Yes, Trade Walker - Lawrence Eagle Tribune

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Thanks to Bruce...

Sunday, July 6, 2003
Yes: Celtics bound to get more for Walker right now 
By David Willis 
Correspondent 
Antoine Walker is a talented NBA scorer, and can be very productive. With
that said, it seems clear that the best thing for both the Boston Celtics
and Walker would be if Celtics executive director of basketball operations
Danny Ainge were to pull off a trade, and let the forward have a new start
with a different team. 
Walker did have a semi-productive 2002-2003 season. He averaged 20.1 points
per game, second on the team to Paul Pierce's 25.9. He also led the team in
assists with 4.8, and was second in the NBA in three-pointers made, with
188. But that is where the positives of Antoine Walker's 2002-2003 season
end. 
Walker's 20.1 scoring average was his worst since the 1998-1999 season, and
the third worst total of his 6-year NBA career. While the emergence of
Pierce as a "superstar" scorer may have contributed to his falloff, the
Celtics did not have a player, other than Pierce and Walker, who averaged
double-digit points per game, so Walker still got his shots. 
Walker averaged only 7.2 rebounds per game, which was the worst average of
his NBA career, falling from 8.8 last season. Even more shocking, Walker
pulled down 99 offensive rebounds in 2002-2003, only nine more than much
maligned forward Vin Baker, who had 90 in 26 fewer games. 
Walker was still second on the Celtics in rebounding, Pierce led the team
with 7.3 per game, but more has to be expected from a starting power
forward who stands 6-9 and weighs 245 pounds. 
Walker's struggles also rank him among the least efficient players in the
NBA. 
He led the league in three-pointers attempted with 582, a whopping 49 more
than runner-up Ray Allen, but made only 188. That placed him 79th in the
league in three-point percentage for players who made at least 55
three-pointers, at .323. 
That ranked him behind such little known players as Wizards guard Tyronn
Lue, 71st place, and erratic Grizzlies guard Jason Williams, 60th place. 
Even worse, his field-goal percentage of .388 was the worst percentage for
any NBA player who averaged at least 8 points per game. Also, Walker's .615
free-throw percentage was worse than that of Lakers center Shaquille
O'Neal, a player known for his poor shooting from the line. 
Walker's attitude also got him into a great deal of trouble over the course
of the 2002-2003 season, as he led the NBA in technical fouls with 23. 
Walker's unreliability was never more evident than in the 2002-2003
playoffs. After a fair performance in the first round against Indiana,
Walker failed to help the Celtics in any way in their second round sweep at
the hands of New Jersey. 
It seems that the best thing for Walker would be to work on his
conditioning, and make a new start with a different team. His production
has been falling in Boston, and at the close of this past season, the fans
were again turning on him. 
Trading Walker also seems to be the best choice for the Celtics as well. He
is great trade bait, a three-time All-Star who is a confident scorer, but
has hit a wall in Boston. 
While trading him for aging Knicks guard Latrell Sprewell is clearly not
the best choice, it's time for Boston to say good-bye to Mr. Walker. 
David Willis is an Eagle-Tribune correspondent. E-mail him at
sports@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx