District303aPastPlayer
01-15-2007, 11:45 AM
Pistons win sweepstakes, will sign Webber Tuesday
By Marc Stein, ESPN.com
Chris Webber is headed to Motown.
http://espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/1272.jpg Chris Webber
Webber told ESPN.com that he has chosen to sign with the Detroit Pistons and is flying home Monday to spend Martin Luther King Day with family members.
He can officially sign with the Pistons on Tuesday after clearing waivers.
Webber has been at the center of speculation since being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, with the Lakers, Pistons, Heat, and Mavericks listed among the top candidates for Webber's new home.
"There has been nothing that has turned him against Detroit," Webber's agent, Aaron Goodwin, said in the Detroit News prior to Webber's decision. "Detroit has been professional and aggressive in their pursuit. They have let Chris know how badly they want him, and that's been from Joe (Dumars) to Flip (Saunders) and down to the players.
"Nothing has turned negative against Detroit, other than other Eastern Conference teams not wanting him to go to Detroit," Goodwin said in the News.
The Pistons are 21-14 and in second place in the Central Division.
Webber talked with the Lakers on Saturday.
"It was a good conversation both ways," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, quoted in the Los Angeles Times on Monday. "He's got a decision to make. He didn't give me any indication. I just told him that he could help us ... He wants significant minutes. I said, 'I don't know what that converts to, but you can have an influence on the team.' That's all any player can really want."
Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.
By Marc Stein, ESPN.com
Chris Webber is headed to Motown.
http://espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/1272.jpg Chris Webber
Webber told ESPN.com that he has chosen to sign with the Detroit Pistons and is flying home Monday to spend Martin Luther King Day with family members.
He can officially sign with the Pistons on Tuesday after clearing waivers.
Webber has been at the center of speculation since being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, with the Lakers, Pistons, Heat, and Mavericks listed among the top candidates for Webber's new home.
"There has been nothing that has turned him against Detroit," Webber's agent, Aaron Goodwin, said in the Detroit News prior to Webber's decision. "Detroit has been professional and aggressive in their pursuit. They have let Chris know how badly they want him, and that's been from Joe (Dumars) to Flip (Saunders) and down to the players.
"Nothing has turned negative against Detroit, other than other Eastern Conference teams not wanting him to go to Detroit," Goodwin said in the News.
The Pistons are 21-14 and in second place in the Central Division.
Webber talked with the Lakers on Saturday.
"It was a good conversation both ways," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, quoted in the Los Angeles Times on Monday. "He's got a decision to make. He didn't give me any indication. I just told him that he could help us ... He wants significant minutes. I said, 'I don't know what that converts to, but you can have an influence on the team.' That's all any player can really want."
Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.