Big 3 Sports

Chris Webber wasn’t happy earning his $20 million a year in Philly?  What? Wasn’t there enough soul food in Philly?  By the way, I love when guys get $40 million for nothing, then make demands about earning $5 million to finish up the rest of the season to “make up for lost income”.

While a lot of people tend to see Webber as washed up, he has managed to put up decent numbers this season despite a bad shooting year.  For example, check this comparison of 2006-7 statistics for two former first overall draft picks:

Webber             30.2 Min, 11.0 Pts, 8.3 Reb, 3.4 Ast, 1.8 TO, 1.0 Stl, 0.8 Blk

Andrew Bogut    32.1 Min, 11.9 Pts, 8.6 Reb, 3.1 Ast, 2.4 TO, 0.8 Stl, 0.4 Blk

A deeper look shows that Webber has gotten his points on 4 more FG attempts and 1.5 fewer FT attempts and that in that sense Bogut has been more efficient, but it is fairly obvious that Webber’s not washed up when you consider the praise poured on Bogut.  The question remains whether Webber is willing to take a lesser role for a championship or if he’s looking for a place to play 30 minutes a night.  Despite averaging over 19 shots a game, I actually think that C.Webb would be willing to take a lot fewer shots if he’s able to drop 7-8 dimes a night, so (assuming that all the reports are true) will he do that in Detroit?

Maybe situation in Detroit is perfect for Webber.  Aside from Rip Hamilton each player is good enough and team-oriented enough to get by without the spotlight or a ton of attempts.  Rip gets 17 FGA, Billups 12, Tayshon 13 and Rasheed 11.  Outside of the core, there aren’t many shots taken.

For example, look at the Pistons frontcourt players:

Rasheed Wallace           34 Min, 11.0 FGA, 12.1 Pts, 8.5 Pts, 1.6 Ast, 1.3 TO, 0.7 Stl, 1.8 Blk

Antonio McDyess          21 Min, 5.6 FGA, 5.2 Pts, 5.7 Rebs, 0.9 Ast, 0.9 TO, 0.5 Stl, 0.5 Blk

Nazr Mohammed           20 Min, 5.5 FGA, 7.5 Pts, 5.6 Rebs, 0.2 Ast, 1.0 TO, 0.8 Stl, 1.1 Blk

Jason Maxiell                15 Min, 4.8 FGA, 6.6 Pts, 2.8 Rebs, 0.3 Ast, 0.8 TO, 0.5 Stl, 0.8 Blk

Dale Davis                     11 Min, 1.9 FGA, 1.9 Pts, 3.0 Rebs, 0.3 Ast, 0.3 TO, 0.2 Stl, 0.9 Blk

Rasheed is included, but the rest of the discussion will focus on the four guys Webber will be replacing.  These numbers tell me a few things. 1)  There isn’t a dominant player that Webber will be taking minutes from, which makes it easier for Webber to fit in, especially if McDyess or Davis gets moved. 2) These guys don’t get the ball unless they grab it off the glass (1.7/3.0 Assist-TO ratio and 1.7 assists in 67 minutes per game).  So how does Webber compare to these guys?  Summing up the other four and adjusting to 30.2 minutes of the four-headed monster gives a combined line to compare to Webber’s 2006-7 output:

Webber                         30.2 Min, 12.8 FGA, FG 38.7%, 11.0 Pts, 8.3 Reb, 3.4 Ast, 1.8 TO, 1.0 Stl, 0.8 Blk

4-headed Piston             30.2 Min, 8.1 FGA, FG 48.9%, 9.7 Pts, 7.8 Reb, 0.8 Ast, 1.4 TO, 0.9 Stl, 1.6 Blk

It seems that a few things are going to change with Webber in Detroit.  First, for Webber to be happy a few guys are going to have to give up a shot or two a game, most likely this can be managed by removing the ball even further from the other four and guys like Flip Murray without significantly affecting the core. Second, the ball is going to go through Webber more often than these other guys, which is a perfect scenario for Detroit because they have guys who can stick the J as all four of the core hit over 34% from 3 and they shoot 36% from 3 as a team.

How does this affect the core? Given Rasheed’s ability to accept his role and to affect the game regardless, he will benefit from having a partner in the high post as well as a guy who will find him when Rasheed’s man sags to the middle to help on Webber and cut off the back door cuts of Prince and Rip.  Rip benefits by getting the ball where he wants it from a guy not named Chauncy.  Chauncy benefits by getting an extra open look because he won’t be the only guy who can handle the ball in the half court.  Tayshon will continue to get his scraps and may even have a play run for him and his 44% 3-point shot.

With Webber in the lineup I’d expect significant improvement in spacing, passing and opportunities for everyone else.  That alone should be enough to put the Pistons over the hump in the East, making Webber’s choice to come home look even better.