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**Sliccat** · 03-21-2007, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Webber directly identified Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks, saying, "Like I told you before, Mo came to me and said 'We're going to cut half your minutes, half your time.' I said, 'I just came off a 20 [points] and 10 [rebounds] season.' I don't have an answer for that."

Webber's time with the Sixers ended contentiously. He played for the final time Dec. 27 in Sacramento, then had a long conversation with agent Aaron Goodwin in a back hallway of Arco Arena. He met with Cheeks and assistant coach Henry Bibby sometime during the next 48 hours in Portland. He was waived Jan. 11 after the Sixers and Goodwin completed a buyout of the remainder of his contract, which ran through next season.

Webber gave up roughly $6 million and netted about $36 million. Factoring savings on luxury tax, the deal saved the Sixers $12 million. Webber quickly signed a free-agent contract for the remainder of the season with the Pistons.

Cheeks, president/general manager Billy King and chairman Ed Snider were on board with the buyout. In the aftermath of the trade of Allen Iverson to Denver, they thought it was time to evaluate the younger players on the roster and begin preparations for the future. Cheeks, to his credit, has never publicly said anything about Webber or Webber's final days with the Sixers.

Pistons coach Flip Saunders said he never had any qualms about whether Webber would fit in.

"I coached in the CBA [Continental Basketball Association] for 8 years," Saunders said. "When you're down there, you don't worry about what people have done anywhere else, and you just take them for what they're worth. They come in and know they've got a clean slate. You judge them by how they deal with you."

The foot problem?

"We've got the 'Magic Man,' Arnie Kander," Saunders said, referring to strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander. "Arnie's done an amazing thing with a lot of players. We thought Arnie would actually be able to help him a lot, and he has. After 3 days, [Webber's] soreness in his feet was gone."

When Webber arrived with the Pistons, Kander told the Detroit News that he had seen film of Webber dating back to 1998 and that any mobility problem was from a balky left ankle that was correctable.

"I like a lot of what I have seen," Kander said. "I don't think his knee is an issue. I think his knee is fine. He is jumping off it fine. There are some things we can address."

Webber met with reporters with tape surrounding the base of his right foot. The Pistons are 22-8 since his arrival, 22-7 with him as a starter.

"It's been like most of my experience in the NBA," Webber said. "It's been really good."

And his time with the Sixers? Hasn't he, in other conversations, said that was the worst?

"Yeah," he replied. "I don't know, whenever you don't meet your expectations, it's not as good as you had hoped it would be. We didn't meet our expectations, and it wasn't that good. It was a lot of things, losing, and the way people interact with each other, the way people treat each other. It was a lot. I've been on losing teams a couple times before, but we still got along, and it was still a positive environment, and it wasn't always like that in Philly."

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/spor...t_me_play.html

Detroit seems to find plenty of use for him, and they're a defensive team. The big complaint here was that he couldn't play defense or move well. Could the sixers have used him better?

**cpawfan** · 03-21-2007, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sliccat

Could the sixers have used him better?

The only way to answer yes is to assume that the Sixers have some level of competence in the Front Office and coaching staff.

DieSlow69 · 03-22-2007, 06:38 AM

Damn Webber, I'm glad he's gone!!!!!

p.s. Although I'm glad he's turing out alright for the Pistons

**croco** · 03-22-2007, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sliccat

Could the sixers have used him better?

No. The problem was not Webber being on his last legs, but he needed to be carry too much of the load to be effective. He also knew that he wasn't going to win anything with the Sixers and didn't play with much enthusiasm.

**kamego** · 03-22-2007, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sliccat

Webber: Mo didn't let me play | Daily News | 03/21/2007

Detroit seems to find plenty of use for him, and they're a defensive team. The big complaint here was that he couldn't play defense or move well. Could the sixers have used him better?

The Sixers could have tried things differantly but the reason CWebb plays so well in Detroit is because he is the 5th option, not the 1st or 2nd. I mean that offensively as much as defensively. He can still play well but he is much more of a role player at this stage of his career.

CocaineisaHelluvaDrug · 03-22-2007, 07:52 AM

**Sliccat** · 03-22-2007, 07:41 PM

Ultimately, I just don't think he was meant to play with Iverson. He's better suited to an offense that constantly moves the ball, than one based on iso's.

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