re:Cofman article

[j.hironaka@unesco.org]

I'm posting the entire Mark Cofman article on Antoine Walker that Kevin
Lok mentioned. If I were at a Celtics game, I guarantee you'd hear my
voice screaming and yelling in support of you know who and the entire
team. I'm not surprised there are people on this list that have always
stood by Antoine Walker even before I came along (Mishra, Paul M, Greg,
Dan Forant and many others). It's these stupid corporate season ticket
holding, butt-munching, yuppie-types that piss me off. I'm starting to
hate the whole Fleet Bank center scene. I wish the Celtics would just
move to Paris....maybe even force Pitino to wear a beret on the
sidelines and learn how to mime, instead of holler.

Joe

_______________

Boos hit home: Celts' Walker: I guess the fans don't want me
by Mark Cofman
Thursday, April 15, 1999

While making his postgame comments to the media last night, Celtics
coach Rick Pitino made a public plea to FleetCenter fans to stop beating
up on Antoine Walker with incessant booing.

Inside the Celtics locker room, Walker, seated in front of his stall
with head firmly planted in hands, was doing a pretty fair job of
beating up on himself.

``I guess I'm not the player Celtics fans want,'' said Walker, looking
up at a sea of microphones, notepads and cameras already  surrounding
his locker. ``I'm going to continue to play my hardest, but it's an
uncomfortable environment when you come home and you have to hear
certain things.''

The Celtics had just lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 77-70, and Walker
suffered through one of his worst games, hitting 3-of-12 shots en route
to six points. Many of his misses were accompanied by a loud chorus of
boos. It was nothing Walker hadn't heard before during this dismal
Celtics season, but this time he didn't bother to deny it hurt him.

``That's the nature of the game, I guess,'' he said, ``because I'm not
playing up to their standards, and until I play up to their standards,
they're going to continue to do what they do. That's the way it's going
to be.''

Pitino hopes not. The Celtics coach, who earlier this season said fans
had a right to boo a lack of effort by his team, this time blew the
whistle on the home crowd. He felt the fans were guilty of an offensive
foul.

``I just wish the fans would cut Antoine Walker a break,'' said
Pitino.It's very difficult to play under those circumstances. He came
down and missed a shot from the free throw line, and they're getting all
over him. You can't get all over someone for that.

``You take a bad 3 (point shot), OK, no question about it (the boos are
deserved). But you can't get on someone for what he did. Antoinehas been
working his ass off the past three weeks and he's been playing terrific
basketball. It's totally unfair.''

Walker didn't want to deal with the issue of fairness. He was more
focused on the reality of a season that has gone south. And his role in
it.

``The sad thing is (the booing) kills the morale of the team,'' said
Walker. ``I know it hurts my game, too. When you're not able to play
comfortably, when you don't feel like you have the support of the fans
behind you, it hurts. I guess they expected major things from me, major
things from us, and I didn't deliver to the level they wanted.''

Walker, the Celtics' first-round draft choice and sixth overall pick
in1997, has experienced a roller-coaster season after making the Eastern
Conference All-Star team for the first time last year. He signed a
six-year, $71 million contract extension during training camp this
season, the maximum allowed under terms of the new collective bargaining
agreement. Walker knew that contract would be accompanied by heightened
expectations.

``I would have never committed to being here if I wanted to play
somewhere else,'' he said. ``But if you were in my position, how would
you feel if you were working very hard . . . .''

Walker stopped to gather himself, then continued.

``If I have a bad game, I have a bad game,'' he said. ``But if you were
out here working your hardest and you were (booed), how would you feel?
I want to enjoy playing basketball. I love playing basketball and I want
to win.

``Unfortunately, things are not working out for us as a team, and when
that happens, they start going after individuals. I understand that. I'm
the highest-paid player on the team, so the pressure is going to be
there, which is fine. But I'm 22 years old, and I'm still learning. All
I can do is continue to work and develop my game as best as I can and do
whatever I can to make sure this team gets better.''

Added Pitino, ``Right now the fans have got to cut him a break. This is
our second year of a building situation. These players weren't
responsible for what went on here the last eight or nine years. The
franchise was unlucky, a lot of things went wrong, and we're trying to
build it up. But you can't build it with negatives.''

Walker figured the negativity would end when the Celtics began playing
better basketball, particularly at home. But he felt in some ways it was
a case of what comes first, the chicken or the egg?

``We need the energy from the crowd,'' he said. ``Last year this was a
very difficult place (for opponents) to play. No question, this year
it's not and the fans are frustrated. If our fans could give it to the
opposing team the way they give it to us, maybe things could change for
us a little bit.''

Perhaps things would change for Walker, too. Right now, the 6-foot-9
forward knows he's a marked man each time he steps on the parquet.

``I guess they're trying to show me they're not happy with me,'' he
said. ``Maybe they want someone else. I don't know what it is, to tell
you the truth. I'm still trying to figure it out. My concern is with
this team right now, but at the end of the year I'll deal with the
situation.''