Excited To Have Walker Aboard Right Away

Excellent draft pick

completely agree with who. i’m thinking second coming of joe johnson. with kedrick brown’s legs (…when healthy)

He fell that far in the draft for a reason….he is a gamble. Danny took a gamble on Giddens too. He, too, earned his low draft status but underneath lies a lot of talent. I doubt everybody else was wrong on these two guys but it is great draft strategy…finding one player out of two gambles is better than the formula “best player on the board” draft strategy. Way to go Danny

O’Bryant,Powe,Baby,Giddens,Walker….all guys with lottery hopes and talent at one time….some top lottery stuff so they say..these are no lose type picks and if just one hits it big????it could help carry KG&PP for a few extra years…these aren’t even gambles,you gamble when you pick in the lottery,these are no-brainers for a title team

I agree with wildblue. Giddens and Walker are nice gambles. Neither will be a star, both could be out of the league in a couple years, but they both have the potential to be much better than their draft position indicates if everything goes well.

I think if anybody outside of Lebron James had double knee surgery they would have dropped out of the first round. I have followed Bill Walker for a long time in fact. Admittedly it was because of his shear athleticism in the beginning. However, his size is there. Paul Pierce didn’t fall out of the top ten but one mention of lack of athleticism and selfish play dropped him from top 3 to 10. Gilbert Arenas also was a second round pick because of various issues. You wouldn’t not call him a star would you? He just inked a brand new contract worth a hefty sum. If Walker puts in his due diligence I see him taking over Ray’s spot in the foreseeable future. 2 years time. It also won’t hurt him that Ray expires after the next season. I do think he can be a star!

Re Surferdad….points well taken but perhaps one glaring omission was BBIQ. While Big Baby had athleticism and talent it was his BBIQ as much as the other attributes that got him PT. As Steve Weinman points out Walker has had problems with TO’s as well as decision-making which could be related in a meaningful way. TO’s can also be caused by poor handles and carelessness protecting the ball (also mentioned as Walker shortcomings). Gabe Pruitt is an example of someone needing to protect the ball better without turning his back on the field of play.

In the last analysis, Walker’s PT could well depend upon how he responds to these deficiencies. BBIQ takes time to acquire and “gifted” athletes are sometimes tempted to rely too heavily on their strength and athleticism….which at the pro level can be a formula for disappointment.

Since good coaching can go a long way to correcting some of these problems ( along with a well motivated player) the continued development of our youth will certainly be a true test of our calibre of coaching expertise!

Guys shine in the nba based mostly on athleticism too.

It’s overly simplistic to believe that one can “shine” in the NBA based on athleticism alone. Perhaps when it comes to the Slam Dunk contest but as Gerald Green aptly demonstrates it isn’t enough.

Those shinning stars in the NBA who are also athletically gifted generally have BBIQ and loads of basketball talent to complement their God-given athleticism!

It’s a long time ago but in recollecting the reason Paul Pierce fell in the draft from #3-10 was the concern that he was too small to play PF and not agile enough to play SF. He was, in effect, thought to be a player without a true NBA position. Which further illustrates that the draft is as much a science as it is an art.

My father is from Manhattan, KS where K-State is located. With this connection I grew up rooting for the Wildcats. I would like to point out that before Michael Beasley, Bill Walker was the biggest recruit to dawn the power purple. When he was a true freshman he was outrageously talented. Then last season, I felt at times he was a better player than Beasley.

I am very excited for Bill Walker in Celtics green. I actually yelled when they did not take him with the last pick in the first. I then did a happy dance when they got him in round 2.

everyone is making great points all around about walker. we are all anxious to see the goods and for the preseason games to see what we’ve gotten.

If healthy, Walker is THE steal of the draft. Danny has great instincts, and he’s rolled the dice on Walker, Giddens, Miles, and O’Bryant. Except for Posey, he’s got his CHAMPIONSHIP team back. Even if 2 of these 4 acquisitions don’t work out, Danny will have done very well indeed.

“Steve, as I got to the end of your fourth-to-last paragraph, I was thinking "Sounds like a bigger Tony Allen.” Then I read on. LOL. Nice read, as always."

i had the exact same experience.

Can he play D ?

Same drivel attacking Tony, different day/like a freaking broken record.

If you hadn’t heard of Tony in college or coming out of college – then
a. you didn’t watch the Final Four and
b. you never read anything at all about the Big 12 – since he was Big 12 Player of the Year.

Bill Walker is going to be steal.

Does anyone know when training camp or media day starts ?

   You scared me with the headline. My first thought was of another Walker coming here.
   Walker and Giddens are similar in that they both have immense talent. The question that will be answered over the next couple years is, do they they have the drive to get better. It could be they both make it, but lets not expect much from Walker this year. He’s too young, and, like TAllen, needs some distance from his injuries. And to see how the great pros play.

The hollow excitement over folks like Walker, O’Bryant, etc., reminds me of the pre-K excitement we forced on ourselves. I still pine for a legit, proven sixth man/small forward. Sure hope Walker continues his rehab work; just not counting on these bargain-basement finds to fill the Posey Void.