Walker/Holley Thoughts

[bird <birdw@aloha.net>]

What an unfortunate interview Walker gave.  Makes me wonder what he 
was hoping to accomplish by even _being_ on the show.  Some of the 
things he said (i.e. the Celtics problems are on defense, not 
offense) are true, if a bit obvious, and as Jim M. mentioned, I 
appreciate the irony of Walker using Pitinioisms to describe Pitino, 
but of course, some of the things Walker said were ... disappointing.

Antoine Walker is not fat.  Shawn Kemp is not fat.  We have a very 
screwed-up idea about what is obese in this country, but it is true 
that these guys are athletes.  I mean, I think remarks about 
Antoine's breakfast-eating at 4am are in poor taste (he did get 
robbed at gunpoint, after all), but if he doesn't think he needs to 
follow the team workout regimen then something is dreadfully wrong. 
And professional athletes ought to be little more thick-skinned when 
it comes to trade rumors.  Occupational hazard, isn't it?  Tough it 
out.  I mean, even if you have to rail and scream in private, 
publicly you're better served if you maintain a calm exterior about 
your possible departure.  Whining about management's listening to 
offers for you from other teams is, of course, ridiculous.  As 
someone mentioned, what is RP supposed to do -- hang up the phone 
when he hears Antoine's name?

But let us not spare Il Duce.  Questioning your captain's heart, 
desire, and conditioning at a camp for kids is unwise.  It will not 
breed a helpful atmosphere and may serve only to worsen it (as it 
seems to have done.)  You're the coach/dictator -- you must establish 
the rules, and make sure all team people toe the line -- including 
yourself (I think Pitino has some rule about keeping criticisms 
between the team, and not public).  In the end, Pitino and Walker are 
obviously two very stubborn people.

(Did anyone else find Walker's "wing player" statement unnerving?  I 
mean, I'd like to see Antoine at the small forward position, too -- 
down on the box or within 13 feet or so of the hoop.  His statement 
made me envision him yelling "Jackin' it up boss" everytime he came 
near the three-point line.  Yikes.)

Michael Holley, Michael Holley.  Not doing anyone any favors, except 
his paper.  Not the team, not the fans, and not even Antoine.  It's a 
mistake to characterize Holley as an Antoine supporter (or even a 
supporter of his ... ah, supporter, if you see what I mean), because 
that's just the persona he writes from in order to establish his own 
importance/create more conflict/sell more papers.  He's a columnist, 
but also a journalist (or what passes for a journalist).  His 
dedication to truth and the reporting of such just hits me right 
about ... here.  I'd pay good money to see a bare knuckle, ten-round, 
brawl between Holley and Peter May -- two guys who are obviously 
opposite in some ways, but the same in the most important: their 
desire to exploit situations for their own benefit.  The only problem 
with the brawl I mentioned is that one of them is likely to survive.

In the end, though, this bit of off-season news has put me in a bit 
of a funk.  If our captain doesn't think he needs to use the 
off-season to improve (his conditioning, his skills, whatever) then 
the chances that he will improve decline sharply.  It's not as if 
anyone thinks that if Antoine Walker plays the same, he'll somehow 
end up as an All-Star again.  He's obviously got to improve.  Wish 
he'd see that.

One more year, one more chance.

Regards,

Bill

P.S. If you're thinking you might be traded, wouldn't that make you 
want to work all that harder during the off-season to, in part, prove 
how wrong the team was for trading you?