Juke Skywalker - The Kemba Walker Thread II

HornetJail · Post #401 » by **HornetJail** » Mon Aug 19, 2013 2:41 am

"Why the hell doesn't Kemba have a nickname?" - the Kemba Walker thread.

LamarMatic7 · Post #402 » by **LamarMatic7** » Mon Aug 19, 2013 12:11 pm

oh my god, that "I'm the man" face Felton has made.. I just can't take it seriously.

HornetJail · Post #403 » by **HornetJail** » Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:09 pm

Speaking of Felton, apparently he's dropped below 200 pounds. Even though he ditched us (who can blame him, the organization sucked), I still wish him well. I think a healthy in-shape Felton could be a really good thing for NY.

Eoghan · Post #404 » by **Eoghan** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:05 am

The problem with Felton was he needed to lose the fat in his brain. Dude loves taking ill-advised threes instead of utilizing his strengths.

Boarder Patrol · Post #405 » by **Boarder Patrol** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:33 am

Where do you guys see his ceiling? Top 5 PG? He showed some decent potential, but I haven't seen enough of him.

HornetJail · Post #406 » by **HornetJail** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 3:19 am

Boarder Patrol wrote:Where do you guys see his ceiling? Top 5 PG? He showed some decent potential, but I haven't seen enough of him.

Oh god I thought we were still talking about Felton and I almost lost my mind. :lol:

I honestly don't know whether Kemba is going to just be a top 8-12 PG his whole career, maybe making his way to one all-star game due to other players' injuries and stuff or if he's actually going to break out and become a top 5 PG. He's never had an NBA-caliber scorer in the post to pass to or really anyone to draw defensive attention away from him at any position on the roster, so I think this coming season should be really telling.

Kemba was right on the bubble as a top 10 PG last year: Westbrook, Paul, Rondo, Curry, Irving, Williams, Parker, Wall, and someone else I know I'm missing were the only clearly better PGs and Kemba was somewhere in the mix with Lillard, Conley, Holiday, and Lawson in the next tier. This was only his second year and he hasn't had a coach or a supporting cast worth a damn.

With the additions of Jefferson and Zeller, who are both big men who can play inside, draw attention to the paint, and run pick and rolls, Kemba now gets to score more easily without a defender in his face, can average more than the 5.7 assists, and doesn't have to be the only one taking bail-out shots for his inferior teammates late in the shot clock. His percentages should skyrocket, both from the inside and out, and though he'll probably be taking less shots, and he'll be more effective offensively. Zeller and Jefferson are the only new additions worth much, but MKG should be a better offensive player next year, as should Biyombo, McRoberts, and Henderson, making better targets for Kemba and making it easier for Kemba to operate. Of course, Kemba's defensive play was solid last year and should continue this year in a system that likely values defense more than Dunlap horrendous schemes.

Should Kemba fulfill his potential as an all-around stud PG, I can see Kemba becoming a top 5 PG.

Vanderbilt_Grad · Post #407 » by **Vanderbilt_Grad** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:57 am

http://www.nba.com/2013/news/features/s ... bahpsplit2

Kemba:

"I've honestly never really played with a dominant big man, a guy who commands the kind of attention he will night in and night out," Walker said. "I don't think people realize how he changes the game for guys like Gerald [Henderson] and myself, the guys who have to work on the edges. I looked back at the way we played last season and some of the shots we took, and the situations we were in was ridiculous. The degree of difficulty was off the charts. It won't be like that with an anchor down low."

"No offense to the guys we've had in that spot before, but you don't realize how important it is until you play in this league without that kind of presence," Walker said. "It makes all the difference in the world to know that we have Al rolling with us. It changes everything."

Tupik · Post #408 » by **Tupik** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:28 pm

I'm surprised I haven't found this video on here, sorry if I missed it and it's already been posted :

Kemba scoring 35 points at Pro-Am league. Looks very sharp already.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVadNnZaI3k[/youtube]

HornetJail · Post #409 » by **HornetJail** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:57 pm

Vanderbilt_Grad wrote:http://www.nba.com/2013/news/features/sekou_smith/08/18/2013-summer-lottery-series-charlotte-bobcats/index.html?ls=nbahpsplit2

Kemba:
"I've honestly never really played with a dominant big man, a guy who commands the kind of attention he will night in and night out," Walker said. "I don't think people realize how he changes the game for guys like Gerald [Henderson] and myself, the guys who have to work on the edges. I looked back at the way we played last season and some of the shots we took, and the situations we were in was ridiculous. The degree of difficulty was off the charts. It won't be like that with an anchor down low."

"No offense to the guys we've had in that spot before, but you don't realize how important it is until you play in this league without that kind of presence," Walker said. "It makes all the difference in the world to know that we have Al rolling with us. It changes everything."

It's what I've been saying. A big man like Al is key to Kemba's success. I expect a lot from both of them next year.

Post #410 » by **fatlever** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 3:31 pm

Vanderbilt_Grad wrote:http://www.nba.com/2013/news/features/sekou_smith/08/18/2013-summer-lottery-series-charlotte-bobcats/index.html?ls=nbahpsplit2

Kemba:
"I've honestly never really played with a dominant big man, a guy who commands the kind of attention he will night in and night out," Walker said. "I don't think people realize how he changes the game for guys like Gerald [Henderson] and myself, the guys who have to work on the edges. I looked back at the way we played last season and some of the shots we took, and the situations we were in was ridiculous. The degree of difficulty was off the charts. It won't be like that with an anchor down low."

"No offense to the guys we've had in that spot before, but you don't realize how important it is until you play in this league without that kind of presence," Walker said. "It makes all the difference in the world to know that we have Al rolling with us. It changes everything."

wow, those are some great quotes from kemba.

Joest2003 · Post #411 » by **Joest2003** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 2:21 pm

Its safe to say if Kemba keeps improving the way he did last year he will have PLENTY of options when his contract is done. I have a feeling that the real reason why they signed big Al was to show Kemba that they are willing to make steps to get better despite the cost. I also think Higgins made a great move making Kemba the captain this soon in his career and calling it Kemba's team. It cant be easy for a player to want to leave a situation where hes the captain and has the "keys to the car" as Higgins says. Between that and the new name change along with the publicity and excitment it will bring I have a feeling Kemba will want to sign a long term deal here.

Would other Charlotte fans want him to sign long term? and also does anybody know when his contract here is officially over?

mrknowitall215 · Post #412 » by **mrknowitall215** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 2:34 pm

I would like to see Kemba sign into a long-term deal with Charlotte because I want to see him be a part of the solution to the turn around there from where it was. That will be an achievement in itself, and I like seeing players finish their prime in the same place where they started their career

Post #413 » by **fatlever** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 3:29 pm

too early to tell. this is a big year for kemba. he has to show that he can transition his game from being a scorer to a facilitator. last year we had no bigs, so there were many valid excuses for lack of playmaking. with zeller and jefferson on the roster this year the excuses are gone.

if kemba shows improvement in his playmaking while retaining his lethal scoring, then i think the cats should make every effort to keep him here long term on a reasonable deal.

if kemba struggles with playmaking then the front office needs to seriously question just how far we can go with him as our primary guy.

right now i'd look at that jeff teague deal as a good benchmark.

what kemba wants is anyone's guess. he does not seem like the type of player who would start making waves to get out of charlotte. thats just not his personality. but make no mistake, he probably hears from people every day telling him he needs to get out of charlotte. just look at this twitter and you will see 100s of people telling him he needs to leave. im sure when he is home in NYC in the summers he hears it all the time. and i wouldnt doubt that when he was in vegas talking to a lot of players that discussions like that happen.

HornetJail · Post #414 » by **HornetJail** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 3:54 pm

fatlever wrote:what kemba wants is anyone's guess. he does not seem like the type of player who would start making waves to get out of charlotte. thats just not his personality. but make no mistake, he probably hears from people every day telling him he needs to get out of charlotte. just look at this twitter and you will see 100s of people telling him he needs to leave. im sure when he is home in NYC in the summers he hears it all the time. and i wouldnt doubt that when he was in vegas talking to a lot of players that discussions like that happen.

Once we're a good team again, that garbage will stop.

The fact that Kemba personally recruited Al Jefferson gives me more than enough faith that he's here to stay.

Post #415 » by **fatlever** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 4:13 pm

and hopefully kemba will have the same mentality that hendo has - "i was part of the problem, so i want to be part of the solution"

Joest2003 · Post #416 » by **Joest2003** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 4:21 pm

I'm sure he hears what people say but he's a real humble guy he spends a lot of his summer in CT playing in the Hartford summer league and practicing with his old teamates at Uconn. I saw him and jeff adrian a month ago at the bar in downtown Hartford. Doesnt seem like the kinda guy to go chasing the spotlight like dwight

Joest2003 · Post #417 » by **Joest2003** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 4:26 pm

fatlever wrote:and hopefully kemba will have the same mentality that hendo has - "i was part of the problem, so i want to be part of the solution"

Not sure I would say he was ever part of the problem. He had the highest PER on the team since he got here and has not had one teammate who can consistently hit a jump shot.

Post #418 » by **fatlever** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 4:43 pm

Joest2003 wrote:
fatlever wrote:and hopefully kemba will have the same mentality that hendo has - "i was part of the problem, so i want to be part of the solution"

Not sure I would say he was ever part of the problem. He had the highest PER on the team since he got here and has not had one teammate who can consistently hit a jump shot.

yes, he was the best player on a bad team, but make no mistake, kemba was part of the problem. its a team game. he was the guy running point for a ton of the minutes. he shot 36% as a rookie. he has to take responsibility for the losses just like anyone else.

Joest2003 · Post #419 » by **Joest2003** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 4:49 pm

I hear what your saying and agree to a certain point but what do you expect from a backup PG on the worst team in NBA history. he was shooting 36% because he didn't want to shoot but he was the only option and he would get the ball back with 3 seconds left in the shot clock. Chris Paul wouldnt have even shot over 40% playing with the 2011 Bobcats second unit.

Post #420 » by **fatlever** » Wed Sep 4, 2013 4:55 pm

kemba is not immune to criticism just because he was the the best player last year. hendo was our best player in 2011-12 and he is not immune either.

as a leader of this team, i would expect kemba to take responsibility for the losing whether he genuinely believed it or not.

the point being made was that when hendo resigned he said he wanted to be in charlotte to be part of the solution since he was part of the problem. whether or not hendo believed what he was saying doesnt matter. as a leader he took ownership of the team's failures while he was a key player. i would expect kemba to do the same.