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Selected quotes and misquotes that help explain why we were happy with/mad at/confused with C-Webb

during the 2000-2001 season.

(Excerpts from Sacramento Bee, New York Post, ESPN, and other sources)

Webber was quoted in the New York Daily News as saying of the Knicks: "I'd love to play in New York. I'm very interested."

Webber was quoted in the Detroit Free Press as saying of the Pistons, "I think everybody in the world knows I'd love to come home ... (to) Detroit."

"I know there was a story written in the New York Daily News," the Kings All-Star forward said Tuesday of an article written two weeks ago that had him ready to leave Sacramento when his contract expires at the end of the 2000-01 season and sign a deal with the Knicks.

"All I know is what I was asked, and then there were a lot of people in New York telling me they hoped I came to play for the Knicks. What I was asked was what I wanted out of my career and what I was looking for when I became a free agent.

"And I said I was looking to win a championship and to be financially secure for myself and family. And since the financial part was going to be pretty much OK, having a chance for the championship was the most important. Then I was asked if I'd liked to play with Spree and, of course, I said I would."

"I also said maybe we could get Spree to come and play in Sacramento," Webber said. "Really, it wasn't that serious of a thing.. . . I wasn't trying to make a statement or anything like that. Everybody would like to work with their friends, I think.

"I'm not looking for any problems with anybody in Sacramento. I appreciate the tremendous support I've received and the team has received."

"It's nothing against the Pistons," he has said before. "There are just too many things going on when you play at home. As much as I like 'The D,' I don't think I'd like playing there. As a matter of fact, I know that."

Webber said one place he does know he enjoys playing is Sacramento.

"I have loved playing in Sacramento with the players we've had," he said. "And I've loved playing in front of the fans we have."

Webber, however, also says he has to be realistic in assessing the team's future. And it is Webber's penchant for speaking his mind that almost ensures there will be other occurrences like the one in New York, until he either re-signs with the Kings or commits to another team next summer.

"It's a fact of reality that our teams as it is now might not make the playoffs," he said of the upcoming season. "And that's no disrespect to our team. Look at how many good teams there are."

Now those comments may raise the eyebrows of some folks in the Kings' front office, but Webber says his ultimate goal is one everyone in Sacramento should share.

"I'm from Detroit and I see what the reaction has been to (free-agent) Grant Hill leaving (for Orlando). But I understand what he means when he says he wants to try to win," he said. "The place I want to win a championship is in Sacramento."

Webber, a veteran of the Bay Area (Warriors) and Washington, D.C. (Wizards) media corps, knows exactly what he's doing. He is a very, very bright guy who understands the value and effect of a few well-chosen words.

He did tell the Daily News that he would love to play again with old friend Latrell Sprewell, which is no big deal; but that isn't close to being all that Webber offered. He also observed the recent rash of free-agent signings and said, "I see Grant Hill doing his thing, I see Tracy McGrady ... I'd love to play in New York. I'm very interested."

When Webber then was reminded by a reporter that the Knicks have most of their salary-cap money tied up in Sprewell and Allan Houston, he replied, "I know I may have to sacrifice (financially). I'd love to play here. Let me stop talking before I get into trouble."

Are you kidding me? Is there the slightest touch of innocence here? This is the same man who said in The Bee that winning a title was "the most important" thing, then told the Detroit paper the very next day that returning to Michigan was tempting because, "It's about where you're raising your family"?

Wow. Webber is fast becoming the master of plausible deniability -- he didn't mean it; somebody took his words wrong; let's not have any trouble here -- but at the end of the day, he is a prime-career, top-line NBA stud who knows it, and who absolutely knows how to use it.

And use it he will. It isn't Webber's job, after all, to prevent fans from falling in love with his game and believing his transparent, pandering words. They'll have to figure out that part for by themselves.

In an explicit, direct, verbal explosion, the veteran let his teammates know that he was extremely disappointed in the way they were running sprints at the end of practice.

"He said he was going to do it," Barry said, referring to private conversations he'd had with Webber. "A couple columnists wrote towards the end of the year about him being more of a leader and more of a vocal leader. And I think he didn't feel like he was in the position to do that last year, when he was.

"He made a point to say he was going to come at us and this was serious for him and that he was going to go ahead and let guys know. Or if he doesn't like something that he sees, basically effort-wise or doing something dumb or whatever, he's going to let guys know."

Sunday, he blasted his teammates with a profanity-laden verbal barrage late in practice.

But he said that will hardly be the norm this season. It's not that he's scared, it's just not his way.

"You know I'm a big fan of Joe Dumars, and he doesn't talk a lot like that," Webber said. "That's not my personality. And if I do it, it's going to seem fake and it's not going to be heard.

"So I just try to be myself and if I get to the point where I'm frustrated, yeah, I'm going to say something. But just saying things to say them and all of that, no. I'd rather just lead by example, where that when I say something, it has validity."

"I'm just a reinforcement, a soldier," Webber said. "I don't want to be the loudmouth because I want to take down the next team's loudmouth. All the guys that do most of the talking are the ones that are BS-ing the most.

"So I just learned to quit talking about it and do it. Therefore, I never really liked that approach of getting on guys, unless we're down in a game. In a game, it's easier to do it. As far as just every day, no. I'm trying to get better myself."

"I try to be consistent every night, so if I can say something one out of every 10 nights, that's enough for me," he said. "Because the other nights, I'm working on just being the best I can for this team and getting myself ready."

That's the way Webber ultimately would like it to be for him. That's one reason he said he would prefer the team removes a sign at Arco Arena that proclaims the building "C WEBB'S HOUSE."

"I understand it was put up with all the right intentions, but that's not me," he said. "When I win a championship here, then they can hang my jersey up there.

The prevailing wonder around the Kings organization was why Chris Webber and Jason Williams were being hauled into court to face a trial for traffic offenses that often are resolved by paying fines.

"They've both been terrific and there actually is a love affair between them and the community of Sacramento that goes both ways. The city looks up to those two guys and they have shown that they can relate to the fans. On Fan Appreciation Day, Chris is up signing autographs, shaking hands and giving high-fives."

The Maloofs and Petrie met with Webber before training camp and were pleased to hear the all-star's thoughts.

"He said that his No. 1 priority would be to stay in Sacramento," Maloof recalled. "He wants to know that ownership is committed to winning. He figures that he's got another seven to eight years of his career left. So the decision he makes next year is going to be about where he plays the rest of his career.

"He knows money is no factor. We're going to pay him more money than any other team can pay him. So put that aside. He has to weigh what is best for Chris Webber and I don't blame him. We understand. I think the overriding factor will be does he think the Maloofs and Geoff Petrie and the Kings organization can put a championship-caliber team on the floor."

Webber's frustration, though expressed with an even tone of voice, is apparent. Any other season, this would be a rough start, but in this one, with his impending free agency holding the direction of the franchise in the balance, it's nothing less than critical.

How critical?

He can't even say the Kings are his first choice for a home.

How frustrated?

He is speaking glowingly about the approach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Public Enemy No. 1 around Arco Arena.

(Feel free to swallow hard here.)

Webber has said there won't be regular updates on his status. But in a rare bit of insight into his thinking, his mindset comes with determination and clarity, having obviously already been given a great deal of thought.

It's not about the money. He can have a terrible season and still walk into the vault, here or elsewhere, with a shovel. Management knows it, and he knows it.

It's not about the playoff success, or lack thereof. The Kings can lose in the first round again and he could still return. They could not even make it that far and he would still return.

"It's more so the people you're put around," Webber said.

"A lot of things are going to affect my decision. The way that we came in shape into training camp - what guys work out in the offseason, what guys don't. These are the guys I'm basing my career on."

How frustrated is he that some guys didn't show up in shape?

"I don't want to answer that."

He grins knowingly, in a way that means he just did.

"You have to realize you don't really get better during the season," Webber said. "You get better as a team, but individually, you get better during the offseason. I want to go to war with warriors. It's just that simple. There's just no guarantee whether you'll win a championship.

"These are definitely the best owners I've ever had. Mr. (Geoff) Petrie (the vice president of basketball operations) has definitely had faith in me, and I definitely owe him for that. And coach (Rick) Adelman, he and coach (Jim) Lynam (from his Washington Bullets days) have opened up my game so much by allowing me to be myself but giving me a structure. So as far as the structure of this organization, it's great.

"But when you go to war with guys every night, to some guys it's funny and to other guys it's serious. I want to play with the guys who take it serious, who are hard to deal with after a loss, like me, and will just sit in the car and be quiet. I want to know it hits them, it's not fun and games, it's not a joke. This isn't CYO anymore; this is the big leagues."

How many of his teammates have that attitude, and how many of them are able to laugh too easily?

"I'm not sure," he said. "I think you would have to ask guys who had been here during the three years that don't play here anymore. As far as I'm concerned, right now we're a team and we're going to win and we're going to do well this year. But those things will go into my decision at the end of the year.

"It's not really how we do. Even if we were to not make the playoffs, but I was with a bunch of guys who were going to be sick all summer because we didn't make the playoffs, because you really can't guarantee whether you're going to make your shots or miss your shots, to me it's really just the mindset. The mind frame. When I was at Michigan, we felt like it was us against the world. We're the young guys, and we're going to just do it. To be with people in that one accord, that was the thing.

"It's like going to war. I don't want to go to war with a bunch of guys that know karate. I want to go to war with guys who know the war tactics. I don't know if that's a good analogy, but that explains it."

Right now, where would be his No. 1 place to sign?

"I don't know."

Another nervous laugh.

Is he able to say "here"?

"No."

But nothing about the Kings from the offseason to the preseason to the eve of the regular season has been so right, so deserving of praise, so perfect a complement to a team worthy of compliments, than the choice of some players to live in reality.

That this is the crossroads season.

"I definitely think so," Webber said.

That this is the season to prove.

"That's all good that we're in good with the fans and we're in good with NBC and TNT and all that, but I don't think we have the respect around the league from other good teams," guard Jon Barry said. That this is the season that will determine the path of an entire franchise.

Too dramatic a statement?

"He has told our ownership that he is going to try to not make it a distraction," Adelman said.

"I'm waiting for Chris Webber," Sprewell said in what the New York Post called an unsolicited comment. "I'm lobbying right now."

The story also said Sprewell claimed the Knicks would have a "good chance" of getting Webber in a sign-and-trade because Sprewell "knows how badly (Webber) wants to play in New York."

Get used to it. Webber isn't telling him to cool it either, figuring this is payback for when he publicly pushed his Washington Bullets to acquire Spree. Hey, there was never mention in that preseason plan of Webber's that other people wouldn't make it a distraction.

Said Webber: "We're not an elite team. We haven't done anything to prove that. I would love to play against us."

The fun factor

"Yeah," Webber said. "And that's not good."

Fun. Not menacing.

"We haven't done anything except excite people," Webber said. "That's great, but I want to win. I'd rather be on the most boring team but get to the championship. For me, it's a little different. We have a lot of young guys on our team that maybe can afford to have fun and all that, but for me, I feel like time just keeps going by. When you finish that last game of the season, it's a wasted year if you didn't get what you wanted. So, definitely, this is a year of urgency.

"I've always been on a tough team, with the tough guys. So to be the darlings and the Cinderella but never do anything, that's not something you should hold precious, that you're the most popular team but you're not winning. Just because we took Utah to five games, just because we took the Lakers to five games, if we didn't win that fifth game, I take a hard line with that. It really doesn't mean anything. So this really is a big year for us to show whether we can be exciting and can we win at the same time."

There is one seminal quote from Webber, taken just as his first season with the Kings was getting under way in 1999, that undoubtedly has been repeated way too many times already. So let me just go ahead and repeat it here.

"This is one situation where time will not heal," Webber said then. "Time will not make anything better. Time is just a means to an end. Time, in this situation, is a means to a definite, unadulterated, non-negotiable end."

Now, in the time since, Webber has said just about everything else at least once. He loves Sacramento; he questions Sacramento. Money doesn't matter; only a dope wouldn't hang around for the best deal. Winning isn't everything; winning is the only thing. (What, he's signing with Green Bay in the offseason?)

It's all rather confusing until you chart Webber's actions themselves. When you do that, it becomes apparent that his very first significant quote is the one worth remembering.

This is what Webber planned to do, as expressed by the man himself in the early days of that lockout-shortened '99 season: Play brilliant basketball, help revive a moribund franchise, raise his NBA stock, and eventually regain "control" over his future. Is there anything in the time since then to suggest that any other process has taken place?

Webber is, as he has almost uniformly maintained, a big-market guy at heart. He loves the big cities; he plays up to the bright lights. If it hurt the man's feelings to have the Lakers whispering in his ear during the playoffs about how good he'd look in gold and purple someday, Webber did a commendable job of concealing the wound.

Now, if you were Webber, wouldn't you have to be a raging fool to have done all the legwork to reach this point and yet fail to see it through? Go back through the major interviews he has granted over the past two seasons, and what you hear time and again is a veteran player expressing his deep desire to get to call his next shot.

Webber now stands mere months away from achieving exactly that end, and make no mistake: This is a player well versed in his own worth. Deep down, Webber envisions himself as a part of one of the heavyweight franchises. It's the kind of NBA player he sees himself as being.

Sacramento, in that regard, is taken as something that happened to him, not something he made happen. It's hard to shake the basics of that relationship no matter how many nice things happen along the way.

After his first season in Sacramento, Webber said he was ready to "strongly explore" a new long-term contract with the Kings. Nothing happened. The topical explanation, that Webber can command a better and longer deal by waiting until he becomes a free agent next year, makes perfect sense -- until you remember that Webber is the guy who has repeatedly said money will not be the determining factor, since he's going to need two Suburbans to drive it all away anyhow.

It's true: Money isn't the thing here, and it never will be. Anyone who believes otherwise is seriously miscalculating the will of Chris Webber.

This is a man who wants nothing as much as he wants control. Advice to the fan: Once Webber grabs the steering wheel, best step back onto the curb.

Chris Webber leaped from some of the league's lowest bench seats during the pregame warm-ups and sprinted to the Kings' locker room as soon as he heard the interviewer's subject.

The subject was his friend and main man, New York Knicks guard Latrell Sprewell, Tuesday night telling all who would listen that Webber had told him a few days ago that he was ready to come to New York, either this year or next year when his contract ends.

"I really don't know what he said," Webber said with the coyest of grins. "What did he say?"

Sprewell's comments were relayed, and Webber continued to play dumb. He was asked if he was doing exactly that.

"That would be pretty accurate," Webber said as he continued to pack his gear.

Has he talked to Sprewell in the past couple of days?

"I talk to Spree all the time," said Webber, an intelligent man knowingly playing dumber and dumber by the second.

Did you say that you wanted to come to New York this year or next year?

"I don't even know what conversation you're talking about," Webber said. "Spree is my friend, and I don't really know what he said, but I don't want to contradict him."

As for Sprewell's pursuit of Chris Webber, the Kings All-Star power forward said as far back as last summer that he is interested in playing for the Knicks.

Sprewell said he spoke to Webber several days ago and claims that Webber will do everything in his power to become a Knick.

Coincidentally, in order to pull off a sign-and-trade for Webber (which is a longshot at best) the Knicks may have to deal Sprewell.

"We've been calling each other, and he wants to be here, there's no doubt about it," Sprewell said. "I don't think he wants to go anywhere else but here."

Webber and Sprewell were teammates at Golden State.

"So there's a definite chance," Sprewell said. "Chris wants to be here, there's no doubt about it."

Webber has publicly set forth the criteria and prerequisites he is looking for in his next team.

"I'm definitely going to be somewhere where I think I can win a championship," he said. "I don't want to start all over again. I've helped rebuild a few programs already. I don't want to do that again."

"A lot of things are going to affect my decision," he said. "I want to go to war with warriors. It's just that simple.

Kings vice president Geoff Petrie searched for the best answer to a question he is sure to hear a hundred times throughout the season.

He chose his words carefully when asked about the possibility of trading his best player, all-star forward Chris Webber, to the New York Knicks or any other team.

"Not at any juncture," Petrie said.

Not even if Webber came to him and said he would not re-sign with the Kings this summer?

"Probably not," Petrie said after thinking for a moment. "Right now, we know Chris is in a situation because of his status as a player, he is going to have a lot of different people coming at him. At times, this is just going to happen."

"The whole nature of free agency has changed as the collective bargaining agreement has changed," Petrie said. "Chris obviously is the crŽme de la crŽme of this year's free-agency group as it stands now."

Petrie said the Kings will do everything they can to show Webber that this is where he belongs.

"We're totally supportive and appreciative of his play, and during the course of the year we'll try to convince him that this is the best place for him by showing him all the reasons why," Petrie said.

"But if it turns out that it's three years and out next summer, then that's the way it is. We're looking forward to the season, that's for sure."

"Our commitment is to Chris this season, and hopefully, a lot more seasons in the future. And we will continue to pursue that," Petrie said.

Barry was asked Friday by Jim Rome on Rome's nationally syndicated radio show what he thought Webber would do once he became a free agent. Barry said he thought Webber might leave.

And Barry answering questions Friday night in Oakland before the Kings defeated the Golden State Warriors. Barry said then he thought he had merely said he didn't know if Webber would return.

He was informed that that was not what he'd said and then appeared to start understanding why his comments had become so inflamed.

"All I was saying was that this summer I thought there was no doubt," Barry said, "and now, there might be some doubt, in my opinion. That's not coming from talking to him. I have no idea how he feels. Someone asked me a question, and I answered it. It was just my opinion."

Center Vlade Divac, who had been the leader of the Barry-bashers, interjected.

"I'm just trying to clean it up," Barry said to Divac.

"Clean it up, please," Divac said.

Divac said he first heard the replay of Barry's response on the radio Saturday morning. Then Scot Pollard appeared on a radio show and immediately was asked about Barry's comment.

"Yeah, I was surprised to hear that," Divac said with his voice rising to make sure Barry, now 20 feet away, would hear. "That's not his business."

Barry yelled, "Shut up, Vlade."

Divac said: "Serious, they've asked me a couple of times. I said (Chris) will do the best for him. If you're asking me, I wish he'll be here. It's not in my hands. I don't know."

Kings forward Chris Webber arrived in town and the free-agent recruiting period began.

Webber immediately heard the virtues of playing for the Rockets, even if the Rockets could not express them.

"Since I've been a free agent, there's been a lot of encouraging words around," said Webber, who is expected to be the NBA's most coveted free agent next summer. "My cousin (Lynwood Webber) is here. He tried to bribe me last night to come here, but that's just family. He's been a big Houston fan. He loves Hakeem (Olajuwon) and he loves the fans here. He'd like me to play with those guys."

Webber would not say if he feels the same way, but he would not rule out Houston and showed more than passing interest in the Rockets' young nucleus.

"I definitely like Houston," Webber said. "Right now, I'm not even thinking about where I'm going to play. Right now, I don't think that would be fair to my team. My job is to try to be the best power forward I can be this year. And then, at the end of the season, I'll sit back and digest it all and see what I can do then. I'm trying not to focus on that. I don't want this to be a distraction to me. I want to continue playing like I've been playing.

"When I was in Washington, I worked out with Steve (Francis) a lot before he came to the pros. I knew he was going to be a great player. We would have hard workouts with Walt Williams, and after the workout was over, Steve would be running the stairs. I really love him. I love watching him. Every time on the dish, I love watching him and Cuttino (Mobley) play, especially at the end of the game, and they're still dunking it with the game over. It's going to be fun watching them mature."

Chris Webber has fired long time agent Fallasha Erwin. Webber said the decision was along time in the making, and that he felt he needed to move forward saying ""I think I need to have people around me who really can help me out, really can take me to another level." Webber said the decision was not about seeking better endorsement dollars, as Erwin is not a traditional sports agent by trade. There is a common thought that Erwin could not make the big deals that other agents are able to make, although he did land Webber a sweetheart deal with Fila, which ended badly. Webber defended his relationship saying it wasn't about mistrust, rather a need to go in a new direction. Immediately, fans are reading into this decision as Webber will force a sign and trade and therefore needs a power broker agent who can get a deal done. Another side of this, is Webber may not need an agent if he plans to stay in Sacramento, when simply hiring an attorney to work the contract as several max players have done in recent years. This could save Webber roughly $6-8 million over the term of a new 7 year deal. The real telling sign will be who Webber does sign with. A source close to the Kings says this is a bigger issue than it appears, and that Webber was noticeably upset that he was not on the Dream Team, that he still does not have a signature shoe deal. Most say Webber's declining earning power is due to Erwin being a poor marketer, and that's what Chris is said to be looking for. That does not immediately mean endorsement dollars, but ultimately your ranking in the league is based on your money making ability. I think when Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill and Tim Duncan are all doing spots for Turner Sports, says a lot about where Chris fits in.

Webber has news for any prospective or hopeful agents after he dropped Fallasha Erwin.

"I think the contract is going to speak for itself," Webber said of his next deal. "I might not have an agent for that."

Webber said he also has never paid what is considered the standard 4 percent agent's fee.

"I think a lot of cats have been suckered all the time by that, anyway," he said.

Webber said he did not part ways with Erwin because of the impending contract situation.

"I didn't do that because of the upcoming contract," the All-Star forward said. "I did this for different reasons, for other services that other agencies provide -- to make sure I'm situated the way I want and my family is situated and comfortable."

Webber said his marketing will continue to be handled by New York City-based GameFace Ventures.

"GameFace has had my interest, even when I was with Fallasha," Webber said. "They represent me in terms of marketing and commercials and things of that nature. We've already had some positive things going on, and they've been with me for a while."

Webber favors Knicks, former agent says.

"I lost a lot of the stuff I had because of what happened in Washington," he said. "I take responsibility for what happened in Washington. I took it for granted, and I messed that up."

He said he has seven-figure offers from three shoe companies to do deals. But he has chosen not to sign with any this season, for motivational purposes.

"You have to remember, I was banished to Sacramento," Webber said. "I was being punished by the league for what happened in Washington. So I decided not to take any endorsements this year. I use that as inspiration. If I took them, I think it would make me feel soft."

What about Erwin's inability to speak with GMs because of past history?

"I won't lie to you and tell you there weren't problems," Webber said. "But really, what do I need an agent for? I know how much money I am going to get. I don't need anybody to negotiate a contract for me. And if I did, I do business with people outside of basketball who do much larger contracts than anything ever done in the NBA. I would get them to help me. Honestly, the split between me and Fallasha was peaceful."

Our conversation eventually led to the big question on everybody's mind: Where is he going to go next season?

I love Webber, because his answers always seem to be enigmas wrapped in riddles. He tells you just enough so you get a hint of what he wants to say, but he never gives you the full flavor.

I had read that he wants to be with a team that hates to lose. I tried to nail him down on it. What does that mean, exactly? How can you tell?

"You can tell. In Washington, with Juwan (Howard) after a game, you couldn't talk to him. If you were a stewardess, you could talk to him. If you were somebody that didn't have anything to do with basketball, you could talk to him. If you were on the team, don't say nothing to him. And it wasn't an arrogant thing, it was just, 'I am hurting right now.' That's how it was with Spree. When he used to lose, he was somebody who was carefree, but when he lost he was a totally different person. And it was like, 'OK, we lost, I'll talk to you later.' And I like that. Because I like guys who take their jobs seriously. When a guy has so much pride that he hurts when you lose, that's what a team is, I think. I always like to laugh and joke, but when you lose, that hurts me. And I don't want to be in that situation."

So, I asked, are the Kings like that?

"We all have different personalities, and that's something I have to understand," Webber said. "Some guys handle losing in different ways. But this isn't the most serious team I've been on."

Webber said winning will be a big part of his decision-making this summer.

"I have played with a lot of great players in my career," Webber said. "The one thing I have realized is that it's not about how fancy your team is, not about your uniforms, it's about winning a championship. It's not about where you live. Especially not being in Sacramento, it's not about where you live. It's about, can you win? That is going to be the basis of my decision. I know there is no guarantees.

"I heard (Charles) Barkley saying last year, 'If I don't win one, I'm OK with that.' I don't know if I could handle not winning a championship. Especially after not winning one in college. Never winning one, that would be a hard pill to swallow. Especially when you have confidence in yourself. So wherever I feel I have the best chance to win a championship, that's where I want to be."

Some people feel his best chance to win a title is in Sacramento, which has the best record in the West right now and is probably as deep and talented as any team out there.

So I tried to nail him down again. If you win a championship in Sacramento this year, does that guarantee your return?

"I'm not sure," he said. "That is a good question. I would like to have to answer that question. That would be a good situation."

Sometimes you have to hit guys over the head. So I picked up the hammer.

Chris, didn't you just say winning is the basis of your decision, and isn't winning a championship this year winning? Why would you not want to come back?

"Because I would want to win some more," he said.

If I were a betting man, I'd say: Sacramento, enjoy him while you can.

In seven months, Chris Webber will likely be on a private jet, destination unknown.

As the most coveted free agent in the NBA, Webber will see about $93 million flashed in his face. Had it not been for a collective-bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players association two seasons ago that put a limit on salaries, that amount might have doubled. At the moment, Webber is playing for the team with the best record (20-7) in the NBA.

But as the Sacramento Kings prepared to entertain the 76ers tonight at Arco Arena, Webber resembled a child visited by the Grinch during Christmas. Instead of reveling in the Kings' standing atop the Pacific Division, Webber ponders more acrimonious thoughts.

Regardless of the talk surrounding the Kings' success, happiness has not enveloped him. In a city full of politicians, Webber appears to be Sacramento's biggest cynic, questioning his own team's killer instinct.

"I think it's a difference between adopting a fearsome mentality and already having that mentality," Webber said following Sacramento's 91-87 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night. "You can't really have something counterfeit. You hear all the comments about my man, Latrell Sprewell. But people don't realize that he is a dog. He has pride and he's coming after you.

"[Iverson] might come in and score 75 points. But if your mentality before the game is, 'We've just got to come in and play hard . . . Attack Allen. Larry Brown is a great coach, but forget that. We're attacking Theo Ratliff at the basket.' If we have that mentality and lose, so be it.

"But if you don't have that mentality and it's just a bubble gum game - where you're sitting around watching and joking about what they're doing - I really can't have that. I've never been on a team where they've had to adopt a killer's mentality, until now."

Hence, his troubles.

Coincidentally, he cites Iverson as a reason for his possible departure.

"We're all a little skeptical [about Iverson's injury], but it's going to be a real challenge for our guards," Webber said of tonight's game. "I love A.I. personally, as a friend and as a basketball player. But we've got to take the challenge. He embarrassed us last year when he scored 50. Guys were laughing and stuff like that after the game, and that's one thing that frustrates me about this team. You're supposed to get mad when a guy does that to you. That's part of the reason why I'm not sure about what I'm going to do."

The question remains, can Sacramento do what it takes to keep him? Winning certainly doesn't hurt.

"This is Chris' team," Sacramento forward Lawrence Funderburke said. "He's getting better every game, every year. And we have been inspired to play because we know that if he likes us, it may factor in his decision to stay.

"We definitely want him here, so we feel the pressure. It's going to be a difficult decision for him, and we have to make it as easy as possible for him to stay."

"We'll see," Webber said. "We'll see."

Chris Webber has always been a horse who can carry an NBA team.

Now the Sacramento Kings power forward is focusing more on the team's record than his personal performance.

"When you win, I really think that it sets you apart from others," Webber said in a teleconference call with media covering the league. "The fact that you can play well and do a lot of other things is fine, but until you win, I don't think you show your true worth."

"Last year, I think a lot of times, certain plays were made, certain moves were done for the highlight reel," Webber conceded. "The highlight reel is for individual play but not for winning the game. We don't play just for excitement, we play to win now."

Webber, named the 1994 NBA rookie of the year with Golden State, called his impending free-agent status "a blessing rather than a curse," and said he has put thoughts of leaving out of his mind until the time comes. At least for now, Sacramento is his team. He's doing everything he can to make it a winner.

"We came in with higher expectations this season," Webber said. "Not to be just one of the most exciting teams, but one of the most solid."

Webber talked openly about his affection for the Rockets after the game. He mentions in nearly every city he visits how he would like to play there, but his love for Houston appeared genuine.

"I definitely love the coach (because) Rudy Tomjanovich is a Michigan guy," he said. "I've known Steve since college and been able to watch him develop and work with him. I just have to be patient and wait until the end of the year and think about it. I know my family here in Houston hates to hear that, because I know they want me here. It's something I just want to take my time with."

It didn't hurt Houston's chances to land Webber when Francis nearly registered a triple double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and Mobley added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

"That's my favorite backcourt to watch, Cuttino and Steve," Webber said. "They really have an appreciation for each other. I love watching them play. Any time those guys are out there together, it's incredible. So you definitely have to be careful."

Sacramento forward Chris Webber can become a free agent after this season, and though his hometown, Detroit, is often rumored his likely destination, the Mavericks are on his radar.

"I think it's definitely a place I'd consider," Webber said of Dallas. "It's something that's got a great structure, a great owner. [But] I'm not thinking about it right now."

Webber played for Mavericks coach Don Nelson at Golden State in the early 1990s. The two had a falling out, which eventually led to Webber's trade to Washington.

Webber, who scored a game-high 34 points Monday in the Kings' 116-105 victory against Dallas, expressed concern for Nelson, who's in Hawaii recovering from prostate-cancer surgery.

"I haven't talked with him," Webber said of his former coach, "but definitely my prayers are with anybody that has to go through a situation like that."

The Kings have wasted no time in promoting Chris Webber for Most Valuable Player.

The Sacramento public relations staff included an impressive Webber bio sheet in its press packets, detailing everything from this season's statistics (26.5 points per game, 11.7 rebounds, 2.39 blocks, 40.3 minutes going into last night) to his charitable contributions ($100,000 to Detroit Police Athletic league for renovation of a local gym) to personal interests (collects signed historical documents of prominent African Americans).

Webber, who will be playing in his third All-Star Game, will return to Washington, a city where some of his worst and best days as a professional were experienced, for the festivities.

The world truly spins in mysterious ways.

"I just had a feeling of being thankful," Webber said before Saturday night's 101-89 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. "I thank God. I remember the times of being snubbed from the All-Star team and the pain I felt each of those times. I was just happy, and it feels good to be able to go back to Washington as a starter.

"It would feel good to go anywhere as a starter. The fact that the fans would vote for me feels great, considering at one time, you know, it wasn't like that, so I definitely appreciate that."

"I definitely think, especially by us being a small city, our success really helps a lot and people get to see us play a lot (on national television)," he said before scoring 33 points on 15-of-21 shooting and pulling down 11 rebounds against the Clippers. "And collectively we have a lot of guys people want to watch in Jason (Williams) and Peja (Stojakovic). That all helped me out."

Webber's coaches and teammates were not surprised by the news. They said the outcome was justified.

"That's how it was supposed to be," center Vlade Divac said of Webber's starting status. "In my eyes, he has been the (NBA's) Most Valuable Player so far."

Guard Jon Barry said Webber earned the respect of the fans, despite playing a position dominated by superstars.

"I think it's something else when he gets the most votes at a position where Tim Duncan, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett and Karl Malone all play in the West," Barry said.

Kings coach Rick Adelman thinks Webber's starting All-Star berth could lead to other awards later in the season.

"You never know how that voting stuff works," Adelman said. "He definitely deserves it. I think this is something that could help him solidify his position when it comes time for MVP voting."

I don't know how much the Love Factor ultimately will play in Webber's decision either to remain a King for life or stiff Sacramento for a brighter light, but I do know that, to whatever extent it enters in, it's a factor that weighs heavily in the locals' favor. Webber crashed the All-Star party due at least a smidgen to the well-orchestrated vote campaign that occurred here, including but not limited to your standard-issue high-school kid apparently punching out ballots during down time in study hall.

Make no mistake, though: Webber goes in as a starter on merit. This is far and away his best season in a career that, while sometimes tumultuous away from the court, always has been solid-bordering-on-spectacular on it. This is another level.

To go around the NBA, in fact, is to be struck by two things about how fans perceive the Kings: (1) They see Sacramento as capable of not merely going to the NBA championship this season but winning it; and (2) They see the Kings -- utterly, completely and without a second thought -- as Webber's team.

That's fascinating, and here's why: It has happened almost in spite of Webber. He disdains vocal locker-room chatterboxing to such an extent that he can barely provoke himself to speak above a whisper most of the time.

As he said the last time we talked about the concept of team leadership, "I've always hated the rah-rah guys."

And the background bears repeating, even for those who've visited it a dozen times. The background is the context. Chris Webber never wanted to be in Sacramento, hated the trade that brought him here, and politely told anyone who would listen that he would put in his three seasons as professionally as possible and then get the hell out.

That was then. This is now. Amazingly, Webber has yet to deliver anything approaching a coherent statement on his future plans. I don't want to say the man is keeping his options open, but earlier this season, during his "I want to be part of a winner" phase, a visiting reporter asked Webber if the Kings taking the NBA title this season would be enough to convince him to stay.

"But, see," Webber replied, "I'd want to win it again next season."

That's the future in a thimble: foggy as it wants to be, mind-numbing to contemplate -- and, happily, just pointless right now. Chris Webber, today a King, today an All-Star. Maybe these are the good old days, right here.

Latrell Sprewell says he is coming to New York. Jalen Rose says he is coming to Indiana. The Sacramento Kings hope he is staying home.

"I feel we have just as good a shot as any other team in the league to win a championship," Webber said. "I feel if you say Portland or L.A., then you also have to say Sacramento. And there are no more 'wells' or 'buts' or asterisks that have to be attached."

"There is a long list of factors that will play into my decision," Webber said. "I just hope we're getting better. If we're getting better, that's all that matters right now."

Some of those factors include the city he would live and play in, the fans there, his desire to remain in the Western Conference and his potential teammates. That Webber, 27, entertains thoughts of a championship represents a sharp departure from his first two seasons in Sacramento. The Kings played a flashy, crowd-pleasing game but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons.

"It's our defensive presence, particularly with the addition of Doug Christie and Bobby Jackson," Webber said. "I feel for the first time in my career that I'm on a team that controls its destiny."

Webber is in the final year of a $58.5 million, six-year contract. The Kings can offer him the maximum-salary contract of $121.5 million over seven years. Webber has produced the best seasons of his eight-year career in Sacramento and says money is not a big issue. Team owners Joe and Gavin Maloof know that if they lose Webber, they might as well rebuild the team. They know that Webber's decision will be based on factors other than money.

"You can't get into his head," Joe Maloof said. "We have harmony in our locker room. He has great teammates and a great coach. We've told him how much he means to the team and to the community. That's about all we can do."

Chris Webber sees the billboard on Interstate 80 every time he goes to Arco Arena. It reads: "Chris -- Joe will mow your lawn if you stay. (Signed) Gavin." Webber sighs and grows visibly uneasy when he sees it, and when he talks about it.

"I know it's all out of the goodness of their hearts, and I know it's another attempt to show me how much they want me to stay," Webber said last night before his Kings faced the Warriors. He smiled, then added, "So when it comes down to it, even if I didn't like it, I definitely appreciate it."

Thus, the best season the Kings have enjoyed since moving to town in 1985 is playing out under a cloud of uncertainty that borders on the paranoid. Webber's best season, on all fronts, is under the same cloud. He isn't tipping his hand, mainly because he has no idea what he wants to do.

It's a serious situation with Chris," Joe Maloof said, "but we want to make it lighthearted, too. And the fans appreciated it. They want to know that we're doing everything we possibly can."

But it's not just a billboard. It's a $10 million state-of-the-art practice facility in the arena parking lot, and a group of players and coaches who have played and blended into a contender over the past three seasons -- and a healthy dose of praise and pampering to their franchise cornerstone every chance they get.

"He's the best player we've ever had here," said vice president Jerry Reynolds, "and that's with respect to everything Mitch Richmond did for us. But one of the things he did was get Chris here (in the April 1998 trade). Mitch was one of the top 10 or top 15 players in the game when he was here. Chris is top 5, at least, and you can't win a championship without those kind of players."

Webber gets the message. "I didn't know it was going to be that big. It kind of took me by surprise," he said of the furor over his future here. "But it hasn't distracted me. If anything, it's made me more concentrated and more focused." He figures he'll only get more focused the longer the Kings play, even if it's into June.

"I would like that pressure. I'd much rather have the pressure of having won a championship," Webber said. "That would almost free me up to make any decision I want, rather than if we hadn't won a championship."

Compare the pressure on Webber to what the Maloofs will feel, especially if Webber, after all they've done, says goodbye.

"We don't even like to acknowledge it. There's not even a backup plan, is there?" Joe Maloof asked, turning to his brother.

"No backup plan," answered Gavin. "We're thinking positive."

Every time you show up for work they applaud you, hold up signs that sing your praises.

And yet, something's not right.

You feel uncomfortable where you are.

It's not anything you can really articulate.

And you have the opportunity, at the end of the year, to go somewhere else. Lots of other companies will bid for your services.

Now, your bosses have made it clear. No one will outbid them for you. If you stay, you'll make more money than you could anywhere else.

"The only problem about this process," you say, "is that I don't think people really understand. I don't know what I am going to do and I really haven't thought about it. Besides having conversations with guys or this or that which you do do. I really haven't thought about it, but I think the two things that people are hanging their hat on is that they can pay me the most money, and all the pats on the back with the signs and things. Those two things really are the last part of my decision. I've been blessed to have some pretty good contracts before. And the accolades I've had before, but then again, I've been in places where I thought I was under appreciated. So I think I learned to take all that with a grain of salt."

You love your co-workers. But you know that your company has underperformed at key moments the last couple of years. You wonder if your co-workers are serious enough about what they do. They think so, but you're still not sure.

"Mentally, we're very young," you say. "From top to bottom, we're very young mentally. A lot of us haven't been through a lot of things to have patience or toughness. I would just hope if we get home-court advantage, anything can happen. 'Cause there isn't a team we can't beat. But it's how we approach everything mentally. It's the layup line. How do we act in the layup line? Are we just out there, (being) silly? Shootarounds. Do you listen, or are you joking around? Just those things are the kind of things that irk me. The professionalism, sometimes. And if we have that, I believe we can do anything."

Being older, having made mistakes before, makes you more reflective. If this had been five years ago, you would have been gone for sure. Now, you're not so sure.

"I'm kind of keeping my eyes focused on what really matters," you say. "That doesn't mean going here to play with my friend, 'cause I tried that and it wasn't successful. That doesn't mean going to a big city. I've been to a big city and it didn't work necessarily before. I think all people are always trying to find one thing to hang their hat on and really, it's just going to be a total decision."

Your bosses, two brothers, are bending over backward to make you happy. You say you want some say in personnel matters. Done. You think there needs to be a new facility to work out in. Done. You wanted some people more serious about winning, not just looking good. Done. You met with your bosses before the year and said you didn't want to talk about the future, didn't want to be questioned on it day in and out, that you would get back to them at the end of the year. Done. They've left you alone about it.

And still...

One of your bosses says, "we respect him for that. He came to us and told us that. But then, as the year goes on ... we'd like to him to maybe come to us and say, give us an answer one way or the other. It would ease a lot of the tension right now. But you have to respect him, and the decision he makes is gonna be for the next seven or eight years of his life. It is the most important decision that he's gonna make, and we understand that."

"The money and the billboards, that really doesn't impress me," you say. "I think a lot of that is to show the community ... that they are trying all they can do. Like, I'm not really a big fan of the one of the freeway -- we'll mow your lawn. If you think about it, it really doesn't make sense to me."

You're not sure what's going to be the biggest factor in your decision. Your co-workers? A big factor. Being in another, bigger city? Some weight, but how much? Working with others at your level? It's important. Making money on the side? You've done it before, and you say it isn't a big deal. Others aren't so sure. But you want to be certain that three or four years down the road, you've made the right decision.

The makeup of the organization won't be the same in three years. One of your best co-workers is getting older, for example. How long will he be able to work in the pits at a high level? Will your bosses get rid of popular workers who aren't tough enough?

There are some who say you can be like that guy Karl in Utah, who does what you and has been very successful but has never won the ultimate prize. He's had a good career, they say. And to you, that's kind of belittling, because you want the ultimate prize, want it desperately. And a good career isn't enough for you.

And there's the city. You like the people. You like them a lot. But you're far away from your family and friends. You grew up around concrete and sirens, not countryside. You're African-American. Most people in the city aren't.

"I think one thing that hurts is the diversity," you say. "You know, I'm from a big city, and it's not just a big city, but it's the diversity of the people in the city. Just the type of places you can eat. People say, 'you're making so much money; what you got to cry about?' But when you want to make a decision, you want to make the right decision. I've got to drive an hour and a half to get some soul food."

You laugh, because you know that it's impossible for some white folks to understand how important that is. But it is. Just like finding a barber who can cut your hair.

"That's not a big thing, that's not going to make the decision," you add. "Don't open up a soul food restaurant for me. But I'm saying the little things like that. Being in a familiar place or settings that are familiar, that definitely will help."

Your co-workers say all the right things, about how you have the right to make whatever decision you wish, and how you can take as much time as you like. They also want the bosses to know that the organization won't implode if you do leave. But they want you to remember what it was like three years ago, when you all were hired. How you built the company into something out of nothing. How you did it together. And how good it could be if you stayed.

You are thinking about it, really hard. When the year is over you're going to go away and hide because you don't want anybody to find you while you're thinking about your decision.

"The great thing about the guys is that I don't feel any pressure from them," you say. "And truthfully, I honestly feel like no matter what I do, they would still support me and we will still be friends. That's the great thing about these guys and that makes it easier to make a decision. And it really works for the organization, knowing that guys are that good. That if you did leave, they'd still be there. So when you're there, you know they'd be there for you."

This is the bottom line: you want to work for the best company. And you're not sure you're with the best company.

That's the problem.

Everything would be perfect. . . except Webber's contract is almost up and he won't give King fans the slightest encouragement.

"Of course," says teammate Vlade Divac, asked if he worries. "It's a great team. It's great chemistry. It's fun. Every time I wake up in the morning I can't wait to go to practice, and I'm 33-year-old guy. . . .

"Am I worried? Yeah, I'm worried, but hopefully he'll stay."

You've heard the saying, be careful what you wish for, you might get it?

Webber, who pined for years for his missing recognition, is now love-bombed here daily, as if by B-52s. Before you even factor in the fact he knows he might dash their hopes, it's all a bit . . . embarrassing.

"That's a sore subject," Webber says, grinning. "My teammates now, their favorite joke is singing that song to me. . . .

"It definitely is an awkward thing to be in. I've never been one to receive all the praise. And then to get it, I don't know. . . .

"I try to ignore it, but there are a couple of things--the billboard on the freeway--I don't know about that one. A couple of things make it hard, but I just remember, their intentions are good."

Of course, if you'd been through what they've been through, you'd understand.

"I thought I was going to be there," he said. "I really did. That's really when I thought about all the ways I just wanted to be there for the big fella [Shaquille O'Neal]. I try not to think about it because it can't do anything but make me depressed."

The Kings wound up taking the series to Game 5 but disappeared in a puff of smoke in Staples Center.

Webber was no longer talking about re-signing. Williams was still wild and no longer had hair. They didn't defend and they wilted on the road. Coach Rick Adelman was thought to be in trouble.

As story lines went, this didn't look like a very happy one.

Not that they'd ever acknowledge it, but the Kings reportedly have a worst-case scenario in place, if Webber tells them he won't re-sign this summer:

If someone offers them what they consider a good deal, they'll consider it.

If someone, say the New York Knicks, makes what they consider a fire-sale offer--say, Marcus Camby and Allan Houston--they'll turn it down.

If Webber demands to be traded or he'll walk, they'll dare him to sign with the only teams that can start him at the $12-million max--the Clippers and Chicago Bulls--or take a one-year $4-million exception from the Knicks or whomever.

If he takes the $4 million, well, thanks for the memories.

This story could have doomed their season, distracting everyone on a team that was already loose enough. Before the season, Webber said he wouldn't be discussing it.

Now he's a most-valuable-player candidate, they're 31-12 and running hot and heavy for No. 1 in the West . . . and he talks about it nightly.

"I think it did distract me for the first five games of the season," Webber says. "I wasn't having fun. I was laboring and trying not to think about it--and when you try not to think about it, you're thinking about it, obviously.

"I just had to relax and let it come and just say at the end of the season. . . .

"Really, I don't think about it anymore."

That's his story, anyway. He also insists when he zinged unnamed but Divac-resembling teammates, saying he wanted to play with "warriors," he was just trying to wake people up.

Divac, being Divac, acknowledged he had reported out of shape, apologized, said he'd do better and has.

Everyone else certainly awoke.

Sacramento may be a wonderful place to raise a family, but Webber is 27 and doesn't have one of his own yet.

These days, he summers in Detroit near his parents and in Jamaica, where he has an apartment. The locals note he was here last summer, working out with the Kings' strength coach. Webber says it's true but notes that on weekends, he'd often go to L.A.

"I think it's lacking in a lot of diversity," he says of Sacramento, frequently. "But just as there are pluses in living in a big city, there are pluses in living in a small city. . . . You do like the family atmosphere there. Not much traffic. Those sort of things. . . .

"I'm definitely at a slower pace, but I'm a single guy and I like to be able to find a restaurant to eat at after the game and not have to go to Burger King or something like that."

Is that all?

By the time Webber gets back to Sacramento, the Maloofs will probably have Wolfgang Puck putting up a bistro in the Arco parking lot.

Their dream season continues, one precious day at a time. Ask the Lakers, maybe that's the way everyone should approach a season.

"I think right now, people here are saying, 'We're going to enjoy it, just see how good this team is,' " says personnel director Jerry Reynolds, who has also been coach, assistant coach, general manager and TV commentator and has the scar tissue to prove it.

"I think that's kind of where Chris is. . . . Everybody around the country wants to spend time [on his future]. We're not going to dwell as much. We got 40 games to go, you try to win as many as you can, enjoy the heck out of it. With all that's gone on here over the years, it's so much fun now--you know, heck, we ain't going to get down."

Knicks: "It would be sweet to win a championship with Spree in a major market. Just because it didn't work out with friends before."

Suns: "I know Jason Kidd is all business. I'd love to play with someone like that."

Rockets: "They're my favorite backcourt to watch, and I know they want me there."

Pistons: "I love Detroit, but one thing that hurts me is the way I was treated when things were going bad for me. They didn't want me, and I have a memory like an elephant."

Magic: "I love Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady's games. A lot of things could happen with a sign-and-trade."

Heat: "I'd have to back up everything I've been talking about. And to play next to Zo? Whoa. But I don't know that the coach is interested."

Lakers: "I'd be content to average 15 and 8 playing with Shaq. But I think Phil Jackson is the kind of guy who thinks he can do it without me. And he has. I don't want to be anywhere I'm not wanted."

Bucks: "I really couldn't see myself living in Milwaukee."

Bulls, or any other lottery team: "I don't want to go somewhere to start all over and help a franchise. No way."

"It's like I've been reborn," says Webber, who will turn 28 in March. "I'm ready to be that kid back at Michigan again. I'm just waiting to come out."

"Before, I wasn't ready to go to New York or L.A.," he says. "Now it's like I've paid my dues and had my quiet time. I've played with friends, and I know it hasn't worked out. That makes me more anxious to prove I can do it. At the same time, I can just hear people saying, 'Hey, you're not going to make the same mistake again, are you?'

"All I want is for all this to be worth something. Above all, I want to be with a group that I can help, and can help me win a championship. I just don't know how to go about finding that."

No one has lived with him since he moved here three years ago, and Chris says he hasn't dated in the last six months. His spot for The Magazine with Ray Allen is the first major commercial he's done in years, in part because his brushes with the law on suspicion of marijuana possession didn't recommend him as a spokesman, in part because he decided to focus on basketball. A few months ago, he fired both his longtime agent, Fallasha Erwin, and his longtime personal assistant, Yvette Watson. He spends far less time off the court with his closest teammate, point guard Jason Williams, than he did last season. He has let his hair grow out and is reading The Celestine Prophecy, a spiritual book about learning from your mistakes and trusting your instincts -- and about finding the environment that fits you best.

Joe and Gavin Maloof made their money largely off the development and sale of a Las Vegas casino/hotel, so they know something about playing over the top. They started with a banner on top of Arco Arena proclaiming, "CWebb's House." There's also a billboard on the stretch of I-80 CWebb takes to his house that shows Joe on a riding mower and Gavin saying, "Joe will mow your lawn if you stay. (Gavin)."

Webber would prefer a quieter, face-to-face approach. "All that stuff makes me feel like they're not trying to keep me as much as cover their backs if I leave," he says. "They haven't talked to me once since the season started."

The Maloofs say they simply didn't want to be a distraction, and they plan to talk to Webber after the All-Star break. They'll remind him then about the $9.1 million practice facility they've built, and that they've doubled the payroll. They'll promise to give him a voice in personnel decisions. If they don't know how much convincing it will take, they do know how important it is to succeed. "With all that's happened," Joe Maloof says, biting his lip, "I don't know how he couldn't stay here."

But it's more than the Maloofs' commitment that makes Webber wonder about staying. Despite the Kings' recent success, most players still aren't wild about Sac-town, just about the least cosmopolitan stop in the league. Portland owner Paul Allen and Orlando chairman Rich DeVos have overcome similar problems with big payrolls and by spending tons of money on things like practice facilities and private planes. But the Maloofs' money won't help Webber find a restaurant open after a game. Things like that don't bother family men or small-town kids like JWill. But Webber's a Detroit native who has played in the Bay Area and D.C. The taste for urban life is in his blood.

"I'm bored to death here every day," he says.

Asking Chris Webber if he plans to leave Sacramento is the wrong approach. In his mind, you can't leave a place you never intended to occupy in the first place. Even after all the positive results, Webber still considers Sacramento the place to which he was sent. If he is a King next season, it will be because he looked at the entire landscape and decided no better place existed.

He hasn't made a formal list yet, but playing in New York with his best friend, Latrell Sprewell, is enticing. Orlando, Phoenix and Houston also intrigue him. Where Sacramento sits on his scale changes from day to day, game to game, but it does not sit at the top. That spot stays empty for now.

Mayce feels vindicated, since the move to Sacramento has been so beneficial. But he won't insist that Chris stay. "He has to make his own decision," Mayce says. "I'm not 100% sure where he's going, but if I were the owners, I wouldn't get too nervous. He considers the Sacramento players his second family."

Everyone on the Kings apparently feels that way. "We're like 12 brothers who could go home after a game and live in the same house," says JWill, who, like all his teammates, looks to Webber in every possible way -- on and off the court.

No star has more fun bolstering his teammates' confidence than Webber. When he sets a pick for Peja to launch a three, and the defenders don't react quickly enough, he'll yell "too late!" as the ball leaves Peja's hand. CWebb answered Scot Pollard's complaint that he wasn't being demonstrative enough by throwing down one dunk against the Mavs and high-stepping through the paint like a drum major, then throwing down a second and flexing like Hulk Hogan.

When Peja knocked down a crucial late-game jumper while being fouled by Steve Smith, CWebb shouted, "That's why you're The Roller! The European Roller!" And when CWebb iced the game by putting back a missed free throw by Turkoglu, he credited Divac for charging into the lane and distracting Rasheed Wallace from boxing him out. "Vlade let me know in half-English, half-Serbian, what he was going to do," Webber says.

Nick Anderson, averaging all of eight minutes a game this season, prides himself on giving CWebb a double pound before every game and telling him, "There's no one in this building who can check you." CWebb's pregame embrace with Funderburke is so routine that even when Funderburke wasn't with the team in Houston, CWebb hugged the air where Funderburke would have stood. "What's amazing is he brings it every night, puts up the numbers he does and doesn't have a selfish bone in his body," says Martin.

Oddly enough, it is the Kings' closeness, the lack of friction between the players, that may push Webber away from this team, too. "This is a team I would love to play against -- and I don't like that," Webber says. "I don't like the playfulness, the softness about us. We don't have that swagger. I feel like we're a prep school, and everybody else is a public school."

"When you're having so much fun, you may not pay as much attention to detail as other teams," he says. "If I retire and lose, I know the first thing I'll think of is, 'Man, I was having too much fun.' And I can have fun after practice."

Petrie figures that because of the franchise's face-lift, the deal will have been worth it even if CWebb leaves. But he knows what he'd be missing. Webber will thread bounce passes through such tight spaces that the ball will sometimes bounce off the hands of a teammate, stunned by its arrival. He's the only King who is routinely doubled in the low post, creating space for all those talented shooters. And he's the team's only true shotblocker.

"It's like dominoes leaning on each other," says Divac. "Pull him out and the rest fall."

Webber will post up hard now when it's absolutely necessary (against the Blazers) or particularly enjoyable (torturing insolent Dookie Christian Laettner), but he prefers operating from the high post, where he can utilize his passing skills, improved midrange jumper and face-up moves off the dribble. He's still not a defensive banger, but he works hard on D, and uses his long reach to deflect passes and block shots.

"When people have talent, we always want something more than they are doing," Adelman says. "We've just tried to let him do what he does." That's been enough to turn the Kings into a playoff team the past two seasons. They have a nice blend of talent that should finally get them past the first round, but don't expect a ring this season -- the art of winning a seven-game series usually takes several tries to master. Then again, no team is better stocked with young talent. Yes, the question remains whether JWill can evolve into a championship-caliber point guard. And Peja or Turkoglu has to become a perimeter go-to guy. But only Divac in the eight-man rotation is past his prime. If Webber is looking for a team with a shot at the title, he could do a lot worse.

Webber won't take a wait-and-see approach, as Tim Duncan is doing in San Antonio. Having yet to meld his identity with a particular franchise, he wants to sign the maximum seven-year deal and make the next stop his last. "I've given my all, but I don't know if I've given that extra mile because I always knew my time was going to be up," Webber says. "I want my name to be up there among the best players. Michael Jordan said I was in an interview once, but the world doesn't know it. I want that ... that ... "

Consensus?

"That's the word."

Several people close to Webber say the Michigan native wants to play somewhere in the East.

Indiana is a distinct possibility because the Pacers have enough young players to trade and Jalen Rose is one of Webber's best friends.

Webber spends a lot of time in New York during the summer and is intrigued about playing for the Knicks.

The toughest hurdle in acquiring Webber in a sign-and-trade is coming up with a package that would be attractive to the Kings.

Allan Houston is expected to opt out of his contract and it's unlikely Houston would agree to play in Sacramento. Marcus Camby and Sprewell are under contract and would be an attractive package. However, Webber may not want to play for the Knicks if Sprewell is not one of his teammates.

The Knicks' interest in Chris Webber already was a given.

Now Webber finally is confirming one of the most widely-believed suspicions within the NBA: He is interested in the Knicks, too.

The Sacramento Kings' Most Valuable Player candidate admits in the Feb. 29 issue of ESPN The Magazine that he is as restless about living in a relatively small NBA market as had been assumed.

"I'm bored to death," Webber told the magazine, adding that he no longer feels that he needs to stay away from the big city and its temptations.

"Before, I wasn't ready for New York or L.A.," he said. "Now it's like I've paid my dues."

So what does all this mean for the Knicks?

In theory, they or another team could wind up making a deal with Sacramento in these last 16 days before the NBA trading deadline.

But more likely, the Kings -- off to one of the best starts in the star-crossed franchise's history -- will hold onto Webber until he becomes a free agent this summer.

At that point, the Knicks will be among the frontrunners in the bidding. Webber acknowledges that he would love to be reunited with former Golden State teammate Latrell Sprewell in New York, while Phoenix (talent, climate) and Houston (outstanding backcourt in Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley) also have caught his eye.

The Knicks, a strong defensive team with solid mid-sized scoring, desperately need an outstanding low-post scorer and rebounder such as Webber.

However, the Knicks can't possibly position themselves to get under the salary cap by the summer. That means any deal for Webber would be a sign-and-trade arrangement in which the Knicks give up at least $15 million in annual contracts.

Allan Houston likely would be the main bait, but his ability to opt out of the last two years of his contract this summer -- and his likely reluctance to go to Sacramento -- could force the parties into attempting a three-team deal.

"I'm bored to death here every day." That's Webber's overall take on Sacramento, as related to ESPN's Ric Bucher in an upcoming magazine piece that says everything but the words "He's gone" in regards to next season and beyond.

Other stuff? Why, sure. Webber says the Maloof brothers haven't been speaking with him face to face about his future, that they're mostly covering their backs in case he leaves, that the Kings are "soft" as a team -- golly, where would you like to start?

"Well, no place is out of the question," Webber said. "I don't want to burn any bridges before I've had time to think about it. I don't need to be the center of attention. That's one of the biggest misconceptions about me . . . that I need to play in New York.

Fans at home games wave placards at Webber that read, "Stay."

A banner was hung on ARCO Arena that proclaimed it "CWebb's House."

A billboard on Interstate 80, on which Webber drives on his way home, pictures Joe Maloof on a riding lawnmower. The message reads, "Chris, Joe will mow your lawn if you stay" - Signed, Gavin.

"We have some fun stuff going on out there," Webber said. "It's all with good intention."

But will it be enough to keep Webber in wine country?

"I just really don't know right now," he said. "This summer I'll think about that and make a decision. I'm not close (to making a decision) because I'm not thinking about it. I don't want to think about anything (other than playing) or it will distract from our game."

Webber's teammates have no inkling as to which was he might be leaning.

"There's nothing we can do about it," guard Jon Barry said. "But that will all pick up now at the All-Star Game. We only worry about things we can control, and we're after a title. But we don't know one way or another (about Webber)."

Webber is said to be bothered by the fact that the owners have not spoken to him about his future. The Maloofs don't want the situation to be a distraction and say they will have a sit-down with Webber after the all-star break. Webber, in the meantime, plans to focus on his game.

"The bottom line is, if I don't play well, nobody is going to want me, anyway," he said.

It's over.

The public displays of love for Chris Webber, All-Star forward for the Kings, are at an end.

Well, at least those paid for by earnest and jittery Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof. It seems Webber, the Kings' franchise player and free-agent-to-be, was bugged by orchestrated standing ovations by Kings fans at Arco Arena holding signs that read: "STAY."

And don't even talk to Webber about the billboard the Maloofs erected on Interstate 80, the one where Gavin pledges that Joe will personally mow Webber's lawn if he stays in Sacramento rather than bolting to another team.

The Maloofs say they thought Webber wanted to be courted in such a way, so they did. But he doesn't, so they won't. Henceforth, no signs, no billboards, no nothing, Joe Maloof said Tuesday.

They also thought Webber wanted to wait until the end of the season to talk about renewing his contract -- he told them so last fall -- but now it seems he's bugged they haven't talked to him.

So they will. They'll take him out to dinner next week, give him the Chamber of Commerce pitch on Sacramento, tell him again they'll pay him $120 million over the next seven years, give him a say in personnel decisions, give him anything he wants.

It's amazing what a few disparaging comments made by Webber in a national publication can do.

"I talked to (Kings vice president Geoff) Petrie this morning, and he's kind of like, 'You know when you have a flower, with petals on the flower, and you took one petal off, she loves me, she loves me not ... '

"Maybe that article was she loves me not, but there are plenty of petals left on the flower."

Though he would have preferred to hear more positive comments from Webber about playing in Sacramento, Joe Maloof said he isn't surprised by anything Webber says on the subject.

"I can't speak for Chris, but to be quite honest, I don't think he knows what he wants to do," the owner said. "It's a big decision for him."

Jeffrey Johnson, part-owner of Sandra Dee's Bar-B-Que and Seafood, said his restaurant is one of three to serve soul food in Sacramento.

"I've seen Chris on a few occasions and given him my card," said Johnson, whose business has a catering contract to feed Kings players on their chartered flights out of Sacramento to road games. "So I don't understand what he meant by having to drive a long ways to get soul food."

With the All-Star Weekend and a trip to New York coming up, Joe Maloof cautioned that Kings fans are likely to see more petals plucked by the national media -- some in favor and some against Webber wanting to remain a King -- in the coming weeks, and that fans need to remember to the best of anyone's ability, no one, not even Webber, knows what he wants to do at this time.

So from now on, the Maloofs says they will handle Webber like a parent with a precocious child -- trying not to embarrass him in public while showing him they love him.

And trying not to get their own feelings hurt by things he says.

"I didn't want to read that (ESPN) article. It wasn't very encouraging," Joe Maloof said. "We have to stay positive."

Asked to rate between 1 and 10 the Kings' chances of signing Webber, Maloof said: "It depends on what particular day you ask me that question. Uh, do I have to answer that one?"

Maloof then said yes, he thought the Kings would be able to sign Webber to a long-term contract.

The subjects of Sacramento's cultural diversity and culinary options, of its dynamic night life or pronounced lack of same -- of its big-cityness, for lack of a better description -- are fascinating and complex ones that we could visit all day.

What does Chris Webber have to do with any of them? Answer: Nothing whatsoever -- and let's all take this opportunity to blast away from this dog of an issue at warp speed. It'll bark and it'll bark, but, in the end, it just won't hunt.

If you have never heard the sound of one hand clapping, listen to Webber over the past couple of weeks. In three interviews chosen for their timing (right before the All-Star Game) and their exposure (national), the Kings' power forward has made abundantly clear the myriad little things about playing in smallish-town Sacramento that drive him crazy.

He told ESPN basketball analyst David Aldridge, for example, that he has to drive an hour and a half "just to get some soul food."

He said of Sacramento to Los Angeles Times writer Mark Heisler, "I think it's lacking in a lot of diversity." (Wow, can you see all that from behind the gates of a Granite Bay mansion?)

And, most famously, he was quoted by ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, a trusted sportswriter confidante, as saying, "I'm bored to death here every day."

All of this, of course, would come as quite a shock to anyone who had never paid the slightest attention to anything Chris Webber has ever said. For the rest of the sentient hoops world, the fact that Webber is a mega-market cosmopolitan guy at heart is about as newsworthy as last week's injury update.

More important, though, what's the point? Ask yourself this: Who is Webber negotiating with right now? You are listening to a man who is thinking out loud -- making lists, basically -- and, folks, there's a history here.

Chris Webber is the guy who didn't like his coach at Golden State and said so, who complained about having too many distractions while plying his game in Washington, D.C. Traded to the Kings, he was so repulsed that he seriously contemplated refusing to even report.

He didn't want to play for a loser in Sacramento. Once the Kings became winners, he complained that some of his teammates were too soft. Cited by the Highway Patrol for speeding (not for the first time), Webber proclaimed, "If Sacramento troubles me about a ticket, they will lose a nice person in the community."

After telling the Maloofs not to distract him this season by attempting to discuss the future, he ripped the brothers to Bucher for not having spoken with him.

Are you sure this week marks the first time Webber has dropped any hints about leaving town? The man has done everything but tattoo "Outta Here" on his forehead since virtually the day he arrived in town.

And here's the thing: It still doesn't add up conclusively to Webber being gone next season. We're talking about the distance between words and deeds, and as of today it's still a Grand Canyon of a leap.

I have no trouble believing that Webber means everything he's saying right now. I'm also on record as predicting Webber will want to leave Sacramento after this season.

Dozens of interviews with Webber over the past three years, moreover, have done nothing but strengthen my belief that, deep down, Chris considers himself an athlete who was fated to play among the giants.

In his mind, he is the kind of person whose jersey ultimately should hang from the rafters alongside those of Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, or between those of Kareem and Magic.

Is it realistic? Doesn't matter: It is how Webber perceives himself, as a man swaggering past the klieg lights of superstardom.

But that doesn't come close to answering the question of whether, in the end, Kings vice president Geoff Petrie can swing one of the relative handful of deals that would seriously appeal to the player.

What I'm saying is that this is still an open book. The one thing above all things you should know about Chris Webber is that whatever he says today, you'd be well advised to come back and ask him again tomorrow -- you never know what might come out then.

In the meantime, the man takes his shots. They may sting, depending on whether or not you consider him even remotely qualified to take them, but they won't leave a mark.

We're not even close to that now. You are listening to the sounds of a man who likes to hear himself talk. Let him.

"Everybody is acting as if I'm gone, and I'm a King," Webber said Tuesday night. "I haven't even said I'm leaving. I said I was going to decide in the summer, and that's still my posture, no matter how people try and play it."

Reacting to questions about an interview he had with ESPN The Magazine, in which the Kings' forward appeared to criticize Sacramento's diversity and the team's owners in their courting of Webber to remain a King, the All-Star said he is going to speak his mind -- always has and always will.

And he says if that brings controversy, so be it.

"I saw (Kings vice president) Geoff Petrie say, 'If he goes, he goes; and if he stays, he stays, " Webber said of an interview shown recently on the sports cable network ESPN. "So I see the play coming in. But I'm just going to keep the same mind-frame I've always had, and that's I'm a King. And I'll see if I'm going to change job locations later."

Petrie actually said that Webber "either was going to stay or go" and that the Kings would deal with that when the time comes.

When Webber says the lack of diversity in the Sacramento area troubles him, as he was quoted as saying by ESPN, consider where he spends his time in Sacramento and where he has spent time. He lives in a gated community in Granite Bay. He works at Arco Arena, where one of the NBA's most Caucasian crowds attends games.

"I guess I can't explain to them," Webber said when asked about his diversity comments. "I'm really not concerned with explaining. I'm a Sacramento King, and I may be one the rest of my career. But the fact remains is that it is not the most diverse place."

Webber said he was disappointed that Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof had not talked to him about re-signing with the Kings, which would be cool had he not told them before the season began that he'd rather wait and talk after the season.

Webber says he didn't know this season was going to be this way, where every word he uttered would be scrutinized.

"It's more than what I thought," he said of this year and the impending free agency. "I knew there would be a lot of questions, but I didn't know that anything I said, can and would be used against me.

"I'm not setting anything up. All I have to do is be honest at the end of the day. Say I want to leave or say I want to stay. I've given them everything that I have and done all I can do. I'm not trying to play any games."

The honesty is going to be there.

"Put that on my father," Webber said. "He said always be truthful and at the end of the day, whether I go or stay, people will know how I feel."

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