HoopsHype.com Columns

Wiggling for Walker
by Tim O'Sullivan / May 13, 2003

As Antoine Walker and the Celtics were getting swept out of the playoffs by the New Jersey Nets, the mob was salivating at the thought of Danny Ainge, the Celtic's newly-minted chief muckety-muck of basketball operations, trading Walker as his first order of business. "Start cleaning house Danny! And bite some fingers while you're at it!" the Bostonians are clamoring, blinded by the sweep and forgetting that it was actually Tree Rollins who bit Ainge's finger and not the other way around, and that it was actually Walker who was one of the main (actually, one of the two) reasons Boston was in the second round in the first place.

Did the mob notice that the Celtics truly had no chance after Walker fouled out of the first overtime in Game 4 on Monday night? No. Did the mob forget that Walker was brilliant against Indiana and their duo of all-star big men? Yes. Did the mob have any sympathy or perspective about the fact that Kenyon Martin is simply a brutal matchup for Walker and a better player? No. While Walker and the fans are all disappointed, there is no shame in admitting that Martin is a better player. He was, after all, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Martin is the prefect foil for Walker. He is just as big, almost as strong, quicker and a great leaper and shot blocker. Martin deserves a ton of credit. He is a relentless defender, he is proud, he is a winner. But the mob shouldn't think Walker is the antithesis of those things. Walker was just overmatched, and, frankly, he went cold. Walker did manage to get himself plenty of good looks against Martin in the first three games. Inside
looks. Looks that usually fall. Walker was missing lay-ups, which is bad, but at least he was getting them. Maybe Martin was in Walker's head. Martin is in a lot of people's heads.

Losing two years in a row to the Nets has fueled the mob's fire, getting swept made it an inferno. But the sweep is actually not as bad as it looks. Boston had very realistic chances to win either of the first two games, and
if they had, who knows how the rest of the series would have unfolded.

Yes, Walker averaged just 12 points a game for the first three games against New Jersey before dropping 22 on Monday night, but Walker is the emotional leader for Boston. It was Walker who rallied the Celtics as they mounted the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history against the Nets in Game 3 of last year's Eastern Conference Finals. It is Walker who stirs the team's blood when it needs to be stirred.

Did you see Walker's face when he fouled out on Monday night? He looked ready to cry. He gets that look a lot on the basketball court. Too emotional? Maybe. But this is a man who hates to lose, really, honestly, good old-fashionedly hates it. He is not a superior athlete, though he has great hands and size, he is not a superior shooter, though he can shoot, he is the player he is because of sheer desire. He has willed himself to be an all-star.

Walker is all heart, he was diving on the floor all night long on Monday. He led a spirited effort by a team that knew it was dead. Think about it, the Celtics, who were horrible rebounds all season, killed the Nets on the glass
Monday night, and New Jersey has been great on the boards all year. That is measure of heart, and that heart beats with Walker.

Richard Jefferson noted that the Nets matched up well against the Celtics because Boston is just a two-man team, and the Nets are so balanced. So why is the mob so eager to get rid of one of the team's top two? Boston is Paul Pierce and Walker and three other guys who would be coming off the bench for most other teams. Ainge needs to add to the team, not subtract. The Celtics have two draft picks, numbers 16 and 20, and with one of those two picks Ainge needs to unearth a gem. Or at least a legitimate starter.

Ainge will certainly find out what Walker's trade value is. He will shop the entire roster and determine what every last player is worth on the open market, including Pierce, and he should. But will he get equal value for Walker? Probably not, especially when you consider that Pierce and Walker actually like each other on and off the court, and not when you consider Walker's heart, his rare ball skills for a big man, his leadership. The rest of the league saw what Martin did to Walker, and surely that will diminish his trade value. Just as surely as other executives will use the mob tension against Ainge, knowing that Ainge may feel pressured into trading Walker. If Ainge can swing a deal where he does get equal value for Walker, then he has to consider it, but he needs to remember that continuity and camaraderie count for something too.

Unless it's a dream trade, don't do it Danny. If anyone can appreciate a feisty player, it should be you Mr. Ainge. So don't bite the hand that has fed the Celtics, leave that to Mr. Rollins.

Tim O'Sullivan is a staff writer at the Concord (NH) Monitor and a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

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