Re: Trade time

[Joe Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Rivers wrote:

> 3) What a cry baby if he doesn't get the ball.  The tantrum he threw
> today was totally uncaptain like.  Early in the game Kenny set up
> 'toine 2 times for easy layups and he missed them both.  Even
> Cornbread said it does get any easier.  No wonder Kenny didn't pass
> him the ball any more.  Apparently, he doesn't recognize he is having
> a bad shooting day and try and do other things that he can do well,
> like rebound.

I can't necessarily comment accurately because I didn't watch the game,
but, in general, a point guard should be reprimanded if he refuses to pass
to a teammate just because the guy missed a few early shots (as you
imply), particularly if the guy in question is a 20-10 contributor. For
his part, Antoine Walker also has a responsibility IMO to keep fighting
like crazy to have the ball in his hands. As fans, none of us want a key
player to throw in the towel just because he had had a lay-up blocked or
missed a few jumpers. That's exactly what separates guys who flash great
potential from the rare NBA star who will deliver consistently every game,
a guy who just will never disappear or go away. Antoine Walker may be a
flawed 5-skill superstar, but his great strength IMO is that he is a
ferocious competitor who has never wimped out or backed down like some
other stars. His strength is his obvious competitiveness.

> 4) And for god sakes pass the ball!  How many times does he come up
> the floor with wing men and tries to ram it through 2 defenders
> instead.

As pathetically as Walker played over the weekend, he still had 8 assists
to Paul Pierce's 2 assists. His turnovers (3 over the weekend) are also
way down this year, as we all hoped.

> (cut) As I said before, he is a 20/10 guy but so was Bird, and so is
> Pierce (almost), but they play within the game and are much smarter
> players.

Not to denigrate Paul Pierce, but there still is a substantial difference
between "almost" (Paul Pierce averages an impressive 7.3 rebounds playing
the 3) and the real thing. I'd guess there are probably 40-50 players in
the league who average 7 rebounds or assists. By contrast, there are
probably no more than 5 superstars scattered around the league (one such
guy for ever 6 NBA teams or so) who deliver 20-10 over an 82 game season.
I'm not saying Antoine is the perfect player, but I certainly am not in
favor of trivializing his early-career achievements. As I've said before,
there is an incredible amount of  hustle and hard work that separates a 10
rpg big guy from an 8 rpg big guy.

> Now, who should he be traded for?  A legit big man no doubt.  Would I
> trade him for Mutumbo straight up?  In a heartbeat.  Forget Wright or
> Dampier, we'd just be taking on more junk.  Wright is just another big
> ego head case and his stats so far are hardly worthy of the money he
> was asking for.

Wright and Dampier in the same breath with Antoine Walker is my definition
of trivializing Antoine Walker's real worth in the NBA.

> Right now we have 2 smart players in Mercer and Pierce, our Jordan and
> Pippen.

Virtually every NBA roster has two players whose stats/skills
superficially resemble Jordan and Pippen. Take Kukoc and Barry for example
:-)

I love that the Celtics have two Clark Kent/Superman-type guys in Pierce
and Mercer, but if you subtract Antoine Walker's pure fury from the team
you will be about as competitive as the dismantled 1999 Chicago Bulls,
IMHO. You really need freakishly competitive individuals (like Jordan)  in
order to win in the NBA, even if that doesn't  necessarily make them the
most attractive people up close. You need a guy who will go out there and
rip the guts out of his opponent.

I know that team chemistry is a key issue, and I'm not in a position to
dispute the specifics of Rivers' post until I receive the videos by mail
of our maligned superstar. But  for the life of me I don't see Antoine
Walker as someone who has put his own stats above winning, based on what I
know of 1) his college career, 2) his attitude on the court when the
Celtics are winning, and 3) his enthusiastic public comments about Paul
Pierce and others.

I also think the Celtics will fight their way into the playoffs and be a
menacing team by the end of the season.

JH

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