Hall of Famer Chris Webber Talks NBA Playoffs, Flopping & More with Rich

Chris Webber watched Draymond Green sit in Shaq's chair on Inside the NBA and talk about redefining success, and the Hall of Famer landed somewhere more interesting than agreement or pushback.

Webber joined Rich and started with a correction that doubled as a credo.

"Championships matter, whether you're lucky enough to play with the best center in the world or whether you're lucky enough to have the best coach in the world," Webber said. "Championships matter. And it's so hard to get a championship."

What Webber does not respect is the route some players take to get one.

"I've never had respect for championship chasers," he said, meaning the players who join any roster to collect a ring. "Most of those guys I talked to are empty because they're like, damn, I really didn't contribute. The city doesn't even remember that I was on that team."

That is why Green's comments did not bother him. Webber heard a player who already has his titles asking the right question about what comes next. He did not want Golden State to trade Klay Thompson, and he said the team did not get better for it. He would like to see Green finish his career as a Warrior.

"I would love to see Draymond retire there," Webber said. "That'd be a wonderful moment."

On the playoffs, Webber wanted the basketball world to take Cade Cunningham seriously. The Pistons guard brought Detroit back from a 3-1 series hole against Orlando while guarding the best player on the floor.

"There's no reason we shouldn't take him serious for the MVP," Webber said. "He's definitely, in my opinion, top five."

Webber also pushed back on the idea that the Knicks under Mike Brown are not built to defend. Effort, he argued, is not a scheme. Brown comes from the coaching tree of Bernie Bickerstaff, worked alongside Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr, and Webber said his offensive acumen is being slept on.

Then there was LeBron James, and the part of the interview where Webber sounded almost protective.

"It's funny that the old man is the most consistent and the most efficient, and we're talking about all these young guys and potential," Webber said. "Potential don't mean nothing until you prove it over a period of time."

The flopping conversation, sparked by Jaylen Brown, got the bluntest answer of the interview.

"I hate flopping, and I played with players that flop," Webber said. "It looks like WWF. Players are just too good for it."

Webber put the primary responsibility on officials. Shaq, he noted, could not flop, and opponents made him pay for it physically. He drew a line between embellishing contact, which he called acceptable, and flopping, which he called egregious. He told a story to make the point land.

"If my dad was in the room, I wouldn't let a guy weigh 100 pounds more push me and fall on the floor and flop," Webber said. "I'd be embarrassed in front of my pops."

The football fan in him wants one thing above all.

"All you want is consistency," he said. "I don't want to know the movie before it happens."

Rich and Webber closed on Michigan, with Webber relishing the program scheduling Duke and UConn in marquee buildings next season.

"You want to beat the best," Webber said. "All you can do is play your schedule."