FanHouse Chris Webber

HOUSTON -- Unexpected achievement in the face of incredible adversity isn't quite how the Houston Rockets saw their playoff run unfolding.

But that was certainly the theme that carried the Rockets, minus injured stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, to within one game of reaching the Western Conference finals this season. One amazing night by McGrady or just the presence of aging Dikembe Mutombo in the paint might have been all the Rockets needed to avoid a Game 7 Semifinals in Los Angeles and overcome the Lakers.

It wasn't meant to be, but still it was enough to re-energize a franchise that seemed in serious trouble a few weeks ago because of it's often-injured stars and nondescript supporting cast. The Rockets hadn't been out of the first round of the playoffs in 12 years prior to this season.

Tuesday night, the TNT studio crew (minus Ernie Johnson) went apoplectic because of comments Dirk Nowitzki made regarding the successful fashion in which Denver's forwards and centers defended him in Game 1. In short, Dirk said that the Nugget big men were good, long and daunting. To Chris Webber, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, this was the equivalent of concession.

Even as Dirk destroyed Denver on offense in the first half, the crew kept it up. No elite scorer admits he can be stopped or stunted, argued a nearly in tears Webber. Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer accurately refuted this line of thinking Wednesday, and his commentary is pitch perfect. Webber, Barkley and Smith (in that order) were ridiculously off-base.

But don't think this has limited scope, that the comments about Dirk were just stupid in a vacuum of bad. That exact philosophy of man is the sort of thing that allows Kobe Bryant to taunt Shane Battier for 48 minutes ... and be heroicized for it.

The story wasn't going to be about Kansas winning. Seriously. The Jayhawks never had a chance of grabbing the headlines. Even with Bill Self's crew closing out an impressive Big 12 road win, ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla was still discussing the lack of impact this game would have on Oklahoma's NCAA tournament resume.

That's because Blake Griffin didn't play. And that's not to take away from Kansas' impressive 87- 78 win over the Sooners in Norman, Okla., but it would be completely unrealistic to think this is the same Oklahoma team with Griffin on the bench.

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With the Sacramento Kings hitting rock bottom this season, many of their fans are reminiscing about times when the team was actually one of the best in the NBA. Fittingly, the Kings organization has decided to reminisce a bit and retire the jerseys of Vlade Divac and Chris Webber.

Divac and Webber came to the Kings in 1999 and helped completely turn around the Kings franchise. Both were versatile big men with passing ability and mobility that made the Kings one of the most exciting teams to watch during the first half of this decade. If not for "Big Shot" Robert Horry's heroics in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals or Chris Webber's horrible knee injury against the Mavs in the 2003 playoffs, that Vlade + C-Webb combination probably would have secured at least one ring for the Kings.

According to the SacBee, Vlade's jersey will be retired on March 31st when former teammate Peja Stojakovic comes to town with his New Orleans Hornets. The team is still trying to figure out a date for Webber's ceremony, as he has obligations as an announcer for TNT and NBA TV.

Anyhow, if the Kings are looking for entertainment suggestions for Vlade's ceremony, I think I might just have the answer for them:

In this clip from TNT's Overtime, Kenny, Charles, and C-Webb discuss the firing of Raptors' coach Sam Mitchell. While debating whether the team's sub-.500 record was Smitch's fault, they also discuss the personnel of the team, and after Charles makes some kind of Playboy bunny analogy, he mentions to Kenny that he might be confusing Jose Calderon with another Jose he has a fondness for.


I love the fact that it's like 2AM when they're filming these segments, so pretty much anything goes. The NBATV show that features Webber and Gary Payton together is quickly gaining on the TNT crew in terms of entertainment value, but still, nothing beats some classic analysis from Charles Barkley.

[via BallHype]

They were two of the most boneheaded plays you may ever see in college basketball, like Chris Webber somehow calling two timeouts instead of one.

The University of Arizona, battling the University of Alabama-Birmingham, was trailing most of the night in a contest to see who would advance to Madison Square Garden to face Oklahoma in the NIT semifinals, but then late in the game they started to come back. That comeback ended with two "seriously, guys?" fouls that could best be described as poorly coached and poorly executed.

After the Wildcats put together a comeback that had the team down three, Arizona's Garland Judkins got fouled, and after making the first and missing the second, freshman Kyle Fogg made a great play on the rebound, snatching it up, avoiding the defender and laying the ball in with just over 26 seconds left in the game. All tied at 71-71. Great. But what Fogg did next was inexplicable. The freshman, obviously confused on where he was or what the score was -- or even what game he was playing -- fouled Aaron Johnson right as the ball was inbounded, putting UAB on the line in a one-and-one opportunity.

As the foul happened, interim head coach Russ Pennell could only put his hands on his head in disbelief. You could almost read his mind, as you could most Wildcat fans, who probably have never played college basketball in their lives but know that when the game is tied you don't foul to put a guy on the line.

It was a week ago to the day that I pointed out how irrelevant Chris Webber had become for the Warriors. Not surprisingly, he also made that same realization: the San Francisco Chronicle reports that C-Webb will announce his retirement at a press conference tomorrow morning. Don Nelson, though, couldn't wait that long before waxing nostalgic:

"I really enjoyed working with him. It was great to get to know him again as a man, and I really enjoyed our short time together. I wish it really would've worked out better, but it didn't. And I think we'll remain friends for the rest of our lives."

Awww, that was nice of him (though I couldn't help but laugh after reading this comment left by a Chronicle reader: "i think nelson brought him back just to outlast him this time around. nellie is sly...."). Webber's reunion tour was embarrassingly short: he appeared in just nine games, averaging 3.9 points and 3.6 boards in 14 minutes.

After last year's semi-successful return with the Pistons, I'm sure Webber had somewhat different expectations about how this year would play out. Knowing what he does now, you have to wonder if perhaps he regrets leaving $10 million or so on the table by turning down an offer to play overseas.

Right about now, it seems a little silly how much attention everyone gave Chris Webber earlier in the year. Would he or wouldn't he sign with a Greek team? Would he or wouldn't he sign with the Pistons? Would he or wouldn't he return to Oakland? These days, the question has become simply, will he or won't he play a meaningful minute the rest of the season?

According to Don Nelson, it's not likely, and that's even if C-Webb could magically get healthy. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

With Chris Webber (sore left knee) missing his eighth straight game tonight and still nowhere near healthy, even Nelson is saying that Webber might not have a role on the team when - and if - he returns.

"It's get more difficult the longer we go," Nelson said. "We're down the stretch drive now. We'll probably have to play the way we've been playing."

So yeah, C-Webb, a big to-do about nothing (that's not supposed to be a statement about his entire career ... but it kind of fits). He shouldn't feel ashamed, though; just about every team that made a big move at the deadline is treading water at best. But unlike after his semi-successful cameo with the Pistons, this might really signal the end of the line -- not even a crazy Greek owner will throw money at him this summer.

Since we have a quick moment to breathe between All-Star weekend and the rest of the season, let's take a look back at the winners and losers of the first half.

Winners:

Lakers: Landed Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton, also known together as "basically nothing." Started a chain reaction of trades in the West, and even after those are considered by many to be the favorite to reach the Finals.

Suns: Traded for Shaq, as an obvious response to the Lakers' deal. They're winners because a motivated Shaq for a season-and-a-half is definitely worth something, and the guy still has a little left I think. Remember, Shaq returned from injury earlier this season to put up a strong effort of 24 and 10 against the Bulls ... but his team lost the game by 30. He'll definitely contribute something positive to his new team.

Heat: Anytime you get $40 million in contracts off the books when you're the worst team in the league, you win. Plus, the Heat have played with more energy since Shawn Marion has arrived, and now they have some cap space to rebuild for next year.

Pistons: Very quietly, the Pistons have racked up the league's second best record at the break, and are currently riding a 10-game winning streak. No one's paying attention to them right now, and that's just the way they like it. This team will be extremely dangerous come playoff time.

Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the L. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

Thursday was Turn Back the Clock night at ORACLE Arena, featuring a former Warrior and first overall pick making a triumphant return to the Bay Area. Unfortunately, instead of Chris Webber basking in glory, it was Joe Smith, leading the Bulls to victory.

The Bulls eeked-out a 114-108 win, thanks in part to Smith's 27 points and eight boards. He got his points the easy way, all alone at the free-throw line where he shot 13-14 for the night. C-Webb, on the other hand, had a rather inauspicious debut with just four points and one rebound in 13 minutes. Things will get better, Warriors fans -- but not by much.

Also Receiving Votes:
Chris Duhon: 41 minutes, 34 points (11-16 FG, 4-6 3P, 8-9 FT), nine assists and three steals. How surprising was Duhon's night? Not only were his 34 points a career high but also the same number he's scored in the last 10 games combined.

Aaron Brooks: I don't know why, but I got a kick out of the fact he shot 1-for-8 in just 16 minutes -- with all of his attempts coming from beyond the arc. Talk about a gunner without a conscious (or a shooter's touch).