He's a completely unorthodox player and we have a very conservative coach that stresses smart sound simple basketball. It's a match made in hell.
"I'm a volume shooter." -Antoine Walker on his talk show in Dallas addressing a question about being a ballhog.
If he managed to get on Nellie's (Don Nelson) bad side with his play here in Dallas, just imagine what will happen with JVG aka "Mr. Warmth" when he starts jacking up 3 point bombs and sulks about not getting the playing time to which a player of his "status" is entitled. Again, this is a 9 year veteran here and JVG can't just wave a magic wand and make all of his bad habits disappear. To pretend anything otherwise is being naive. I do find it interesting that a lot of people are jumping on the 'Toine bandwagon but one must always remember to be careful for what you ask for. There certainly appears to be a high level of anxiety over the PF position around here that wasn't there at this time last summer.
I repect your point of view. However, all the stuff you said about Walker can't be advantage for the Rockets. HIS SHOOTING % is most important for the Rockets. Beside T-mac and Yao, Rockets need someone who can shoot in HIGH % to give room for them two to operate. Otherwise, EG is our PF solution. If Walker can't do good in Dallas, what make you think he will do good in Rockets. We are talking about JVG, not Nelson. Once again, all the thing about Walker may be right. The question is whether those characters can be Rockets advantage or not. Does he fit the style of Rockets? That's ALL I want to know
My opinion........................Toine and SAR are the clear choices to me. SAR seems to be headed to Jersey, so I would love to him Toine here. I know many of you believe he would be a cancer, but I think under van gundy he'd would be a perfect fit. Taking the pressure off of him as the third option would be ideal for him to use all the intangibles his posses. He scores, handles, REBOUNDS, assist and yes....he can play defense. Many don't remember or quick to forget that this guy played for RICK PATINO. He knows how to play defense if that was the criteria and of course it is under Jeff. Stromile isn't that attractive to me......I better Kelvin Cato with a lil more MOTOR. I rather have the intangibles. He attitude wouldn't be a problem either, cause he proved that while playing in Dallas.
At first I said hell no! But after you sit down and analyze it. Walker is better than any PF the Rockets have on the team. As of matter of fact I would take him over Swift. He just brings more to the table than Swift.
I think that is what people are afraid, but remember, Walker had no real position on the Mavs team. Dirk, Walker, and Finley were all trying to play like small forwards ..I keep mentioning Barkley (tough rebounder) and I think that is what the Rockets are thinking - toine can grab the rebounds when he has to ... but I still question what is going to happen to Howard -
JVG said himself that Yao and TMac are players that "distort" what occurs on the floor and that is their greatest asset. Toine is a similar player because he is unorthodox and immensly talented. We basically lost to the Mavs because they distort play on the court with their athleticm at almost every position (similar to the Suns). If JVG is making Toine his first choice at PF, that should tell you something about the the "match." So maybe Toine isn't your typical PF but he would cause major matchup problems for most teams. That is more important, at the end of the day, than his statistical comparisons...assuming he can accept his role on the team. If JVG wants him, then I trust JVG is comfortable with his attitude. JVG doesn't mince words.
So why do you think JVG is interested in him? Or do you believe the rockets interest in him is a smokescreen. I think JVG knows what he stresses most as a coach and has enough basketball knowledge to fairly evaluate Walker as a potential fit in his system. So again, if what you're saying is true, then why would Jeff Van Gandy even be entertaining the idea of bringing a power forward like Antoine Walker in here?
Because we're a team that lacks talent and Walker is a very talented player. It does not mean Van Gundy believes Walker is the ideal fit or that he'll be able to change Walker. He's a very tempting player because of his talent, but ultimately I think Van Gundy will resist the impulsion to go after the most talented player and opt for a better fit.
In 1984 the Portland Trailblazers picked 7'1" center Sam Bowie with the 2nd pick in the draft...because they needed a center...not a guard. Their biggest competitor was the Lakers and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and they needed more inside presense. The biggest mistake of all time for picking a player on need rather than talent. Not that I'm suggesting the ramifications will be as dramatic...just using this as the extreme example of why you always take talent over "need."
I agree. I don't think the Rockets are talented enough right now where we can just plug guys into our system. If we had a team capable of winning the championship and were just a little bit away, that would be one thing. But we need to remember that we didn't win jack last year, and we definitely need talent to catch up to San Antonio and Detroit. I'd prefer SAR, but I'd be happy with Walker--he lost weight when he needed to, he changed his play in Boston when he needed to, and he is, for all his flaws, unbelievably talented.
has antoine walker ever played with a center that demanded a double team? nope. has he ever played for a coach like jvg? nope. it will be his most unique experience yet. I say give the guy a chance.
The difference between Antoine Walker and the available free agents out there are nowhere near the difference between Bowie and Jordan. It is absolutely ridiculous how much people are hyping up Walker around here. That strategy of always going after talent first never seemed to work out for Dallas, Memphis or Portland. You can stockpile as much big name talent as you want, but if those players don't fit, you're team is not going to win anything. It didn't work out for the Rockets either. Those teams the Rockets used to have with Francis, Mobley, Taylor, KT, Posey, JJ, Griffin, and Yao were loaded with talent. Much more talent than the current Rockets team. Yet, they were perennial lottery teams and the current team that lacks talent is a 51 win team. The championship Rockets team, the Spurs, Pistons, and Lakers were not loaded with talent. They had their superstars and a great cast of role players. We have our superstars. Now we need to find great role players and Walker is not capable of being a great role player. Just someone who puts up nice stats on bad teams. If this team did not have Yao or Mcgrady, than I could see possibly going after talent over fit. It's a completely different story when you already have your superstar players. You don't want to go out and get players that are going to step on your superstars toes or get in their way or take the ball out of their hands. Just smart and steady role players that are capable of contributing.
New Jack, w/ any other coach I might buy your argument. But we all know JVG's attitude and reputation. Do you honestly feel JVG would buy off on this if he didn't honestly feel it would work? Please answer this question. I'm curious. JVG is a freaking micro-manager. I'm pretty sure JVG was watching Toine game tapes about 8 months ago (probably at 3am) and again after the Boston trade long before any of us hacks ever considered it. If JVG wants it to happen ...and Toine wants it to happen ...then I want it to happen. That's my position on this topic. Anything short of a mutual agreement makes this too risky...I'll concede that. I already pointed out I'm not comparing the players...just making a point. Walker is the most talented of the bunch with SAR being a close second. Stro is a distant third. If the Rox pass on Toine and instead sign Stro and he turns into another EG or MoT and the Rox never amount to crap...I'll be pissed. If the Rox sign Toine and it doesn't work out...at least they didn't punk out and they give it a go. I'd rather my team take bold steps and fail then play it safe and fail (aka Astros). Of course, I'd rather they not fail.
Okay, judging from all the posts and points of view I've seen on the BBS about Walker, it seems that it's about half and half of people who are for and against. I am for him, mainly because I am for talent, which he clearly has. The knock on 'Toine is that he is too selfish, is a bad decision maker, and is erratic at times. That is true at times, but I have also seen him light it up, rarely missing. He is a streaky shooter, and I think we should have faith in JVG to control him when he is cold, and teach him to play harder and have better judgment. If he doesnt, he wont play I think that is clear, and he wants to play and win. I say we have faith in the management and trust the professionals to make the best decision for the club. If they see something in Walker that would improve our chances of our ultimate goal (NBA Title)then I say we trust 'em. I, for one, would be thrilled at either Swift, Walker, or Marshall.
I think what many people overlook is how well Juwan Howard eased into this offense and didn't mind a reduced role. A career 17-20 PPG scorer that seemed to welcome & embrace the opportunity to play the 3rd option on a winning team despite the drastic reduce in production. Were JVG and Howard ever at odds with each other? Granted, Walker is more of a hot head and a bigger name than Howard, what makes some of you "soooooo sure" a player like Walker couldn't fit in the same way? The guy isn't an idiot, he would know full well the situation he was getting himself into. He would still get looks offensively with his ability to stretch the defense and use his perimeter and low post game as both a weapon and a decoy. His production wouldn't suffer as much as Howard's due to him being a more complete player and better rebounder, he would still average 13-15 PPG and 8-10 RPG---a solid upgrade over what we already have. Bottom line: if we get him and he plays with a chip on his shoulder this would easily be the most brilliant move the Rockets have made since trading for McGrady.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/scorecard/07/07/truth.rumors.nba/ 'Informal discussions have taken place between the Celtics and Bulls regarding a sign-and-trade deal involving Mt. Carmel alum Antoine Walker and the Bulls' Antonio Davis.'
The guy can't even shoot a free throw - he has Shaq like FT numbers. That with his turnovers will drive us nuts.
