The Golden State Warriors are slowly becoming the kings of retread. Two summers ago, the team decided to bring head coach Don Nelson back for a second stint with the team and now things have come full circle for Chris Webber as well.

Webber re-joined the Warriors on Monday, signing a contract for the pro-rated portion of the $1.2-million veteran's minimum. To make space for Webber, the Warriors will likely waive injured reserve-guard Troy Hudson.

Selected first overall in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, Webber was immediately traded to the Warriors for the draft rights of Anfernee Hardaway and three future first round picks. He thrived in Nelson's system, winning the Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds and leading the Warriors back to the playoffs.

Despite the team's success, though, a bitter feud developed between coach and player. Nelson wanted Webber, a solid 6-10 and 263 pounds as a rookie, to be more of a post player and even used Webber as a center until the team acquired Rony Seikaly. Webber wanted to use his superior ball handling and passing skills to be more of a face-up player in the high post.

The differences in opinion were strong enough for Webber to utilize an escape clause in his contract after just one year in Oakland, forcing the Warriors to trade him to the then-Washington Bullets (Wizards) for Tom Gugliotta and three first round picks.

Now, though, the past seems to be .. well .. in the past.

"Oh, I think we've both matured nicely since that day," Nelson said over the weekend, before the contract was signed. "I don't know, I just don't see a problem."

Ironically, the same skills that Nelson tried to suppress with Webber the first time around seem to be those he covets from him now.

Acknowledging that the squad needed "something to improve our roster to stay competitive," Nelson said that Webber's skillset would fit in well with the current team's makeup.

"I see a big person, a need, and I see passing skills, a big need," Nelson said of Webber. "I've got one passer on the team, and he can't get all the assists," he added, referring to Baron Davis.

With Webber signing with the Warriors, it'll be interesting to see how he'll be integrated into the system. The Warriors have a nice stretch of games at home in February, which should help him adapt and show where he is at physically.

Where Webber fits into the Warriors' plan is a bit hazy. Although he and his agent said that Webber wasn't demanding a starting role when shopping for a team as he did last year after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers, he may find himself starting in Oakland anyway.

Nelson has said that he likes Harrington's energy and scoring coming off the bench but has been forced to start him because of matchups and necessity due to lack of big man depth. Webber may fill that slot soon, allowing Nelson to use Harrington as a sixth man.

But Webber does not necessarily give the Warriors something that they need – sure, he's technically a big man, but his track record dictates that he'd rather shoot jumpers than bang around inside, which is what the Warriors really needed on both ends of the court. He still grabbed nearly seven rebounds a game for the Detroit Pistons last year in his truncated season with them, but Andris Biedrins needed another workhorse down low.

A workhorse, Webber is not.

However, his ability to shoot the mid-range jumper and make solid passes from the high post to cutting teammates will increase the flow for the Warriors on the offensive end, allowing the team to become less reliant on Baron Davis' playmaking in the half court set.

Webber's mid-range shooting likely means the end of any significant playing time for Mickael Pietrus, especially after Austin Croshere returns from inflammation of a disc in his back.

Pietrus, who is all but completely out of favor in Oakland, is probably on his last legs as a Warrior as well; he'll likely be relegated to the end of the bench as the team looks to see if they can get anything of value from him via trade. Nelson played Pietrus out of position at the four-spot, but he won't be needed for that anymore considering Webber has a more consistent jumpshot, something Nelson absolutely fancies.

With Webber now in tow, the Warriors have a solid stable of big men to rotate up front, with him, Croshere, Biedrins, Harrington, and occasionally Matt Barnes used as support. Combined with a very solid group of swing players (Davis, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, and Kelenna Azubuike), the Warriors have now picked up enough depth to make a push up the Western Conference standings.