The free-agent stint of Chris Webber was scrutinized by Kings fans last summer as if they were money managers tracking the stock market.
Webber's $122 million contract was almost an afterthought since the direction of Sacramento's franchise ostensibly was held in the balance. But when Webber missed the first 20 games of the season with a sprained left ankle, Sacramento raced to its best start in franchise history at 15-5.
And in an NBA conundrum, the Kings slowed a bit after Webber's delayed debut Dec. 9.
The doesn't mean that the Sonics are somehow better off when a healthy Webber and the Kings visit KeyArena at 7 tonight (KONG).
Sacramento is probably talented enough to win 50 games without the 6-foot-10 Webber. But psychology played as much a part, the Sonics players said, as physical skills in Sacramento's 15-5 start without Webber.
"There's no question," Sonics Coach Nate McMillan said. "They have good talent behind him. Most times they look at it as an opportunity: freedom to just play as opposed to having restrictions when (Webber) is in there. A lot of times there's more ball movement.
"When teams know that they have their big brother or their main guy in there, they tend to relax because they know they can get a good shot any time they want with him."