[RoyWilliams]

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Chris Webber may be happier the way his return to Sacramento is going to work out - play the Kings on the second game of a back-to-back situation, then leave town after the game.

Or maybe not.

The 76ers forward didn't really give reporters much of a chance to check out his emotions regarding tonight's game against the Kings, his team for 61/2 seasons before his trade on Feb. 23, because he was preparing with his new team to play the Los Angeles Lakers last night.

He indicated that he will be able to keep his emotions under control because he has been in situations before where he played against his old team in his former city of employment.

Asked whether it will be different in Sacramento, Webber replied: "I think it will be very different, but we're about to play the Lakers and I'm really trying emotionally to tap into that right now.

"You know what I learned? It kind of is what it is. You're going to have to deal with that situation anyway, so I don't know."

If there were more time to prepare, Webber said, "Maybe you'd have some closure. If [time] was shorter, maybe you don't. So the one thing I know is that you don't overthink."

Webber is sure to receive more cheers than boos tonight at Arco Arena. Counting just the history of the Kings' era in Sacramento, he ranks first in rebounds and second in points, field goals and blocks. He also was a visible figure in the community.

Webber played in his 14th game with the Sixers last night. He was coming off his best game as a Sixer, a 32-point performance Friday night in a 103-101 victory over visiting Toronto. The win improved his record as a Sixer to 8-5.

And while he acknowledged Friday's game to be a sign of progress, he remarked that his record as a Sixer "ain't too good."

"I'm used to better than 8-5 after 13 games," he said. "I will not let the expectations of the situation change my expectations.

"I don't look at [8-5] as success. I'm not even happy we're the eighth seed. I'm not used to not having home-court advantage. My expectations are never going to drop as far as for myself or for my team."

Hopefully he puts up a big game against his old team.

 

[SirCharles34]

They'll cheer him. Cwebb put that team on the basketball map.

 

[Kunlun]

ESPN.com - Webber's Return Cause For Cheer

They will cheer Chris Webber at Arco Arena in Sacramento on Monday night not because they ever completely understood him, which they never did, but because when you're desperately thirsty, most anything looks good to drink.

And Webber, in his prime, was just about a one-man oasis for a Kings franchise that had been wandering around in the sand long enough. They will remember that fact above just about any other, where Webber is concerned, and if you'd stunk for as long as the Kings had stunk before the truncated 1999 season rolled around, there's an even-money chance you'd do the same.

As Webber and the rest of Allen Iverson's team from Philadelphia come into Sacramento, the tally from the Kings-Sixers trade has yet to be made final. The Kings, who almost immediately after the deal lost offensive linchpin Brad Miller to injury, have hobbled along, playing .500 ball since then. Webber is still trying to figure out how to live in Iverson's world.

Chris Webber
Webber brought a new game to Sacramento -- ferocity with finesse.

But as for what Webber's departure from Sacramento meant to that formerly moribund franchise out in the farm fields, that one's easy. It was the official pronouncement of the end of a very, very good time -- and one of which people connected to the franchise have trouble letting go.

Full article here:
The power forward who would be King