The Sacramento Kings were able to re-sign Chris Webber when most of the basketball world thought he was gone at the end of the season. Unless they worked out a sign-and-trade deal that would really benefit them, re-signing Webber was the best thing that could happen to Sacramento.

With all the changes taking place in San Antonio, and the Spurs' sudden unraveling in the Western Conference finals, Webber's return establishes the Kings as the conference's leading challenger to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Kings are going to be better with point guard Mike Bibby, who will make a big difference. While Bibby is not a standout defender, he is not the weak defender that Jason Williams is. Doug Christie's re-signing is also significant because he and Bobby Jackson made the Kings' backcourt stronger defensively

Predrag Stojakovic and Hidayet Turkoglu have both made progress and should step up more next season. Adelman really likes Turkoglu. Before the Kings traded for Bibby, Adelman was even considering using Turkoglu as a point guard

The Kings are solid in the middle with Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard. First-round pick Gerald Wallace will be a nice addition. He's athletic and should fit well into Adelman's system. I know the 76ers had Wallace on the list of players they coveted in the draft, but the Kings picked ahead of them. The same thing happened last season with Turkoglu.

I thought Webber kind of coasted during the latter part of the season, and so did the Kings. Even the players sensed he was a different player after the NBA All-Star Game. Maybe Webber will come back next season rejuvenated. Looking ahead, he should feel good about the Kings.