a commercial with him before I signed here. So I think maybe other players didn't want me there. Or maybe another player there didn't want me there?"

Who would that be?

"I'll let the readers determine that," he said, possibly referring to Grant Hill.

Even after he agreed to stay with the Kings, Webber couldn't help thinking about missed opportunities. While he admires the dedication of Kings fans, he doesn't consider Sacramento a traditional basketball city. He repeated his belief that Sacramento lacks the diversity of other communities.

"I felt I should be wherever the Mecca of basketball is, wherever the die-hard hoopers are," he said. "I mean, we have the best fans here in Sacramento, but there is a part of me that says I should be where young black kids can come to my games. There are not many black kids at Arco Arena at all.

"I have 30 tickets a game, so I'm going to use them to put some nappy heads up in (Arco Arena) somewhere. I'm from Detroit, and I don't think people really realize it's the inner city and a black city. Of course, you've got whites and blacks in Sacramento, and I certainly have nothing against one or the other, but I'm used to seeing Indians, Japanese, Chinese, blacks, and I just wanted to be in that type of an environment.

"The fact is I played in Washington and Oakland, and both are more diverse than Sacramento."

As he looks toward the new season, Webber is confident about his team, despite the Kings' decision to trade his friend, point guard Jason Williams, for Mike Bibby.

"I love the fact that I think Hedo Turkoglu is going to be a great player," he said. "I think Hedo is going to be an All-Star. The way Peja (Stojakovic) plays and I looked at Vlade (Divac's) passing and at other centers. I looked at the worst-case scenario, and even on Vlade's bad nights, he's better than most centers."

The Kings impressed Webber by largely ignoring all the discussion about his upcoming free agency last season. Other squads would have been disrupted by the rumors, but the Kings played as if nothing was happening beyond the court.

"I thought about that all year, how we didn't crack under pressure, and how, too, when all the articles and speculation came in about me leaving, nobody fell for all of it," he said.

As for Williams, Webber said he'll miss the guard as a teammate and a person but predicts that Williams will make the best of his new situation in Memphis, Tenn.

"The only bad part of playing with him was that he just didn't know how much talent and skill he had," Webber said. "Because by far, he's the most talented point guard I've played with, and I've played with some great ones -- Mark Price, Rod Strickland, Tim Hardaway. And by far, Jason is the most talented. I think Rod is the best, but Jason is the most talented."

The trade disappointed Webber, but it's not something he will dwell upon as the new season gets under way.

"Yes, I'm hurt about it, and I can understand the team's reason for doing it," he said. "Yeah, I think we have such a versatile team that maybe they want a little more stability at that position."

Webber struggled during last season's playoffs against Phoenix and the Lakers. In fact, he was never the same player after spraining his left ankle against the Utah Jazz in the first game after the All-Star break.

The injury caused Webber to miss 10 games. He didn't use the injury as an excuse but acknowledges the ankle continued to give him trouble long after he returned.

"On the videotapes, it looked like I was hurt after I came back," he said. "Not being able to get up in the air, your whole mind-frame has to change. You have to turn into a totally different player, so this whole summer, too, I've been working on my ground game. I hope this turns into a blessing."

So Webber still has mountains to climb. He wants to overcome his disappointing playoff performance against the Lakers and improve on his fourth-place finish in balloting for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award.

The inability to win a championship haunts Webber. The frustration dates to college, where he twice lost in the NCAA final.

"Now that I've re-signed here, I want to show that I can lead this team to a championship," Webber said. "Why not win the MVP award? To me, re-signing here is not the end, this is the beginning."