C-Webb Retires, Calls the Mavericks ‘Soft’

By Bethlehem Shoals
Hey, remember the Chris Webber Experiment in Golden State? Somehow, the Warriors’ signing of the crumpled, broken vet made it in the headlines with the other big moves in the West. It didn’t end well, or even really get off the ground; this balky incarnation of C-Webb had no place in today’s active Nellie Ball. The man sat on the bench some in a nice suit, and this week announced his retirement.
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I come here not to lament the Webber that could’ve been, or heap derision upon his sad legacy. Instead, I want to take note that the man’s moving on with his life—by trashing his old team’s old rivals on national television. Here’s Webber on Inside the NBA, courtesy of DALLAS MAVERICKS blog:
[quote="Mavs Blog"]“Ever since I was in Sacramento, nobody really respects Dallas,” Webber said. “You feel like they’re a little bit soft. You feel like you can beat them.”[/quote]
There’s so much that’s surreal about this quote. For one, Webber himself caught all types of hell for being soft, a choker, whatever. If anything, the mature Webber and Dirk seem like kindred spirits: Crazy production, anchoring an inspiring unit, but somehow not quite there when it counts. I’ve never quite believed in tarring a player for life, but both of these guys showed/have shown a marked lack of bloodlust at key moments.
But the funniest aspect is that, to most of us, it’s Kings/Lakers that defined an era of Western Conference basketball. The Mavs/Kings showdowns were a pleasant surprise, outbursts of offense in the pre-Suns era that lightened the mood and got you revved up for days on end. But if Webber really wants to settle the score, or set the record straight, from the booth, he should try going after his real former enemies.
It’s pretty much impossible to go at Kobe these days, but Shaq is looking awfully vulnerable on the court. And, with the Big Avocado still exchanging very public barbs with the Heat organization that rescued his bankroll, why not take a shot at a man who, while still lovable, has every bit the ego that Bryant or Riley does? There’s a good chance it will get a response, one that will end up bringing out the bully in Shaq.
We can only hope that Webber would be ready with something as eloquent as this Riley banger. From the Palm Beach Post:
[quote="Palm Beach Post"]“We have sutured up the stab wounds in the back so everybody’s waiting for another onslaught,” Riley said Thursday. “That’s how we look at it.”[/quote]
That, my friends, is how you score points in this league even once your team’s irrelevant, or you’re no longer in the league. This is how we rewrite history!↵