While I love Clutch's player profiles, I think some of his bias came into play on this one. Walker averaged 8 3 pointers -- in one season in 01-02 -- since he's declined his 3-pt shots in every season after, getting down to around half this past season. I don't think it's fair to point to one season and say "He's going to jack a lot of 3s" -- I would look more at the trend, AKA Walker becoming a smarter player and cutting down on the # he jacks. I'd love to see Walker in a Rockets uniform, for once teams would actually have to match up against us instead of vice versa.
I'm think we need to take that 2001-2002 season with a grain of salt. Jim O'Brien really implored his entire team to launch 3's during this tenure in Boston. He wanted a run and gun offense with the first person who was remotely open in 3 point land should launch it. Paul Pierce also shot a career best 6.2 3-pointers per game that year. Rodney Rogers also shot a career best 3.5 3-pointers per game that year for the Celtics. The Celtics just launched a lot of freaking 3-pointers that year period, with Antoine Walker being the ring leader.
I would like Walker so long as he plays in the post and does not try to make his living leading the break and jacking up 3's. I think Walker has a great post game, rebounds well and is a terriffic passer. He also happens to get a little full of himself and make horrible decissions. I hated the comment he made in Dallas when he described himself as a volume shooter. If JVG can keep him in the post and only let him take the occassional 3 then he would be a very good asset.
Perhaps we're being deceived by what we perceive the market will bear. But I never thought we'd pay Stro, and I did think Marshall and (hopefully) SAR might play for us for the MLE. The others that I thought could help us I didn't think we had a shot at. I hate Walker, but for 5.1 million I do think he could help us and we should be pleased. If Les wants to pony up (luxury tax soon, much more when Yao's max kicks in) for someone else that would be preferable that would be great. However, I don't think we're in the market for 9-12 mil. 4. I thought SAR might come here for the MLE, I also thought that's all Marshall would command. So I think JVG's comment about "risk" come into play here. How ever much T-Mac and Yao are a draw for FA's all of them know they're going to have to deal with JVG: and they know what that entails. I ignored this thread originally because I didn't think getting Walker feasible or desirable. So as I read this thread I don't really find these posts hipocritical at all. Let's just get the best guy we can and then look on the bright side. That's difficult for most of us where Walker's concerned.
Huh??????? I don't want Walker in the post jamming up the paint for Yao. I want Walker outside, way outside, where he can get the ball on the kick outs and dribble drive it into the lane for the short jumpers, or get a wide open 3 ball, and force the defense to come to him so that Yao and TMac have single coverage, or swing it around the horn to Simmons for the wide open 3 ball off the defensive rotation. I don't mind Walker taking wide open 3 balls off the kick outs. But I don't want him camping out in the paint, except by design for a play or two in order to get Yao a couple open 15 footers or to get McGrady the ball on the give and go. Van Gundy is not going to let Walker come down the floor off the defensive stop and jack up a 3. Only TMac has that priveledge and JB to a certain extent. By the way, the way that Van Gundy is going to mask Walker defensively is to let him front his man in the post the same way that defenders front Yao. We don't want him staying behind his man. We want him cutting off the passing lanes and forcing the lobs inside where they can get picked off, or where Yao is standing forcing the pass to the weakside where TMac is waiting for the pickoff. Against the Duncans and Garnetts, Walker will front them.
What an idiot! So much basketball knowledge to offer the rest of us. Please, keep up with your great insights.....
This is a simple proposition to me: If JVG can get Walker to play within the JVG system, then Walker would be a good choice. If not, signing him would be a mistake.
I have a brother who's gay. Nice basketball commentary, bigot. As if having "gay mannerisms" had anything to do with basketball...
You can't get pissed at the guy for having an opinion. I've actually thought the same thing but never said it out loud.
But see, that's the point... It's when guys start stating their backward-ass opinions that people start getting pissed.
No.............No Walker, please. He chokes up down the stretch. His defense sucks. He is worse than JH.
It's funny, when you think of the potential lineup of Yao, Tmac and Walker you cant help but also think of Hakeem, Clyde and Barkley. You have the 3 star system with a great center, PF and wingman. Some of the concerns we had with Barkley in the post taking Hakeems area away from him could also be said with Walker and Yao. But you have to like the options of Walker in the post and Yao in the high post. Or Yao in the Post and Walker in the high post. All those problems we had just throwing the ball to Yao on the block? Having Tmac AND Walker really improves this area. So would Bobby Simmons. Tmac and Walker running a PnR. Walker and Yao running a PnR, Tmac and Yao running a PnR. Options! Hell just run a 3 man weave.
I understand your indignation. I took a lot of heat in the Dickau thread trying to point out this type of stupidity, only in opposition to another form of inane stereotyping.
I was going to post a thoughtful commentary on Walker playing for the Rockets but the mere thought of getting him has me rolling on the floor in hysterical laughter...along with Mark Cuban. Unlike most folks here, I actually got to see this guy play for the Mavericks. As the saying goes: Desperate times call for desperate measures but things in Houston can't be all that desperate yet. Can it?
I generally enjoy your posts Hillboy, but to imply "most folks have not seen Walker play" is a little over the top, presumptuous and wrong. Ever hear of NBA League Pass?
If you are right about AW, and SAR has no interest in coming here, then this takes me back to (my) square one. Let's upgrade our backcourt and get a real backup for JH. I believe we can wait a year or two before replacing JH as the starter, but we must replace both Sura & Wesley as starters. Add Mobley as a SG or add Bobby Simmons and rotate him with T-Mac between the 2 & 3 positions on defense and we are much improved. At PG, we need a passer, someone who can handle on-ball pressure and offer at least some resistance to dribble penetration.
After watching Walker here in Dallas for a year I hate it when he camps out on the 3 point line. He becomes a black hole shooting threes and tends to take a team completely out of its offense. He makes horrible decissions when the ball is in his hands outside. He is a volume shooter and when the ball is not dropping he just keeps shooting. I think the way JH played offense last year was the perfect complement for Yao. Walker is certainly capable of playing like that and a little better if JVG can keep him reeled in. The little 15 foot jumper and the nice little moves to the basket as well as posting up are all things that AW has a high proficiency at. But the second you give the guy the freedom to start living on the arc and jacking up threes our offense is going to be in serious trouble. And I hate watching him lead the break because he loves to stop outside the arc and fire up 3 pointers even when he cant find his stroke and there are better options on the floor.
That part of his game is the part that Van Gundy is going to eliminate. If Walker brings the ball down, it will be with the option to take it to the rack or distribute it to a spot up McGrady. Van Gundy will not let him fire up those 3s at will. I don't even look for Walker to bring the ball down that much except in situations where he is trailing the transition with the ball, in other words off a rebound where everybody clears out and goes to the other end. He will then bring the ball up to take the load off TMac and the guards. But as far as leading the man advantage break, I don't see that happening except for maybe off a steal in the backcourt where it is 2 on 1 with one more player coming down with him. All that dribbling up to the 3 point line and chucking it, will be gone from his game. And he will be a much improved player for it. And I don't want him living at the arc either. I just want him out there stretching the defense and spacing the floor with more room for Yao and TMac to operate. Yes, JH's game is good. AW will have that game plus the dribble drive to create. JH cannot dribble drive. Instead of being at the knuckle, Walker can spot up at the top of the key extended, perfect positioning for helping out with the picks instead of Yao running all over the floor setting all of them. How about a pick and pop with Walker shooting the 18 footer? How about the pick and roll with Yao picking for TMac and Walker spotting up. McGrady has the option to take the layup or the stop and pop jumper, drop it back to Yao, or throw it out to Walker, where Walker then is in a position to take the wide open jumper, or if the defense runs at him, he can dribble right around it for the mid range jumper or layup. Walker has been a volume shooter in the past. But, we have to keep in mind who our coach is. Van Gundy ain't no panzy. The players are going to play the way that he wants them to play. TMac and Yao are the first options. Walker is an excellent shooter.............when you take away the chucking. When he's got the ball at the arc and no one is around him and he can shoot that little set shot (it's not really a jumper), he is deadly. His shooting percentages and efficiency will go up on this team. The other thing that we get with Walker is the intangibles, that emotion that Francis gave us. McGrady started to get that emotion a little bit as the season went on last year, and of course we've got MJ with the out of control emotion, but we need that emotional lift that Walker brings. If we get good, quick, defensive minded guard play, Walker will be a tremendous addition. If we can get him for MLE type money, we've got to take him. He won't be the only 3rd option. Along with our SG, he will be option 3a or 3b, as long as we get an upgrade at the 2.
Walker is not an excellent shooter. He's an extremely streaky shooter. One night, he will make everything he throws up, no matter what degree of difficulty. The next night he will miss every single shot he takes, even the easy ones (wide open jumpers, wide open layups). Getting him to cut down on his bad shots is not going to improve anything. At times, it will appear he makes more tough shots than he does easy shots. Completely unreliable. Not what the Rockets need.
Point taken. I was laughing so hard at the mere thought of them getting Walker, this may have come out wrong. Judging from the posts here and elsewhere, quite a few people here have a good handle on Walker's game and how it is most ill-suited for the Rockets. All I was thinking about is how many times I watched him break the Mavericks offense by jacking up ill-advised 3 point shots...from everywhere. I also recalled watching him wave "hi" numerous times as the guy he was "supposed" to guard shot right by him on the way to the basket (unless Shawn Bradley was playing - then he'd get fouled). I simply find all this discussion about Walker's game to be a real hoot.
