Antoine Walker Could Redefine The Stretch Four For Pacers
by Tom Lewis on Aug 23, 2010 10:32 PM EDT
in Indiana Pacers News
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PrintDesperate times call for desperate measures.
Antoine Walker is desperate to get back in the NBA and according to a story by Jessica Camerato, he's Rocky IV'n it in Louisville with his old college coach Rick Pitino. According to 'Toine's uncle and former Red Sox player, Chico Walker, employee #8 is shedding pounds and drawing a little interest from NBA teams.
Chico estimates Antoine has dropped between 18 and 25 pounds as he continues to improve his conditioning under Pitino‘s watch. "Four to six" teams, he said, have already expressed interest in the forward, who is fighting to land an NBA roster spot for the first time since 2008 when he received a buyout from the Grizzlies.
Let's take Uncle Chico at his word and assume there are 4-6 teams interested in giving Walker a look. Considering the releationship Jim O'Brien and Larry Bird have with the former Celtic, not to mention JOB's connection to Rick Pitino, out of pure professoinal courtesy, the Pacers have to be among those teams interested.
Besides, the Pacers are desperate to fill the power forward slot left open by the departure of Troy Murphy. Could he be the stretch four the Pacers need to replace the Murph?
Uh, no.
This is a preemptive post knowing full well the next round of Walker stories will speculate on the Pacers' interest due to Walker's obvious ties mentioned above. When I think of 'Toine as a stretch four, I don't think of trailing threes, I think of stretched waitsbands.
And this from a guy who enjoyed Walker's prime years in Boston immensely. For some reason I loved all of the aloof threes and shimmies the guy could muster and would love to see him make it all the way back to the league after bottoming out.
But the Pacers have already rolled the dice a couple of time this summer with decidedly mixed results so far. With no room on the roster as it is, I'd much rather the Pacers find a way to sign Magnum Rolle and keep looking toward the future.
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Please
For the love of God
NO!
"You're hitting the wrong person. Don't you know you're hitting Ron Artest?"
Come visit The Fantasy Ninjas. We'd love to hear from you.
Lol! Great line about the waistband Tom! Walkers agent has a bunch of post below.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
by Wise Master on Aug 24, 2010 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
We Need Toine
Actually Antoine Walker would be a good option for us. If you’re going to field a team that is comprised of mostly players drafted within the past 2 years then you better make sure you have some PROVEN veterans around to hold everything together. As for his financial mistakes, that only makes him more valuable for this team, someone to help the younger players avoid falling into the same traps that he did, someone to help “Born Ready” walk the straight and narrow… Four years ago Walker was the second leading scorer in the NBA finals for the championship team… how many of these current Pacer players have ever even scored 20 points in a single playoff game? This team was starving for veteran leadership last year, someone to boost team morale when the going got tough. Can we really count on T.J. “I can’t stand Jim O’Brien” Ford to give a darn about this? People may want to point to silly media stereotypes to suggest that Walker is a bad leader, but they would be wrong. He would be perfect frontcourt insurance and a bargain at the veteran’s minimum.
For the record
I vehemently oppose this pick-up. I could name 5 guys who I would be happy to never see in a Pacers jersey and ‘Toine is one of them. That shimmy killed me when he played for the C’s, it would force me to take drastic measures if he did that in the Gold and Blue! Say it ain’t so JOB!
Gotta love Pacers fans griping about the shimmy or the wiggle. Wasn’t it Mark Jackson who used to have his own celebratory thing with his arms after big plays? Wasn’t it Reggie Miller who would grab his crotch in taunting Spike Lee?
It's something about your team doing it that makes it better
For example, Matt Barnes is an unlikeable player on any other team, but would be great for your team. One of those crazy sports things…
Yeah yeah yeah
We’ll see where your boy ends up playing (probably nowhere) and we’ll see what kind of positive effect he has at turning a franchise around. And if it happens you can say “I told ya so.” chance are though your gonna be posting about how every GM in the league is dumber than you, and maybe blaming the media cause he’s a bum…blaming the media? Really man? What is he, a politician?
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
by Wise Master on Aug 24, 2010 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions
The Jackson Jiggle was pretty bad, IMO then Bird called him out and changed it to a cross...
which, eh…
And Spike Lee is / was enemy #1.
And NO to Toine. Like, NO to Stephen Jackson, Ron Artest. Ben Wallace et all. You get the picture,
To quote Former Hoosier Mike Woodson...
"He’s been a true professional about his approach on and off the floor," said Woodson. "I respect everything about Antoine and what he’s done. But it’s going to take a team effort from everybody. We can’t just rely on Antoine Walker."
"He comes to work every day, he tries to help the young guys and the young guys feed off of veteran guys like that," Woodson continued. "He’s played on some good teams. He’s made the playoffs. He’s doing everything that we need Antoine Walker to do. I just hope that what he’s doing will have a nice carryover to the games for some of the young guys to follow."
http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Antoine_Walker_feature_111604.html
(And this wasn’t just coach speak, Woodson was even reminiscing this past season about his first year as Atlanta Coach in 04-05 when he relied on Antoine’s leadership… Not surprisingly, Atlanta won just 2 games in the final 2 months of that year after Walker was traded back to Boston, while Walker’s return completely rejuvenated Boston and turned them into a sleeper championship contender).
This Blog is proof of the anti-Toine bias
Completely dismisses the notion as a joke.
Perform some comparative market analysis, 6-10 Tim Thomas, 33, averaged just 5.2 rebounds per 36 minutes a year ago, and he’s good enough to command the veteran’s minimum from 55 win Dallas… yet Antoine Walker with his championship experience is somehow beneath 36 win Indiana? If he’s in great shape then why wouldn’t we give him a serious look? If we end up with 2 open roster spots due to trades or buy-outs, I’d be fine with giving them to Rolle and Toine… Rolle is probably at least a year away anyways.
hmmmm......
I wouldn’t be so adamently opposed to this move. I don’t love it, but a one year minimum deal? hmmm… interesting.
I say no!
The pacers are building for the future and they need to make room for Magnum and not some washed up player trying to get back into the league for another season or 2. He wont do anything for the pacers except take playing time away from the young guys
Well, if he’s really so washed up then you won’t have to worry about Walker beating out the younger players for playing time… Here’s a novel approach, how about having the young players actually EARN their minutes.
Hansbrough and Foster haven’t even been cleared for full-contact workouts. Josh McRoberts can’t play 48 minutes every night.
i would’ve thought you’d pick a less obvious nickname antoine….
free malik hairston!
perth wildcats - 2009/2010 nbl champions baby!
by sleep research facility on Aug 24, 2010 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions
haha
The dude is so far past his prime its almost as funny Penny hardaway trying to come back. All he will do is take up a spot on the roster and that spot should be for a young player with potential. and trust me im not worried because the pacers wont sign him. The guy wasnt all that special when he was in his prime. And your lil novel approach would be awesome in theory but if you know anything about Jim OBrien he isnt a big fan of playing young guys. hes trying to win games and not trying to develope talent for the future and with his ties to Walker I could see him tryin to give him the benefit of the doubt. Mcroberts cant play 48 minutes a night? really? haha Then why give him a roster spot over a guy who has a future in the NBA in magnum Rolle..Point is the Pacers wont do it. and Foster isnt cleared yet because they are playing it safe for him so he will be ready for camp and as far as hansbrough who knows but there is still a guy named Solomon Jones on the roster that can play the 4 and 5. and just so u know Mcbob wouldnt have to play 48 minutes cause JOB loves his small ball and Granger will be there during games as well.
That’s fine if you don’t want him on the Pacers but at least do a better job of hiding your ignorance. During his prime Walker was one of the best all-around players in the league. And what’s funny is your comparing a Penny “comeback” to Antoine Walker’s… Penny is 39 years old and hasn’t played a full 82 games in 15 years, not exactly the same thing. If Solomon Jones and Magnum Rolle and Josh McRoberts are better than Walker then I guess they’ve got nothing to worry about if Walker gets a training camp invite, unless they are afraid of competition.
This has to be Walkers brother or agent.
We’ve been highjacked by a fly by publicist boys.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
by Wise Master on Aug 24, 2010 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
‘nuff said About what? About how many teams are too “image” conscious? Yeah you’re right, maybe conservative Indiana wouldn’t be the best fit. Better to stick with the players that beat up fans and their lady friends.
Dude, who are you? Walkers agent?
I’ve never seen you post before. Can’t say it’s a great start trying to pitch Walker on us. The guys a relic and he wasn’t that damn good in his prime in Boston. He’s a black hole and takes (I mean took) alot of shots to get his points. We don’t need that bum…plus, we already had a fat point guard who was supposedly always losing weight, we don’t need a 40 year old fat power forward.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
by Wise Master on Aug 24, 2010 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Who ya picking next? Stanley Roberts? Oliver Miller?
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
by Wise Master on Aug 24, 2010 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions
'Nuff Said
Oh my mistake, I shouldn’t have assumed that people were following the Guaynabo Mets. Toine was cut from his Puerto Rico gig largely because the negative headlines caught up with him, bad PR for the team after the OTL piece aired.
Wow dude, you just keep rolling.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
by Wise Master on Aug 24, 2010 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Cause ya know how self conscious Puerto Rico is about US media.
Hell, I hadn’t even heard the stories your talking about, and his off the court issues have nothing to do with him being a bad fit. We don’t need that guy chucking up shot after shot and taking away shots and development from Granger, Hibbert, Collison, Rush, George. It’s a TERRIBLE idea, take all the shots at Indiana ya want, we know are hoops and we know a black hole, selfish player when we see one…..really really really bad idea.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
by Wise Master on Aug 24, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Well...
We may know a black hole but that didn’t stop us from trying out Al Harrington a second time around
٩(͡๏̯͡๏)۶ The sky is falling!
True, but he wasn't 600 lbs and 2 years removed from the league.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
by Wise Master on Aug 24, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
You hadn't heard that Walker was going bankrupt?
and being called a “slumlord”? Where have you been haha. And yes, Puerto Rico pays attention to U.S. media… it is a U.S. territory, you heard about that one at least, right?
I see, so it’s not a terrible idea but it’s a TERRIBLE idea. Thanks for the analysis, wow, one useless cliche after another! “Black hole” + “selfish” + “this must be Walker’s agent since he’s not a groupthink drone”
Seriously, keep going, you are definitely on a roll my friend.
Sorry, as as I hear the Walker mentioned the TV gets turned.
Lifes to short to waste it hearing about has beens….actually never beens.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
Oh, and it's not a cliche if it's true
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
Selfish?
Think what you want, especially since you’ve all but admitted that you do your best to not follow the guy—but few power forwards have the versatility to average 5.5 assists in a season. Also, in 2002-03 he was essentially the team’s point forward since an undrafted rookie (J.R. Bremer) was forced to start half of the team’s games. Those early 2000 Celtic teams were essentially Walker, Paul Pierce, and… little else. Still made some noise in the playoffs those years, even knocked off the Pacers in 03 when the Pacers were clearly the better team.
not only is he way past his prime
is antoine walker really the type of player we want mentoring our young guys…..i’ve always thought of him as a selfish me first type guy ….
Fair question
Yes, I think he’s a good mentor and leader but don’t take my word for it. I’ll give you one of many examples… To quote ESPN The Magazine…
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3756860
[“Hawks GM, Billy Knight loved Toine’s leadership, loved how he wore custom-made suits and led the team’s tsunami-relief fund-raising.”
“Walker showed up for his first game in Utah on Feb. 25. It didn’t take long for him to identify the Celtics’ problems. Ainge had done a masterful job of drafting useful young talent (Tony Allen, Al Jefferson, Delonte West), but someone had to get them to calm down. The rooks responded to Toine right away. Jefferson, who was wearing Walker’s former No. 8, said he could have it back under one condition: if he took the kid under his wing. Done.
Then there was the glum Blount, and Pierce and Davis grappling over fourth-quarter shots. Toine turned out to be the right mediator for each of them. Walker sat down Blount and Davis for one-on-one chats, and he and Pierce continue to have the heart-to-hearts they’d had for years.
In fact, Pierce spent a portion of last summer at Toine’s downtown Chicago condo, and they’re chummier now than when they played together the first time. “Opposites attract,” Pierce says. Walker still has some work to do on his friend: in a five-day span in March, Pierce nearly fought Bob Sura and Tim Thomas. But there is already little doubt about who’s the leader of this crew. During a late timeout against the Jazz, Toine pounded his fist in the huddle and promised the group they were going to win. “Every eye was fixed on him,” Rivers says. “I didn’t realize he carried such a big stick.” "]
And did you notice how Dwyane Wade invoked Walker during the recent Miami Thrice Press Conference? The fans on this board may not like him but most of his former teammates have always seemed to respond to him in a positive way, and that’s what really counts. After point guard going into this summer I felt our second most important need was solid veteran leadership, the kind of positive influence that provides the relentless enthusiasm during a mid January road swing when morale is low.
Get your own blog dude, you write more than Tom.
Maybe you can cash in on your expert analysis and make some money. I have a better idea than signing Walker, let’s get real ambitious and see if we can get Barkley on a treadmill….and like I said, we’ll see where your boy ends up, we’ll see what impact he has. Nuff said.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
I think toineson is that trucutter guy we all hoped was gone.
If it’s not we found someone who rambles on and on just as much…which I didn’t think was possible.
Confucious say "He who dives for loose balls need proper fitting athletic cup!"
Here's what I find interesting...
Click on the link to the Camerato article at the top, it’s on a local Boston website. Small sample size, but the majority of people that comment see a benefit in adding Walker as a 14th or 15th man to the Celtics roster. Yet 32 win Indiana that has never won anything, some of my fellow fans here act like snobs, act like he is just so far beneath us. If we miss out on Amundson, all that I’ve suggested is to give the guy a serious look. Yet we’ve got Mr. Confucius questioning whether Walker can “turn a franchise around.” I haven’t even tried to make the case that he’d turn the franchise around, simply that he’d make for a good 14th man if we end up with 2 open roster spots. He knows O’Brien’s complicated defense already and thrived in his system… (Boston was 3rd in opponents field goal % in 2002)… At 5 minutes a night? He knows the game and would be an adequate understudy provided he’s in shape and healthy.
I'd rather not waste a spot on the bottom of the roster on a guy who won't be here next year.
as said below, he shot 41% for his career and the Pacers need rebounding, not assists.
by bigdawg9292 on Aug 24, 2010 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Understandable
I just wish the Pacers had a source of fiery energy for those times when things aren’t going so well… Walker comes to mind since he inspired the greatest 4th quarter comeback in NBA playoff history in 2002…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MI3sj3XKrQ&feature=PlayList&p=24D21BE666766712&index=0&playnext=1
And rallied the Heat huddle in game 6 of the finals on the road in 2006 in an effort to buck the growing crowd momentum, and his teammates responded.
It doesn’t have to be Walker, but we need a sparkplug like that.
(And btw… I wish we’d get out of the habit of mentally skipping ahead a year… I want to win now dagnabbit!)
Is JOB's defensive system that hard to understand?
Seems pretty simple to me, DO NOTHING! I kid… sort of. I’d rather use any open spots on some young, high energy guy. You know a guy like, Magnum Rolle.
by infinityzero.systemerror on Aug 25, 2010 1:26 AM EDT up reply actions
sad
My post is directed at you. Grow up. Stop with the name calling and use some facts. Other wise you sound ridiculous.
Fun Facts:
Walkers Career FG%: 41.4%
Man I wonder how good of a player he could have been if someone was able to reign him in during his prime instead of allowing him to jack up shots like crazy. His assists numbers are above average for a PF, he rebounded well, dribbled well.. he just shot the ball too damn much and didn’t make enough of them.
toineson wins
I am a life long Pacer fan that hated Antoine from his days with Boston who would welcome here to Indiana.
Calling someone fat and beiung rude like these so called pacer fans are doing is pathetic.
Toinesson has won this debate handsdown. The rest of you sound immature and should be ashamed of yourselves.
You win a debate by facts and toines son has done just that.
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