5 Questions with Antoine Walker

[MavsFanFinley]

AUGUST 10, 2004

The Atlanta Hawks introduced new team members Antoine Walker and Tony Delk to the media Tuesday afternoon, as the two joined Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon, Hawks GM Billy Knight, and VP of Basketball Dominique Wilkins at the Hawks practice facility in Philips Arena. After the press conference, Hawks.com caught up with Antoine for five quick questions about his new team.

Hawks.com: You’ve been with a few Kentucky players in your NBA career so far. When changing teams, how nice is it to have a former teammate like Tony [Delk] coming with you?

Antoine Walker: It’s the best feeling in the world, to have a guy who you are familiar with coming with you, especially Tony. It gives us some familiarity, to know we are with someone who is going through the same stuff at the same time. You want to get to know your teammates, and to already have one you know gets one headache out of the way. You already have that trust, you know what you can expect from each other on the court.

Hawks.com: In Dallas you were one of many offensive options. In Atlanta you will most likely be a much bigger focal point in the offense, what does that mean for you?

AW: It’s the best thing for me. It's where I feel like I belong in the league, as being one of the top two options on a team offensively. I think I can play at that high level, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to be doing that again. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Hawks.com: This is your third team in the last twelve months – is there any motivation on your part to prove to those teams they made a mistake in letting you go?

AW: Not really. I think the Boston situation was kind of tough, with new ownership and new management at the end, but it was great for all the time I was there. Dallas was great too, they treated me well, and I have no complaints about them. The guys on the team were tremendous, it was just a situation where you had too much offensive talent. They were very accommodating in moving me to a team where I’m in a much better situation.

Hawks.com: This is a young Hawks team, and you and Tony Delk come in as the “elder statesmen.” What have you learned in your time in the NBA that you want to pass on to the younger guys?

AW: It’s a long season. That’s the hardest thing for young players to learn. There are 82 games, and you have to really focus on it game-by-game, month-by-month. If you have a bad game, you have 81 more to go. I think a lot of times young players put so much pressure on themselves to have a great game each time out, and it’s just hard to do that. You are not going to be perfect out there, and it takes time on the court to grow into yourself as a player. You just have to be patient, and remember it’s a long season and you have a long way to go.

Hawks.com: Al Harrington said when he got there he was going to do whatever it took to get the fans to come out and watch the Hawks play. What have you got in mind to get the fans out to Philips Arena?

AW: The first thing is to be competitive, and to come out and give 110 percent in every game. With the talent we have assembled, the young guys, we can do some things to make it exciting for them. Getting out on the break, dunking, playing an up-tempo style, making the game exciting, but also putting out a team that wants to win, I think if we can start doing that the fans will really be drawn in.