Webber shows little rust

By AILENE VOISIN
Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Ten months of rehab and recovery. Ten months of questions and inquiries. Ten months of watching and waiting. Ten months of wondering when this night was going to occur, and when it did, how he would feel, how he would respond.

Chris Webber felt fine.

Chris Webber played better than fine.

Almost from the moment he stepped onto the court Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Kings' franchise player seemed to be playing a game within a game, sometimes elevating above the rim, other times doing his damage lower to the ground, but always acting as if this were merely a part of his normal routine instead of a long-awaited, much-debated return.

Ten months.

Was it really that long ago?

Webber was too good, too sharp.

Webber looked too much like the old Webber, scoring 26 points with ease, grabbing 12 rebounds and passing for four assists in 30 minutes.

"I watched him closely in practice," said Vlade Divac, "and I thought he was playing good. But I had no idea he could come out and play like this. This shows you what kind of team we can be for the playoffs."

Instead of taking the tiny, tentative steps that might have been the natural reaction for a player who hadn't played a game since crumpling to the court last May 8 in Dallas, Webber stretched his full 6-foot-10, 245-pound frame and gambled on the giant strides, placing his entire scoring repertoire on display.

Bank shots, left side. Jump hooks with either hand. Jump shots from the foul line. Jumpers from the wings. Left-handed runners in the lane. One reverse dunk that brought the sellout crowd to its feet in stunned amazement. And one gripping sequence that, of all his contributions in the low post, reminded everyone of what the Kings had been missing: After a Doug Christie miss, Webber exploded to the basket and tipped the ball, jumped and tipped it again, then, finally, just grabbed the ball and scored the layup on the right side.

"I did tell coach I wanted to be aggressive," he explained later. "The toughest part was letting the game come to me. It was great to be back on the court, to hear the fans out there. I was so pumped, I was about to kiss the floor."

His energy was contagious, the affection mutual. Arco hasn't rocked like this since the last playoff game. Webber was cheered when he ran onto the court for warmups, cheered when he was introduced, his teammates _ both new and old _ enjoying the moment almost as much as he did.

A lot has changed around here since that fateful day in May when Webber tore up his left knee. Brad Miller arrived and almost immediately reaffirmed himself as an All-Star, and more importantly, as an ideal fit in the locker room and on the court. Mike Bibby elevated his game to such an extent that no one even mentions the size of his salary. Divac has played like a man reborn _ or born considerably later than his listed 1968 birthdate. And Peja Stojakovic has both expanded his game and acquired the mentality of a "go-to" player and a legitimate MVP candidate.

If Webber had one regret, it was the fact that he was on the bench for the final 4:20, the stretch of time when the game was decided. He was forced to watch a scene that has become increasingly familiar _ the Kings getting the job done without him.

There was Divac hitting two free throws, Miller dropping in a pair and Christie calmly sinking two to put the game out of reach. And there was Peja, after being mugged most of the evening by Corey Maggette, breaking free in the closing minutes for a twisting layup, tossing in an off-balance driving bank shot from the right side, and then twice poking the ball loose for timely steals.

"I wanted to be in there so bad," said Webber, smiling, "but coach (Rick Adelman) has a plan about how many minutes I am going to be playing, so I just had to watch. "

Major tests loom, of course, both for the Kings collectively and Webber individually. How will the surgically repaired knee react to back-to-back game situations such as this weekend's trip to Miami and Orlando? And, eventually, one of the other Kings' big men (Miller or Divac) is going to be on the bench, watching, in the crucial closing minutes.

But at least a few answers were forthcoming after the game, namely, the fact that Webber experienced no discomfort during the game or in the immediate aftermath. And after these past 10 months? The other answers can wait.