Will Mavs make 'Toine walk away? - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

MightyToine · 05-09-2004, 08:53 PM

Will Mavs make 'Toine walk away?

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

It doesn't matter if they keep asking him to play center. Center in the West, no less.

Sitting out a string of fourth quarters apparently hasn't changed his stance, either.

It doesn't even bother Antoine Walker that, on his first day as a Dallas Maverick, his new coach announced to his new team that the new guy would no longer be known as 'Toine.

Walk wants to stay with the Mavs, in spite of all that.

"I don't see why not," Walk says.

The Celtic Formerly Known As 'Toine is one of many Mavericks facing an uncertain future ... and nobody knows exactly what will happen.

What we do know is that, next to Mavericks coach Don Nelson, no one on this team seems to have less of a future in Big D than the guy now known as Walk. He has just one season left on his contract, which makes him a trade asset even with a salary of nearly $14 million, and the widely held assumption is that Walk will be the first player Mark Cuban moves out after deciding Nellie's fate.

That's because Walker, at his Mavericks best, spent too much time on the perimeter hoisting threes, and standing instead cutting after passes, all of which meant Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash didn't have enough of the ball. Walker has since fallen out of favor to the point that he had to agree to play the five spot -- with 10 games to go in the regular season -- if he wanted to play at all.

The move was designed, at least in part, to keep Walker closer to the basket and away from Dallas' pick-and-rollers outside, and he has been mildly productive against the Kings, especially in first quarters. Despite contributing his share of missed layups in a series full of them from the Mavericks, Walker had five rebounds after 12 minutes twice in the past three games.

In fourth quarters, though, you'll see 6-8 Eduardo Najera at center before you see Walker. Or you'll see Dallas' two prized rookies, Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard, flanking Nowitzki, Nash and Michael Finley in a lineup without so much as a faux center.

There is suddenly no room at crunch time for the guy Dallas thought would serve as their fiery, get-in-faces replacement for Nick Van Exel.

Yet Walker swears he can look back fondly on his maiden season away from the Celtics and that he hopes to be brought back.

"It's been a good season," Walker said before the Mavericks' season ended with a 119-118 loss to the Kings. "It was the first time I got traded. I could have been put in some bad situations. When I look back on it, I got an opportunity to play with a bunch of guys that are very good players. I never 50 won games in my career before. Don't get me wrong -- I'd love to be out there (late in games). It's different. It's a very different situation for me. But I would love to be here (next season)."

"To be honest, (being traded) is a concern of mine. I don't want to be sent around the league. I know when you're in the last year of your deal, you can become very valuable. I'm very aware of that. But I never wanted to spend my career playing on five or six different teams. That's not something I'm looking forward to doing.

"I think we're very talented, but we have eight new guys on this team. Even scrambling, we won 52 games. We were a great home team that just didn't get it done on the road. With a year with everybody learning each other, we can be very good."

It actually might not be that far-fetched for Walk to get his wish. While Walker would undoubtedly qualify as one of the Mavericks' most tradable commodities between now and next February, because of the contract, Cuban is facing another expensive summer if he does elect to fire Nelson. A coaching change would cost the owner more than $10 million just to send Nelson to Maui, even before he settles on a successor. Cuban also has one marquee free agent (Nash) of his own to re-sign and the tricky case of Daniels -- whom Dallas can't keep if anyone dares to pay the undrafted swingman more than the mid-level exception -- to sort out in addition to exploring the trade options that can put Dallas back among the West's elite.

Don't be surprised, then, if the Mavericks choose to keep Walker, unless they concoct a trade where Walker's new team would also be taking on the contract of, say, Tariq Abdul-Wahad. Cuban figures to be reluctant to trade Walker strictly for a player (or players) with a long-term deal when he has to commit cash in so many other directions.

Don't forget, too, that a big reason Dallas wanted Walker is because of that soon-to-expire contract, whether Walker was a good fit or not. The right to unload a bad contract on Boston in that exchange -- Raef LaFrentz's $70 million deal -- meant the Mavericks had to do it, and Cuban still has three max contracts on the books (Finley, Nowitzki and Antawn Jamison) before you even factor in Nash's expected raise. It's not inconceivable that Walk plays out his final season as a Mav, with the right to walk as a free agent in the summer of 2005.

"I've got another year here, and I want to make the best out of this situation," Walker said. "I know we're very talented, and we can be a lot better than the way we're playing right now."

Walk says so even though he will be fingered as one of the top few scapegoats. Although there was some undeniable sulking in March when he found himself benched temporarily, the truth is Walker played the way Nelson let him for the first 50-odd games.

He didn't protest when Nelson outlawed his trademark shimmy early in the season, and he laughs when he tells the story of Nellie bring Antoine and Antawn together at practice and deciding that Jamison would be called AJ and that the NBA's foremost 'Toine would not be called 'Toine.

"I've always been 'Toine," he said. "But now I'm Walk."

>>> Well....Now your name is MUD, My friend. [img]i/expressions/rolleye.gif[/img]

See ya in the funny papers.......of whatever team you end up with.

FilthyFinMavs · 05-09-2004, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: MightyToine
Will Mavs make 'Toine walk away?

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

It doesn't matter if they keep asking him to play center. Center in the West, no less.

Sitting out a string of fourth quarters apparently hasn't changed his stance, either.

It doesn't even bother Antoine Walker that, on his first day as a Dallas Maverick, his new coach announced to his new team that the new guy would no longer be known as 'Toine.

Walk wants to stay with the Mavs, in spite of all that.

"I don't see why not," Walk says.

The Celtic Formerly Known As 'Toine is one of many Mavericks facing an uncertain future ... and nobody knows exactly what will happen.

What we do know is that, next to Mavericks coach Don Nelson, no one on this team seems to have less of a future in Big D than the guy now known as Walk. He has just one season left on his contract, which makes him a trade asset even with a salary of nearly $14 million, and the widely held assumption is that Walk will be the first player Mark Cuban moves out after deciding Nellie's fate.

That's because Walker, at his Mavericks best, spent too much time on the perimeter hoisting threes, and standing instead cutting after passes, all of which meant Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash didn't have enough of the ball. Walker has since fallen out of favor to the point that he had to agree to play the five spot -- with 10 games to go in the regular season -- if he wanted to play at all.

The move was designed, at least in part, to keep Walker closer to the basket and away from Dallas' pick-and-rollers outside, and he has been mildly productive against the Kings, especially in first quarters. Despite contributing his share of missed layups in a series full of them from the Mavericks, Walker had five rebounds after 12 minutes twice in the past three games.

In fourth quarters, though, you'll see 6-8 Eduardo Najera at center before you see Walker. Or you'll see Dallas' two prized rookies, Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard, flanking Nowitzki, Nash and Michael Finley in a lineup without so much as a faux center.

There is suddenly no room at crunch time for the guy Dallas thought would serve as their fiery, get-in-faces replacement for Nick Van Exel.

Yet Walker swears he can look back fondly on his maiden season away from the Celtics and that he hopes to be brought back.

"It's been a good season," Walker said before the Mavericks' season ended with a 119-118 loss to the Kings. "It was the first time I got traded. I could have been put in some bad situations. When I look back on it, I got an opportunity to play with a bunch of guys that are very good players. I never 50 won games in my career before. Don't get me wrong -- I'd love to be out there (late in games). It's different. It's a very different situation for me. But I would love to be here (next season)."

"To be honest, (being traded) is a concern of mine. I don't want to be sent around the league. I know when you're in the last year of your deal, you can become very valuable. I'm very aware of that. But I never wanted to spend my career playing on five or six different teams. That's not something I'm looking forward to doing.

"I think we're very talented, but we have eight new guys on this team. Even scrambling, we won 52 games. We were a great home team that just didn't get it done on the road. With a year with everybody learning each other, we can be very good."

It actually might not be that far-fetched for Walk to get his wish. While Walker would undoubtedly qualify as one of the Mavericks' most tradable commodities between now and next February, because of the contract, Cuban is facing another expensive summer if he does elect to fire Nelson. A coaching change would cost the owner more than $10 million just to send Nelson to Maui, even before he settles on a successor. Cuban also has one marquee free agent (Nash) of his own to re-sign and the tricky case of Daniels -- whom Dallas can't keep if anyone dares to pay the undrafted swingman more than the mid-level exception -- to sort out in addition to exploring the trade options that can put Dallas back among the West's elite.

Don't be surprised, then, if the Mavericks choose to keep Walker, unless they concoct a trade where Walker's new team would also be taking on the contract of, say, Tariq Abdul-Wahad. Cuban figures to be reluctant to trade Walker strictly for a player (or players) with a long-term deal when he has to commit cash in so many other directions.

Don't forget, too, that a big reason Dallas wanted Walker is because of that soon-to-expire contract, whether Walker was a good fit or not. The right to unload a bad contract on Boston in that exchange -- Raef LaFrentz's $70 million deal -- meant the Mavericks had to do it, and Cuban still has three max contracts on the books (Finley, Nowitzki and Antawn Jamison) before you even factor in Nash's expected raise. It's not inconceivable that Walk plays out his final season as a Mav, with the right to walk as a free agent in the summer of 2005.

"I've got another year here, and I want to make the best out of this situation," Walker said. "I know we're very talented, and we can be a lot better than the way we're playing right now."

Walk says so even though he will be fingered as one of the top few scapegoats. Although there was some undeniable sulking in March when he found himself benched temporarily, the truth is Walker played the way Nelson let him for the first 50-odd games.

He didn't protest when Nelson outlawed his trademark shimmy early in the season, and he laughs when he tells the story of Nellie bring Antoine and Antawn together at practice and deciding that Jamison would be called AJ and that the NBA's foremost 'Toine would not be called 'Toine.

"I've always been 'Toine," he said. "But now I'm Walk."

>>> Well....Now your name is MUD, My friend. [img]i/expressions/rolleye.gif[/img]

See ya in the funny papers.......of whatever team you end up with.

How does anyone on this board take you serious?

grndmstr_c · 05-09-2004, 09:19 PM

Quote:

How does anyone on this board take you serious?

Rest assured, nobody on this board takes him seriously.

FilthyFinMavs · 05-09-2004, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: grndmstr_c

Quote:

How does anyone on this board take you serious?

Rest assured, nobody on this board takes him seriously.

That's what I thought.

nowitzki_prophecy · 05-09-2004, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Rest assured, nobody on this board takes him seriously.

LOL

Murphy3 · 05-09-2004, 10:12 PM

Come on..this isn't necessary.

dirno2000 · 05-09-2004, 10:19 PM

This is what I brought up in the "Does Cuban have a breaking point" thread. Cuban has already shocked the basketball by not firing Nellie before the plane landed in Dallas. That non-move has dollar signs all over it. It wouldn't surprise me if Walker starts and ends the season as a Maverick. That would be pretty deflating.

Murphy3 · 05-09-2004, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: dirno2000
This is what I brought up in the "Does Cuban have a breaking point" thread. Cuban has already shocked the basketball by not firing Nellie before the plane landed in Dallas. That non-move has dollar signs all over it. It wouldn't surprise me if Walker starts and ends the season as a Maverick. That would be pretty deflating.

And any significant improvements would be based upon Dirk's ability to take his game to the next level..and Nellie's ability to allow him to do so.

grndmstr_c · 05-09-2004, 10:25 PM

Quote:

That non-move has dollar signs all over it. It wouldn't surprise me if Walker starts and ends the season as a Maverick.

It may very well be the case that Mark is giving money a little more consideration than he has in the past, but keeping Walker until the end of the season doesn't seem to me to be the inevitable result of some economic thinking. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cuban balk at the prospect of taking on a bunch of Wahad's and Fortson's for Walker, but I think there are probably some trades that could be made that don't require that much of a long-term commitment to an underachiever, the Chandler/AD possibility being one of these.

dirno2000 · 05-09-2004, 10:29 PM

Quote:

And any significant improvements would be based upon Dirk's ability to take his game to the next level..and Nellie's ability to allow him to do so.

True, that's the bottom line no matter what moves we make. Still, at this point it has to be obvious to everyone that Walker doesn't fit here. The case has been made statistically a hunderd times here and I'm sure Cuban has crunched every number we've seen and more.

dirno2000 · 05-09-2004, 10:38 PM

Quote:

but I think there are probably some trades that could be made that don't require that much of a long-term commitment to an underachiever, the Chandler/AD possibility being one of these.

This may be the best deal we can hop for money wise. The ironic thing is that if Chandler were to start living up to his draft position, we probably wouldn't be able to keep him anyway. He'll be restricted in 2005 and I don't think we would have his bird rights since he would only have been with us one season. Correct me if i'm wrong on that.

MightyToine · 05-09-2004, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: FilthyFinMavs

Quote:

Originally posted by: grndmstr_c

Quote:

How does anyone on this board take you serious?

Rest assured, nobody on this board takes him seriously.

That's what I thought.

Hey....I was bored, okay? I hate offseasons. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]

I'm "forcing" myself to watch my Pathetic METS lose to the f'n Brewers...... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

At least YOUR team(rangers) here is winning(for a change)....

grndmstr_c · 05-09-2004, 10:54 PM

Dirno, Chandler has now been under contract with the Bulls for three straight seasons, which as I understand it means his Bird Rights have kicked in. Once one team gets his Bird Rights it's my understanding that they follow him around wherever he goes, ie., if we traded for him we'd get his Bird Rights as part of the deal.

dirno2000 · 05-09-2004, 11:06 PM

It was my understanding that a player has to be with a team three seasons for that team to have his Bird right. Maybe that only applies to FA signings.

EditYou're right GMC, I just checked. If we trade for Chander, his Bird rights come with him.

ddh33 · 05-09-2004, 11:27 PM

I would be very surpised if Walker is a Maverick by the end of next season. For that matter, I would be pretty surprised if he's here by the beginning of next season - financial concerns considered...

MightyToine · 05-10-2004, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: ddh33
I would be very surpised if Walker is a Maverick by the end of next season. For that matter, I would be pretty surprised if he's here by the beginning of next season - financial concerns considered...

I would be surprised, too. but not by much considering the list of to-do items that Cubes has (Sign Nash...Find some way to keep Daniels...Keep/Fire Nellie...)