Sacramento Kings forward Chris Webber, because of his charm, deception and basketball skills, is the lightning rod that unites, divides and brings attention to one of the NBA's best teams.
He elicits a reaction whether he's silent or talkative, on the court or not. So in bluntly answering questions about whether the future of his Kings team hinges on an NBA Finals appearance, the five-time all-star begged that interpretation of his remarks not delve any deeper than face value.
"In all honesty, yes," Webber said about his fear that Sacramento's roster could be broken up if it falls short of a title berth, again.
"It's very easy for there not to be a tomorrow. If you look at our team and our years of being together, it's kind of like dog years. We've been together for a long time. I don't think our window is closing if you keep us together but you never know what can happen."
Webber could very well be on to something. Owners Joe and Gavin Maloof have said the fun of just getting to the playoffs is old. Now is the time to really do something. Up 3-1 on the Dallas Mavericks entering Thursday night's fifth game of the best-of-seven, opening round, Western Conference playoff series, the Kings have positioned themselves to take another step toward a title.
Yet, skepticism abounds that even if Sacramento gets past Dallas, the odds are slim that the Kings can get through the Minnesota-Denver series winner then upset either San Antonio or the Los Angeles Lakers, who held a 3-1 edge over Houston entering Wednesday's game, just to reach the NBA Finals.
Much of the doubt looms because of Webber.
Though the 6-foot-11 forward leads Sacramento in scoring (21 points per game) and rebounding (9.5 per game) this postseason, his return from left knee surgery has been blamed for disrupting the Kings' symphonic flow after they established a 43-15 record behind all-star forward Peja Stojakovic. Webber suffered torn cartilage in last year's playoffs against Dallas and the Kings were, subsequently, eliminated. In addition to the 50 games missed this season while rehabbing, Webber was suspended an additional three games for pleading guilty to lying to a federal grand jury about accepting money while at the University of Michigan from a booster and five more games for violating the NBA's drug policy. The latter violation added more tarnish to a reputation that was soiled following an arrest involving drugs when Webber played for Washington, but later rehabilitated in Sacramento.
"We haven't been through it like this year, with the doubt and the booing and people expecting us to win a championship," Webber said. "Us going through adversity together, we've done that before."
After a season-ending 12-12 finish that amplified criticism of the team's character and Webber's supposed disruption-by-inclusion, the Kings won their first two playoff games and, perhaps temporarily, recycled some support.
"We took a deep breath and said we knew we could do it so all the talk, all the rumors, all the people saying we should do this, do that, this guy, that guy, we knew who we were," Webber said. "It gave us assurance that we are who we are."
It also let Webber and his teammates know that he is the key for making a title run, no matter how much he may slow them down because he's hardly at full strength; no matter how much he cuts into the number of shots once afforded to Stojakovic, Brad Miller and Mike Bibby.
"Of course he's still not confident about his injury; he was out for 10-plus months and I think the strength of his leg is not 100 percent but he's huge for us," said Stojakovic, who has struggled with his shot for much of the Dallas series. "He does so much. As the playoffs improve, I think he's going to get better and we're going to get better as a team."
Said Bibby: "If you ask me, I think he's been good the whole time. I don't think he's where he was before but I think he's good. He causes a lot of ruckus down there. He makes people help and that frees things up for us."
Webber said he frequently wakes up in pain and that during games and practices he feels twinges and discomfort in his knee. But if his team didn't have a shot at winning a title he said he wouldn't be playing. For a player frequently criticized for not wanting to step up in tough times, Webber said he can't envision himself not doing what he can at this juncture, even at the expense of possibly shaving years off his career.
"A guy who honestly has a chance to win a championship, I don't see why he wouldn't play [injured]," Webber said. "You're not promised anything. I just think you need to try to get the most out of it. Eleven years seems like five years and I've seen how fast it can go. I may not get this opportunity again.
"We all need to be reminded sometimes how lucky we are."