These sneakers are made for Walkering

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ok, maybe I'm too far gone on painkillers but there's something I just Do 
Not Get.

WHY is everyone so hot to trade Antoine Walker?

Before you begin the chorus of replies that start, "hey, moron", let me 
explain the reason for my confusion.

As I understand it, people are not happy with the Celtics style of 
play.  Shooting a barrage of threes from the other side of the building is 
not most people's idea of a fun--or successful--basketball team.

So, everyone looks at Walker and says, inevitably, he shoots more than 
anyone--and makes statistically fewer than anyone.  People shake their 
heads and frown and "tsk", and so on.  Walker is bad, we are told, because 
he does not go inside.  He'd rather hoist a three than drive to the 
basket.  He takes many low-percentage shots and the Celtics can't get 
anywhere in the playoffs because of that nasty three.  If we trade Walker 
for a "good" player--i.e., someone who drives to the hoop--it will be an 
improvement, no matter who the player is.

I have a few problems with this viewpoint, starting with the fact that it's 
not Antoine's fault.  Coach Jim O'Brien has done everything but stand at 
center court and scream at the top of his lungs that the perimeter offense 
was HIS idea.

Since he does, in fact, have more common sense than a turnip, he KNOWS that 
the C's had no real PG.  Also, no real Center.  That meant that no matter 
how talented Pierce and Walker are, the C's would routinely get stomped on 
if they kept going inside.  He also knew that he was saddled with Gaston's 
last withdrawal from the Celtics bank.  No new players.  No trades, and 
most certainly no chance of even keeping the players he already had.  After 
his first full season, you could tell the C's didn't need to trade 
anyone.  Kenny Anderson was finally a functioning PG.  Rogers was a nice 
outside decoy for Walker and Pierce.  All the C's needed was a legitimate 
Center.

So, of course, Gaston makes it impossible to keep Rogers or 
Anderson.  Goodbye improved second year.  O'Brien had to start all over 
with new player combinations.  Plus, he was hampered by more player 
injuries to his ridiculously short roster.  So, he said, keep shooting 
threes.  The outside game is our only real chance now.  If the C's had 
tried to implement a running game with nine guys, Battie would have been 
crippled by the All-Star Break.  There was no other realistic option if 
they wanted any shot at the playoffs.

No, it's not great offensive basketball.  Yes, we all know Danny Ainge 
wants to run.  But so does O'Brien.  He just wants the team to have a 
realistic chance of winning.  So he told Walker--and Pierce--to shoot those 
threes.

I'm well aware that Walker personally happens to like the three.  But he's 
committed to winning.  He's also fiercely loyal to O'Brien.  If the coach 
tells him to start driving inside, I believe he will do exactly that.

Ainge said he hated the style of play, but presumably, he is also blessed 
with mental superiority to a turnip and realizes it was O'Brien's call.  He 
extended O'Brien's contract.  Let's give them all a chance to show what 
they can do.

I am puzzled to the sudden negative comments about Walker's 
conditioning.  At the start of last season, people actually believe that he 
played TOO hard, and too often.  Now, suddenly, you'd think he was sitting 
on the couch munching Doritos all summer, to hear all the disparaging words.

This upcoming year, the Celtics have a new group in charge, Chris Wallace 
notwithstanding.  I think we should wait and see what the late summer 
brings as the various camps get started and we see first what kind of 
players we got now that "upside" is officially as irrelevant as McGruff the 
Crime Dog at a Trailblazers workout.  Then we see how Walker works out this 
summer.  As a side note, though I think Pierce deserves a shot, he'll not 
be on the Olympic team this time.  That means he'll get a rest, since it's 
a given that He played too much last summer.

Who knows--we may well end up having a lot of fun next season!!

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website