Re: McDonough: C's To Walker: Play Well, Create Value, Then We'll Trade You

[Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>]

I detect a note of sarcasm here.


Seriously, I think that if the team starts winning and
Antoine plays well, everything will be OK.  This last
season has everybody bugged out.


--- j.hironaka@unesco.org wrote:
> >                                 By Will McDonough,
> Globe Columnist,
> >                                 08/14/99 <snip>
> >
> >                                 Here's the
> Celtics' mindset regarding
> >                                 Antoine Walker as
> training camp nears:
> >                                 They feel he
> doesn't want to play in
> >                                 Boston, but as of
> now there isn't any team
> >                                 out there that
> will give them anything of
> >                                 substance for him.
> 
> What compels Will McDonutbreath to spin it as though
> our ingrate Antoine
> Walker "doesn't want to play" in front of Boston
> fans, when it seems perfectly
> accurate to state that 99% of the hostility has come
> from the opposite
> direction (i.e. the fans)?
> 
> As I've said before, one of the most interesting
> aspects of Antoine's
> disappointing Boston years (other than consecutive
> "triple doubles" four
> months before his 21st birthday; or career highs of
> 49 points, 13 assists and
> 21 rebounds; or being one of just four NBA elite
> "20-10" players and finishing
> #2 overall in "double doubles" in the last complete
> NBA season) is that
> judging strictly by his own words, this kid might be
> thick-headed enough to
> believe Boston fans and writers (Bob "Time Bomb"
> Ryan) actually wish the best
> for him and want to see him succeed.
> 
> I've no idea what Antoine Walker is thinking at this
> moment but based on
> evidence pro and con, I'm not sure the Boston fans
> would appreciate a second
> chance from him anyway (if he declares his intention
> to stay). It arguably
> could be a "Win-Win" for both sides that they part
> company after this season,
> regardless of whether or not we make the early
> rounds of the playoffs. I for
> one would breath a huge sigh of relief the day this
> happens. I'm sick of
> reading list opinions about what a talented,
> competitive kid he is, how much
> his teammates seem to root for him to play well, and
> how he behaves like a
> saint off-the-court compared to other young NBA
> players. :-)
> 
> IMO, Walker will still make for a great villain on
> an opposing team (ideally
> Philly or Miami). And contrary to popular belief,
> there may actually be
> several major FAs available next summer (via
> sign-and-trade) who jack up more
> shots, can't pass to a teammate, don't rebound, are
> lighter skinned and don't
> jiggle, are accused of only one serious crime, and
> yet are so damn humble pie
> that they ACTUALLY prefer to rent than to own. :-)
> Regardless of what the
> over-rated, loud-mouth geezer Red Auerbach said
> about Ron Mercer's defensive
> contributions, Trader Rick should have first 
> listened to shareholders'
> opinions before moving to trade Ron instead of
> Antoine.
> 
> --------
> 
> 
> 
> 

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