In a 1925 interview with Vanity Fair, W.C. Fields proposed that his epitaph would someday read, “On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadelphia,” suggesting the grave would be the one place he deemed less preferable than the city of his birth.

It seems Chris Webber likes Philly even less. And fans there may write his epitaph for him.

On Feb. 23, Webber was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the 76ers in a ground-shaking six-player deal. Last weekend, the New York Daily News reported that shortly after the Sixers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Detroit Pistons on May 3,  Webber told “several close friends” that playing with Allen Iverson was making him cuckoo. He also supposedly told one friend, “I’d take a pay cut to get out of there.”

On Monday, Webber quickly spun the story with this statement: “It’s a lie. There’s no way it is true. I have no issue with Allen Iverson and I look forward to next season and building a championship team.”

In case you haven’t been keeping up, there have been a few problems in journalism lately with anonymous sources, including the Newsweek flap over an item about alleged desecration of the Quran, which set off deadly protests. Webber no doubt is aware of this, and is cognizant of the passion with which Philly fans bring to their relationships with the home teams, hence his quick and definitive denial.

But the damage is done.

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I was a bit shocked when Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards announced their sudden divorce. But this doesn’t surprise me.

The trade was a noble try by the Sixers, a genuine effort to create some separation in the Atlantic Division between themselves and the Boston Celtics. But if they keep Webber around, he’s really going to go mental, and that would be insane.

In this one, I side with Iverson.

I don’t say this easily. I haven’t always been the biggest Iverson cheerleader.  Generally, I agree with Webber’s complaints that Iverson handles the ball too much and his game is too self-centered.

Also, Iverson had lobbied Sixers president Billy King to get him some help. Indeed, King reported after the trade that Iverson was “ecstatic” to have Webber in Philly finery. So Iverson bears some responsibility for not making this work.

But Allen is who he is. In Philadelphia, he’s an institution, although the partisans don’t seem to be as firmly in his corner after nine seasons and only one NBA finals appearance as they once were. Still, he’s their hero, a scrappy street urchin who opens a vein every time he takes the court. His appetite for victory is voracious.

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