Re: Antoine

[Kim Malo <kmalo19@idt.net>]

At 08:34 PM 4/26/98 -0700, Mishra wrote:
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kim Malo <kmalo19@idt.net>
>>
>>I really don't see where you get off with that last statement. The Walker
>>that Pitino was handed this year was not the Walker he last coached. There
>>was a year of ML's TLC in between that set his development as a pro and
>>player backwards and did even more harm to his attitude/maturity. No one
>>with any sense can deny his talent, but anyone who says they are sure about
>>how fully he will fill the potential he has is dreaming And that probably
>>includes Walker himself.
>
>I don't agree with you and I am not quoting stats Walker has shown in two
>years that
>a) He can rebound with the best there is in NBA
>b) He can dribble and pass
>c) He can play all three positions in the front court
>d) He can shoot (with average, given support from his backcourt) and is not
>afraid to take the game winning jumper.
>e) He has shown versatility, exceptional durability and exceptional stamina
><I don't know many 6'9"who will survive 42 min of Pitino style run and gun
>system>.

OK, first and overall point. These are all refelections of his talent, whcih
I said elsewhere no one of sense would challenge. That's not the issue.
Still, taking them point by point:
a)  Walker's rebounding is impressive, and I believe his most underrated
skill/ contribution. However, when you say rebound with the best there is,
as to numbers I'll agree. However he does let himself get pushed or forced
out of the paint too much by the more accomplished and stronger players in
the league. Does this bother me? Not particularly. Something that can
definitely be attributes to immaturity, physical and not knowing all the
tricks yet. Just noting it.
b) Yes he can but he does way too much of one and frequently unnecessarily
or for maximum degree of difficulty show leading to turnovers. While he
doesn't do enough of the other when other guys who can score (I'm not
talking about feeding Tabak or DeC on an off night as often as possible) are
open or he himself is double teamed. Plus he also tends to often to add
degree of difficulty for show. These problems concern me a bit more than the
first, because they involve immature bad habits that the only time I saw
serious signs of his changing were around Dec when Pitino sat him down with
some tape of what people were criticizing -the effect lasted about a week.
And when KA came on and was healthy, and made a point of getting others
involved in the offense and seeing that guys like Mercer saw the ball
occassionally. In other words, not signs that Walker himself saw there was a
problem. 
c) Yup. And add to your side that he was willing to when called upon to do so.
d) No he does not shoot for average. And don't give me the support from his
backcourt, because that wasn't support so much as KA seeing to it that he
was lead to the hoop with passes towards a better shot than the type Walker
too often takes himself. And that he was less apt to see the ball in bad
position, or heard about it when he hogged things. That's not support,
that's forcing him to do the right thing. Walker misses too many makeable
shots, at least part of which I think is due to poor techniques -very
correctable. And his shot selection is horrible, not just in where he shoots
from per se but in understanding what shot is called for in a given
situation. These can be improved upon, but he did best when someone else
forced him into it, again indicating that he may not perceive that there's a
problem himself. 
e) No argument on what he has shown. And this is not intended to put down
his accomplishments in that realm, but before you brush off anyone else
being able to do so, you have to take into account their being in Pitino
shape as opposed to usual NBA shape. However, as I said, no intent to
diminish a valid point with Walker. And further, what is perceived as his
ego driven immaturity is an asset here, because it makes him want to do
these things.

>> And the immaturity he has shown not only holds his
>>own development back, but has hurt his team too. Yes, I know what his stats
>>were, and they were impressive. But some of them were really ugly too, like
>>shots missed. Put them in context, such as the number of times Walker never
>>even looked to pass and forced a bad shot when someone like Mercer was open
>>and screaming for the ball, and they look even uglier.
>
>Surely, and I am not saying that he is perfect because had this been the
>case, he would be regarded as the second best player in the NBA behind
>Jordan. The question is are these mistakes so gross that they completely
>outweigh the talent and the potential on display?

Nope, wrong question. The question is how likely is he to outgrow the
mistakes and immaturity and reach the potential. Again, no one of sense
questions the level or quality of his talent. The point is how likely is he
to fully achieve what it promises.

> Isn't Rick Pitino also at
>fault for not reprimanding his protege, and benching him for re-occurences.
>Is it not possible that he feels that the mistakesare correctible and are
>just a matter of team chemistry that's one of the reasons why he hasn't
>taken the afore-mentioned step?

Well, he has to some degree, from what he says publicly about things like
the above mentioned videotape session. And I agree with the point -his
seeming failure to reign Walker and others in a bit more has been one of my
biggest frustrations with Pitino this year. And yes, I also agree that he
has probably treated Walker the way he has based upon his reading of
Walker's character and how to best handle him. And I'm not saying I know
that better than Pitino, just that I'm far from convinced he'll ultimately
be successful with it, based upon the degree of improvement I've seen after
a full year.

>>And are a good part
>>of why there are questions about signing him, when something like his 20/10
>>status should make it a no brainer. Are the ugly stats and habits
>>correctible? Of course.
>
>I don't agree with you here again. The questions about signing him have to
>do with Gaston's obvious reluctance to spend money. So far business-wise  he
>has been very succesfull by serving up crappy teams and stealing money from
>the season ticket holders. Now when it's pay-back time he is preaching
>fiscal responsibility. He would have the same objection to signing a Pippen
>or Peyton to a 6 years 100 million dollar contract.

Yes and no. Agree with the point about Gaston in the past, but he has shown
since he signed Pitino a willingness to spend money where he thinks the
payback is worth it. The new practice facility is another example. And
Walker developing into the kind of star he can be is a major revenue
generator. So no, I don't think it's just Gaston penny pinching.

>>Can you guarantee that Walker WILL correct them? I'd
>>love to hear how, based on what Gaston, Pitino, and the rest of us have
>>watched from him this year. Ans if he doesn't correct them, then he's not
>>worth the money, because he will continue to post gaudy stats and his team
>>will continue to lose. It's a judgement call I'm glad I don't have to make.
>
>In every business there is a risk and this is the risk in this business. If
>I were to make the call, based on what I have watched I will say that Walker
>will be one of the best players in the NBA and will sign him long term to
>his market value. - Mishra

Fair enough. I'm happy I don't have to make that decision, because I agree
on his potential, but am a lot less sure he'll come close to reaching it.

-Kim
Kim Malo
kmalo19@idt.net