Do YOU believe in Bill Walker?

[Al-Haqq]

He hasn't had much of a chance to play under Doc and his name has come up in numerous trade rumours but I am a fan who doesn't want to see Bill gone from the roster. I think he has a good amount of talent and could become a solid player one day. I particularly liked his aggressiveness when he played and remember he was a lottery pick until his knee blew out but it doesn't appear to have given him much set backs apart from slipping in the draft.

I am curious to see what other Celtics fans think of Bill Walker:

where do you think he can improve?
Does he have a chance to be good in this league
Should we hold on to him and develop?

[Papa Irish31]

for me to believe in him he needs to be able to develop three point range and a reliable jump shot

[SeizeCoup]

I would like him to get some random games where he gets some extra run. And I think he can be a guy who does better when surrounded by players with a lot of skills, which means minutes with the starters.

[GuyClinch]

No not really. It's like saying do you believe in Rodney Carney or did you believe in Gerald Wallace. I believe that some of these guys can make it - your hard working super athlete without full basketball skills. As far as upside goes - its guys like Gerald Wallace and Bill Walker that actually had/have some. But its really hard to say which guys have that internal fire you need to harness their athleticism at a later age..

For every Gerald Wallace their are 10 Kedrick Browns/Gerald Greens.. I'd hope that Danny picks the right guy (Giddens or Walker if we move one in sign and trade) and the other guy play well enough in practice to earn some burn..

[BillessuR6]

He hasn`t shown much so far. He can jump high but that is pretty much all he can do. His defense is horrible, he looked lost even in summer league...my expectations aren`t high...

[billfromBoston]

I believe very strongly in Bill Walker...

1. He absolutely has the physical tools necissary to build himself out into a plus off/def SF in this league
2. He has the work ethic and the humility to not only continue to work at his craft, but to accept criticism and improve on his areas of weakness
3. He is in a situation tailor made for learning - Pierce being quite possibly the best role model for him to base his game off of.

Walker has a very nice post game, he is streaky but effective from set shots midrange, and his pull-up game off one/two dribbles shows promise....he has excellent balance and coordination, which enables him to correct his body mechanics after elevation and his strong frame and large hands enable him to maintain control over the ball after contact...as long as he continues to drill on the fundementals of shooting for - especially keeping his arm angle high and not out i front of his face - he'll become a pretty good mid-range threat and should be able to develop reliable set 3-point shot.

Caron Butler had similar shooting inconsistencies and it took him about 4 full seasons before his hard-work paid off...I expect Walker to have a similar growth curve as far as shooting goes...I'd put his ceiling at Butler's level, though I don't think its more than a 15-20% chance he gets that good...he seems like a safe bet to develop into a 3rd option scorer in time - 14 to 17 ppg range is a safe bet imo...

...of course health and opportunity will be a major factor...he is not refined enough to get infinite opportunity wherever he goes and his knees must hold up as he grows...he'll get a shot at some point and it'll be up to him to take advantage and keep the momentum rolling...

He's a sharp kid though...I like his chances...

[ParticleMan]

I like Walker but I'd prefer to keep Giddens over him. JR can create with the ball, which is a rare skill in the NBA. Both are great athletes and mediocre shooters. they've both got NBA talent level.

I think this is a big year for both of them. Whoever can make the leap into the rotation, ala BBD last year, is going to have a future in the league. let's hope its both of them.

[BillessuR6]

I believe very strongly in Bill Walker...

1. He absolutely has the physical tools necissary to build himself out into a plus off/def SF in this league
2. He has the work ethic and the humility to not only continue to work at his craft, but to accept criticism and improve on his areas of weakness
3. He is in a situation tailor made for learning - Pierce being quite possibly the best role model for him to base his game off of.

Walker has a very nice post game, he is streaky but effective from set shots midrange, and his pull-up game off one/two dribbles shows promise....he has excellent balance and coordination, which enables him to correct his body mechanics after elevation and his strong frame and large hands enable him to maintain control over the ball after contact...as long as he continues to drill on the fundementals of shooting for - especially keeping his arm angle high and not out i front of his face - he'll become a pretty good mid-range threat and should be able to develop reliable set 3-point shot.

Caron Butler had similar shooting inconsistencies and it took him about 4 full seasons before his hard-work paid off...I expect Walker to have a similar growth curve as far as shooting goes...I'd put his ceiling at Butler's level, though I don't think its more than a 15-20% chance he gets that good...he seems like a safe bet to develop into a 3rd option scorer in time - 14 to 17 ppg range is a safe bet imo...

...of course health and opportunity will be a major factor...he is not refined enough to get infinite opportunity wherever he goes and his knees must hold up as he grows...he'll get a shot at some point and it'll be up to him to take advantage and keep the momentum rolling...

He's a sharp kid though...I like his chances...

His problem is that he is undersized for a SF. He is 6-5 at best. He also doesn`t have defensive mentality. I watched him in NBDL last season a bit and this year in SL and he is just doesnt`t give 100%, which IMO is a must for a player in his position.

I am hoping for the best but I am not nearly as optimistic as you are BfB. 14 to 17 ppg is a tall order...would love to see him develop into a solid player but he hasn`t shown that he has "it" yet...

[UGA Hayes]

It would be nice if he could go three plays without deliberately trying to hurt a player on the other team.

[celticfan42487]

I haven't seen any reason in the NBA to consider him more then a Justin Reed with athleticism.

Maybe he can develop a shot, or handles, or really great defensive awareness.

[7seventynine9]

he'll be out of the league in a year or two.

[Cyclical]

Does anyone here really know? I don't think so. We're all going by gut instinct and some very few precious minutes of evidence. Doc had a pretty tight rotation the last couple of years. Unless some of you are regularly attending practice you just can't possibly know.

[sully00]

I am a fan of Walker's, really liked his game Kansas St. He is a very talented player, if a little rough around the edges. He was a dominant player in college and was clearly a class above while in the D league last season, was able to play some mins on a contender after only 2 years in college.

Don't understand why people are down on him and certainly don't get how you can be down on him and high on Giddens who is smaller, spent 5 very sketchy years in college and played no mins last season.

[SonicYouth34]

I love the kid. Lets keep him and watch him learn from one of the best in the biz...aka Truth.

[GreenGrizz]

I believe that he got some potential. Only one things worries me is Doc.

[GuyClinch]

People are not down on Walker or GIddens. They have just learned that improvement is far from guaranteed.. he has the athletic tools but as Brown and Green have shown that's not always enough.

[TheOGJabroni]

I still believe he can develop into a poor man's Ron Artest. This guy was believed to be a top 5 pick straight out of high school if it wasn't for the rule change. There were two real reasons he dropped to the mid-second round:

1. Knee injuries (good reason, but they have not shown any effect on his athletic ability so far, so no real concern for me).
2. Played second-fiddle to Michael Beasley. If he was on a team of KSU's talent without Beasley he would have been able to showcase his talents a little more, and I am sure he would have been a little more NBA ready and would have been picked somewhere in the first round (especially considering there was a chance he was going to be picked in the first round anyway).

[No1CeltsFan]

I do believe in him.

I think he is more than capable of being a very solid contributor on NBA team, championship contender or not. Whether it's this year or 2 years from now is the only question for me.

He is way too athletic, quick and strong to be a scrub.

When he fell to where he did in that draft, knowing had he not injured his knee he would have gone higher, I believe that will fuel him to succeed.

I don't want to trade him, I would rather trade Giddens personally, but if Walker gets us Marquis Daniels, then so be it.

[Tenbomber]

Can we contend for another championship and keep our binkies too?

Sure.....why not?

I just hope Doc plays them more in the regular season!

[DumbyTheWizard]

Keep him and develop - he can be a star(ter in a non playoff team)