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WALKER
For those of you who didn't see it, this article appeared in today's
Boston Globe.
Dorine
PRO BASKETBALL
Walker on the outs before lockout
Captain passes up Celtics' OT session
By Peter May, Globe Staff, 07/05/98
A week before the lockout, the Celtics asked their players
to
come into town for workouts. Rick Pitino even hired a
shooting instructor. Not a bad idea for a team that shot
43.4
percent, 25th in the NBA.
Almost everyone showed up. Ron Mercer was excused and
Dana Barros, well, the last thing he needs is to work on
his
shooting. But Pervis Ellison attended the session, which
also
included weight and conditioning work.
Antoine Walker did not attend, which again called into
question his future in Boston, if for no other reason than
his
coach is not pleased about it, and this isn't the first
time
Walker has declined to attend a Pitino-initiated voluntary
summer event.
''Antoine is not the easiest guy to deal with [in the
offseason],'' said Pitino. ''Am I upset? No, not really.
Am I
disappointed? Yes, I am. On one hand, he's been with me so
long now that he knows what I want. But on the other hand,
he's the captain of this team, and if you're the captain,
you
should be at these kinds of things and lead by example. We
invited him to come. He didn't come.''
We all know Walker could have benefited from extra
shooting time with the instructor, having shot 42.3
percent
from the field and 64.5 percent from the line. But, for
whatever reason, he decided instead to go to Vancouver for
the NBA draft, where he comforted former Kentucky
teammate Nazr Mohammed, a projected top 15 pick who
tumbled all the way to 29. It was then discovered that
Walker
was upset at the Celtics for passing on Mohammed.
''He's not doing himself any good being out in Vancouver
with Nazr,'' Pitino said. ''He's the captain of this team
and I'd
have liked for him to be there.''
Walker's agent, David Falk, did not return a phone call
inquiring why his client did not show up. However, it was
well known by then that the Celtics were shopping Walker,
including an offer to the Warriors in a multiplayer deal.
This isn't the first time Walker passed up voluntary work.
He
also passed up an invitation to Pitino's inaugural rookie
camp
last summer. Teams cannot force players to participate in
summer events. The season is long enough as it is, which
may well have been Walker's belief. He hasn't missed a
game
in two years.
But it also says something about the dynamics at work
here.
Before the draft, Pitino told the Globe that he was ''90
percent'' certain he could re-sign Walker. (Most of us
took
that to mean 50/50.) No one knows what the new rules are
going to be, but this situation may already be beyond
rules,
regulations, and percentages.