Chris Webber Might 'Disappear' If He Wins a Title

Chris Webber came to Detroit this January because he wanted to help his hometown Pistons win a title. If he accomplishes that feat, what will he do for an encore? If you believe him, he might just ride the storybook ending to retirement. From the New York Post:

Asked about his summer free agency, Webber said, "I'm not really looking at this summer. Looking at seeing if I can win a championship right now. Not thinking of next year. If I win one, I just might disappear. You know what I'm saying."

Asked if he meant disappear as in retire, Webber said, "I got to win a championship this year and I might then disappear. I don't even know."

Of course, that's easy to say now, but next summer when there's several offers from around the league on the table, it'd be just as easy to see him keep playing, whether he reports to camp a champion or not.

But where might he sign? If he doesn't return to the Pistons, the Knicks are a legitimate possibility -- C-Webb admitted to the Post that he asked his agents to try working out a trade to the Knicks this past summer. But while Webber's low-post passing would be a god-send next to the black hole known as Eddy Curry, would Thomas really risk stunting the development of guys like Channing Frye and David Lee by bringing in a veteran to start over them? Of course he would -- this is Thomas we're talking about.

Another possibility is the Lakers, a team that Webber admitted he probably would have signed with had he been a free agent at the beginning of the year, when he could've had a full training camp to learn the triangle offense. No matter what, though, even with the rest of his buyout coming from the Sixers, Webber almost certainly won't accept playing for the veteran's minimum contract yet again. The Post suggests he'll probably command most of the $5 million mid-level exception, which sounds about right for me.