Re: May article/Celtic Walker MVP!

[D Parker <danp@town.ipswich.ma.us>]

On Tue, 14 Apr 1998, Mike Dynon wrote:

> D Parker wrote:
> > 
> > I don't think he's anywhere near as important as you, and others, seem to
> > think.  He's a good player.  The NBA's full of 'em.  Quite frankly, I'd
> > much rather trade him for an all-star caliber center, say to San Antonio
> > for either Duncan or Robinson.  That would bump the C's to contendor
> > status long before waiting for Walker to mature.  I would *like* Walker to
> > stay, but he's not irreplacable.
> 
> How can we expect the refs and the league in general to respect Walker
> when we see an attitude like this from a Celtics fan?  It was this kind
> of fans' disrespect that helped alienate Shaq from Orlando, and they've
> been in the toilet since he bolted.  I've said it before: without
> Walker, this would have been another 15-win season, even with Pitino.

I don't think the league or the refs care a bit about my attitude.  Come
to think of it, I doubt Walker cares much either.  I doubt Shaq left
because of the fans - I think Hollywood was too much of a draw.  I
disagree about how well the C's would have done without Walker.  Assuming
they don't replace him with *anybody*, yes, they would have won fewer
games.  But how many? I think they would have won 25 or so, which is still
10 games more than the C's won last year, a team that featured Antoine
as a rookie.

> BTW, I'm confused--if Walker is just one of many good players in the
> NBA, why would the Spurs trade Duncan or Robinson for him?

Because Duncan's come into his own, and while the two work well together,
I think they could trade one or the other for a more complementary player.
Stars don't always mix well, it's a matter of chemistry, but the Spurs are
in an enviable position of having two extremly talented centers, and they
could trade one of them for almost anyone else in the league.  With the
right trade (re:chemistry) they would dominate for years.  There's a
chance they've bought into the Walker hype and think he might be the guy. 
I don't know if there's been any grumbling in S.A., perhaps they really
like playing alongside each other and will stay with the team.

Dan