Re: Samaki Walker

[j.hironaka@unesco.org]

Joshua Ozersky wrote:

> Walker was drafted behind Kerry Kittles and is pretty talented, although he
> seems to be out of shape.  He doesn't get many minutes in Dallas, but he has
> career highs of 20 rebounds, five blocks, and 20 points.

Hi:

For what little it is worth, find below ESPN's evaluation of Samaki Walker on
draft day 1996. Bear in mind that "play it again" Samaki was drafted ahead of
Kobe Bryant as well as big men Erick Dampier, Vitaly Potapenko and Zydrunas
Ilgauskus.

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Walker has dazzled scouts with his agility, attitude and conditioning during
individual workouts. He has great timing and footwork, a very live body and an
exceptionally long wingspan (7 feet, 3 inches).

On the downside, he hasn't shown that he can step away from the basket and
consistently knock down shots. Some scouts also say Walker, who entered the NBA
draft after his sophomore season, doesn't have a great feel for the game.

"I don't like him. He's like (Memphis') Lorenzen Wright, in that he has the
skill, but you wonder about his concentration," a Pacific Division scout says.
"He can block some shots when he feels like it, but he should've stayed in
school. I just haven't seen him make much progress at all."

Walker can be an awesome presence at times. He is willing to bang bodies with
anyone, and he's one of the few college frontcourt players who actually plays
bigger than his size indicates. If he can go to a team that can challenge him,
he could blossom into a double-digit rebounder and top-five shot-blocker.

He blocked 121 shots at Louisville (2.4 per game) and ranks 10th in school
history, despite only playing two seasons. And they were abbreviated seasons: he
missed four games as a freshman because of a stress fracture in his right foot,
and missed 13 games last season, one because of a sprained ankle and 12 because
of NCAA infractions.

Like many promising big men, Walker's field-goal percentage is impressive and
his free-throw shooting is awful.

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Clark Kellogg's grade on the Mavs' choice of Samaki Walker at No. 9: A

"The Godfather. This is an excellent pick for Dallas. He has happy feet and good
hands as well. He has the wingspan of a condor. He has tremendous low-post
moves, drop steps, and jump hooks. He's a real presence down low, rebounding and
scoring. He gives them stability inside. He may be a little underrated."

N.B. He also writes that Vitaly Potapenko shows "great hands" so take the above
with a grain silo of salt.

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Howie Schwab's grade for Dallas: B

"Samaki Walker will get better with time. He's a physical player who will mature
and improve. The Mavericks were supposedly
interested in John Wallace but passed on him to take the Louisville star. He
could be eased in with Popeye Jones ahead of him."