Walker

[Michael Joseph Byrnes <mbyrnes@leland.Stanford.EDU>]

Mike Dynon wrote:

>If you are a professor at Stanford, I guess no one gets an "A" in your
>class.  

Actually, I'm a graduate student, not a professor.

>Antoine is a great player in the making, but it's a bit much to
>expect him to compare to three of the greatest ever.  Last night, he
>swam the English Channel, but you think he should have walked across!
>
>You choose to focus on what Antoine can't yet do, rather than what he
>can do, so probably no amount of persuasion will change your mind. As I
>stated in my first post, Antoine certainly needs to improve in some
>areas.  However, he is the best player the Celts have had since Reggie.
>I simply suggest that we try to enjoy that as he matures.

Actually, I would go further and say that Antoine is the best player the
Celtics have had since *before* Reggie.  I have no complaints at all with
his talent.  

But, in the next year or so, the Celtics are going to have to decide
whether or not Antoine can be "The Franchise" for the next 6-7 years.
There are a lot of immensely talented, hard working star players in the
NBA who are not able to be THE MAN and lead their teams to a championship.  

The main reason for my comments about Antoine is that I haven't seen
enough of him to convince me that he can be that kind of franchise player.
On the plus side, I have seen enough to convince me that he will be a star
player in the NBA (if he isn't already).  

What worries me about Antoine is the kind of mistakes he tends to make.
He doesn't pass well out of double and triple teams - is that because he
hasn't learned how yet or because he wants to score himself on every play?
He also rarely passes when running the fast break, and as a result the
Celtics struggle to get easy baskets on the fast break.  Walker often ends
up taking difficult shots, not easy ones.  Finally, he is a poor free
throw shooter despite having an excellent shot from the floor - free throw
shooting is one important part of his game that he doesn't work hard
enough at.

Based on that, I am not yet convinced that Walker is capable of being the
number one star on a championship team (nor am I convinced that he isn't).
Time will certainly tell, but the Celtics don't have much more time before
they must make their decision - either commit the whole future to Walker,
or trade him?  I certainly don't know the answer, but I do think that Rick
Pitino is as qualified as anyone to make the decision.

Michael Byrnes
mbyrnes@stanford.edu