ESPN is reporting the Kings have traded Chris Webber to the Sixers. 'Bout time they got AI some help.
Confirmed http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1998456 Holy S this is a HUGE deal. WOW! I still can't believe it. They have to be one of the favorites in the East now. I am excited about the NBA again!
Prior to tonight, there were two types of Kings fans. Those who hated Webber for being a ballhawk, and those who defended him. Well the Webb-haters in this town got their way tonight. IMO on the Kings part this was a salary dump pure and simple. Webb has been playing his best ball ever, and his trade value would never have been higher. So are the Kings now "rebuilding"? Or can we make a run in the playoffs with a starting five of Miller, Thomas/Williamson, Peja, Mobley and Bibby? IMO, Sactown can get through at least the first round with our current roster. But we have just traded ourselves out of title contention. Might Peja be a little more motivated now that the guy who criticized him has left town? Maybe.
You're a bit wrong on the salary dumping part mate. Take a look at the long contracts you got in return. Kenny Thomas' in particular. Those contracts are going to kill you. Kenny Thomas is supposed to me like another 6 years and 35mil. I think all told, the contracts of the three players EQUALS exactly time and money that of Webber's. This deal makes no sense for the Kings other than the "feud" between Peja and C-Webb...looks like Peja won.
The thing is, it's a strange way to dump salaries because they got no cap flexibility in return. The three players the Kings got in return are signed for as long as or longer than Webber. The Kings could've gotten Glenn Robinson and let his contract expire. Guess this is the Kings' way of repaying the debt to the East for the Webber-Richmond/Thorpe trade.
You're right. Maybe "dump" was not the correct word... but it would be easier to turn around and trade players with smaller individual contracts in the off-season than the beast we were saddled with with Webb. Webb's skills will be in decline within a few years. His defensive mobility is nil and his knee has been a big question mark.
No doubt but the Sixers are coming to the end of the AI regime. Maybe 3-5 more years. He is 30 this year (that's hard to believe). I am just REALLY excited about this trade. I still can't believe we got Webber and STILL have Big Dog. That's excellent since his contract is done at the end of the year and we can use that money to resign Korver, Green and Dalembert. It's a great trade. He's a great 2 way player and O'Brien likes to run the ball. We should run away with this Atlantic now. This'll get people over the Eagles loss, the Phillies sucking and no hockey too. Man, I am thinking about going up to MSG tomorrow for the next Sixers game.
Villanova guy coming back to Philly! Earlier this week I was talking to a friend trying to figure out why or how Billy King still had this job. Then he pulls this off. I am in shock. Even AI haters must admit he is playing some of his best ball ever this season. Now they get Webber, and they don't give up any of the young guns? When i saw the blurb on ESPNnews I thought Green lor Igo had to be gone. Then they showed the breakdown, my roomate just looked at me and said, "Why would the Kings do that?" I have no idea myself. But suddenly the Sixers are definately in the mix in the East. I am very, very excited.
Doesn't that just illustrate how idiotic the salary demands in sports have gotten, that you're excited that you get to keep Robinson (surely the biggest waste of talent over the past decade)? I know exactly what you mean, but still, what idiocy. Webber's playing well, but the Kings must know something about his hip (?). Maybe they think he's a walking timebomb and that he's being held together by cortizone and steroids. It's one thing if a fully healthy C-Webb is polarizing your team, it's another if he's not healthy. Moot point now, but my mediocre Celts are screwed.
That's Marc Stein's take too: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=1998501&CMP=OTC-DT9705204233 Web will be 35 when his current contract runs out and I guess the Kings didn't want to be the ones seeing it out. The Kings aren't in a bad shape, but they definitely get the smelly end of the stick. Strange, strange trade.
I guess AI has withdrawn his trade demand that he allegedly made before the All-Star break. With the Celtics being mediocre all season and Miami uncertain if and Shaq is coming back, Philly might have just become the one team in the East that can challenge Detroit
Sorry to be negative, but Webber is a plague. He is the definition of "choke." The Sixers will win the Atlantic...but that's it.
If I can elaborate a little bit... Before Webber came back from his knee injury last year, the Kings were playing really well. After he returned to the lineup, the flow of the Kings offense changed. Webber got the ball in the high post, he hung onto the ball for six seconds and then he forced up a shot or failed to connect on a pass. Kings fans at Arco could be heard audibly groaning when he put up a short hook shot that clanked off the rim after he backed down an opponent for four or five seconds. But in my opinion, Webber's been playing his best ball because he's been meshing well with the Kings offense this season. And WTF was Kings GM Geoff Petrie smoking when he settled for what he got from the Sixers??? If Samuel Dalembert had been part of this trade instead of Thomas or Williamson, I would not be as bitter as I am now. Thomas or Williamson will be eaten alive by the 6' 10" or bigger PFs in the Western Conference - KG, Duncan, Stoudemire et al. Petrie has normally had a lot of respect in this town, but the message that he is throwing in the towel on this season is simply not acceptable.
Yeah, I can't believe the Kings didn't get Robinson and one of the Sixers young guns(Iggy, Green, Korver, or Dalembert) in this deal. Thomas and Williamson are good solid players, but like DD said, they're going to get eaten alive by the big #4's out west. They'll put some points up and grab their share of rebounds, but KG, Duncan, & Stoudemire are going to lite them up.
First C-Web and now this just in, the Sixers just traded Big Dog to the Hornets for Mashburn and Rogers.
Now, the Kings are loaded with less-than-elite 4s - Thomas, Skinner and Songaila (whom I like, but only as a bit player). Williamson is useful for creating mismatches at 3 or 4, but he's always going to be a defensive liability. And they still haven't really addressed the need for a third guard. Barring any more moves today, they're done for the season. As for the Rodney Rogers trade, I'm assuming Philly gave up draft picks? Rogers and Williamson are expiring contracts so the Hornets don't really benefit. And isn't Rogers going to be a bit redundant with Korver around?
Rogers will add depth at the 4 or even at the 5 in the smallish Eastern conference. We now have Dalembert, Webber, Marc Jackson, and Rogers to play the 4 & 5, that's it. Rogers 3 pt. shooting is an added bonus though.
The deal was Robinson for Rogers and Mashburn. Mash burn is making $10 mill next season, both Rogers and Robinson will be free agents this coming off-season. Since Mashburn hasn't played since last March, the Hornets gave up Rogers to lose Mashburn's contract.
Ah, I just read that Mashburn's contract won't come off the books until next March. I had assumed that it would happen earlier. Still, good move for Philly. They can either wait for the cap space or use him as a trade bait over the next year.
I think the Webber trade was brilliant for the Sixers, but I question the Rodgers trade. Is a half a season of Rodney Rodgers worth a $10 million cap hit for the next season? I think not.
Which leads me to ask, what is the Sixers' cap situation this summer? If I'm not mistaken, both Korver and Green are coming off 2 year contracts so they can only be signed for as much as cap space and exceptions allow. But signing Dalembert, Korver and Green does seem doable. But yeah, I question the wisdom of the Rogers acquisition too. He doesn't give the team anything it doesn't already have, imho.
The Hornets trade makes NO sense for the Sixers. They get Rodney Rogers and that's ok, but now they have $10mil that won't come off til NEXT year and this summer they have to resign Korver, Green and Sammy D. I don't know if they'll be able to do that now. Why not just keep Big Dog, let him sit at home like he has all year and let the contract go away and we'd then have a pretty good amount of cap space.
finally webbers gone. The guy does no good for your team, sure they will go to the playoffs and sixers have been there wit AI. Webber was apart of the Kings team and that for many years where suppose to be in the finals. Webber made sure they didnt make it, u cant count on him on the shot or to be a leader wen u need him. Michigan, Bullets and Kings. He will provide to be helpful cauz now AI will be able to have someone else to play wit him and wen the time comes down to someone winning the game for them Iverson will have more juice left for it. Still the Heat will play the Pistons for the conference finals. But the glory days are back for the east we now have more superstars. Thomas and Corliss are great bench players now they have the deepest bench again. The kings have never been about defense and webber was never a great defender. He cant slow down any other superstars like him or stop many decent forwards.