The Pistons were ahead by 20 points or so in the second half when a good moment got even better for him. His cell phone rang and on the other end was Aaron Goodwin. As he always does when a prominent agent calls, Dumars ran through the Rolodex in his mind of Goodwin’s clients.

When Goodwin asked his interest in Chris Webber, Dumars’ ears perked up a little more. Told that Webber and the Philadelphia 76ers were negotiating a buyout and that Webber’s first choice was to become a Piston, the team’s president embraced the idea - wholeheartedly and immediately.

And if he needed any selling, the core players on his team gladly would have provided it. When Dumars told Chauncey Billups of the possibility of Webber becoming his teammate, Billups enthusiastically endorsed the prospect of adding a five-time All-Star who ranks as one of the premier passing big men of his generation.

But Webber did a pretty good job selling it himself.

“When you establish your identity as a team, guys - if they choose to come to you - are choosing to come to that system. The first conversation I had with him, he was explaining to me, ‘Look, I understand your system. I understand you don’t have a one-star system. I’m at a point in my life and my career where I want to be surrounded by that environment. I know I will be one of five guys out on the floor.’

“So before I could even explain it to him, he explained it to me. I said, ‘All right. You win.’ ”

Looks like both sides of the equation come out winners. The Pistons feel they’ve re-established themselves as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and can hold their own with the best of the West, and Chris Webber gets to come back to his native Detroit and chase a championship with the team he grew up adoring.

“What it came down to more so than being home, more so than anything else, it was the fact that Joe really showed he wanted me here,” Webber said Tuesday afternoon after signing his contract. “The organization, coach, everyone let me know they really wanted me. You want to be wanted. You want to be part of an organization that wants you.

“The guys on the team … just the way they get along. I’ve played with (Rasheed Wallace) before. I played with a guy, Maurice Evans, who played on the team last year. He told me how this was the best locker room he had ever been in. That’s the part of the game I love, the camaraderie with the guys and just being a part of an organization where everything is, ‘OK, let’s just work as hard as you can.’ ”

Webber goes to work Wednesday night - wearing No. 84, as suggested by his 6-year-old nephew who had a dream in which Uncle Chris was wearing that number - for the team that made Goin’ to Work a mantra more than a clever marketing campaign. Webber said that except for a minor nagging foot problem, the knee and ankle injuries that date to his Sacramento days feel better than they have in years. He hasn’t played a game since late December, so timing and conditioning could be issues for a week or so. But Webber told Flip Saunders he’s good to play against Utah on Wednesday and Saunders said he’ll use him, though not start him quite yet.

“My stomach will be in knots,” admitted Webber, who attended the Pistons’ Monday game at The Palace and drew a standing ovation when he entered the arena late in the first quarter. “I haven’t felt that good since draft day (in 1993, held at The Palace). Just to be home and to hear fans start to cheer for you, it’s great. I’m a Detroit fan, so I appreciate the Detroit fans. Coming in yesterday and people were letting me know that they approved of me playing here was a great feeling.”

Webber played with very good teams in Sacramento, but the prospect of playing amid a starting five where each member could score 20 points on a given night is a new and tantalizing prospect.

“Our guys are built to play off the ball,” Saunders said. “Ball movement, player movement, and that’s going to play right into his hands. Chris has a high basketball IQ. That’s why he’s going to fit right in. More than anything else, it’s going to be fun to watch him play and watch our team play. He’s going to make other guys better, and they’re going to make him better, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“This is a very good day for all of us here,” Dumars said. “Chris brings a lot more to the table than just a basketball player. I think he embodies everything that we try to stand for as a basketball team and as an organization. I think he is what we want to be about as a team - people of good character, of his background, of his upbringing. I feel like he’s a pretty special guy from a special family from a special background. There’s an obvious connection here to Detroit and I’m proud to say today that not only is Chris back home, but he’s back home as a Detroit Piston.”