Jackie MacMullan: Walker Here To Stay; Mercer Severing Celtics Ties

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

      CNNSI
      Posted 4/20/99


      No Respect   
      Antoine Walker can't get a break in Boston 
      By Jackie MacMullan
       
      It was a high-percentage, routine jumper from the foul line. Too bad 
      Boston forward Antoine Walker missed it. As soon as the ball rolled off 
      the rim, the FleetCenter crowd began booing the Celtics' captain. The game 
      against Atlanta on April 14 was less than a minute old, yet already the 
      fans wanted blood, and it was clear whose they wanted. 

      Before the Hawks put the finishing touches on a 77-70 win, the so-called 
      home crowd was hooting Walker every time he touched the ball. In that 
      atmosphere Walker, a third-year player out of Kentucky, produced one of 
      the worst lines of his career: six points on 3-of-12 shooting with four 
      rebounds and one assist. "I guess I'm not the kind of player these fans 
      want," he said, near tears, following the loss. 
      Two nights later, on the same parquet floor, Walker banked in a difficult 
      three-pointer with .7 of a second to play, propelling the Celtics to an 
      82-81 win over the Heat. The crowd, roaring with delight, gave him a 
      standing ovation. Then last Sunday, in the first quarter of a game against 
      the Wizards, Walker's season took another twist when he sprained his left 
      ankle. Team officials feared he would miss the Celtics' final 10 games. 
      As a Boston team that had delusions of playoff grandeur fights to keep 
      itself out of the Atlantic Division basement, Walker's injury may have a 
      devastating effect. Before going down, though, he had become almost as 
      infamous among Celtics fans as Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe, the poster 
      boys of the Celtics' darkest days. No other team leader in the history of 
      this storied franchise was exalted and then condemned the way Walker has 
      been, with sentiments often shifting from one quarter to the next. 
      The Celtics clearly consider Walker their star of the future, having 
      signed him to a six-year, $71 million contract extension in January. 
      Walker was deemed a sound investment three months ago because he's only 22 
      years old and can score, rebound and pass. Yet Boston fans, spoiled by 
      decades of excellence and blinded by faith in coach Rick Pitino, have not 
      warmed to Walker, who has never been to the playoffs and whose career 
      record in Celtics green was 67-137 at week's end. Some parochial 
      Bostonians despise his signature celebratory move, the wiggle, which he 
      performs even after scoring meaningless baskets. Walker's declaration last 
      summer that he was "a veteran All-Star" also cost him, and he did not 
      endear himself to Celtics fans this season by reporting to camp out of 
      shape. 
      What Walker's critics fail to note is that he had played extremely hard 
      over the past month, and his once reckless shot selection had been 
      remarkably judicious. "If I have a bad game and they boo me, that's fine," 
      Walker said after the loss to Atlanta. "I make the big money. I'll take 
      the blame. But if I take a shot and it doesn't go in, you're going to boo 
      me? It's ridiculous." 
      No athlete could have endured the scrutiny Walker was under. His heroics 
      against the Heat last Friday were a welcome salve for his wounds, but he 
      understood such relief was only temporary. 
      The larger issue is how Walker's woes have affected his teammates, notably 
      rookie forward Paul Pierce and second-year swingman Ron Mercer. Team 
      sources say that Mercer, who can sign an extension with the Celtics this 
      summer but was shopped before the trading deadline, will think long and 
      hard before re-upping. Mercer recently changed agents. He dumped David 
      Falk -- who has a cozy relationship with Pitino and handles a number of 
      Kentucky alumni, including Walker and Celtics forward Walter McCarty -- to 
      go with Master P. Mercer also severed ties with financial adviser Rick 
      Avare, a Pitino pal from Kentucky who is now on the Boston payroll. 
      Mercer says the moves were business decisions, not a declaration of 
      independence from a controlling coach. He has spoken very little about his 
      future, but after the Hawks game he was visibly shaken by the treatment 
      Walker had received. "Antoine is a strong person," Mercer said. "If anyone 
      else on the team was going through that, I don't think we could deal with 
      it. It's so unfair to put all the blame on him." 
      Pierce admits that he, too, was jolted by the fans' hostility toward 
      Walker. "I don't understand," says Pierce. "He's been playing some of his 
      best basketball, but he can't make mistakes anymore?" 
      Walker says he will "reevaluate everything" at season's end. He has few 
      options. He is locked up in Boston until 2006, and even if he decides to 
      ask for a trade, his base salary makes him a poor candidate for a swap. 
      Perhaps that's why there's so much frustration in the air at the Fleet. 
      The stark truth is that Walker is stuck with the Celtics, and they are 
      stuck with him. 
    
      Clipper at a Crossroads:  
      Forwards Rodney 
      Rogers and Lorenzen Wright -- both of whom will be free agents this summer 
      -- and veteran guard Pooh Richardson have made it clear they want out. 
      Forward Maurice Taylor, the Clippers' first pick in the '97 draft, also 
      could become a free agent after next season and opt to leave. 
      "I think Maurice will stay," Olowokandi said last week. "His attitude has 
      always been positive. He gets upset when we lose. He cares what happens to 
      our team." <Snips>