Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Associated Press
PHOENIX - Chris Webber denied a published report Friday that he had asked the Philadelphia 76ers to trade him.
"No, I haven't asked to be traded," he said before the 76ers played the Phoenix Suns. "I did say I was frustrated with the situation, but that's pretty much as far as it goes."
Webber has talked with 76ers president Billy King about the star forward's unhappiness over a reduced role that's included three fourth-quarter benchings in the first seven games this season. In the 76ers' previous game, Webber sat out the final 15:45 of a victory at Seattle.
Webber's minutes and production have dramatically declined this season, and coach Maurice Cheeks has turned him into a $20 million role player.
"He just wants to play," Cheeks said Friday. "I don't mind him being upset about wanting to play. But this is not about individuals. This is about trying to win games. This is not punishment. This is nothing personal about any one guy.
"But I can understand his frustration."
Webber admitted that his frustration was building, but emphasized he did not request a trade, as reported by the Sacramento Bee.
"I was frustrated, but that's about it," Webber said.
Webber was on the bench in the second and fourth quarters against the Suns and scored only eight points in 20:42.
"You know he feels like he could help us if he was out there on the basketball court," teammate Allen Iverson said, "but it's out of his control and it's something he'll have to fight through. I'll be there to support him and give him as much positive energy as I can.
"He just wants to be on the court. His whole thing is not that he needs the ball or he needs his shot and stuff like that. That's not what he's concerned about. That's not what he's worried about. He's worried about being in the game. He wants to play."
Webber said he had spoken with King, "and he knows that I'm frustrated."
"That's obvious from the time that I played before and the time that I'm playing now," he added. "It's nothing more than frustration."
King said Thursday night he's talked recently with Webber but did not say if a trade was requested. Webber is due another $22 million next year in the final season of his contract.
"The focus has been on the team all year, and Chris is an important member of the team," King said. "Maurice has been making decisions each game that he and the staff feel will give us the best opportunity to succeed, and I support him in the decision-making process."
Webber is averaging 10.3 points on 37 percent shooting in 30.6 minutes, well off his 14-year career averages of 21.5 points on 48 percent shooting in 37.9 minutes.
"I'm not going to keep playing like this," Webber told the Bee after scoring six points Wednesday night in Seattle. "I don't like this role."
Since Webber was traded from Sacramento to Philadelphia before the 2005 trade deadline, he's never really seemed to be happy playing with a franchise that has hovered around .500 since his arrival. He clashed with former coach Jim O'Brien at the end of 2005, calling his half-season the worst situation of his basketball career.
But he rebounded with a strong season under Cheeks last year, averaging 20.2 points and 9.9 rebounds in 75 games, the most games he'd played in the last six seasons.