Hi, I'm a Kings fan who's been patrolling the board for the past few weeks, reading your opinions on the Webber situation, the draft, etc. Anyway, I finally registered and wanted to briefly introduce myself. I'm a lifelong Kings fan and basketball fan in general. I think Webber will be staying in Sac, something I'm sure we'll be getting into more later. I also am a regular poster at the Bleacher Mob (the fans version of the Kings' Bench Mob)Forum, a civil and informative Kings' forum, who's link I put in my signature. I also asked to pick for the Rockets in our annual mock draft, so I'm hoping to get a lot of information here. I think the Rockets are an exciting team that will only get better with time and like them as long as they don't sign Webber away from us. Also, I do not mind constructive criticism of my opinions or the Kings, but do not insult people or respond to them. ------------------ Feel free to visit http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthebleachermobfrm1 for informative, intellegent Kings talk. [This message has been edited by SPTSJUNKIE (edited June 05, 2001).]
Welcome aboard SPTSJUNKIE what was our topic anyway? ------------------ Dream Rejects Every Attempt Made
SPTSJUNKIE, Welcome. As you can see, CWebb's future has been a VERY hot topic here. And there is a wide range of opinion about where he will wind up. I am not optimistic about him coming to Houston based upon his body language during the Costas interview. Got an opinion as to: 1) Why you think he's staying in SAC. 2) What the Rocks would/should/could do without Webber to improve. 3) Why the Kings were so dreadful against the Faker$ in the playoffs. ------------------ GATER
can it be? a fan of another team coming here without insults and trash talk? you must have hidden motives. you must be Chris Webber. Welcome home, baby! ------------------
Welcome, SPTSJUNKIE... B-ball freak, I'm sure your statement was in jest, because we all know their are other good fans (from Warriors, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Blazers, & others) that often visit our board. SPTSJUNKIE, I do have a few questions for you: 1) What is the general attitude/expectation of the Kings fans toward JWill? 2) Are you guys planning to resign Christie? 3) How many more productive years do you guys think Divac have left?
SPTSJUNKIE: Welcome. If anyone talks trash or insults you in the near future, I apologize in advance. There are a wide variety of types on this board, most of which are kind and knowledgable. Keep that in mind. My question to you is this: As a Kings fan, who is the most frustrating player to watch on your team? I would assume J-Dub off the bat, but you know your team much better than I. A couple of examples for me would include having to watch Dikembe Mutombo stumble around on offense, and watching Steve Nash dribble out of control. Both of those guys would frustrate me to no end if they were on the Rockets. My Rockets examples would be Matt Bullard and Walt Williams. Both of those idiots need to learn that they should only catch and shoot, not dribble. When they put the ball on the floor, they either turn it over or get blocked going to the hole. I swear that both of their shooting percentages behind the arc are better than inside of it. Thanks for your thoughts and remember this: All's fair in Webber love and war. ------------------ "You couldn't have stuck a pin up his @#! with a jackhammer. Yeah, I'd say he was pretty tight." -- Barkley on Minnesota's Chris Carr(thx RocksMillenium)after he missed a game winning free-throw. [This message has been edited by today (edited June 05, 2001).]
Most of The Kings Fans dont want to trade Jason Williams and hope he is still developing into a high quility point guard . Their biggest fear is if they trade him he will blossom somewhere else . Others feel they need Bobby Jackson to lead them because he is just as young and talented as Williams . Alot of the Kings fans are in denial saying "We dont need Webber next year , He is too soft anyways." ------------------
1. Well, there's a number of reasons. First, he has never said he's wanted to go and far too many people, mainly sports journalists, have made assumptions in order to get the headlines. Let's face it, "Big time free agent Chris Webber will probably stay in Sacramento," won't get many readers. What he has said, is that he knows he's entering his prime and wants his next contract to be long term. So he wanted to take time over the offseason to rasses his options and make sure he was going to be in a situation where he could be happy and he could win during that time. One problem with Webber is that he is very honest and upfront, so when he says that "Sacramento is a boring place to live," the media jumps on that and starts writing that his best friend lives in NY. The truth is his parents and he at times have said that NY really isn't an option for him and they can't see him being there. Now, this does not mean he is coming back to Sacramento, I'm sure he's still making up his mind, but there have been a few positives. Jon Barry, who earlier in the year said he thought Webb was leaving was on the Kings official radio station the other day and said there was an 80% chance Webb would come back. Just a couple of days later Hedo, who is one of Webb's closest friends on the team who Webber is going to visit in Turkey this summer, was giving an interview in Turkey and when asked about Webber, told them that Webb told him he was staying in Sacramento. If you go to the Bleacher Mob Forum, you can find the link to the Turkish paper, but it will only be useful if you speak Turkish, we happen to have a number of foriegn fans on our board who could translate. In addition, after going to visit Spree and Owens, Webb has come back to Sacramento and is living there now, it was his house that the Costas interview was done at. Webber's family has also said they want Webber to stay in Sac and Webb's family is important to him. Finally, with the exception of the city, Webber loves his teammates, the fans, the management, and the situation of the Kings. The team is built around him. So nothing is for sure, but if I were a betting man, I'd say he's coming back. It also doesn't help that his options are winding down, especially since he won't take the exemption. 2. In my opinion, the Rockets need to become tougher up front, deeper, and give the team time to develop. If they could find a way to make Hakeem 7 years younger they would be in great shape. But I don't think Houston's bench scares anybody and their back court defense could use some work too. Obviously if they lose Anderson, they will also need a new SF, Williams is actually a decent backup, but is not a quality starter anymore. 3. Why was everyone so dreadful agains the Lakers? They just peaked at the right time. For the Kings, Peja hit the wall the last quarter of the season. He averaged about 20 min/game last season and about 40 min/game this season. That's a big transition and I think the same thing happened to Shawn Marion. Fox played nice D on him, but I think that was overrated. The one game his shots were falling, he lit Fox up for 26 points with a good shooting %. Obviously Webber was gimpy in the series and that didn't help. I think partly because it was Webb's contract year, they kept going to him though and when Webb gets the ball and the other Kings stand around in isolation, it usually results in 15 foot jump shots and bad offensive production. I think next year you'll see Peja and Hedo running the offense a lot more and Webber battling for rebounds, depending on how much Webb works on his inside game. Especially in crunch time, this killed us, Webber hasn't his a lot of big shots during his time here, but he has come up with a lot of crucial rebounds and hustle plays when the game is on the line. Other than that this team just needs time. All though they were swept, they had a very good shot at winning 3 out of the 4 games, including the two in LA. Peja, Hedo, Williams, Jackson, Pollard, and even Christe ( who couldn't seem to hit a layup that series) should all improve for next year. None of these guys have ever been to the second round before and like you team, just need more time together. But we have arguably the best GM in the NBA and as longs as he's around, Kings fans feel that things will be all right. ------------------ Feel free to visit http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthebleachermobfrm1 for informative, intellegent Kings talk.
1. Opinions on Williams are very mixed right now, but I think there are two main arguemts being made right now. The first is from Kings fans who are overly frustrated and fed up with Williams. They want him traded while he still has some trade value. Most fans feel he still has the potential to be an all star caliber PG, but a number feel he has the wrong attitude and needs a change of scene (at the very least) before he can realize it. This, coupled with the fact that Hedo can supposedly play PG has encouraged a lot of fans to want Williams traded. The second argument is that giving up on Williams would be shortsighted. He is very talented and was simply overwhelmed by all of the attention he recieved from the league. He still has relatively little experience, having missed a lot of college ball due to suspentions, having only 50 games his rookie year, and wasting his second year trying to be a league icon. Next year will be very telling for him. What complicates these is that Williams one of Webb's best friends, so trading him right now could really hurt our chances with Webber. Call it the Mobley effect, since I've seen a lot of Cat trade rumors shot down here for the same reason. 2. Yes, we want to resign him and he's said that he wants to stay. He'll opt out of his current contract, but will sign a bigger one sometime this summer. 3. From what I've seen, -2. Actually, it depends on whether he finally commits himself to getting in shape over the offseason. He's notorious for coming into camp out of shape. He used to be able to get away with that, but as he gets older, it's taking its toll on him. With the sad state of center in the NBA, he could be satisfactory for the Kings for a nother few years though. And I could definitely see him becoming an assistant coach here when he retires. ------------------ Feel free to visit http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthebleachermobfrm1 for informative, intellegent Kings talk.
BBall Freak, thank you, I feel your pain. There's nothing I hate more than fans who come to another teams board to deliver insightful messages like, "Your team sucks." Today, thanks for the advance apology. Don't worry though, I have thick skin and just ignore the posts. It's a waste of time to respond to them and if you ignore them, they will go away. As for our most frustrating player, it's easily Williams. He has so much natural ability, but has supposedly refused help on several occasions. KJ offered to work with im last summer and he said "no," and Adelman set up several sessions to help him and he didn't show. He's gotten better this year, but still needs to penetrate more and focus on his defense. Improvement is very possible, Peja has gone from one of the worst defensive players in the league to a legitimae defender in 4 years. ------------------ Feel free to visit http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthebleachermobfrm1 for informative, intellegent Kings talk.
Very well-reasoned. It's good to read another fan's calm opinions. I will interject a few things: Of course Webber is telling teammates that he's gonna stay. It's the easiest route, especially when they can put the full-court press on him (whereas Steve F. and others must resort to long-distance [and illegal] phone calls). He's keeping his options open. I know Jon Barry thought Webber was leaving because Brent told my brother-in-law the same thing. But that, too, was a couple months ago. If New York was never an option, then that probably means Sacramento, Houston, and Indiana are the best options remaining. I'd lean toward Houston and Sacramento. Right now I might guess Webber is stuck between lifestyle/new team (Houston, for example) and loyalty to his old team, and pressure from his parents to stay put. But his demeanor for months has pointed in a direction away from Sacramento. I could be wrong. He just might stay. I think if we could put together a trade satisfactory for the Kings, though, then he'd have less guilt about leaving. Mo Taylor? Cato? A drafted power forward with the #13 pick? I dunno. As a Kings fan, I would understand your anger if he left. It has to be frustrating. They have been fun to watch. But I guess we'll know his intentions soon enough. He said he'd decide by draft time. ------------------
SPTSJUNKIE, I agree with you. I really believe Webber will stay. I would even bet on it. The whole thing about being bored - I think the media blew that way out of proportion. Chris Webber...is a black guy. Usually people of a certain race feel the most comfortable surrounded by people of that race. But C-Webb is a nice guy...I can tell he's a real nice guy...and he happens to be on one of the most culturally diverse teams on the league. The Kings are good, but if I was on a starting lineup in the NBA with 3.5 white guys (assuming Christie is bi-racial), and a bench with more white guys, I guess I would be a little uncomfortable too. And that's what people are saying. Saying he wants to go to a more diverse city. (Orlando, hello?) But I think they're wrong. He will stay in Sacramento. The fans are too good. The pay is too good. The attention - not too much but just enough - is just too good. Chris wants to be the major option on a team, and Sacramento is that team. He will consider money, friends, fans, management, food, and yes, racial diversity, but when the Chris Webber Sweepstakes is all said and done, he will realize that he needs the Sacramento Kings and the Sacramento Kings need him. Welcome aboard ------------------ "They couldn't shoot, rebound, or pass, but other than that, they played great!" -Bill Walton
Cato, Walt, and #23 for SPTSJUNKIE. Welcome to the board SPTSJUNKIE. Nice insight from someone on the outside looking in. ------------------ "Light travels faster than sound, so some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak." -- Brian Williams (now Bison Dele) commenting on Isiah Thomas.
Good point on the teammates, I hadn't thought of that. Out of curiosity, what is it about his demeanor that makes people think he's leaving. I've read that several places, but haven't been able to understand that. So far he's answered all questions in the same generic way, implying no team had any advantage over the other yet. Several people have mentioned how he left Arco after the sweep, but to me he looked like any dissapointed player would look after they just got swept out of the playoffs. I'd be very interested on your opinion. ------------------ Feel free to visit http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthebleachermobfrm1 for informative, intellegent Kings talk.
Someone else in the Bleacher Mob forum made a good point about this. He said that the Kings only play 41 home games a year. The night before any game Webber should not be "having that good of a time" anyway. Factor in a traingin camp and a few extra days of practice and your only looking at 2 months of they year he has to be in Sacramento. During the summers he can live wherever he wants. If he gets a 121 million dollar contract, he can afford several houses. Also, whenever the Kings are on the road, he can do (all though a dedicated player would not) whatever he wants in exciting cities such as NY, Houston, LA, and Salt Lake City (or not). ------------------ Feel free to visit http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthebleachermobfrm1 for informative, intellegent Kings talk.
I also wanted to take a post to thank everyone for their warm welcomes. Dr. of Dunk, Petrie's a smart GM and I'll tell you there's no way he's trading me unless you throw Cat or Franchise into the deal. However, if the Rockets wanted to throw some cap space at me, I'd cheer for the Rox for a mere $7 million a year. By the way, I love that quote. It's probably the most memborable thing Bison did during his whole career. ------------------ Feel free to visit http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthebleachermobfrm1 for informative, intellegent Kings talk.
A couple of things... The importance of family persuasion is being overrated by Kings fans. Webber is a grown man, and no matter what his parents tell him, it's going to be his decision. They aren't as big an influence in his life IMO as people make them out to be. Where a player lives/nightlife is important to a player when deciding where he wants to sign. The theory that a player won't care because he only has to live in that city for the season doesn't hold up. Honestly, I don't think winning a championship means as much to today's players, therefore the reasoning that he'll stay in Sacramento because they have the best chance to win a championship is not that important IMO. Despite these points, I think it all comes down to money. Money talks, and that's why I think he'll probably stay put in Sacramento. Houston does have a shot, because we can offer him close to what the Kings can. Hopefully he gives the Rockets a chance and visits Houston and Steve and Cat can persuade him to come here. ------------------ [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited June 05, 2001).]
I don't want to harp too much on the subject of race because there is always ONE person who takes something personally. It isn't that a black man can't live comfortably or happily in Sacramento. The Kings have done well for themselves with adding great young players. Well, Vlade isn't too young for a basketball player. But anyway, these great players are mostly European, of cultures well removed from Webber's urban America, and while he can appreciate the diversity, he's still often on the outside looking in. When I was in 1st and 2nd grades, my stepbrothers called me "Soul Man" because my schoolfriends were all black. It didn't occur to me to be too socially conservative about my friends, I guess. But while I got along with them very well, there was, inevitably, always that small distance between us that could not be crossed of different backgrounds, different outlooks. Now, take Webber and Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley and Mooch and Walt. DC, University of Maryland, Philly. They would have common ground, as would Turkoglu, Divac, and Stojakovic, the "Balkan Brotherhood." (OK, OK, Turkey is west of the Balkans, but the point is made.) Again, I don't want to harp on the issue, but if given a chance to sit down with the family that the Mobleys (Cat, girlfriend, child, mother, little brother), Steve and other teammates have created in Houston, this could be a strong lure for Webber. But will we at least offer someone in trade? If so, which player? Webber's comments (spoken off camera, and mentioned by what's-his-face interviewer at the last Kings game) about resenting the trade that took him to Sacramento make me wonder. Of course a man can change his mind. One thing is true: If Webber comes to Houston, then he has the power of his convictions, or is strong enough to risk criticism. The Rockets are rising, but two years of no playoffs and being located geographically somewhere between the Lakers and the Knicks have made us a small blip on the radar. If he stays in Sacramento or comes to the Rockets, that would speak volumes about either organization. I'm voting that he'll leave (and trying not to be a homer about it), but if he stays, I'll say, damn, you guys were right, and I was waaaaay off. We'll see what happens. ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROXTXIA (edited June 06, 2001).]
Wow... I really like this guy... Oh that all fans in the world were this sensible... (including our own...) Welcome aboard SPTSJUNKIE... ------------------ "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and STATISTICS..." - Mark Twain -
