http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Bill-Walker-552/

VDesai wrote:Walker was only a 2nd rounder b/c he had 2 ACL tears, but he has some very good talent and has put up some nice D-league numbers so far. I think he has good upside. This is a guy we'll want to get a very good look at.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Bill-Walker-552/

The one major concern that arose from this past weekend’s games is something that has always been an issue when talking about Walker: his emotions. It has been well documented that Walker is a fiery competitor, but also at times very unstable with how he handles himself on the court. The specific incident that triggered this response came when a minor altercation occurred between Walker and Brian Butch of Wisconsin in which Walker was pushed to the floor by Butch. While things didn’t escalate between the two players, Walker’s demeanor clearly changed after this, often clapping wildly on defense perhaps as a means of firing himself up even more. These issues can be a reason for concern for GM’s in today’s image conscious NBA.

NBA Comparison: Ruben Patterson
Aran Smith - 7/10/2006
Strengths: An absolutely jaw dropping, electrifying dunker capable of getting air like the greatest dunkers of all time, Jordan, Dominique, Vince Carter, Josh Smith etc. ... His leg strength and explosiveness is off the charts ... His skill level is still catching up, but he has shown tremendous progress over the past year ... Improvements have been seen in shooting, feel for the game, as well as creating offense off the dribble ... Over powers opponents with his body strength, and it will only get better as he's just a 18 year old pup ... Has a killer instinct, with a real nasty side to his personality. Has no problem dominating inferior competition, competes hard ... His upside is incredible, but for now he's a superstar athlete developing into a quality basketball player ...

Weaknesses: Can get away with using his athleticism to dominate on the high school level, but he's also working hard on his skill set and it's showing positive results ... A little stuck in between positions as a 6-5 small forward, but can become a shooting guard with work on his skills ... Has a bit of a temper, which can get the best of him at times ... Needs maturity and composure ... Has very thick legs, and while he is quick, he lacks some of the quickness in his first step that many thinner wing players posses ... Despite his aggressiveness and ability to tap into a nasty side, he also can coast at times ... He must learn to develop better work habits and stay focused to maximize his abilities ... His jumpshot off the dribble is a work in progress ... Has had some knee tendenitis issues over his high school career, but it doesn't appear to be a lingering problem ... Had some off court issues (fighting with a classmate) along with OJ Mayo in his junior year ...

Notes: Was a childhood friend and high school teammate of more heralded prospect OJ Mayo. Declared ineligible for the 06-07 season in Ohio high school basketball opening the door to be in the 2007 NBA draft. [Link]

NBA Comparison: N/A
Matt Stock - 2/1/2004
Strengths: JR is a freakish athlete that shoots the 3 well. He plays with a lot of heart and enthusiasm. He is a good rebounder and has shown a propensity for getting offensive rebounds and quick putbacks under the basket. Is listed at 6'5 but plays bigger because of his long arms and excellent jumping ability. He's a pretty good defender. JR gets excellent lift on his jump shot making it very difficult to block.

Weaknesses: Has not yet shown the ability to drive to the basket. But this is probably due to the fact that he is either dunking in alley-oops or shooting three's for the Jayhawks. His mid-range game must be an area of focus. Not a selfish player, but also is not a natural distributor of the basketball.

Notes: Has won a couple different dunk contests already. JR was a Mcdonalds All-American and probably would have won that dunk contest had it not been for some guy named LeBron... Won co-MVP honors (Along with Team USA player Deron Williams) at the 2003 Global Games, he also won that tournaments dunk contest. JR was an excellent track athlete in high school and cleared 6 feet 10 inches in a high jump competition. Was the first runner-up for the Mr. Basketball title as a senior in high school but the award was actually won by current KU teammate Jeremy Case.

Childs2Dudley wrote:

Well, Bill isn't coming back next year lol.

Lebron sucks but he wants Gilbert Arenas... oh brother.

NYKBocker wrote:Bill Walker Highlights

LOL... he missed the last dunk

well here's the silver lining... we still have someone to enter into next year's dunk contest.

EnySpree wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

VDesai wrote:Walker was only a 2nd rounder b/c he had 2 ACL tears, but he has some very good talent and has put up some nice D-league numbers so far. I think he has good upside. This is a guy we'll want to get a very good look at.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Bill-Walker-552/

Thanks for posting the link. One thing I saw that makes me think he won't play for D'Antoni was this quote from the 2008 article.

The one major concern that arose from this past weekend’s games is something that has always been an issue when talking about Walker: his emotions. It has been well documented that Walker is a fiery competitor, but also at times very unstable with how he handles himself on the court. The specific incident that triggered this response came when a minor altercation occurred between Walker and Brian Butch of Wisconsin in which Walker was pushed to the floor by Butch. While things didn’t escalate between the two players, Walker’s demeanor clearly changed after this, often clapping wildly on defense perhaps as a means of firing himself up even more. These issues can be a reason for concern for GM’s in today’s image conscious NBA.

You gotta be kidding me with that bull****. Why even type something so lame?

Only knocks on this kid is his knees and his jumpshot.....after two surgeries dude can still jump out the gym. He's one to watch and I don't mean by the tabloid police.