Re: Promise and reality

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

I'd add that Antoine Walker is still younger today than Bird was as a
rookie. That's worth at least thinking about before we call him a basket
case, even if we all admit that there's an unbridgeable world of difference
between Bird and Antoine. Hey, there's a world of difference between Bird
and Barkley or Pippen also :-)

Plus you have to admire Antoine's college game, where he indisputably put
aside personal stats (15.2 ppg) and pro aspirations to win an NCAA
championship for a Kentucky team that hadn't won since 1978. I think it's
fair to generalize that winning (or the chance of winning) makes players
into better players/teammates. I'm not worried about Antoine in that regard
because I don't see any fair reason too. Pitino has dealt with Walker since
he was 15 and might know better than us what the kid is about. As flawed as
he is, Antoine is the polar opposite of a Derrick Coleman in terms of desire
and heart. It's always going to be a bumpy and aggravating ride because
Antoine is such an incredible baby, but the kid has as much chance to become
a complete winning basketball player IMHO as he does to become the most
feared player in the NBA.

Joe

N.B. Travis Knight is a better passer than Antoine Walker? Puhlease.

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