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Peter May: Antoine To Be Re-Signed Soon
[The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
[Boston Globe Online / Sports]
Walker gets down to work
By Peter May, Globe Staff, 01/19/99
WALTHAM - Antoine Walker showed up at Brandeis yesterday. He's added
5 pounds and some more responsibility, and soon he likely will
become the richest player in the history of the Boston Celtics.
The captain of the Celtics, who said he arrived in town Saturday, joined his
teammates yesterday for the first time. He had his first session with the
maniacal Shaun Brown, the strength and conditioning coach, and realized
right away that he wasn't in Chicago anymore.
''It's a little different,'' said Walker, referring to his routine at the
health club the last six months. ''You have a coach pushing you. But I know
the program and I've stayed in shape. I don't think anyone is in Coach P.
shape, though.''
Once the NBA opens for business, which now looks as if it might be tomorrow,
the Celtics will do all they can to quickly sign Walker to a six-year
extension. Rick Pitino made that clear yesterday; he is in no mood to wait
until Walker hits the open market next summer. That would make Walker
available to anyone and wouldn't help the Celtics in free agency because
Walker would remain on their cap at 300 percent of what he made this year, a
cap figure of more than $6 million.
For his part, Walker said, ''I know which way I'm leaning. I want to take
care of the situation right away. I'd like to get it done immediately. I
think everyone is on the same page on this. I've talked to management.''
The money, of course, is staggering. Assuming Walker starts at the maximum
$9 million per - and we can't see pit bull agent David Falk settling for
anything less - the six-year extension would be worth a total of $70.875
million. It's not what he might have fetched under the old rules, but, as
Walker noted yesterday, ''If you don't like that much money, you're crazy.
It's enough to take care of me and my family.''
Pitino, who was at Brandeis watching his troops masquerade as players, said,
''I think it will be done right away. Absolutely. We're not going to wait.
You don't want to open up the possibility he could go to the other team. You
can't take that chance.
''If you sign him, it's good from a teaching standpoint, a discipline
standpoint, it's better psychologically because the player isn't worried.
[If you don't], your greatest asset is gone.''
So Walker apparently will be here a while. Where has he been the last week,
when most of his teammates were at Brandeis?
''Chicago. I was trying to get here and I wanted to come. But then I got
snowed in and that threw off my plans,'' he said. ''I've been playing every
day in my health club.''
Pitino reiterated that he was not concerned about Walker's absence, and
teammate Ron Mercer added, ''You have to understand, the weather was bad and
he had things to do. It's OK for everyone else. It's OK with me.''
Walker said the extra 5 pounds was ''good weight'' in that he wanted to get
a little stronger. He's excited about the Celtics ''and that our team is
basically still together.'' And he wants everyone to know that he was
misunderstood when he said last July that ''veteran All-Stars'' like himself
don't go to voluntary summer workouts.
You may recall that Pitino held a voluntary session at Brandeis just before
the lockout and also hired a shooting coach for the occasion. Most Celtics
showed. Walker did not, which miffed Pitino, who thought the captain should
have been there.
''It wasn't mandatory,'' Walker said. (It couldn't have been; there are no
mandatory offseason sessions in the NBA.) ''I didn't know it was that
important. My thing was, I didn't feel like I had to be there. Not in the
summertime. I got a letter in the mail and it said it was voluntary. I just
didn't come.''
Walker also said he probably should have been more assertive in organizing
workout sessions during the lockout. Mercer finally tried to do it, but the
first two scheduled sessions produced more reporters (one) than players.
Walker said by not coming East sooner, he got to spend more time with his
daughter.
As for his oft-criticized on-court behavior, Walker said he understands he
needs to tone it down this year. He was among the league leaders in
technical fouls last season, and he and Pitino have talked quite a bit about
eliminating those.
''I'm an emotional player and it's an emotional game,'' he said. ''I'm going
to have to lead by example. I'll have to be a leader on and off the court.
''That's good pressure. I enjoy it. It'll make me a better person and a
better player.''
This story ran on page C01 of the Boston Globe on 01/19/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.