It would be easy to assume that Sacramento Kings superstar free-agent-to-be Chris Webber fired his agent for being ineffective.

	Chris Webber, center, will be surrounded by free-agent bidders this summer.

After all, there are a number of times that Fallasha Erwin, Webber's agent, friend and confidante since Webber came into the league as the No. 1 draft pick in 1993, did not get done what was in the best interest of Webber at the time.

Take, for instance, Webber's rookie season. Remember Lil' Penny, the ubiquitous puppet that was Anfernee Hardaway's alter ego or best friend or, come to think of it, what the hell was Lil' Penny supposed to be?

Anyway, guess what, that was supposed to be Lil' Chris. Well, maybe not EXACTLY Lil' Chris, but something very close to it.

"My rookie year, we were having discussions with Nike where there was supposed to be a major marketing campaign built around me," Webber says. "But my relationship with Nike soured."

Webber would not say it soured because of Erwin, but sources told me that Erwin had such a contentious relationship with Nike that they finally threw up their hands and came up with Lil' Penny instead.

A few years later, Webber split with Nike altogether, and the marketing campaign, the CWebb shoes that were supposed to come out, everything, it was thrown away.

Not just Nike, though. Erwin had combative relationships with the management at Golden State and with the management at Washington, to the point where Wizards general manager Wes Unseld stopped taking Erwin's calls one season.

And when Webber was traded to Sacramento, Erwin immediately tried to get Webber out of there, calling Kings management and telling them Webber may not report.

I know Fallasha, and he is not a bad guy. He's smart, articulate and pretty good at what he does, but he does not play into the whole diplomatic game that many agents do. He'll tell it like it is, ask for what he wants and not worry if he is offending anybody.

But in the world of the NBA, where diplomacy plays a large part, Erwin rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. In a way, he mirrors Webber's personality, or at least how Webber used to be.

So I asked Webber Wednesday night if, in light of his impending free agency and his complete lack of endorsement deals at a time when Webber is being considered for MVP of the league, he fired Erwin because a) Erwin can't speak with half the GMs in the league at a time when he would need to be speaking with ALL the GMs in the league and b) Erwin did not get Webber enough endorsements.

	“	The one thing I have realized is that it's not about how fancy your team is, not about your uniforms, it's about winning a championship. It's not about where you live. Especially not being in Sacramento, it's not about where you live. It's about, can you win? That is going to be the basis of my decision. I know there is no guarantees. ”
		— Webber

Webber took the last one first.

"What endorsements?" he asked.

"That's the point," I told him. "You don't have any."

And in a sign that Chris Webber has matured, he did not blame Erwin. In fact, he blamed himself.

"I lost a lot of the stuff I had because of what happened in Washington," he said. "I take responsibility for what happened in Washington. I took it for granted, and I messed that up."

He said he has seven-figure offers from three shoe companies to do deals. But he has chosen not to sign with any this season, for motivational purposes.

"You have to remember, I was banished to Sacramento," Webber said. "I was being punished by the league for what happened in Washington. So I decided not to take any endorsements this year. I use that as inspiration. If I took them, I think it would make me feel soft."

What about Erwin's inability to speak with GMs because of past history?

"I won't lie to you and tell you there weren't problems," Webber said. "But really, what do I need an agent for? I know how much money I am going to get. I don't need anybody to negotiate a contract for me. And if I did, I do business with people outside of basketball who do much larger contracts than anything ever done in the NBA. I would get them to help me. Honestly, the split between me and Fallasha was peaceful."

Our conversation eventually led to the big question on everybody's mind: Where is he going to go next season?

I love Webber, because his answers always seem to be enigmas wrapped in riddles. He tells you just enough so you get a hint of what he wants to say, but he never gives you the full flavor.

I had read that he wants to be with a team that hates to lose. I tried to nail him down on it. What does that mean, exactly? How can you tell?

"You can tell. In Washington, with Juwan (Howard) after a game, you couldn't talk to him. If you were a stewardess, you could talk to him. If you were somebody that didn't have anything to do with basketball, you could talk to him. If you were on the team, don't say nothing to him. And it wasn't an arrogant thing, it was just, 'I am hurting right now.' That's how it was with Spree. When he used to lose, he was somebody who was carefree, but when he lost he was a totally different person. And it was like, 'OK, we lost, I'll talk to you later.' And I like that. Because I like guys who take their jobs seriously. When a guy has so much pride that he hurts when you lose, that's what a team is, I think. I always like to laugh and joke, but when you lose, that hurts me. And I don't want to be in that situation."

So, I asked, are the Kings like that?

"We all have different personalities, and that's something I have to understand," Webber said. "Some guys handle losing in different ways. But this isn't the most serious team I've been on."

Webber said winning will be a big part of his decision-making this summer.

"I have played with a lot of great players in my career," Webber said. "The one thing I have realized is that it's not about how fancy your team is, not about your uniforms, it's about winning a championship. It's not about where you live. Especially not being in Sacramento, it's not about where you live. It's about, can you win? That is going to be the basis of my decision. I know there is no guarantees.

"I heard (Charles) Barkley saying last year, 'If I don't win one, I'm OK with that.' I don't know if I could handle not winning a championship. Especially after not winning one in college. Never winning one, that would be a hard pill to swallow. Especially when you have confidence in yourself. So wherever I feel I have the best chance to win a championship, that's where I want to be."

Some people feel his best chance to win a title is in Sacramento, which has the best record in the West right now and is probably as deep and talented as any team out there.

So I tried to nail him down again. If you win a championship in Sacramento this year, does that guarantee your return?

"I'm not sure," he said. "That is a good question. I would like to have to answer that question. That would be a good situation."

Sometimes you have to hit guys over the head. So I picked up the hammer.

Chris, didn't you just say winning is the basis of your decision, and isn't winning a championship this year winning? Why would you not want to come back?

"Because I would want to win some more," he said.

If I were a betting man, I'd say: Sacramento, enjoy him while you can.

Frank Hughes covers the NBA for the Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune. He is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.