Bill Walker considered to be a part of Knicks "team foundation" for the future

[xmuscularghandix]

who cares about Bill Walker 

Me... alot...

[Tough Juice]

аh... why?

[Mr October]

D'Antoni suggested that the team's foundation consists of Danilo Gallinari(notes), Wilson Chandler(notes), Toney Douglas(notes) and Bill Walker(notes). "We're in a position to add two superstars or a lot of good players. We have to have a great summer.

Of course these four guys are part of the Knicks "foundation". Gallinari, Chandler, and Douglas are the only fully guaranteed contracts on their roster for next year, and Walker is a minimum-level contract. (Eddy Curry is under a player option, and likely will be back; while Sergio Rodriguez is an RFA.)

If Walker were making more than peanuts, I guarantee he'd be cut to free up even more cap space to land a free agent.

Yup.

For our playoff run right now, I'd rather have Robinson and Finley.

Bill Walkers are a dime a dozen. We'll get another young swing man this summer i'm sure.

1) Walker's not under contract next year. The team has an option on him. Same after next year;

2) You don't 'cut' guys in basketball. His salary counts the same if you do as if you keep him. This isn't football;

3) Mr. O, you're comments about swing players being a dime a dozen are a dime a dozen. Like a broken record. Do you ever say anything else about young SGs or SFs?

Bill Walker has proven he can score at an OK rate on an uptempo team playing out the garbage portion of their season.

Walker is an athletic dunker, but he's not a guy is going to regularly beat guys off the dribble and dunk over people in the NBA.

His outside shot is ok for a SG/SF, but subject to being very cold.

Walker's team defense and man to man defense are not good. Over the course of 2 seasons he wasn't good enough to out play Tony Allen. We're talking about not being able to outplay Tony Allen!!! And TA has tons of holes in his game.

The deepest position(s) in the NBA is at the swing positions. There are tons of guys with huge holes in their game: no outside shot, no handle, or no defense, etc. Guys with big holes at the 2/3 are a dime a dozen.

in order to be an impact player in the NBA you have to have at least 1 skill that is very good. Walker doesn't have that. However he does have enough athleticism, size, streaky range (at an OK NBA level) to have a career as a role player on someone's bench.

In order to be a high minute swing man for a winner in the NBA, you have to be one of 3 things:

1. A legit 2 way player that can score with regularity and defend better than average.

2. Be a defensive stopper.

3. Be a scoring machine (even if it is just a great 3 point game).

Lets see what Walker does when he is getting minutes on a winner, and teams actually scout him.

[Mr October]

D'Antoni suggested that the team's foundation consists of Danilo Gallinari(notes), Wilson Chandler(notes), Toney Douglas(notes) and Bill Walker(notes). "We're in a position to add two superstars or a lot of good players. We have to have a great summer.

Of course these four guys are part of the Knicks "foundation". Gallinari, Chandler, and Douglas are the only fully guaranteed contracts on their roster for next year, and Walker is a minimum-level contract. (Eddy Curry is under a player option, and likely will be back; while Sergio Rodriguez is an RFA.)

If Walker were making more than peanuts, I guarantee he'd be cut to free up even more cap space to land a free agent.

Yup.

For our playoff run right now, I'd rather have Robinson and Finley.

Bill Walkers are a dime a dozen. We'll get another young swing man this summer i'm sure.

I don't think Bill Walker's a dime a dozen.  He's an unusually one-dimensional player who's pretty good at that one dimension, which is finishing.  He finishes open looks  at a very high rate.  If he can ever develop into a passable defender/rebounder, he'll be a very valuable role player.

That the non-rebounding, defenseless Mike Finley is getting time when Walker couldn't is somewhat confusing.

Walker was too raw, too deer-in-headlights to get minutes on the Celtics. Finley's basketball instincts are great, even though he is old. Finley always looks like he knows what is going on, has a superior stroke to his shot, never takes bad shots, and just has an excellent feel for the game.

Walker can finish when he is open? If that is is only skill... to score if he is left wide open, I'll pass. Someday, i hope he develops into a player... He seams like a nice kid. But for now, no one in the NBA was beating down Ainge's door to get their hands on this undiscovered prospect.

[Lucky17]

Had to resuscitate this thread, after reading this:

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/66092/20100420/walsh_impressed_with_bill_walker/

In about a week's time, he's gone from being part of the "foundation" to a "good candidate" to return to the Knicks.

[moiso]

And what about Mr. Giddens?  He has about as much potential as Walker.

[Roy Hobbs]

And what about Mr. Giddens?  He has about as much potential as Walker.

Honestly, I think Giddens may be out of the league after this season.  He's 25 years old, and hasn't contributed anything in his NBA career.  Walker is younger and has at least put up solid offensive numbers when given minutes.

[Andy Jick]

And what about Mr. Giddens?  He has about as much potential as Walker.

Honestly, I think Giddens may be out of the league after this season.  He's 25 years old, and hasn't contributed anything in his NBA career.  Walker is younger and has at least put up solid offensive numbers when given minutes.

He can't complain, either.  He had a golden opportunity dropped in his lap and could NOT capitalize on it.  But this league is full of second (and third and fourth) opportunities...

[moiso]

And what about Mr. Giddens?  He has about as much potential as Walker.

Honestly, I think Giddens may be out of the league after this season.  He's 25 years old, and hasn't contributed anything in his NBA career.  Walker is younger and has at least put up solid offensive numbers when given minutes.

True.  I think Giddens has some major ability but no feel for the game.  At least Walker has a little better feel.

[moiso]

I hope he still likes his four leaf clover neck tatoo.

[P2]

And what about Mr. Giddens?  He has about as much potential as Walker.

"Giddens is considered to be a perennial All-Star with a maximum contract being prepared by several teams this off-season."

- His agent's twitter

[Actionjakson]

I was actually slightly saddened to see Billy go. I have followed him since college and have always been a fan of his game. I really think he could have been a beneficial player if he was given a chance on this team, and i hope he succeeds on the Knicks

[the_Bird]

I was actually slightly saddened to see Billy go. I have followed him since college and have always been a fan of his game. I really think he could have been a beneficial player if he was given a chance on this team, and i hope he succeeds on the Knicks

I'm not sure there was a chance for him to make an impact on this years' squad....  but I would have liked to have seen him around for next year, when Ray Allen may be gone and Quis is almost certainly elsewhere.

My conspiracy-theorist hope is that in exchange for taking the Knicks' headache (Nate) off their hands, they won't exercise Billy's option and the Celts have a prearrangement to re-sign him this summer at the minimum (the conspiracy being to send him to New York for NBA playing time).  Of course, not being one apt to believe in conspiracy theories, I know that's not the case, but I can hope... 

[Andy Jick]

And what about Mr. Giddens?  He has about as much potential as Walker.

"Giddens is considered to be a perennial All-Star with a maximum contract being prepared by several teams this off-season."

- His agent's twitter

Sounds like something that should come from a word that rhymes with "twitter"...

[rav123]

I'm not any higher on Walker now that he has a chance to get minutes with the Knicks than I was when he didn't play for us.  In my opinion, he hasn't been that good with the Knicks, either.  He had a couple 20 point games early on, but he has leveled off.  The one thing that surprises me is his 3pt shooting, but his all around game is horrible.  He can't defend, pass, or rebound.  He's just not a very good player.

Yeah, I thought the reasons he wasn't playing were 1)Bad defense 2)Bad IQ and 3) Bad jumpshot

3 has definitely been disproven, but the other two points not really.