Projo report

[Mike Dynon <m.dynon@worldnet.att.net>]

As Pitino said post-game, the booing is now out of line. It's one thing to boo bad shot selection, but now the 
boos are coming down on Walker for simply missing a shot. That foul-line jumper was a wide-open 16-footer, 
not a forced 3-pointer.

It's clear that the fan reaction is helping to determine how well Walker plays. Compare the last two games. 
Against Cleveland, Walker made his first two shots--both 3s--and the fans got behind him. He went on to play 
with confidence and had an outstanding game. Last night, he made some mistakes early--one or two missed 3s 
and inaccurate passes--and the booing began.

Regardless of how much money a player makes, he will never make every shot. Yet it seems now that some 
fans are expecting Walker to be perfect. He's getting no "love" from this group, even though he is clearly trying 
to take better shots and pass more; he's toned down the Terrible Toine act; and he has dramatically improved 
his free throws. Sure, when you pay $82 per ticket, you want to see a good game. But again, no amount of 
money guarantees that.

Below is the article from today's Providence Journal, by Mike Szostak. Quotes from Walker shed some light 
on his summertime situation, and he says that he will hire a personal trainer this year. Szostak is normally very 
critical of the Celts, but even he concludes that Walker deserves some slack.
--
Mike Dynon
North Kingstown, RI

      4.15.99 00:24:33 
      CELTICS
      For fan target Walker especially, this one
      really hurt 

BOSTON -- What transpired after the Celtics lost a 77-70 stinker -- and I
do mean a real stinkeroo -- to Atlanta last night was nothing short of
remarkable. 

And that's really saying something in this increasingly bizarre NBA
season. 

Rick Pitino all but pleaded for Boston fans to give Antoine Walker a
break. 

And Walker, the 22-year-old to whom the Celtics committed $71 million
for the next six years, said the booing he continues to hear makes him
wonder if he is the person or the player Celtics fans want. 

Walker suffered through another horrible shooting night. He was
3-for-12 from the floor and finished with 6 points. He also picked up 5
personal fouls, one more than his total for rebounds. 

Yes, Walker was booed, but not as loud as in previous nightmarish
outings. And last night he and his teammates deserved it. They were
pathetic. They shot 36 percent for the game. In the fourth quarter, Walter
McCarty took care to spot up for a three-pointer from the left corner
and threw up an air ball. It was one of seven -- yes, seven -- air balls. 

The Celtics turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter. 

But they weren't the only shoddy excuse for a basketball team on the
floor. Atlanta shot only 39 percent. 

Indeed, there were no winners last night, not even the Hawks. The
Celtics lost. The 15,364 fans lost. The game of basketball lost. Walker
lost. When he clanged a 15-footer off the front of the rim in the second
quarter and got booed, Pitino had had enough negativity for a season. 

``Fans have to cut Antoine Walker a break. They really do. It's getting
out of hand. They got to cut him a break,'' the coach and father-figure
said without any prompting from the usually critical media. 

``He's been playing terrific basketball the last three weeks, and he
presses every time he hears the booing going on, no matter what he's
saying. It's very difficult to play under those circumstances. 

``Now in the beginning of the year, I wouldn't champion his cause at all,
but right now you guys got to cut him a break and be positive. These
players weren't responsible for what went on here the last eight or nine
years. We need people to stand behind us, not just when we're up.'' 

Walker has said the booing doesn't bother him. 

``Of course it bothers you,'' Pitino said. ``I had a young man, Kenny
Walker, with the Knicks, he got booed in the intros because they drafted
him -- I think it was (fourth) -- and they always started booing him in the
introductions. The nicest guy in the world, he's getting booed in the intros.
He comes back with tears welled up. Somebody said to me after the
game `He's making $800,000, why's he crying?' Well, these guys have
their sensitive thing. This is a young basketball team, and guys can grow
with positive feedback.'' 

In the Boston dressing room, Walker sat at his cubicle in his green shorts.
His face was buried in his hands. When he removed them, he looked like
he wanted to cry, not talk to a bunch of reporters. 

Walker not only talked, he bared his soul, revealing raw emotional
wounds that are deeper than even he may realize. 

``I guess I'm not the person or the player that Celtics fans want,'' he said.
``I enjoy playing here, but for it to continue throughout the season no
matter how you play, it's not going to get any better. You don't know
what to do at this point. I'm going to continue to play hard, but it's
uncomfortable when you come home and you have to hear certain things.
That's the nature of the game, I guess. I guess they're showing that they're
not happy with me. 

``Maybe the fans want someone else, but I'm through trying to figure it
out. I'm going to continue to play hard. I'll address this at the end of the
season.'' 

What's to address? Walker has a lucrative long-term contract. He says
he likes playing with the Celtics. He says he is committed or he wouldn't
have signed the deal. He says he understands that as the $71-million
man, he's the lightning rod for criticism. 

But he can't understand why the atmosphere in the FleetCenter feels like
it does when the Celtics are on the road. 

``We need our fans behind us. We get this treatment on the road, but we
shouldn't get it at home,'' he said. 

Walker is determined not to quit, on himself or on his teammates. 

``I'm 22-years-old,'' he said. ``For me to let one so-so season kill my
career would be foolish on my part. I look at the big picture. We are on
the upswing.'' 

Walker said that he has had to adjust to a new role this season because
he has not always been the number one option. That has been difficult at
times. 

Walker also said that he and his teammates have to commit to off-season
improvement. He said he can't spend the summer in Boston, but he will
hire a personal trainer in Chicago. 

``It's hard for me,'' he said. ``I have a four-year-old child. I'm the oldest
of six children. The summer is when I have my visitation rights. I can't
take my daughter on the road. I have to take advantage of that time. I
have to be a father to my child. 

``I'm going to make some of the voluntary workouts. I think a lot of guys
will be there (Boston), but unfortunately that's the time I have to spend
with my family.'' 

Walker went on but his message was clear. He's doing his best even if it
doesn't always seem that way. And he's puzzled he's still getting booed.
Last night, he seemed pained. Perhaps Celtics fans should cut him a
break. 

              Copyright © 1999 The Providence Journal Company
                     Produced by www.projo.com