http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=knight-erseyeingmavswalker&prov=knight&type=lgns Since the NBA lifted its embargo on trades and signings on July 14, the 76ers have signed one free agent and acquired two other players. And they continue to be active in trade talks. So yesterday, on a day when the Sixers introduced point guard Kevin Ollie and swingman Kedrick Brown, who were acquired Tuesday from Cleveland for Eric Snow, the potential for a bigger trade - a blockbuster - remained. One trade rumor that won't die suggests that forward Antoine Walker of the Dallas Mavericks could be reunited with the Sixers' new coach, Jim O'Brien, who coached him in Boston. A two-time all-star, Walker will be paid $14,625,000 in this, the final year of his contract. According to NBA rules, a team over the salary cap, such as the Sixers, must take back within 15 percent plus $100,000 worth of the salaries of the players it gives up in a trade. According to an NBA source, one of the players the Sixers have offered for Walker is Glenn Robinson, who is going into the final year of his contract, a year in which he will be paid $12 million. The Sixers would have to throw in an additional player to make a trade for Walker possible. In addition to Robinson, Dallas asked the Sixers for Willie Green, Kyle Korver or Samuel Dalembert, and that seemed to end the discussion, at least temporarily. Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations, said he wouldn't comment on any specifics, but he made it clear that the Mavs would be more than comfortable to enter the coming season with Walker. We made a major deal to acquire Antoine Walker [from the Celtics], and he is a big part of our team," Nelson said yesterday. "You never say never in this business, but we like Antoine Walker quite a bit." The trade winds shift frequently in the NBA, so stay tuned. Contrary to what Nelson said, one NBA source said that Dallas is trying to move Walker. There is also a second Eastern Conference team that is talking to the Mavs about Walker, according to the source. Walker had his best moments as a professional playing for O'Brien in the 2001-02 season, when Boston reached the Eastern finals before losing to the New Jersey Nets. In 16 playoff games that season, he averaged 22.1 points. The Sixers began this off-season by signing Brian Skinner, a free agent power forward and center, away from the Milwaukee Bucks. While Skinner, who played for the Sixers two years ago, is expected to be part of their regular rotation, neither Ollie nor Brown is assured of significant minutes. There will be a number of players fighting for playing time, which should make the Sixers' training camp highly competitive. Brown averaged 5.3 points and 17 minutes in 55 games for Boston and Cleveland last season. Ollie, who toiled in the Continental Basketball Association before getting his first chance in the NBA with Dallas in 1997, had a disappointing time in Cleveland after signing a five-year, $15 million contract before last season. He played in all 82 games but averaged just 4.2 points, 2.8 assists and 17 minutes. This will be Ollie's third stint with the Sixers. He has been with 10 NBA teams. "Things just didn't work out in Cleveland, but, hopefully, the third time [in Philadelphia] is a charm," he said. "I'd like to stay here the rest of my career."
This ESPN article has him wanting to go to the Knicks. The highlighted lines tell me all I need to know about what kind of me first type of player he is. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1845597 By Andy Katz ESPN.com LAS VEGAS -- Antoine Walker predicts he could be playing for the New York next season, assuming the Knicks can work a trade for the Dallas Mavericks forward. "I think I'm going to be in a Knick uniform. That's my prediction, but we'll wait and see," Walker told ESPN.com Friday. Walker, who was coaching a high school summer league team called the Illinois Fire at the adidas Super 64 tournament Friday, said he has to get out of Dallas before next season. Wallker has one season left on his contract worth a reported $14 million. "I've got to go, but obviously I'm under contract, so they don't have to move me," Walker said after he coached his team to a win at Centennial High in Las Vegas. "I don't know if the grass is greener for me elsewhere, but there had been too many negative things with the situation in Dallas. They left me unprotected [in the expansion draft] and all the trade talks, and they made moves like Steve [Nash] going the other way [signing with Phoenix]." A possible Knick trade could include Kurt Thomas but would also mean more players for an equal salary swap. Walker said he has spoken to the Knicks as well as the Philadelphia 76ers. A potential trade with the Sixers could include Glenn Robinson. Trading Walker to the Sixers would reunite him with coach Jim O'Brien, who coached Walker in Boston, where he was a two-time All-Star. Walker averaged 22.1 points in 16 playoff games in 2002, when he led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals. "I would love to play for him for the simple fact that I know him as a coach and I know his system," Walker said. "He wants you to play hard defensively and, offensively, he goes with the guy who can put the ball in the basket. "They have [in Philadelphia] the pieces there, but I like the New York situation too," Walker said. "I like their style of play and any time you get a chance to play with a great point guard like Stephon [Marbury] is a plus. "Going back to the East would be good for me," Walker said. "I want to be the best I can be. You always want to be in the top 24 players at the halfway point," Walker said about being an All-Star. "The West is tough at forward. I would have a better chance going back to the East. That would put me in the mix [for the All-Star Game]. "I want to be a winner and would love to get back to the Eastern Conference finals and have a chance to win a ring," Walker said. "Hopefully, I can put myself in that situation again. That's why I like the Philly and New York situations. Detroit is the dominant team defensively in the East, but both teams are right there close by and maybe one player away from those guys [the Pistons]." The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday that Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations, said, "Antoine Walker is a big part of our team." Nelson went on to say that the Mavs like Walker "quite a bit." When the Sacramento Kings eliminated the Mavs in the first round of the playoffs this season, Walker, who averaged 9.8 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes a game in the series, was quoted in an ESPN.com story saying: "To be honest, [being traded] is a concern of mine. I don't want to be sent around the league. I know when you're in the last year of your deal, you can become very valuable. I'm very aware of that. But I never wanted to spend my career playing on five or six different teams. That's not something I'm looking forward to doing. "I think we're very talented, but we have eight new guys on this team. Even scrambling, we won 52 games. We were a great home team that just didn't get it done on the road. With a year with everybody learning each other, we can be very good." But his mood has changed upon reflecting how he was used with the Mavericks. He was phased out of the offense, especially late in the game. Walker said he is in constant contact with Mavs owner Mark Cuban. "I'm patient because it's only July, but I just hope I'm going to be moved before the season starts," Walker said. If he isn't, then he said he would have to talk to coach Don Nelson because Walker started off "playing a lot of minutes before they got cut." "I like playing ball and I don't want to be in a situation where I'm toyed around (with)," Walker said. "I want to be in a consistent situation. "Offensively, it would be tough without Steve because we did a lot of the pick-and-rolls off of him when he created mismatches. Marquis [Daniels] is a good young player and [first-round draft pick] Devin [Harris] is going to have to get his feet wet. So right now, we're in tough shape." Walker said he doesn't want to be put in "another situation like that [in Dallas] again." Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
That's funny, "I like their style of play." Apparently he likes the style of play of a bunch of soft, overpaid, no defense playing knicks.
