Another ESPN scoop

I know there's at least one new example of this every day, but oh well. ESPN used one paragraph with Webber's e-mail reply and tied it in with other stories. But the second paragraph is what bugs me most. There's nothing in the story that suggests, "Webber told ESPN.com" anything. I know they always deceive etc., but what makes a reporter, Marc Stein, OK with this being put in?



Updated: Jan. 15, 2007, 12:13 PM ET
Pistons win sweepstakes, will sign Webber Tuesday
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Chris Webber is headed to Motown.

Webber told ESPN.com that he has chosen to sign with the Detroit Pistons and is flying home Monday to spend Martin Luther King Day with family members.

He can officially sign with the Pistons on Tuesday after clearing waivers at 2 p.m. ET.

When asked for an update on his future, Webber told The Associated Press in an e-mail: "Detroit homie..... Detroit!"

Webber did not immediately respond Monday to follow-up e-mails seeking elaboration. Pistons spokesman Matt Dobek said the team wouldn't comment until Webber clears waivers.

Webber has been at the center of speculation since being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, with the Lakers, Pistons, Heat, and Mavericks listed among the top candidates for Webber's new home.

"There has been nothing that has turned him against Detroit," Webber's agent, Aaron Goodwin, said in the Detroit News prior to Webber's decision. "Detroit has been professional and aggressive in their pursuit. They have let Chris know how badly they want him, and that's been from Joe [Dumars] to Flip [Saunders] and down to the players.

"Nothing has turned negative against Detroit, other than other Eastern Conference teams not wanting him to go to Detroit," Goodwin said in the News.

The Pistons are 21-14 and in second place in the Central Division.

Webber talked with the Lakers on Saturday.

"It was a good conversation both ways," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, quoted in the Los Angeles Times on Monday. "He's got a decision to make. He didn't give me any indication. I just told him that he could help us ... He wants significant minutes. I said, 'I don't know what that converts to, but you can have an influence on the team.' That's all any player can really want."

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.

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AP-BKN PISTONS WEBBER, 2ND LD-WRITETHRU, noon
Webber appears headed to the Pistons
By LARRY LAGE
AP Sports Writer
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Chris Webber appeared headed back to Michigan and to the Detroit Pistons on Monday.

He told The Associated Press in an e-mail: "Detroit homie..... Detroit!" when asked for an update on his future.

Webber did not immediately respond to follow-up e-mails seeking elaboration later Monday morning, and Pistons spokesman Matt Dobek said the team wouldn't comment until the five-time All-Star clears waivers at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Messages also were left for Joe Dumars, Pistons president of basketball operations, and Webber's agent, Aaron Goodwin.

Webber was waived by Philadelphia on Thursday, a move that makes him an unrestricted free agent after clearing waivers on Tuesday - when he can sign a new deal.

If Webber returns home to Detroit, it will be to a place where his accomplishments at Michigan were tarnished by his ties to a booster that resulted in federal charges against him and NCAA sanctions for the university.

The 76ers cut ties Thursday with Webber by buying out the final 1 1/2 years of Webber's contract, which called for him to make nearly $21 million this season and $22 million next year.

Webber, the No. 1 pick overall in 1993, wanted a chance to contribute to a contending team.

Detroit would give him a chance to do that.

Webber might start at center next to power forward Rasheed Wallace for the Pistons, who have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and are the first team since the early 1990s to advance to four straight conference championships.

 

Another case of a Detroit team bringing back a washed-up player simply because of his Michigan ties.

 

True, but hard to argue with roster space and getting him for the minimum.

 

That's going to be my reply when anyone asks what I'm doing on Saturday night.

"Detroit, homey! Detroit!"

OR

"Cheetah's, homey! Cheetah's!"

Also, is homie in The AP stylebook like that? That's a comical story all around.

 

nba money is so out of whack it's a joke.

chris webber making $22 million, when tom brady makes $10 million?
what is albert pujols making - $14 mil.

something way wrong.

this is why bad tickets are in the $80-100 range and nobody i know can afford to go.

i wouldn't pay chris webber 22 cents - he's worthless.

 

How come Albom didn't have this scoop?

 

Others would be? (Not being a dick, I really can't name any...)

 

Desmond Howard comes to mind immediately.

 

I'm going to guess the Freep's 75-point head will be:

DETROIT, HOMEY, DETROIT!

 

Forgot about him; while he went to UM, he's a Cleveland guy...
I was blocked in thinking of native Michiganders/Detroiters....

 

I hope he remembers how many timeouts there are when he's with the Pistons.

 

really? and that's what i thought you were attempting -- rather well mind you -- to accomplish all this time. imagine that.