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starts out with an alley-oop from Divac, then
a follow-up dunk, then backing Sheed into
the paint and forcing him to foul Webber.
I stood up and cheered my lungs out, but was
very disappointed to not hear the rest of
the crowd ('cept for a few knowledgables)
do the same. I mean, wake up, Arco!! He started
doing what you were calling for, but no appreciation??
What the hell is wrong with this crowd??
Karmichael
Kid
What
game were some of you watching last night?
The Kings stunk it up big time. We won by
15 only because the Blazers didn't show up.
Fans have every right to boo CWebb. They're
paying big money to sit there and watch him
jack up 18 footers that draw nothing but iron.
CWebb has much to prove. I liked his rebounding
and he had some hops. His defense was woeful.
He needs to get his butt inside, continue
to bang the boards and play some defense.
CWebb has a load of talent, but he's just
giving us a glimpse. He's shown us the heart
of a field mouse. He'll stop the boo-birds
when he starts playing with the heart of a
lion and don't give me that injury excuse.
Kobe played 41 minutes last night and scored
39 points and he was in just as much (if not
more) pain than CWebb. CWebb's performance
last night was encouraging. If he can play
to 80 percent of his talent, the boos will
cease and the ARCO thunder will rock his world.
Joe
Coolio
First of all, I've been a Kings fan since
1987 when I moved back to the Sacramento Area.
I'm not anti-Chris Webber(though my girlfriend
seems to be) and if I say anti webber things
it doesn't mean I'm one person pretending
to be different people. It is possible to
have several different people be Kings fans
and still not be big Chris Webber fans.
All
that said, I do believe the Kings are better
with Chris Webber than without him. BUT! I
think I agree with what Ailene Voisin says
that Webber needs to fit in with the Kings
Team not the other way around. The Kings play
really good TEAM basketball. Sometimes with
Webber they tend to stand around and watch
him too much. This is as much the team's fault
as it is his, but it almost reminded me of
the Jordan situation when he returned, how
everyone would just sit and watch on offense.
I
also agree with Voisin that Webber should
be treated like other players in that if he
is not producing when they need him to, that
they sit him down. They do this to Peja, but
I've almost never seen Webber sit down when
he's not helping the offense. Are they afraid
of something? Last year, they were probably
afraid he'd leave, but why don't they sit
him down now when he's struggling?
One
thing about Webber I don't like is that he
tries too hard and too often to get fouled
when he's taking an 18ft jump shot. He will
lean in, get off balance and throw up a prayer
in the hopes he'll get a foul. And more often
than not he doesn't get the foul and the shot
is way off. He should just take the shot and
let the fouls come to him instead of pushing
too hard for the fouls. If he wants to draw
the foul, he should drive to the basket more,
that's where he'll get them called. I can
hear people now, "but he's not 100%".
He may not be 100%, but he should give 100%.
Look at Kobe Bryant, hate him all you want,
but he gave it his all when he was visibly
hurt and in pain, but he still ran the court(albeit
is slower) and made the clutch shots on Christmas
Day.
Another
problem I see when Webber plays is that I
rarely see him follow his shot and rarely
see him follow other people's shot for the
rebound. Granted, it may be his injury, but
if you look at his rebounds, a lot of them
come from being in the right place at the
right time instead of him fighting for the
rebounds like Kevin Garnett does. Though I
must say, I noticed last night that he was
following people's shot more and I thought
that was encouraging. But in previous games
after a shot is taken, he's already on his
way to the other side of the court. Isn't
he a power forward? Shouldn't he be looking
for the rebound, like Pollard does? Also,
when he takes the outside shot, shouldn't
another King member go for the rebound?
But
even with how I might criticize Webber's game,
it's only because I know he can do more. I
know he can truly dominate if he fights for
the rebound more, attacks the basket more,
flows with the offense. We've all seen it
happen and it's amazing. The Lakers, Spurs,
Mavericks wouldn't stand a chance if the Kings
offense is flowing and not stagnant and if
the Kings are rebounding.
And
even though there are games when he might
be frustrating, missing shot after shot from
the outside when he should be penetrating
and driving, you should NEVER boo your own
player at home! How callous is that? Criticize
maybe, but booing is crossing the line. I
mean, we were winning! He was trying, so why
fault that? Sure he wasn't making his shots,
but at least he was trying. Would they have
booed Stojakavic for his poor shooting performance
the other night?
ozzie
When
he first came to the Kings he was THE star.
Times have changed. The team has grown. There
will come a time (maybe sooner than later)
that he's not the best player on the team.
Chemistry is a fine line to walk. The Kings
have to work through it. It's not like we
can see it and they don't. But what can they
do. He has to play. I could think of only
one thing different to do but it will never
happen. Have Webber come in with the second
unit.
THE
SHAPE OF KINGS TO COME
TheBigO
A
quick question. For those of you that recall
the playoff series against the Lakers two
years ago, and remember specifically a possession
in which CWebb crossed over AC Green on the
baseline and drove in for the dunk, do you
recall any Kings fans critcizing Webber for
the move? Of course not. We LOVED it and lauded
him for it.
And
this isn't a chastisment of the "what
have you done for me lately" attitude
prevalent among sports fans, or some admonishment
for a perceived lack of loyalty. Rather it
is to make a very simple point. In the NBA
(and perhaps in all pro sports) the very qualities
that players get lionized for are later the
same qualities used to crucify them in the
press.
"Jason
Williams is electrifying the NBA with his
amazing passes and long range bombing"
quickly became "Jason Williams needs
to learn how to make the basic play instead
of the flashy one"
"Vince
Carter is the most amazing dunker in the NBA"
transformed into "Vince Carter needs
to learn to do more than dunk"
And
finally, "Chris Webber is a huge weapon
due to his versatility" is now becoming
"why can't CWebb just play like a true
power forward?"
Some
of the criticisms of CWebb's game are legit.
Some are scapegoating. Some of the proposed
solutions are credible, some are not. As I
touched on with my previous post, this entire
conversation has been spurred on by fan's
dissappointment with the team's performance
after Chris rejoined the starting lineup.
So what are the true concerns about Webber
and which criticisms are valid? Well I'll
give it a shot at explaining the situation.
First
off, the negative aspects of Webb's game are
easily elucidated if you take his struggles
against KG as a microcosm of his weaknesses.
Why
does Webber struggle against Garnett and the
T'Wolves? It starts with his jumper. Webber
has worked hard on his shot and should be
proud of it. I would reply to coach Thompson
that the use of being strong, 6'10" and
shooting jumpers is that in most cases the
guy guarding you won't come out far enough
to contest them. And how many good players
would pass up a wide open shot when they have
confidence in it from hours upon hours of
practice time?
But
unlike most PFs, KG WILL close out and contest
the shot. Webber has never been able to create
a jump shot opportunity and if the defender
plays him tight he can prevent him from shooting
j's all night.
So
why doesn't Chris take KG down low where (although
a few inches shorter) he has a significant
strength/weight advantage? Well he often tries,
but this points out another weakness in Webber's
game - he lacks post moves. He has a jump
hook from the left block, that's about it.
He said he was going to work on his post game
this summer, but so far I have not witnessed
significant improvement.
Finally,
KG gives Webb fits becuase CWebb is a good
help defender but not a good one-on-one defender.
He doesn't get help inside from Vlade or Scot
because KG likes to operate away from the
paint, thus not allowing Webber to funnel
him into help or receive double teams. Also,
because Webb doesn't put a body on guys when
rebounding, instead relying on his hands and
athleticism, KG can often slice through and
out jump him for boards.
So
there you go. Webber is reliant on a wide
open jumper, and cant' create one under pressure,
he lacks an inside game, is a soft defender
(post and perimeter) and fails to box out.
If you want to tack on a few more - he's not
a leader, he spends too much time holding
the ball before making a move, he doesn't
set off the ball picks (Critic is right -
and as a coach I generally DON'T watch the
ball), and he never takes a charge.
Are
these legitimate complaints with CWebb's game?
Yes.
So
where's the upside? Well, he's a good passer,
an explosvie dunker, has great hands, a knack
for grabbing defensive boards, is a decent
shotblocker, runs the floor well, powers up
offensive boards, is a good ballhandler for
a big man, has a nearly unblockable jump hook,
and despite much criticism he's a good midrange
shooter.
So
yes he has flaws, but it is obvious that he
has a lot to offer this team as well. He does
many things that Pollard and Divac cannot.
So why has the team struggled of late and
what can be done about it?
Well
yes CWebb has easily injured ankles. Whether
he finds it constricting or not he needs to
have them taped before each game. And while
not reinjuring them is important for the Kings
future success, I wonder what the lasting
effects of the last sprain will be. It is
VERY obvious that Chris is not the same player
he was early last season when he was an obvious
MVP candidate. He looks very much like the
guy that limped into last season's playoffs.
There
are basically three explanations. Best case
scenario is that the ankle is close to recovered
but he is still tentative for fear of reinjuring
it. In this case he will be fine in no time.
Worst case scenario is that his ankles will
never be the same. Until he shows flashes
of what he was in years past I'm afraid this
is still a possiblity. Lastly, there's a chance
that he WILL be fine but is still hurting.
In this case I'd say the same thing I said
last year - sit him until he's 100%.
Without
being totally healthy, Webber will NOT take
the Kings to the next level. Until he gets
back his explosiveness, Chris is still a shell
of his former self. His game REQUIRES that
level athleticism. He took much of his games
from guards (just as I took much of the title
of this post from a landmark album by Ornette
Coleman). Driving, dribbling, running the
floor, attacking the rim, all require healthy
ankles.
Once
Webber is healthy you can really incorporate
him in the offense. Work on rebounding to
start fast breaks to let him finish in transition.
Let him run the pick and roll with Bibby to
give him a chance to attack the hoop. Give
him the ball early in games in the left block
before allowing him to drift to the perimeter.
But
for now, the best solution is that if he IS
going to play without being 100%, Adelman
needs to minimize the time that CWebb and
Vlade share the floor. A healthy CWebb can
play with Divac very well. Cutting from the
high post or baseline, running the set play
alley oop from Vlade at the elbow, etc. But
with a gimpy Chris out there Vlade just camps
in the blocks, Chris camps at the stripe and
everybody else has their lanes cut off.
So
start them both but bring in Pollard early
to rebound for Webber and then sub Vlade back
in for Chris and let the offense run through
Divac.
The
bottom line is this. Webber is an unconventional
but very impressive talent. And the Kings
are a much better team when he's on the floor
provided he is healthy. As I've stated before,
I am certainly NOT convinced that a gimpy
Webb improves this team. So why not rest him
until he's good to go? Because anybody who
thinks that the Kings are better off without
the Webber from the first half of last year
either doesn't know basketball, has a short
term memory or both. I am still waiting for
that Chris Webber to return. Because nobody
will be booing that guy.
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