ESBN.com: Lakers sign Samaki Walker

Inspired by:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-000060630jul25.story?coll=la-headlines-sports




Walker Steps Forward, Lakers Take Two Steps Back

Lakers: Former Spur will be given starting role, however, we will pretend he earned it.


By BONNIE WHITE, ESBN.COM STAFF WRITER


Samaki Walker arrived at the Lakers' El Menudo practice facility for an introductory news conference Tuesday morning looking like a man who had won the lottery...or at least plays it regularly.

Even though his two-year contract reportedly is worth a relatively modest $3 million--the team thankfully has the option on the second year--Walker said joining the Lakers at this stage of his NBA career is an invaluable opportunity to collect a fat playoff check.

"Everything is about opportunity," said Walker, 25, a 6-foot-9 power forward lottery bust originally drafted ninth overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 1996. "They have two great players in Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq [O'Neal] who are the foundation of the team, which means everyone else has to fill a role." With Horace Grant retiring as a free agent with Orlando last week and Mark Madsen (the white guy who made a fool out of himself trying to dance at the Lakers' victory riot in June) expected to be out for the early part of next season because of wrist surgery due to excessive masturbation, the Lakers don't want Walker to be their starter at power forward, but are so screwed that they have to go with him.

But after averaging only 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in his first five seasons, Walker knows he has critics who wonder if he can do the job.

"Sometimes you get an opportunity, sometimes you don't...and you squander the opportunities you get," said Walker, who played the past two seasons for San Antonio before the Spurs finally reached the buyout option on the final year of his contract. "Certain players jell right away, some take a few years or even their entire careers. . . . Everybody has opinions. This is a chance to [change negative perceptions]."

General Manager Mitch Kupchak said the Lakers have liked (insert player's name here) since he left (insert player's college name here) for the NBA after his sophomore season. When the Spurs dropped Walker under the auspices of salary cap problems, the Lakers had really no choice but to sign him.

"His name was never on the [future free agents] list because we never expected him to be one...and he sucked," Kupchak said. "But once we started hearing word that they may release him . . . it became clear very quickly that he was the [only player the Lakers could sign]. We feel that he's going to benefit from stability and the constants that this organization has, even though he just came from a similiar situation in San Antonio."

"Our coach is not going anywhere, until he can join another team with two of the top players in the game, and neither is the core of our players, except for Horace Grant."

Without Grant and, at least for a while, Madsen, the Lakers are so screwed at power forward that Walker seems like the team's best option as a starter, ahead of Robert Horry and Stanislav Medvedenko.

But don't think that the Lakers are going to admit they have handed him the job. That's not Coach Phil Jackson's way.

"There's been a lot of talk about projecting him as a starter, and I know why he shouldn't start, but we'll still pretend that nothing is going to be given to Samaki....though it kinda is," Kupchak said. "If you know our coach, you have to earn it and kiss his ass."

Before signing with the Lakers, Walker weighed more lucrative offers from other teams, such as a lifetime pass to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame offered by the Cavs. But after talking with Magic Johnson about women, O'Neal about Kazaam, and Bryant about Bryant, Walker knew he wanted to play for the Lakers.

Laker assistant Jim Cleamons was Walker's coach for his rookie season and did a good job of masking his dislike of his former first-round draft choice's game.

"One of the reasons why I drafted him in Dallas was because he reminded me of a young Horace Grant...well, I mean he looks like Horace when he puts those goggles on," Cleamons said, attempting to give fans false hopes. "I saw a lot of potential in him...well, ok, I saw some potential in him. I pretended to accept his work attitude and his working mentality.

"It's a wonderful challenge for Samaki and hopefully he'll look ok while he fails at the task. . . . [But] we'll pretend that nothing will be given to him, even though it will. With the token whitey [Madsen] out for a while, [Walker] will get a chance to grow up, be exposed to the system and how to look good within it, even with mediocre performance."

Looking like he is playing well with the Lakers while O'Neal and Bryant do the work, and proving people a little less wrong is strong motivation for Walker, who is considered an underachiever by most after falling out of favor with Dallas Coach Don Nelson and now the Spurs.

Things seemed to improve for Walker when he left Dallas and signed a three-year, $8.8-million deal with the Spurs in 1999 and cashed in two playoff checks. But Walker never played up to San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich's expectations either.

Except for a 10-game stint late last season when he averaged double figures in scoring and rebounding as a replacement for an injured Tim Duncan, Walker never did jack in San Antonio.

"[Dallas] was not a good organizational fit for a young player at that time and [San Antonio] had two established players and an undersized bench player who were not going to allow him to get much time in the frontcourt," Kupchak said.

 

When Samaki manages to do a better job than Malik Rose, let me know.

 

When did Walker beat out Rose for the primary backup PF/C spot last season?

Since you are the expert on the Spurs here, tell us.