More about Walker - HoopsHype.com (the other Chad)

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Why is 'Toine gone?
by Chad Finn / October 20, 2003

Danny Ainge is regarded as a sharp guy, eager, versatile, successful in 
every sports endeavor he's attempted other than hitting a curveball.

So it comes as a shock that the Boston Celtics' first-year director of 
basketball operations so blatantly violated one of the most basic tenets 
of running a professional sports franchise:You don't trade your best 
players. You build around them.

There is no subtle way to put it. Ainge's decision to trade 27-year-old 
three-time All-Star forward Antoine Walker to the Dallas Mavericks 
for 27-year-old perennial underachiever Raef LaFrentz immediately ranks 
as one of the most shortsighted, ill-advised, downright stupid trades 
in franchise history.

Oh, right. The Celtics also gave up veteran guard Tony Delk while 
acquiring second-year guard Jiri Welsch, roster fodder Chris Mills and 
a first-round pick in the swap. But they were mere extras in this movie.

This deal is 'Toine for Raef. And it is utterly inexplicable. No matter how 
you twist it and turn it, it makes no sense from Boston's angle.

It's not about the money. Walker has two years and $28 million left on 
his contract. LaFrentz is owed six years and $62 million.

It's certainly not about production. LaFrentz averages 12.2 points, 7.1 
rebounds and 1.1 assists in his career. That's roughly eight points, two 
rebounds and three assists fewer per game than Walker.

So what is it about? We can only come to one conclusion: Ainge made 
the trade in a transparent attempt to make his mark on the franchise.

It certainly worked. Congratulations, Danny. Five months on the job, 
and you've already accomplished the impossible. You've made Rick 
Pitino look shrewd.

Naturally, Ainge was down in a defensive stance during a press 
conference Monday. He compared getting LaFrentz to getting the 
Celtics Robert Parish in 1980. (If I'm the Chief today, I'm seriously 
insulted at my former teammate's lack of respect.) He mentioned 
Welsch's "upside." He noted that Walker's field-goal percentage has 
declined for three consecutive seasons, and he insinuated that 
Walker's skills are in decline as well.

Ainge also repeatedly reiterated his primary motivation for making the 
deal. He is convinced that the Walker-Paul Pierce tandem had taken the 
Celtics as far as they could go. "I felt like we needed to this now," Ainge 
said. "I just didn't see Walker and Pierce taking us to an Eastern title, 
let alone an NBA championship. Their time had run it's course."

Okay, maybe it had. The Celtics took one small step backward last year, 
losing in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the New Jersey Nets, 
the same team that knocked them out in the Eastern finals the previous 
season. It certainly was a disappointing demise.

But most likely it hadn't. In fact, one could argue that the Celtics' time 
remained in the present. There are 29 teams in the NBA. The Celtics 
made the final four two years ago. They made final eight last year and 
had a better team coming into this season than the one that ended last 
season.

Without drastic roster turnover, the Celtics improved in the offseason. 
I wouldn't be so foolish as to expect you to believe it until you see it for 
yourself, but Vin Baker is looking and playing like he's five years younger. 
During Saturday night's exhibition game versus the Pacers, he spun 
baseline and threw down one-handed dunk. Had he attempted such a 
maneuver a season ago, he would have ended up throwing the ball off the 
bottom of the rim. Hard to believe, but Baker may be back to his old form.

Others may help as well. Rookie point guard Marcus Banks is the quickest 
player in the East not named Iverson. Jumaine Jones was born to play in 
Jim O'Brien's newly implemented fast-break offense. Guard Mike James 
is more suited to run than plodding predecessor JR Bremer.

And they had Walker and Pierce. As long as the dynamic young duo 
remained in green and white, the Celtics at least could daydream about 
championship banner No. 17. Few teams had such a capable two-man 
nucleus. Pierce is 26, a year younger than Walker. The two stars 
respected each other, complemented each other, kept each other in check.

Don't underestimate the importance of this. The NBA graveyard is filled 
with promising teams murdered by the egos of incompatible superstars. 
McGrady and Carter in Toronto, Marbury and Garnett in Minnesota, Kidd, 
Mashburn and Jackson in Dallas.

Now, no matter how many jumpers LaFrentz hits or how well Baker has 
rehabilitated his life and his game, the burden to carry the offense falls 
squarely on Pierce's thin shoulders. No doubt he will do his best to rise 
to the challenge, but it will not be easy without the versatile Walker 
to ease his burden.

It is relentlessly frustrating to think that the Celtics are preparing to 
waste Pierce's prime. But it sure feels that way today.

There simply was no need for Ainge to slam the panic button with both 
fists. As he will come to find out as he watches Pierce get hammered 
and hacked back to earth while trying to fly solo night after night, the 
Celtics problem was never their two stars. The problem was everyone 
else. Consider the six-man rotation O'Brien was forced to go with in 
the waning moments of Game 4 of last season's Eastern Conference 
semifinals loss to the Nets after Walker had fouled out:

A valiant but spent Pierce; Delk, who in his finest moments is a poor 
imitation of Vinnie Johnson; Eric Williams who is tough, gritty and 
just not very good; Mark Blount, who looks startled every time the ball 
sticks to his stone hands; Bimbo Coles; and Grant Long.

Not exactly the Showtime Lakers there, eh? Perhaps that's the cruelest 
irony of all: Just when they may have had the supporting cast, the Pierce 
and Walker Show was canceled.

Listen, even the most ardent Walker fan will admit it might -- might --
 have have been worth trading him for a quality point guard and a skilled 
post-player in return. But that's not what they got.

They got LaFrentz, who has carried a well-deserved a reputation as
a softie since his undergrad days at Kansas. He too often plays like the 
slight evolution of Brad Lohaus.

They got Welsch, who while at least intriguing, hasn't been able to beat 
out rookie Josh Howard for the backup shooting guard gig behind Michael 
Finley in Dallas.

Know what else they got? Worse.

Listen, in praising Walker, I don't mean to present him as a flawless 
ballplayer. He is not. Some will tell you he heaves up too many 
ill-advised threes, that he yaps at the refs and has terrible body 
language. There is some truth to the accusations.

Others claim he's selfish. That accusation could not be farther from 
the truth.

Selfish? Funny, but his former teammates always chose much more 
respectful words when talking about Walker."He's a great leader," 
said Eric Williams last season. "No matter what anybody says about 
him as far as his attitude and what he says to the referees and the 
way he plays basketball, in this locker room he's a great leader. 
Every guy here will give their all for that guy. He just wants the 
best for himself and this team, and that's all you can ask for in a 
teammate and a friend."

I'm afraid Ainge, perhaps in a haste to turn this into his team, too 
easily dismissed all that Walker does well. The pretty passes out 
of double-team, his willingness to bear the ballhandling burden, 
that relentless enthusiasm on the fifth game of a mid-January 
road swing.

Walker, a basketball junkie of the highest order, took pride in 
playing for a franchise with so much tradition. Williams said his 
friend was devastated by the trade. But getting out of Boston might 
be the best thing for him. Playing with the talented, freewheeling 
Mavs will bring out his best attributes. No forward will pile up 
more SportsCenter-worthy assists than Walker in the new season.

While Mavericks fans will enjoy the newest toy in Mark Cuban's 
collection, Celtics fans are left to somberly reflect on the day 
they unknowingly said their final goodbye.In the fourth and final 
game of their playoff loss to the Nets last spring, Walker played 
his heart out. He filled the boxscore with 20 points, nine rebounds, 
six assists and five steals before fouling out in the first overtime.

As he headed for the sideline, the FleetCenter faithful gave him a 
standing ovation. Then, from the bench, he led the cheers for the 
overmatched misfit brigade.

Even when things looked their bleakest, there was never any quit 
in Antoine Walker.

Mark these words: Danny Ainge will regret the day he quit on him.

Chad Finn is an award-winning sports columnist at the Concord (NH) 
Monitor and a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com