Some interesting things here. He says he's lost 25 pounds, that he's regained a lot of explosiveness that he lost due to his knee being blown out two years ago (sound familiar?), that he's working most on his outside shooting and his dribbling, and that he is trying to model his game off of Paul Pierce and Lebron James. He's pretty cocky and says he's aiming for a high first-round pick, but honestly, who isn't? From a Rockets standpoint, if Morey believes in this kid I will be the first crony to nod my head. He's a crazy athlete at 6"6 who could fill our back-up wing spot, and he's really worked hard at his shot lately. His strength has always been his strength, if you get my drift, and if there was no one-and-done he could have been a lottery pick out of high school. As it is though, he's just one of many trying to slip into the first round. LINK Transcript:
I can't believe people are still doing this low carb diet. It's particularly bad for athletes. Carbs are very important for athletes.
he could turn out to be a hell of a player. he reminds me a lot of gerald wallace. both were freakish athletes that were highly rated coming out of high school, and then kind of faded into obscurity a little bit. both have been noted more for physical ability than basketball skill. if bill walker can learn to play the game a little more, he could be the same kind of player, potentially better. would love for the rockets to give him as shot at 25.
If he's like Gerald Wallace then Rick Adelman will probably use Walker the same way he used Wallace in Sacramento: ride the pine.
I have always liked Walker. He shoots a lot better than Wallace did. Walker has range too. He may be the steal of the draft.
You must not have seen him play too much. At times he would fall completely in love with the jumper (just like Cartier Martin the year before). Walker was 2nd on the team in 3pt attempts.
I feel the same way. His jumper looks pretty smooth in this video from DraftExpress. <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RQ_5IspZmx8&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RQ_5IspZmx8&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
how the hell is that last drill not traveling? that's the most awkward basketball drill I've ever seen. walker looks long and athletic doing it though.
I've seen some ridiculous drills that dont seem possible unless your 6'7 or taller. I was surprised to see Dajuan Wagner in the video.
Walker is a good athlete, not a spectacular athlete after his knee injury. It could be a Kirk Snyder situation all over again if the Rockets draft him because his skills are below average for an NBA wingman. That being said, if he finds the right system he can develop into a solid player.
You could have said the same thing last year about Landry and his knee problems, as well as his post-up skills as an undersized PF. In fact, Landry's post up moves are still a bit lacking, but no one notices because he's so explosive off the glass or off the feed, and his jump shot made him a threat from mid-range too. Teams take chances when they pick in the late first-early second rounds. With Walker one would be betting that he gets his athleticism back to what it used to be. Personally I'd rather have someone with the potential to be a star than someone else that is guaranteed to be mediocre (Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush, Chalmers). By that token, if Morey is willing to gamble on guys like Serge Ibaka, Nathan Jawai, JJ Hickson, hell even Robin Lopez or Courtney Lee, then I'll be on board with it. Actually, if Morey selects Roy Hibbert, I'll find some way to trick myself into believing Hibbert still has untapped potential, that his skills were misused in Georgetown, that he can dig some heart out of that body of his, just because Morey has a track record now. I owe him for last year's draft.
yeah, but in the last drill, they jump stop at the free throw line, reverse pivot, then take two steps and shoot a lay-up (unless you're Bill Walker and can't dunk it). a referee at any level, from pre-K to the NBA is gonna call that for traveling.
It's amazing how far his stock dropped. Still, if the Rockets look him over and like what they see, I'm all for it.
Walker has the ability and athleticism to be an impact NBA player. But he has serious focus problems on the court. In the several KSU games they showed on TV in Houston, Walker had some real stinkers where his head was clearly somewhere else. After thinking of him and Beasley as a dynamic duo (which they were on some occasions), Walker's fragile psych really turned me off later in the season. He is one of those guys who will go as far as his heart and brain will carry him. Walker is definitely a top-shelf talent. But I don't know if he's cut out for the merciless NBA grind. At #25, he might be worth the risk if the Rockets aren't scared too much by the red flags.
