8/31/2023 0 Comments Chris webber golden state![]() These high draft picks, like Webber, had tremendous leverage. As a consequence, the rooks were getting bigger deals than established pros. As NBA revenues grew, this made some negotiations hairier for NBA clubs who were afraid they might risk losing high draft picks because the picks had so much bargaining power. Yes, a salary cap existed but there was no determined amount for what rookies got paid. In the days before NBA rookie contracts were predetermined by draft slot, things got complicated and Webber’s situation with the Warriors is best understood in this context. NBA Rookie Contracts Pre-Slotting: The Wild West In other words, the full healthy Warriors were fun but not quite a powerhouse with Webber and Nelson was not fully committed either. But there’s also the age-old Don Nelson cry: no legit center, despite the presence of…Chris Webber, whose unhappiness with his coach was well-documented.” GS’s individual team preview noted that Nelson “loved” his squad but had dabbled in taking other jobs in the off-season. The 1995 Pro Basketball Handbook preview (by Fred Kerber and Scott Howard-Cooper) picked the Warriors as third in the Pacific behind Phoenix and Seattle, writing that: “there’s plenty of scoring, plenty of excitement. They might have problems stopping teams because they lacked a true center (Webber was a power forward playing center in 1993-94). Still, getting Hardaway back and adding him to the core looked like a team that could win 50-ish games and be a fringe contender. They were swept by the Suns in a fun shootout where Phoenix torched GS 140-133 in the third game (Charles Barkley dropped 56 on Webber). The team went 50-32 but had the expected won-loss of 46-36 and clocked in as a slightly above-average team. Mullin was quite competent but was already 30 and was coming off of his peak. Sprewell was only 23 and a wrecking ball and Webber was only 20 and looked like he’d be a star (4.0 BPM as a rookie). The 1993-94 team was surely fun to watch. How good were the 1993-94 Warriors and how good would they have been in 1994-95 with a full squad? Why trade Webber just because his feelings were hurt? Let’s take a look FAQ style… So, that’s the story but much of it makes no sense. It is a remembered as a terrible trade by the Warriors. Webber was up-and-down in Washington and didn’t have huge success until he was traded to Sacramento in 1998. Nelson’s reputation suffered until he got things together with Dallas in 1999. ![]() Webber hurt his shoulder and barely played for Washington. The Warriors ended up stinking and Nellie was fired midway through season anyway. Management rallied behind Nelson and portrayed Webber as a petulant Generation Xer.Ĭ-Webb was dealt to Washington for Tom Gugliotta and some first-rounders and Nelson kept his role. Alas, Webber demanded a trade right before the 1994-95 because, it appeared, that he did not like Nellie’s less-than-gentle touch (Nelson was known to bitch out players like his mentor Red Auerbach did in the 1960s). Webber won Rookie of the Year and coach/GM Don Nelson looked like he potentially had a great core for the rest of the 1990s. Hardaway got hurt for the 1993-94 season but the Warriors went 50-32 and were very fun to watch offensively. GS already had a fun core with Tim Hardaway at the point, Latrell Sprewell at SG, Chris Mullin as the deadeye shooter, and Billy Owens as a young point forward (and some good bench players). I thought we could do a deep dive into the Webber trade some 26 years later and see what we learn with the benefit of hindsight.įirst, let’s start with the nutshell version: Webber was a huge college star at Michigan who was drafted first overall by the Warriors in the 1993 Draft. ![]() The situations were materially different (Webber was much younger and was coming off of his rookie year) but the broad outlines, namely a big star demanding a deal for quasi-nebulous reasons, fit. ![]() The situation gives me a little déjà vu regarding Chris Webber’s departure from Golden State. This isn’t the first time a big star has held a franchise hostage and forced a trade that would likely get a below market return. James Harden’s recent unhappiness in Houston is likely taking them to the point where they will have to trade their megastar under duress. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |