Walker is Dyno-mite!

[Ryan Lee <rlee_at_channing@yahoo.com>]

I find it funny that some people are still adding more
excuses to the Walker dilemna.  Oh it's Battie,
Vitaly, and Blount's fault that the C's can't win.  
That's baloney.  There are so many teams in the league
that do not have a dominant center and they make due. 

What about the Phoenix Suns for instance?  They've
made the playoffs 13 straight years (although they
might not this year with the point guard version of
Walker, Stephon Marbury) without an effective big man
in the middle.  Year after year, they've had to go
against the larger frontcourts of the West (San
Antonio, Minnesota, Lakers, Kings) but yet they
somehow make the postseason.  Don't tell me Luc
Longley and Jake Tsakalidis are ripping down boards at
an alarming rate because they're not.  Even Googs is
not as effective as he was in Minnesota due to various
leg injuries.  Sizewise the entire Sun's roster past
and present are similar to the C's, so what's the
issue here?  Good team chemistry and passing. 
Everyone on the Suns roster (when Kidd was around)
contributed.  There wasn't really one person that
averaged 30 points a game for them.  The offense was
well distributed.  The Celtics on the other hand have
two captains who take a majority of the shots that do
not pass.  Pierce is so much more accurate and
skillful than Walker that most people don't care if he
hogs the ball.  But Toine who should realize that he
is not that great of a shooter should distribute the
ball more and probably use Pierce as a last go to guy
option if noone can get open.  The Celts will probably
get outrebounded just because of their size but if the
offense were more evenly distributed, it would keep
them in games more so they won't have to make
ridiculous 15-20 point comebacks in the second half.  

How about a team that's even closer to Boston, like
the Knicks?
Since Ewing's departure they've been playing small
ball practically with 3 guards on the floor.  Don't
tell me their frontcourt is wrecking the league. 
Camby can't even play more than 3 games without
getting hurt leaving Kurt Thomas to shoulder the load.
 But what about LJ?  Yeah what about LJ?  The guy was
like Walker and had no hops and he even had that
chronically bad back so it's not like he was eating
the glass up.  But this team made the playoffs every
year in Ewing's absence without a big man or a
powerful frontcourt and they even made the big Dance
which is the NBA Finals.  So how did they do this I
ask you?  They aren't any bigger and taller than the
C's.  Is it because the tandem of Latrell Sprewell and
Allan Houston is so powerful that they carry the team
every season?  Possibly, but for all you stat hounds,
didn't the Walker and Pierce combo average more points
and probably more rebounds?
Oh wait, but maybe it's because Spree and Houston have
a better supporting cast.  Hmmm... before Mark Jackson
they had Charlie Ward, a Larry Johnson who moves as
fast as my turtles, Kurt Thomas, and stiff number 478
as center.  Last time I checked none of these guys has
ever carried a team.  Camby has become a rebounding
force but you can't count on him to play most of the
season.  Kurt is a decent forward who gets 10+ boards
a game but Walker gets as many rebounds.  The unnamed
stiff who they use at the center spot can't be any
better than the Celtic 3 headed center.  So what
gives?  The coaching?  Maybe, Van Gundy has done
wonders with such a small lineup and year after year
he has the Knicks near the top in defense.  There's
probably a myriad of reasons why the Knicks always do
better then the C's these past few years but please
people, and you know who you are, DON'T USE THE
UNDERSIZED FRONTCOURT AS AN EXCUSE TO COVER WALKER'S 
POSTERIOR.  Not every team needs a Mutumbo, Duncan, or
O'Neal to win.  

Another team to think about that doesn't have a
Mutombo or a Shaq but yet made the playoffs last year:
The Charlotte Hornets.  

I think the common thing that links all these
successful undersized teams is that they have great
point guard play or the offense is run through the
point guard.  Baron Davis, Latrell Sprewell, J. Kidd,
they are all light years ahead of Kenny nowadays but
this is because Pitino and Obie have not really given
him full rein of the team's offense.  It's always
Pierce or Walker with the ball.  It stands to reason
that since his arrival in Boston, Kenny has not been
able to fully show what he can do.  I mean he's not
gonna score 20 points a game anymore but the guy can
still pass and penetrate.  He was dominant in New
Jersey (albeit he was in his prime) and in Portland he
was doing decently until they decided to go with youth
in Stoudamire.  In my mind ( and my heart I guess)
Kenny still can be a good point guard as evidence by
his play so far this season.  He just needs the 
opportunity and the freedom to do his thing.  With
Kenny running the show, Walker would probably get more
easier shots as well.

R
Find a job, post your resume.
http://careers.yahoo.com