Author Topic: I love Kemba Walker  (Read 9321 times)

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I love Kemba Walker
« on: November 02, 2019, 05:27:36 PM »

Offline Monkhouse

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After last year, to be honest, I stopped browsing Celtics forum for a couple of reasons.
1) There were way too many trade Hayward threads, and I was staring to get tired of reading them. Not only does Ainge have a track record for not trading players in their down years, but because I felt like Hayward was getting way too much blame for a team that seriously fell behind on expectations.
2) People were so down on the Celtics, as was I. Last year left not only a bitter taste in my mouth, but I honestly stopped having interest in basketball.
3) Kyrie is a diva, and if anything from last year told me something: chemistry, and having someone that is a leader is extremely important.
4) There were a lot of negativity in these forums, and I simply couldn't come back here.

But not trying to be a negative Nancy any more, but... It's absolutely refreshing to see someone like Kemba, and I love him for these reasons because:
1) He gets to the line. Something we haven't seen since IT. He's getting to the line at 8.2 FTA, to put that in perspective, IT got to the line 8.5 in his stellar 2016-2017 year. It is so lovely to see someone that can actually get freebies, allows the defense to get set up and gives our players some breathing room to relax, and jot out plays in their heads.
2) He is always cheerful, and never having any kind of upset disposition. I remember he briefly told Tatum, "I don't care how many shots you take, KEEP SHOOTING!"
3) He is a leader, and if you seen his open mic's, he is always telling his teammates to keep going.
4) He's durable. These past 4 seasons, he's only missed a total of 5 games. I'm pretty confident he can keep bumping and getting free throws generated, although I do worry if his sheer amount of FTA's may wear and tear on his body eventually. But if he keeps shooting 3's at a high percentage, I think teams will have to start closing out him more, allowing him to make smarter players in traffic.

Either way, I'm super excited for Kemba, and I'm happy he's here. Not to mention he's also playing great defense, and drawing a lot of charges.

LET'S GO CELTICS!
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Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2019, 05:39:04 PM »

Offline Celtic Fan Forever

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TP! Kyrie was more talented but it’s undeniable that Kemba is better for this team in and off the court. This is the leader the young guys need, not to mention he’s absolutely balling so far this year!
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Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2019, 05:43:00 PM »

Offline Monkhouse

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TP! Kyrie was more talented but it’s undeniable that Kemba is better for this team in and off the court. This is the leader the young guys need, not to mention he’s absolutely balling so far this year!

TP back at ya!

I haven't been this hyped in a while!

Also Kemba is shooting 40%, while generating above average TS % thanks to his FTA, I also think his FG will eventually go up. His FG % was always something people judged him for in his CHA days, but you have to think about who his 2nd, and 3rd best players were, and how much better as a team we are, plus a far superior coach in CBS.

I think one issue I had with Kyrie is that he was never content with deferring to Tatum as his Robin.

Kyrie always had to be the Batman in every situation. Ironically, the Tatum game winner is the same play as the one back then against ORL where Kyrie supposedly blew up in the locker room, and issues started becoming transparent.

If you look at Kemba, he's all smiles, and happy. I think Kemba would've still been proud of Tatum whether or not he made it or not. He is truly a man who is a leader, and happy to impart wisdom.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2019, 05:48:21 PM by Monkhouse »
"I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses
Can't define how I be dropping these mockeries."

Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
It's based on your perspective, quite simply
We're the same and we're not; know what I'm saying? Listen
Son, I ain't better than you, I just think different

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2019, 06:29:33 PM »

Offline BringToughnessBack

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After last year, to be honest, I stopped browsing Celtics forum for a couple of reasons.
1) There were way too many trade Hayward threads, and I was staring to get tired of reading them. Not only does Ainge have a track record for not trading players in their down years, but because I felt like Hayward was getting way too much blame for a team that seriously fell behind on expectations.
2) People were so down on the Celtics, as was I. Last year left not only a bitter taste in my mouth, but I honestly stopped having interest in basketball.
3) Kyrie is a diva, and if anything from last year told me something: chemistry, and having someone that is a leader is extremely important.
4) There were a lot of negativity in these forums, and I simply couldn't come back here.

But not trying to be a negative Nancy any more, but... It's absolutely refreshing to see someone like Kemba, and I love him for these reasons because:
1) He gets to the line. Something we haven't seen since IT. He's getting to the line at 8.2 FTA, to put that in perspective, IT got to the line 8.5 in his stellar 2016-2017 year. It is so lovely to see someone that can actually get freebies, allows the defense to get set up and gives our players some breathing room to relax, and jot out plays in their heads.
2) He is always cheerful, and never having any kind of upset disposition. I remember he briefly told Tatum, "I don't care how many shots you take, KEEP SHOOTING!"
3) He is a leader, and if you seen his open mic's, he is always telling his teammates to keep going.
4) He's durable. These past 4 seasons, he's only missed a total of 5 games. I'm pretty confident he can keep bumping and getting free throws generated, although I do worry if his sheer amount of FTA's may wear and tear on his body eventually. But if he keeps shooting 3's at a high percentage, I think teams will have to start closing out him more, allowing him to make smarter players in traffic.

Either way, I'm super excited for Kemba, and I'm happy he's here. Not to mention he's also playing great defense, and drawing a lot of charges.

LET'S GO CELTICS!

TP! I felt the same. Last year and the negativity was beyond brutal. I guess it does show how divisive Kyrie made our fans and team. It was unbearable and I almost deleted myself from here!

This year is refreshing and I am enjoying the team and forum so far.

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2019, 06:36:13 PM »

Offline Ogaju

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Love Kemba also. Couldnt stand him on the Hornets because he always seemed to ball against the Cs.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2019, 08:02:54 PM by Ogaju »

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2019, 07:11:18 PM »

Offline Jvalin

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Meh, he's just 6 feet. Great player for uptempo games during the regular season. Only time will tell whether he can be efficient in the off-season (especially over bigger opponents in the clutch). He still has a lot to prove in by book.

For what it's worth, he has played 11 playoff games throughout his career averaging 21.5 points on 39.4% from the floor. His respective numbers for the regular season have been 19.9 points on 41.8% from the floor. Hate to say it, but the FG% leaves a lot to be desired.

There, I said it. :-X

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2019, 07:14:25 PM »

Offline Greyman

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TP to the OP. I have been a bit of a fair weather visitor to the site and dropped off last season for similar reasons. Kyrie is a bit of an enigma whereas with Kemba, what you hear and see is what you get. And it is all positive. Seeing a lot more smiles on the coach's face and the whole energy seems positive.

I don't know that I can credit Kemba for the form of Theis, Theis deserves the credit, but I do believe that being in this group with this attitude lifts players to be their best.

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #7 on: November 02, 2019, 07:15:56 PM »

Offline Roy H.

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Meh, he's just 6 feet. Great player for uptempo games during the regular season. Only time will tell whether he can be efficient in the off-season (especially over bigger opponents in the clutch). He still has a lot to prove in by book.

For what it's worth, he has played 11 playoff games throughout his career averaging 21.5 points on 39.4% from the floor. His respective numbers for the regular season have been 19.9 points on 41.8% from the floor. Hate to say it, but the FG% leaves a lot to be desired.

There, I said it. :-X

His eFG% and TS% have both been pretty good over the past four years. I’m not worried about his efficiency.


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Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #8 on: November 02, 2019, 07:41:51 PM »

Offline keevsnick

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Meh, he's just 6 feet. Great player for uptempo games during the regular season. Only time will tell whether he can be efficient in the off-season (especially over bigger opponents in the clutch). He still has a lot to prove in by book.

For what it's worth, he has played 11 playoff games throughout his career averaging 21.5 points on 39.4% from the floor. His respective numbers for the regular season have been 19.9 points on 41.8% from the floor. Hate to say it, but the FG% leaves a lot to be desired.

There, I said it. :-X

His eFG% and TS% have both been pretty good over the past four years. I’m not worried about his efficiency.

His TS% has been 57%, 57% and 56% the last three years which for an elite guy actually isnt great. By comparison Kyrie was 58, 61, 59 those same three years. The hope is that with a lower workload and more help around him he can get a little more efficient.

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2019, 07:49:43 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Meh, he's just 6 feet. Great player for uptempo games during the regular season. Only time will tell whether he can be efficient in the off-season (especially over bigger opponents in the clutch). He still has a lot to prove in by book.

For what it's worth, he has played 11 playoff games throughout his career averaging 21.5 points on 39.4% from the floor. His respective numbers for the regular season have been 19.9 points on 41.8% from the floor. Hate to say it, but the FG% leaves a lot to be desired.

There, I said it. :-X

His eFG% and TS% have both been pretty good over the past four years. I’m not worried about his efficiency.
Also, some context: his playoff FG% can probably be explained by the fact, he was about the only offensive threat for the Hornets in his 11 playoff games, so was most likely the focus of the defense during those 11 games.

And, of those 11 games, because they are such a small sample size, a closer look reveals 8 very good to exceptional shooting games and 3 disastrous games where he shot a combined 11 for 53 in 2016 against the Heat.

I am not worried about his efficiency at all.

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #10 on: November 02, 2019, 07:55:51 PM »

Offline trickybilly

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Also, he is going to get a lot more "more open" looks. He was almost literally the sole focus of defenses in Charlotte.
"Gimme the ball, gimme the ball". Freddy Quimby, 1994.

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #11 on: November 02, 2019, 08:15:27 PM »

Offline byennie

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I think the fairest comparison to Kyrie is:

Slightly worse shooter from everywhere (say, 35+% from deep vs 40%, 85% FT vs 90% etc)
Slightly better shot selection (more 3s, more free throws)
Slightly fewer turnovers
Slight worse overall offensively

Moderately more healthy

Massively better teammate and leader

Massively more fun to root for

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2019, 08:17:28 PM »

Offline Fierce1

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I think the fairest comparison to Kyrie is:

Slightly worse shooter from everywhere (say, 35+% from deep vs 40%, 85% FT vs 90% etc)
Slightly better shot selection (more 3s, more free throws)
Slightly fewer turnovers
Slight worse overall offensively

Moderately more healthy

Massively better teammate and leader

Massively more fun to root for

Kyrie's better but Kyrie's not a likable guy.

Team will not succeed if teammates don't like their leader.

That's where Kyrie failed in Boston.

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #13 on: November 02, 2019, 08:30:27 PM »

Offline GreenFaith1819

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Can't wait to see Kemba go to the playoffs with this battle-tested team.

Tatum, Brown and Smart have already came within one game of the Finals.

GH is finally rounding into his Utah days form.

Let the good times roll.

Re: I love Kemba Walker
« Reply #14 on: November 02, 2019, 09:13:54 PM »

Offline lbgreen33

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Meh, he's just 6 feet. Great player for uptempo games during the regular season. Only time will tell whether he can be efficient in the off-season (especially over bigger opponents in the clutch). He still has a lot to prove in by book.

For what it's worth, he has played 11 playoff games throughout his career averaging 21.5 points on 39.4% from the floor. His respective numbers for the regular season have been 19.9 points on 41.8% from the floor. Hate to say it, but the FG% leaves a lot to be desired.

There, I said it. :-X

Hate to say it but you are incorrect about him Not being proven! I am from CT and watched every Uconn game.  He was the greatest Uconn player I have ever seen in the clutch. They won the national title and it had a lot to do with Kemba hitting game winning shots!!!
I love Kemba and we are very lucky to have him!!