Webber On The Mend
Webber Rehab Q&A
Chris Webber hosted 35 members of the media at the Kings Practice
Facility on Thursday (Oct. 16), giving them complete access to his
workout routine as he tries to come back from a knee injury suffered
last spring in the NBA Playoffs. From simple leg bends to running in
an enlosed water-filled treadmill, those who attended were allowed to
participate in the exact same exercises Webber and assistant trainer
Manny Romero go through on a daily basis. Afterwards, CWebb spoke
candidly to Kings.com about his comeback.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kings.com: How are you feeling right now?
Webber: “I feel good. Right now, I'm strenghthening muscles that
were pretty strong on me already. So I'm really going to
feel confident when I come back and play. ”
Kings.com: Are you able to run?
Webber: “I'm allowed to run now. I can do two miles on the treadmill.
I walk a quarter mile, run a quarter mile, walk a quarter mile,
run a quarter mile, walk a quarter mile, run a quarter mile.
And I don't feel any pain when I run on the treadmill.”
Kings.com: Do you know when you'll be back?
Webber:“Truthfully, I've been leary to ask. I've just been working
out. And when I go back to see Dr. Andrews in the next two
weeks or so, he'll give me a date. Right now, it's in the
period where I haven't even asked. I just wanted to make
sure that when he saw me, he would say 'Well, I thought it
would take this long. But you're on pace for this date.' But
to answer your question, I don't know. In the mean time, I've
just been trying to work as hard so my knee can be that much
better. But I'm really working, I'm really grinding. I expect
good things to happen. But I don't want to make a silly
decision and try to come back too early. If it's ready, it's
ready. And it's going to be ready real soon. ”
Kings.com: What do your rehab workouts consist of?
Webber: “I'm still lifting. The main thing is that I've been doing
a lot of shooting. And I feel really good about my shot right
now. I feel good about my free throws and my jump shot. And
I've only been able to shoot jumpers four or five days. But
they're sets of about 200 right now. Sometimes we accomplish
it, sometimes we don't. One thing I don't want to do is come
back healthy and not have my touch. And I've been working a
lot on my ballhandling and other different things so that
hopefully, not to make any excuses, I can attack the basket
like I used to be able to do. Because I'm a one-legged jumper.
And this left leg is going to be really important for me to
get off the ground.”
Kings.com: You previously said you were looking forward to playing
above the rim. What does that mean?
Webber: “The last year Jason (Williams) was here, before every game
I would do this game. It was a dunk I did in high school that's
pretty hard to do. But I felt that year that I had my best hops
ever. And then I hurt my ankle in the playoffs against Utah.
Right now, I want to get back to my freshman year in college
type of hops. And I really think that's possible. Even if I
come back 90 % on my knee, if my ankle is healthy, I will have
a lot of my hops back. Because I've learned to play on the
ground. Hopefully, I can use that wisdom I learned to play like
a Karl Malone or like other players with pump fakes. Things
like that. I've kind of redefined myself. I've come into a way
I've been playing last three years because of injuries. And I'm
just really looking forward to being healthy. If I play above
the rim, it will be good. I could run the break, I could do
other things I used to do. I am looking forward to it. And I
think it's possible too. ”
Kings.com: Do you feel like your game has evolved over the years?
Webber: “Definitely, which I think is great. Because I think it's
great when you have a jump shot as a big man. The only thing
is that your pump fake has to work because people will believe
you will go by them. I remember last year when I was going iso
against Shawn Bradley. And I remember thinking 'Why am I going
by him laying it up?' You have to dunk on big men. I remember
just being frustrated at times. Just having the hops back in
the game where you put fear into your opponent. If your jumper
is that good and they think you're going to go by, then you're
going to get that much more of an open jumper. ”
Kings.com: Does it still surprise you that they give you the 17-foot
jumper?
Webber: “It surprises me. But at the same time, sometimes they know
that any given time, I can summond some type of strenghth off
my legs. So, I'd much rather give a guy a jumper. But I don't
think people realize how many jumpers I shoot. And I don't
think your height dictates what you should do. You should be
a player at any situation. Have I relied on that too much? Yes
, I have. Even if I was healthy. But at the same time, I think
that's a part of my game that I really love about. Especially
on this team, where we have a lot of high-post passers. It
also opens up your passing lanes when guys are up close and I
have guys like Mike (Bibby) going by. ”
Kings.com: Coming back from an injury like this, what is more
challenging? The mental aspect or the physical aspect?
Webber: “I think the mental side. Because when you're an athlete,
you want to do the physical side. But mentally, this has been
really hard. Just the pain and the time when nobody sees you.
Just depression. I had to fight that this summer. You can have
anything in the world. But if things aren't going your way, it
really gets hard. Just the fact that there were a lot of long
nights, not being able to do anything and not wanting to do
anything. Not wanting to go out to dinner, not wanting to hear
'It's going to be ok'. Because at times, it's just words. And
there are times when words can only do so much. It was really
though. And I'm sure it was tough on my family. Because some-
times, you want to be by yourself, like be in a dungeon, and
just work your way out of it. So, menally, it was tough.”
Kings.com: What music do you usually lift weights to?
Webber:“You know what? It depends. I've listened to stuff like Nas
or Norah Jones. It really depends on the mood I'm in. I'd
proabably listen to almost anything. I remember when I was
in New York I bought Johnny Cash's CD when he died. So, it
depends on the mood.”
Kings.com: What's the toughest thing about having to rehab while the
rest of your team is getting ready for the season?
Webber: “The toughest thing was sitting at the game the other day
(against Houston). But you have to balance that and be there
to encourage your team. But it's very tough because you feel
like you can't do anything and you feel like 'What am I here
for?'. I can't help anybody. So, it's really tough. Especially
when you want to be out there on the floor. Noone wants to be
injured. If I could be healthy everyday, it would be great for
me. When you have goals or records you want to set or things
you want to do, or be the type of player you want to be known
as, it's hard when you go through injuries and people can
rightfully so say things like 'Well, how durable is he?' And
those are valid questions. it's frustrating. Because unless
you prove it otherwise, that's just how it is. ”
Kings.com: Has anyone on the team been helpful as far as providing
encouragement during your rehab?
Webber: “A lot of people have reached out and called and have
encouraged me. I was at the grocery store the other day.
And two little girls asked if they could touched my knee.
They rubbed on it and they said 'I just gave you good luck.'
Any words of encouragement have been helpful over the time.
There have been a lot of people in a lot of situations that
have helped me take the focus off the knee and what I'm going
through. ”
Kings.com: How is it going to feel when you get that first dunk back
on the floor?
Webber: “I will get a technical. For excessive hanging on the rim.
Definitely. ”
Kings.com: Is this the best frontcourt this team has had after
aqcuiring Bran Miller, Tony Massenburg and Darius Songlaila?
Webber:“Songaila has really impressed me. He's really a Kings-type
of player to put on the floor with his shooting. He's smart.
I think so. But I think we still have to overcome the
chemistry factor. I think that is going to be the telltale
sign. No necessarily because of talent. But the way we knew
eachother (last year) and the way we would sacrifice for
eachother. So, I think every man on this team is going to
have to step up and be held accountable. We do have a strong
frontcourt. But the entire Western Conference has gotten
stronger as a whole as well. So, we're going to have some
tough matchups. ”
Kings.com: What are your thoughts on the acquisitions other teams
have made, like Dallas, Minnesota and the L.A. Lakers?
Webber:“I think the Timberwolves are a scary situation. Because I
know those guys. It's not always what the word is on them.
Sometimes, it's just about what it is. Sam Cassell is a
heck of a player. And he's won championships before. And
he's gonna put the ball up and shoot. I saw that he said
he's going to make Spree (Latrell Sprewell) back into
being he chest-bumping, running down the floor, dunking
player he used to be. And if Spree has that energy, with
those people around him, it's going to be scary. Because
he has something to prove. K.G. (Kevin Garnett) has to
prove that he wants to get out of the first round and that
he's as good as he is. (Michael) Olowakandi wants to prove
he's not just going to sign a contract and just lie down.
Wally Szczerbiak wants to prove that he's still a great
shooter. And now, he has help. When guys have something to
prove, to me, that's the scariest time to play them. L.A.
with Gary Payton, he's the only point guard everyone will
listen to, no matter who you are. I've played with him in
All-Star Games and I've seen him get on people. He's the
only one who has that right because he' has that right
because he's been through it. He's more of a veteran than
a lot of guys on the league. He plays defense and he does
not really care about his scoring. He's been to the finals
but hasn't won a championship. So I think just the move of
getting him, along with Karl Malone and even Horace Grant
coming off the bench. They have veterans that have won and
done it before. I think that they have done a good job.
With that said, I know they'll be able to get along and
work together. And that's going to be scary.”
Kings.com: You say there are teams out there with something to prove.
What do the Kings have to prove?
Webber: “We have to prove that success doesn't come easy. And when
you work for it, we can keep it going. The last five years,
we've had the top three records in all of sports. We have to
prove that it wasn't a fluke. And we have to prove that we're
tougher than we used to be. And we have to prove no matter
what adversity comes our way, we can still stand up to it. Me,
personally, I want to prove that this injury doesn't control
me. That I control the injury. I want to prove that I have yet
to reach my full potential. And hopefully when I'm healthy, I
can show the full player I can be - from jump shooting to post
play. Even from three-point shots to a left-hand jump hook to
being an 85 percent free-throw shooter. I have a lot to prove
to myself. Because it's been a good run. But it's nowhere near
over. I feel I have a good seven years left to play this game.
And I haven't been healthy for the last three. Hopefully, the
Lord will bless me to be healthy and I can play like I did
when I was 25. ”
Kings.com: What are your thoughts as far as yourself and the Kings
when you look into the near future?
Webber:“I want to retire here. I want to win a championship just as
much. I saw it in Patrick Ewing's eyes that one year when he
wasn't with the Knicks. Hopefully, I've earned the right to
stay here for the rest of my career. ”
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/Webber_Rehab_QA-86849-58.html
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 61.224.100.79