Projo Bill Reynolds on Walker

[Kevin.Lok@outokumpu.com]

Let's give spoiled brat Walker time to grow up

Has there ever been a young star in Boston more disliked than Antoine
Walker?
I wonder.
He's been called everything from selfish to spoiled to immature, criticized
 for everything from his shot selection to his goofy wiggle after a
particularly good play. Most of all, he's the one guy people seem to want
the Celtics to give a one-way ticket to.
But they shouldn't.
Not now, anyway.
Because it's time to cut Antoine Walker a little slack.
Which is not to say Walker hasn't exhibited all of the negatives so often
associated with him. He can be selfish, hoisting up shots as if he's in
some individual H-O-R-S-E game. He can be immature, as evidenced by his
on-court feud with Kenny Anderson a week ago in Washington. He certainly is
 spoiled, as evidenced by his continuous carping about money and a new
contract last year, throwing out the spin he'd rather be playing in
Chicago.
But let's put this in a little perspective here.
He is 23 years old.
In a sense, Walker is one of the poster children for the new NBA, this
league that now gives the world and all of its gold to young players who
haven't proved anything other than they have exquisite gifts for the game.
In a perfect basketball world, he would now be a rookie in the NBA, having
had four years of college, a traditional time of maturity and growth.
Instead, he came out of Kentucky in 1996, the year the Wildcats won the
national title. Interestingly, both Walker's selfishness and immaturity
were on display the night Kentucky beat Syracuse in the title game, a scene
 described by then-Kentucky coach Rick Pitino in his book, Success is a
Choice:
``Minutes after we won the national championship . . . and had come back to
 the locker room,'' Pitino writes, ``I sensed that Antoine Walker, our star
 sophomore, was not as happy as he should have been. Although we had won,
he had not had one of his better games, and I could sense that was
bothering him.''
Does that sound like someone emotionally ready to become a professional
basketball player?
No matter. A few months later Walker was the sixth pick in the NBA Draft,
though, joining a Celtics' team that was woeful. It was the last year of
M.L. Carr's curious tenure as the coach, and Walker was the only bright
light, a splash of color on a canvas that had become as bleak as sackcloth.
In retrospect, it was an unfortunate situation, Because the team was so bad
 Walker became an instant star before he'd paid any dues. Because Carr
essentially was in on-the-job-training as a coach, Walker was allowed to
take a lot of shots, essentially do anything he wanted. Because there was
little veteran leadership he had few role models to emulate.
The result?
Just about what we should have expected. A spoiled, young star.
So it's little wonder that Walker's act can rub people the wrong way, or
that seeing him do his dance after he makes a big basket can be a little
like hearing chalk screech across a blackboard.
Plus, this is not supposed to happen in Boston, right? Not with the
Celtics, anyway. Young players are supposed to come in here with a certain
reverence, pay homage to the past. Larry Bird did not stop and wiggle after
 he canned a big three, right? Celtic players are supposed to play with a
certain respect for the game, right?
I suspect that this, more than anything, is the reason Walker is so
disliked. You look at him and, on the surface anyway, you see the
contemporary NBA with all its warts. The wiggle is merely the defining
symbol. 'Toine does his dance, while his man goes down for a score. Welcome
 to the NBA on the eve of the millennium.
But enough of the negatives.
Let's look at the positives.
He is 23, and he's very talented. Make that immensely talented. And in a
league that's all about talent, this shouldn't be taken for granted.
Does this guarantee success?
Not necessarily.
The NBA is full of guys with a lot of talent who never do much more than
put up big numbers, players whose entire careers never seem to transcend
their stats. That's Pitino's challenge with Walker, to try to persuade
Walker that being a real superstar is a whole lot more than just scoring
points. It's the reason he named Walker captain, the thinking being that
making Walker the designated leader might expedite the maturation process.
That's the hope anyway, and it's not an insignificant one. NBA teams often
reflect their stars. If their stars are team-oriented, the teams usually do
 well. If their stars are selfish, the team is often in chaos. Call it the
Derrick Coleman Syndrome.
This is Pitino's challenge to Walker, and it even transcends how well
Walker plays. If Walker can evolve into a genuine leader, then he is well
worth the wait. Combine him with Ron Mercer and Paul Pierce and the Celtics
 have three young, gifted players, complete with the promise of a better
future. If Walker ultimately proves he's either unwilling, or unable, to
mature then the Celtics can deal with it at the appropriate time.
But that's for the future to decide.
Until then?
It's time to cut 'Toine some slack.
For at 23, certain trespasses should be forgiven.
Wiggles, too.