Webber's career ends exactly like Penny's
Only a half-dozen weeks into his comeback attempt with the Golden State Warriors, Chris Webber will officially hang up his basketball this afternoon. The 35 year-old played just nine games with the high-scoring Warriors before missing the last twelve games due to a nagging knee injury.
The synergy between the careers of Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway is really astounding. Webber was drafted by the Orlando Magic back in 1993, but was traded for Hardaway later in the draft. Both excelled early on with their new teams: Hardaway teamed with Shaquille O'Neal and reached the Finals in just his second year; Webber averaged 17.5 PPG and was named the Rookie of the Year.
Chemistry issues forced both players to endure losing seasons. Webber couldn't ingratiate himself into Don Nelson's small ball offense and forced a trade to Washington after one season. Hardaway didn't appeal to Brian Hill's way of coaching and forced him out when Shaq left join to the Lakers.
Injuries then proceeded to ruin their hopes of ever winning a title. Both players had microfracture knee surgery, which until recently was a death sentence for a player's versatility. Hardaway never recovered. He bounced from Phoenix to New York and failed to resemble the Penny Hardaway of old. Injuries hurt Webber even before his microfracture surgery in 2003. In 2002, C-Webb's Sacramento Kings took the LA Lakers to seven games in the Conference Finals; they might have won had Peja Stojakovic not been completely ineffective due to a bum ankle. Sacramento was even better the following year and probably would've gone to the Finals, but Webber went out with an injury and cost his team a shot at the title.
After that, Webber and Hardaway bounced to a couple teams. Hardaway was traded back to Orlando for Steve Francis only to be waived instantly. Webber was shipped to Philadelphia with Allen Iverson and then to Detroit in 2007. By July 2007, both players were out of work. Hardaway hadn't played in two years and Webber's immobility made him very undesirable.
So how fitting was it that these two players, intertwined from day one, ended their careers in the same year in identical fashion: reuniting with old teammates only to resign in failure. Hardaway rejoined Shaquille O'Neal on the Miami Heat and looked slower and less athletic than ever. Penny was waived only a few weeks in, effectively ending his career. On the other side, Webber tagged on to Golden State where he was reacquainted with Don Nelson. Nine games and 3.9 PPG later, the C-Webb experiment came to a close.
Webber has a much better shot than Penny at getting into the Hall of Fame. Hardaway's later years of mediocrity ruined his career averages (15.2 PPG and 5 APG isn't Hall of Fame worthy). Webber's career average of 20 points and 10 rebounds certainly makes him considerable, but his lack of a championship ring will cost him. If Shawn Kemp, who was just as good a player in the 90's, can't get in, it won't bode well for C-Webb.
