Monday, January 14, 2008

Into The Web

Chris Webber is saying he will be back playing in a few weeks, and he has narrowed his choices down to three teams. Given the Celtics record, and C-Webb's previous remarks about desperately yearning for a ring, it seems very possible that Webber could end up here. I've been hoping for big man help the last few weeks, and this could be just what the doctor ordered. There are several things worth thinking about here.

First off, and maybe most importantly, Webber is not good defensively. His knee injuries have slowed him down and he's never been great anyway. Make no mistake - he probably would hurt the Celtics defense. And saying the main reason I would like to see the C's pick up another big is for defensive purposes, acquiring Webber might be daft. Perk is only an average center when all is said and done, and behind him you have a great defensive player who is really not a center (KG), and a washed up big man (Pollard). So on first appearance Webber hardly seems to fit the bill for the C's. That said, he still intrigues the hell out of me, and the reason is a little more far reaching.

Webber is an exceptional veteran offensive player. To this day he can do some things on the court that few others can, particularly when it comes to passing. Pairing him with KG could be a major shake up on the offensive side of the ball - and is why perhaps Webber is worth signing. Chris could be exactly what the Celtics need to ignite their offense, and rise above the stagnation they have experienced on that side of the ball. With him on the court ball movement could become significantly crisper, and the offense as a whole might finally be able to form an identity.

The Celtics right now still lack this offensive identity. Like I said yesterday, I'm fine with this, but Webber could be the key that unlocks the door. His addition might be a situation where he makes everybody around him much better offensively, which would mitigate his defensive liability. Honestly a comparison to Walton in '86 is not completely insane, just a stretch of the imagination. And yes, I know Walton could still defend...

So Webber is intriguing. He's not a real center and is pretty lousy defensively, but lordy lord - can he ever pass the ball. For the minimum I imagine I would be pleased to have him; he'd be ten times better an addition than Gary Payton. But then again, I might be overly optimistic - and the best thing might be to wait for another attractive big to come along. It certainly is worth considering, though.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping we pick up PJ Brown after the trade deadline. Or may be the Sonics will cut Kurt Thomas (as his contract is up at the end of the year) to let him sign with a contender and we pick him up...

That being said, Webber and KG in the frontcourt would be outstanding offensively because of their passing ability...

Sean Sylver said...

P.J. and Thomas are better defensively than Webber - and Thomas at least has a bit of an offensive game to go along with it - but face it, we're not going to find a gem who can guard Yao Ming and help the offense at the same time off the scrap heap.

The nicks and dings that have held Rondo back make it blatantly clear that this team needs a distributor/defender at the point. If the Wizards bring out the same defensive game plan tonight, the C's are cooked.