Why Webber should be traded

By Vikram Mohan Sports Central Columnist

The Sacramento Kings must trade "power" forward Chris Webber. First, they do not really need him, making him expendable. Second, they would receive a lot in return for Webber and could fill in the gaps that may hurt their team during the playoffs.

The Kings currently have the best record in the league and are actually averaging over 100 points per game. Peja Stojakovic has emerged as an all-around player and Brad Miller has fit in nicely with this team. I admit that adding Webber to a roster would help several NBA teams, but this is not the case with the Kings.

The Kings run much of their offense through a point forward, the forwards being Miller and Vlade Divac so far this season. Since Webber is known to hover around the perimeter even when the offense is not being started through him, Miller, Divac, and Webber could never effectively be on the court at the same time, because the interior would be completely abandoned. Yet, Miller is the heart of the Kings and should not see his minutes dwindle.

As for Vlade, he is averaging about 30 minutes per game, which may be too much, but the Kings do not need a Webber-type player to come in and pick up the slack. They need someone in the Scott Pollard mold, who will help them defensively and add toughness. Webber does not bring any toughness with him to the court, nor is he a good defender.

Offensively, the Kings have actually been a joy to watch, which is awkward for a King-hater like myself to say. The team passing that they have come to be known for has reached new heights and everyone plays unselfishly. The team played in this style even when Webber was on the court in past seasons, but at crucial junctures in crucial games, Webber's ego would take over and he would call for an isolation, fake a move to the basket, and hoist a jump shot.

Another reason that Webber would not be effective in the King's offense this year is that the Mike Bibby/Webber pick-and-roll will not work anymore. The only thing that made it work in the first place was the element of surprise. When Webber would set the pick for Mike Bibby, defenders would run towards the basket anticipating a cut by Webber. But Webber would surprise them by staying on the perimeter and settling for a wide-open, low-percentage jump shot. Now that it is finally obvious that Webber favors the perimeter over the interior, defenders will not be fooled anymore.

Actually, I watched the Kings play about a week ago on TNT, and I saw Darius Songaila take it to the hoop more times (four) than I had seen Webber do so in the last two years. Songaila is a better fit with this team than Webber, because Songaila stays on the interior and gives the Kings the ability to run some high-low plays.

Also, Webber is not the Kings' go-to guy. Stojakovic, and Bibby, who has proved throughout his collegiate and professional career that he is capable of carrying a team, are the go-to guys. Seeing that he was no longer the top dog in Sacramento, Webber's selfishness would grow and potentially rub off on his teammates.

So, not only does Webber not help his team fix their defensive weaknesses, but he also may weaken their strengths.

The only real weakness that the Kings have is that they need some more bodies down low (and, as I was saying, Webber is not exactly one of these "bodies"). If the Kings had to play a team like the Minnesota Timberwolves in a seven-game series, their current roster would not survive. They would be incapable of dealing with Kevin Garnett, Michael Olowokandi, Gary Trent, and Mark Madsen in the paint.

And what if they had to play the Lakers in a seven-game series with Vlade or Miller in constant foul trouble? The Kings would not be in this ordeal if they had kept Hedo Turkoglu and Keon Clark on their roster.

Speaking of Turkoglu, he is a rare type of player. Besides being one of those difficult to defend inside-outside threats, he is equally as good as a defender. During the playoff series last season against the Dallas Mavericks, Turkoglu defended Dirk Nowitzki as well as I have ever seen someone defend him. He was actually physical with him. Had head coach Rick Adelman played Turkoglu (as well as Clark) more often, the Kings probably would have won the series.

The thing that makes Turkoglu such a valuable player is that his athleticism also allows him to defend guards on the perimeter. In a recent game against the Kings, Turkoglu was asked to guard Bobby Jackson on several occasions, and he performed well (even better than "defensive stopper" Bruce Bowen performed).

Turkoglu and his ability to defend any player on the court may be the start of a new trend in the NBA, in the same way that Toni Kukoc and his unguardable inside-outside offensive game resulted in a bevy of European players being brought into the league.

Anyway, specifically, I think that the Kings should trade for Eric Dampier. He would help them with rebounding and defense tremendously. Another possibility is Ben Wallace. The Pistons are so desperate for a big man who can score that they would probably be willing to overlook that Webber is not a low-post scorer. The move makes even more sense, since Webber is from the area. Other potential moves include trading for Carlos Boozer/Eric Williams or maybe for a Kenny Thomas/Samuel Dalembert package.

Regardless of who the Kings receive in return, they will be better off by not having Webber around, and in the process, will position themselves for a run at the championship... well, wait a second... I guess the Kings could make all the trades in the world and have a perfect roster, but they would still be unable to win the championship, because Rick Adelman is their coach and he would find a way for them to lose.

Note: It has been nice to see the question, "are the Kings better without Webber?" appearing on various sports shows, despite the fact that the analysts only bring up the argument to refute it and claim that the Kings cannot win in the playoffs without Webber. I am just impressed that they would bring up this question, which, in the past, was considered sacrilegious.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.