Re: Samaki Walker

[Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>]

Hey, sounds great!  Another Duncan!  Too bad he's not
really this good.  But he does have major upside, it
sounds, like, so if we get something with him back for
Mercer, I will like this trade a lot.  Realistically,
Danny Fortson isn't going anywhere.

--- j.hironaka@unesco.org wrote:
> 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.
> 
> -------------------
> 
> 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.
> 
> --------------
> 
> 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.
> 
> ----------
> 
> 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."
> 
> 
> 
> 

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