Re: walker's interviews

[Kim Malo <kimmalo@mindspring.com>]

At 02:32 AM 5/14/02 -0500, Dan Stadnick wrote:
>I read on Boston Globe's online column that Antoine Walker had interviewed
>several playoff veterans to find out what he should expect to encounter in the
>playoffs.  I found this tidbit interesting, although the columnist (Michael
>Holly) didn't go into this.  Could this be why the Celts have shown such a
>mature, experienced  persona so far throughout these playoffs?  Or is it smply
>because of the wisdom & foresight of Obie (Williams: coach drew up on the
>board how the game would evolve & that's what happened) ?

Well IMO the fact of his even asking is a sign of maturity in Walker, but 
based upon the source I wouldn't go overboard with the concept. Michael 
Holley is articulate and interesting and knowledgeable and someone I always 
read, BUT he also spent most of his previous incarnation on the Globe as 
Walker's continual apologist and spinmeister, twisting everything that 
happened to put Walker in the best possible light. So based upon that, IMO 
much of the 'interviewing'  could have been no more than a quick comment in 
passing to and from Max while waiting by the scorer's table. That being 
said however, it's clearly more than just Obie drew things up right because 
they've been perfectly willing to ignore that before. And you really can't 
teach maturity until someone's already started to grow up enough to be 
willing to listen. So clearly they are maturing (which I've thought was 
true of Walker all year long), even if there's a long way to go. And I have 
to admit that the relative maturity they've shown in the playoffs has been 
the biggest surprise to me, even more than their winning per se. They've 
been able to play with anyone all year, but they've been equally able to 
shoot themselves in the foot.

Kim