iSergio wrote:Can we pick up Bill Walker's option and still have room for 2 MAX FA's? I'd love to keep Walker, he would be the perfect role player off the bench.

We are about 1-2 million away from being able to offer two max deals. So as it stands we still need to shed salary to do so. Walker makes more than the minimum so...

Sky Walker is already taken and a bit dated. Mister Bill belonged to Cartwright and we all know that we had to let him go to Chicago for Oak. Walker is unique so his naming ceremony may take some time.

Bill Walker's game is somewhat of a throwback to an era where men were men and called their own fouls. The era of "no autopsy, no foul". The era of a 6'6 cat jumping over an unsuspecting defender for a vicious dunk in heavy traffic and rocking the basket supports with so much force that the high school kid sitting on it with the push broom falls over. Three point range in a muscular 225 pound package?

Bill Walker is Old School.

The W Train.

Not bad at all.

The scouting reports are a source of information, once you sift through arbitrary comparisons and look at relevant measures of NBA potential.

Draft Express May, 2008

"Another thing that caught our eye was the intelligence (we LIKE intelligence) Walker exhibits off the court. We had a chance to spend some time with him—the results of which you’ll see in an interview tomorrow—and really came away thinking that he’s an extremely bright and articulate guy, which will surely go a long ways in helping him reach his very high ceiling."

“Frank Martin, who is one of my best friends, told me that he’s one of the smartest (we like Smart) players he’s ever coached. Right now he’s learning how to use his athleticism better and not rely too heavily on it. We’re helping him expand what he does by simplifying the game for him. Things like jabs, post-ups, turnarounds, and using athleticism to finish, instead of just creating. He’s become more effective this way now. He’s a lot more efficient using his footwork and setting people up. He’s just a very systematic player. His attitude has been fine here. He’s just an emotional kid. He’s one of our favorite guys, because he works so hard. He wants to get better. He asks so many questions. He pays attention. He’s working on the stuff we’re giving him. He is going to be a very good NBA player.”

He doesn’t have the ball-handling skills to fully utilize his athleticism yet, but he is clever in his approach – using several maneuvers to get his defender off balance and gain a half a step, driving left most of the time. He also uses his strength very well, driving into the paint and then turning the move into a post up to bully his way to the rim.

An audition to build on. If his knees can be conditioned properly over the Summer...

i hope like heck we keep him.

A one-and-done, Walker The Power Dunk Ranger, is only 22 years old. If Antonio McDyess can return from multiple knee surgeries to remain a productive player - so can Bill Walker.

I don't remember anyone referring to Bill Walker as a franchise maker. However, in high school Bill Walker and OJ Mayo dominated the state of West Virginia as much as Lebron ran the state of Ohio. He and Michael Beasley were one-two on a nationally ranked, fierce Kansas State team. Without the bad knees, Walker is a top ten pick in the draft.

Watching his game off the ball, one can see that he understands the angles and knows where the ball needs to go - whether it is a crisp pass or in the hoop. His experience in playing next to the 6'9 Beasley is a perfect orientation for playing next to the 6'9 David Lee. I would pay good money for their combined stats when they are on the floor together.

misterearl wrote:Nalod - the loss of Jordan Hill is only a loss if one wants to live in the past.

Earl, anything that has ever happened, has happened in the past.
By definition. If you can't talk about the past you can't talk about achievements or failures, only probabilities, and what might happen.
Talking about recent occurrences, is not "living in the past".