Detroit Pistons: Top 5 greatest one-season wonders in team history
By Steve Zavala
2. Chris Webber — 2006–2007 season
In January of 2007, Chris Webber was already at the back end of his NBA career. The Philadelphia 76ers had just released Webber after a tumultuous and drama-filled exit. The 33-year-old still had much left in the tank to be a formidable contributor on a championship-contending team.
It only took him less than a week to find a new team as he returned home to sign with the Pistons. The team had lost Ben Wallace in the offseason to the Chicago Bulls, so they desperately needed more size in the paint to balance the squad.
Webber started in 42 of 43 games for the team over the second half of the season with playing time being alternated between the four and five positions. He fit in nicely on a team known for operating under their keen defensive identity. The Pistons got just what they were looking for as he averaged a quality 11.3 points per game on 48.9 percent shooting.
Webber helped push the team to yet another 50-win season and an opponent’s points per game allowed an average of 91.8, which ranked second in the NBA.
The five-time All-Star had his ups and downs in the playoffs. His best performance came against Ben Wallace and the improved Bulls in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where he went off for 22 points on 90.9 percent shooting. With a good mix of low-post and perimeter scoring, it became a spectacle to see a vintage performance from a once polished big.
Webber’s hopes of a first career NBA Finals appearance would eventually be dashed as the Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games.
His homecoming lasted only a season as he signed with the Golden State Warriors a year later.