No Subject

[Peter Delevett <pdelevett@sjbj.com>]

some thoughts on reading that piece about Walker in the Globe:

1) if Pitino & Gaston really are serious about keeping Walker, they should stop talking to the press about it. It is obviously not a good strategy. No wonder Walker feels his coach is not supporting him; can it be that Pitino's ego is so large it cannot accommodate another, even one that's attached to his most talented player? 
I've been heartened to read on this list in recent days that McHale and Reggie L. made similar threats about leaving when they were in contract limbo. But I would hate to see the Celtics actually push him out the door.

2) It's nice to hear Walker say he has not actually demanded $100 mil from the team, just as many of us had questioned. Of course, he could be putting his own PR spin on this. It is also nice to hear him & members of his family saying he wants to stay in Boston. 
3) re: Pitino's summer camps and workouts. I wonder what the precedent is here? Do Jordan, etc. go to such summer camps? I could see how Walker's refusal to attend could steam Pitino. On the other hand, I seem to remember Jordan blowing off a White House reception and Rodman blowing off just about everything. Will Pitino's demand for control supersede his ability to be flexible with his best player?

4) I'm torn on Walker's demand that the team renegotiate before his contract is up or he'll bolt. Surely it seems reasonable, given recent events with the likes of Joe Smith & Jerry Stackhouse, to let a team have that third year before breaking the bank. Does anyone know if the lockout runs until, say, November, whether the team will be able to start contract negitiations right away, whether they'll have to wait, etc? It might actually be a good thing, if the lockout runs into the season, that the C's will actually have more time to see him in game situations before signing a new deal. (Though I think Walker has already demonstrated enough ability and potential to be deserving of a major, long-term deal, IMO.)

5) No matter how good Walker may be on the court, thank God he is not GM. How could he say Nazr would have been a better choice than Pierce? No matter how close he is to Mohammed. How could he say Pierce is a bench player? That comment to me illustrates stupidity and lack of judgment .. and makes me wonder what relations on and off the court will be like between Walker & PP.

I don't know, I just see the Red Sox and Celtics both headed down this destructive path of driving away their best players, men who are unquestionably among the top performers in their respective leagues. I just don't get it. How many times does a Roger Clemens have to leave town & win a Cy Young, or a Wade Boggs go to New York and bat .300 plus??