I recently read a column on the Detroit Free Press website about Chris Webber, authored by our very own Michigan Wolverines rep Nick Meyer. Congrats to Nick on the gig, you are a talented writing madman and deserve whatever accolades you receive in the future. Oh and by the way, your article about Chris Webber is laughable.

Nick Meyer's article: Remember Webber as one of the best power forwards ever

Nick decided to devote an hour or more of his time into defending someone who accepted more money while at Michigan than the President of the United States makes in a year.

He writes:

"Webber played 15 seasons in the NBA and went to the All-Star Game five times, a number that would have been higher if not for his horrific left knee injury. He may never have won a championship either in college or the NBA, but neither have guys like Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, or Dominique Wilkins.

Those guys get some flak for their lack of hardware, but not as much as Webber, who seems eternally stuck with the “loser” tag. That’s because everyone has the visual memory of the infamous timeout vs. North Carolina.

Nick is incredibly off base in so many ways that he must be a blinded Michigan fan, lost by the harsh reality that exists somewhere inbetween Ed Martin and Tommy "This ain't Duke anymore" Amaker. Sure, Michigan had a couple great years with the Fab 5 but those days were erased from the record books because of a selfish kid who took more money than I've ever heard of a college athlete taking.

The thing about the North Carolina game is Chris Webber did not royally screw up just once but twice, during the same posession. It's true, Webber rebounded the ball and dragged his pivot foot in a nervous, "oh my god oh my god oh my god" fashion. Then he ran to a corner and called timeout when Michigan had no timeouts, resulting in a technical foul and the rest is history.

But for me the thing that sticks out in my mind was the 2002 playoffs featuring the Sacramento Kings vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. I was pulling hardcore for the Kings because I was absolutely sick of the Lakers winning everything and was offended by the notion that they could be comparable to the Chicago Bulls dynasty (Bulls homer here). Indeed, Chris Webber was great for three quarters in the deciding game but then that pesky fourth quarter came and he looked like a, ummm, pussy. That's right, like someone with no balls. He made me feel dumb and ashamed for pulling for a team he played for. He looked like someone who would rather pass the ball at the end of the game rather than shoot. Mike Bibby carried the Kings on his back with one heroic shot after another. Webber had multiple opportunites to contribute but instead deferred to Bibby who actually won a college championship--playing within those pesky NCAA guidelines. But even with Bibby's amazing play he needed help from their "star" who refused to shine.

So at the end of the day Chris Webber is one of the most talented Forwards in basketball history. He was a phenomenal talent, skilled athlete and great basketball player. He was also a choke artist who deserves little sympathy. He has made mistakes, made millions and will be judged fairly by whoever decides to waste some of their time comtemplating the trials and tribulations of a man forever staring into the bright lights of title opportunities and reminding folks of why he chokes.

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io said:

thanks for giving me some exposure. i think Cwebb's game just wasnt designed to go one-on-one and create his own shot late in games. kevin garnett is the same way. swap cwebb for kg and you'd see the same results back then i think. but that doesnt mean they arent/werent both amazing players. shaq needed kobe to close games out for him most of the time due to his FT shooting. if cwebb had kobe he'd have 3 rings too.

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May 01, 2008
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Lloyds Apple said:

	You make some valid points, which is also why maybe Karl Malone and Charles Barkley never won a title either. Still, Webber did have Bibby and Bibby played lights out that series. It'll be interesting to see how the Celtics do the remainder of the playoffs with KG.
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May 01, 2008
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