HoopsHype.com Columns
Wiggling
for Walker
by Tim
O'Sullivan / May 13, 2003
As Antoine
Walker and the Celtics were getting swept out of the playoffs by the New
Jersey Nets, the mob was salivating at the thought of Danny
Ainge, the Celtic's newly-minted chief muckety-muck of
basketball operations, trading Walker as his first order of business.
"Start cleaning house Danny! And bite some fingers while you're at
it!" the Bostonians are clamoring, blinded by the sweep and forgetting
that it was actually Tree Rollins who bit Ainge's finger and not
the other way around, and that it was actually Walker who was one of the
main (actually, one of the two) reasons Boston was in the second round
in the first place.
Did the mob notice
that the Celtics truly had no chance after Walker fouled out of the first
overtime in Game 4 on Monday night? No. Did the mob forget that Walker
was brilliant against Indiana and their duo of all-star big men?
Yes. Did the mob have any sympathy or perspective about the fact that Kenyon
Martin is simply a brutal matchup for Walker and a better
player? No. While Walker and the fans are all disappointed, there is no
shame in admitting that Martin is a better player. He was, after all,
the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
Martin is the prefect
foil for Walker. He is just as big, almost as strong, quicker and a great
leaper and shot blocker. Martin deserves a ton of credit. He is a relentless
defender, he is proud, he is a winner. But the mob shouldn't think Walker
is the antithesis of those things. Walker was just overmatched, and, frankly,
he went cold. Walker did manage to get himself plenty of good looks against
Martin in the first three games. Inside
looks. Looks that usually fall. Walker was missing lay-ups, which is bad,
but at least he was getting them. Maybe Martin was in Walker's head. Martin
is in a lot of people's heads.
Losing two years in
a row to the Nets has fueled the mob's fire, getting swept made it an
inferno. But the sweep is actually not as bad as it looks. Boston had
very realistic chances to win either of the first two games, and
if they had, who knows how the rest of the series would have unfolded.
Yes, Walker averaged
just 12 points a game for the first three games against New Jersey before
dropping 22 on Monday night, but Walker is the emotional leader for Boston.
It was Walker who rallied the Celtics as they mounted the greatest comeback
in NBA playoff history against the Nets in Game 3 of last year's Eastern
Conference Finals. It is Walker who stirs the team's blood when it needs
to be stirred.
Did you see Walker's
face when he fouled out on Monday night? He looked ready to cry. He gets
that look a lot on the basketball court. Too emotional? Maybe. But this
is a man who hates to lose, really, honestly, good old-fashionedly hates
it. He is not a superior athlete, though he has great hands and size,
he is not a superior shooter, though he can shoot, he is the player he
is because of sheer desire. He has willed himself to be an all-star.
Walker is all heart,
he was diving on the floor all night long on Monday. He led a spirited
effort by a team that knew it was dead. Think about it, the Celtics, who
were horrible rebounds all season, killed the Nets on the glass
Monday night, and New Jersey has been great on the boards all year. That
is measure of heart, and that heart beats with Walker.
Richard
Jefferson noted that the Nets matched up well against the
Celtics because Boston is just a two-man team, and the Nets are so balanced.
So why is the mob so eager to get rid of one of the team's top two? Boston
is Paul
Pierce and Walker and three other guys who would be coming
off the bench for most other teams. Ainge needs to add to the team, not
subtract. The Celtics have two draft picks, numbers 16 and 20, and with
one of those two picks Ainge needs to unearth a gem. Or at least a legitimate
starter.
Ainge will certainly
find out what Walker's trade value is. He will shop the entire roster
and determine what every last player is worth on the open market, including
Pierce, and he should. But will he get equal value for Walker? Probably
not, especially when you consider that Pierce and Walker actually like
each other on and off the court, and not when you consider Walker's heart,
his rare ball skills for a big man, his leadership. The rest of the league
saw what Martin did to Walker, and surely that will diminish his trade
value. Just as surely as other executives will use the mob tension against
Ainge, knowing that Ainge may feel pressured into trading Walker. If Ainge
can swing a deal where he does get equal value for Walker, then he has
to consider it, but he needs to remember that continuity and camaraderie
count for something too.
Unless it's a dream
trade, don't do it Danny. If anyone can appreciate a feisty player, it
should be you Mr. Ainge. So don't bite the hand that has fed the Celtics,
leave that to Mr. Rollins.
Tim O'Sullivan is a staff writer at the Concord (NH) Monitor and a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com
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