It's official. Can you believe Chris Webber- CHRIS WEBBER (!)- and Don Nelson- DON NELSON(!)- are both back on the Warriors?
Someone pinch me.
[photo: warriors.com]
The golden welcome for our old friend resumes... after the jump!
CWebb on the World Wide Web.
Here's Webber's take on the return to Dubs land 14 years later:
"It is with great pride and humility that I announce my return to the Golden State Warriors - the place where it all started. This organization and city has always had a special place in my heart because it is where my dream of being a NBA player first came true" stated Chris Webber. "I am looking forward to playing with Baron, Stephen and the rest of the crew and I am extremely excited to be reunited with the fans of Oakland along with Coach Nelson and my former teammate Mully (Chris Mullin). In playing with Nellie before, I know how much fun his style of "ball" can be. I BELIEVE great things are in store and I can't wait to put on that #4 jersey again. I can't wait to get on the court!"
I think this deserves a big phat Boom Dizzle YA DIGG?!
But CJ- watch your back kid! Looks like CWebb's coming for your #4 jersey.
Definitely head on over to Chris Webber's website and make sure to check out this must see TV highlighting his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors.
Let me just disclose this up front: I am one of the the biggest Chris Webber fan/ apologists around. I'll even go so far to say that I think CWebb's eyes are far prettier than even KNBR's Ralph Barbieri does (please tell me you caught that old skool reference- thank you! thank you!). I BELIEVE this is a fantastic move for the Warriors, Nellie, Webber, and longtime fans. This man still has a lot of game left because of the amazing hoops talents he's been blessed with and his incredibly high hoops IQ (just not with time outs!). The Warriors just got smarter and more savvy.
For those of you who think Webber can't run the fast break with the Warriors- who cares? That's what Monta, BD, Jack, and Barnes are for. How many times have you seen Andris Biedrins or even Al Harrington finish a fastbreak for Nellie this season? I'll go so far to say that CWebb could make them an even deadlier fast break team with his tremendous outlet passing and rebounding abilities. Also, when teams force the Warriors to run a halfcourt offense they jack up a ton of silly three's. The Warriors are simply not a very good half court offensive team, but Webber helps them out in this area by giving them a midrange threat and a stunning halfcourt passer. Check here for some of my rough thoughts on this with more to follow.
Longtime GSoM reader Zorgon dug up one of the rare good, bold predictions that I've made over the years (I swear I must bat worse than the 2007 Giants at those) from May 21, 2006 when then Warriors were sitting out of the playoffs were the 12th straight time post-Webber that I made in a response to OG community member kirkkazas:
The funny thing is...
If the Warriors brought in Nellie and CWebb next season to replace Monty and say Troy Murphy, they'd probably be in the playoffs.
After Zorgon caught my rare hit, RubberDubDubs pleaded for me to say that the Dubs will probably have a championship by the end of this season in the hopes that I would get lucky again. If I predicted the Warriors will probably win the 2007-2008 NBA crown most of you would stop reading righ now (and I'd stop typing!), so I won't. However, this actually brings up a great topic from the Webber/ Nellie angle though.
Chris Webber: The man's got everything in his basketball career. He has the stats (a whopping 10 20-9 seasons), the accolades (1994 ROY, 5 time All-Star, 5 time All-NBA), plenty of success (back to back NCAA Championship appearances, 12 trips to the playoffs), and even the honeys (ahem, Tyra Banks). The only thing missing from his resume is a championship.
Don Nelson: The man's got everything in his NBA coaching career. He has the numbers (over 1,200 coaching victories), the accolades (3 NBA Coach of the Year trophies), plenty of success (18 trips to the playoffs + the greatest upset in NBA Playoff history), and even a trademark in Nellieball. The only thing missing from his coaching resume is a championship.
I will predict this though- this is just a sign of things to come for the here and now. Webber and Nellie have absolutely nothing left to play for, but to win a championship. They know this. Mully and the Warriors front office know this. We know this. Everyone knows this. This could be a major turning point.
The Warriors aren't done dealing and we aren't done BELIEVEing.
GSoM's CWeb:
- Rumor: Warriors "Seriously Interested" in Chris Webber
- Rumor: Chris Webber to the Warriors by Tuesday 1/29/08
- Chris Webber Says "It's a Done Deal"
More linkage:
- Shocking dialogue: Chris Webber and Don Nelson, together again [Yahoo Sports!]: Pure comedy from GSoM friend Kelly Dwyer.
- Nellie's vision -- a five-day "mini-camp" for Webber [SFGate]: To start or not to start? But first it's all about mini-camp.
- Ailene Voisin: Now that they're older, Webber-Nelson just might be better [SacBee]: Don't underestimate the role Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Matt Barnes played in the CWebb acquisition.
- Chris Webber Q&A With Matt Steinmetz [Warriors.com]
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