Free agent Walker draws Heat's interest

[Kori Ellis]

Free agent Walker draws Heat's interest

By Ira Winderman
Staff Writer
Posted July 28 2005
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-heat28jul28,0,1924611.story?coll=sfla-sports-front

Antoine Walker, one of the NBA's top remaining uncommitted free agents, has emerged on the Heat's radar.

According to sources familiar with the Heat's approach, the team plans to discuss a role with the 6-foot-9 forward, perhaps today.

Walker split time last season between Atlanta and Boston, helping to fuel a late-season playoff push by the Celtics. However, with Boston committed to a youth movement, the 28-year-old is not expected to be invited back by the Celtics.

Already over the salary-cap, the Heat would be limited to a bid of its $5.1 million mid-level exception or have to work out a sign-and-trade agreement with the Celtics. Walker earned $14.6 million in the final year of a six-year, $77 million contract.

With Walker a quality ball-handler and streaky 3-point shooter, the Heat could field an oversized lineup of Shaquille O'Neal at center, Udonis Haslem a power forward, Walker at small forward, Eddie Jones back at his natural shooting guard and Dwyane Wade back a point guard, where he played in 2003-04 as a rookie before switching to shooting guard last season.

[Mr. Body]

They're really reaching now. He gets on the team, I'm suddenly a lot less scared of them, as if I was before.

[xcoriate]

Why do people keep going after him?

[timvp]

Please let this happen. Walker to Miami would eliminate the Heat as contenders.

[Sense]

Remember Walker in Dallas..


Good enough..

[T Park]

Walker to Miami would eliminate the Heat as contenders.

If they did this, Larry Brown leaves Detroit,

does this make the Finals favorites New Jersey and Indiana???


Please let this happen.

[ZStomp]

Walker is one of the players I dislike the most.

[Sense]

Why do people keep going after him?

There's a reason he always wants to go to the East..

The guy looks better against that conference... :lol

[MI21]

I can't believe he is only 28.

He seems so much older.

[ca®lo]

^^^ word ^^^ hehe

[jochhejaam]

Please let this happen. Walker to Miami would eliminate the Heat as contenders.

Thanks timvp, as a Piston fan I needed to hear that he wasn't going to improve their team. (they were a handful last year) :lol

[jochhejaam]

If they did this, Larry Brown leaves Detroit,

does this make the Finals favorites New Jersey and Indiana???


Please let this happen.


I don't believe NJ is going to be a threat to win the Conference. I think Detroit, Indiana and Miami are the elite 3.

[BronxCowboy]

My first reaction is to agree with you guys, ie, no team with Antoine Walker will ever win anything. But OTOH, he might help space the floor on offense and leave plenty of room inside for Shaq. It could be interesting to see how this plays out.

[MajicMan]

His name is Fatione Porker the bricklayer, get it right guys.

[SenorSpur]

Employee #8 has never met a shot he didn't like. He'll probably shoot them out of a few games.

[Spurologist]

Walker's game has steadily declined and soon it will hit rock bottom. I remember when he hit like 8 three pointers in a row. Now he's just heaving bricks at the basket. Toine will screw up the heat's chemistry.

Just when the east is looking stronger with signing by the cavs/bucks, things like this happen. Brown to the knicks and Toine to the Heat. The East might as well had over the trophy.

BTW toine does offer them great shot taking ability.....don't know about the efficiency though

[MajicMan]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/eldrunko247/porker.jpg

[Duff McCartney]

My first reaction is to agree with you guys, ie, no team with Antoine Walker will ever win anything. But OTOH, he might help space the floor on offense and leave plenty of room inside for Shaq. It could be interesting to see how this plays out.

Not likely...you can't space the floor if all you're doing is jacking up brick after brick.

[Joesteds]

I hate Antoine also, but he did help the Celtics get to the playoffs at a point when it looked like they were on the brink and then they ended competing with the Pacers in the first round. I see him hurting them and helping them. If he goes for 5 mil., then he has to know his role is way reduced, but it is Toine and it seems as though he has no conscious. If they got Pat Riley in there instead of Stan Van Jeremy, then maybe Riley could talk some sense into Toine. Anyways, he is way too fat and slow to play the 3 unless they line up in a zone. I am still up in the air on this one until I see it and see how he reacts to the situation.

[Kip Fanatic]

I think the sleeper in the Eastern Conf. will be the Cavs. If they get a pretty good point then they are going to be really good. LeBron has good pieces around him. The Cavs even have Gooden to trade and there is a team out there that would love to get their hands on Gooden. I don't know why, but there is. The Cavs have Lebron at the 3, Marshall at the 4, Hughes at the 2, and Z at the 5. All they need is a smart (doesn't have to be a scorer) PG and they are going to be good. They have a great coach in Brown. They will be a good team in the East.

[Nash to Amare]

Don't forget Shaq makes everyone better. Walker will look like a totally different player with Shaq there than with Dirk at center. Walker was put in a losing situation with Dallas with too many scorers and no defense. Miami is the favorite in the east in my opinion.

[clubalien]

i think it was him but not sure but the quote goes
Q:so why do you shoot so many threes?
A:because they don't have any 4 pointers
not word for word but general idea

[clubalien]

it was either him or paul pierce i belive

[Nash to Amare]

He has cut his 3 point attempts this last year but him able to hit 3's will give Shaq more room to dominate like he used to do with Horry as power forward. The spacing is important.

[boutons]

Stan's too smart to let the sour, greedy bitch play if she's hurting the team.

[dbreiden83080]

Walker will not go there, he thinks he is a lot better than he really is. This guy thinks he is worth 10-15 mil a year and at 28 he is too young to play for less money to pursue a title. He will go elsewhere for bigger money than the heat can afford.

[thekingrobert]

If Walker went to the heat to play SF and Wade was moved to PG would that make them #1?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Did I miss something in the last week? They do know having a good point guard is important, right?

[midgetonadonkey]

He has cut his 3 point attempts this last year but him able to hit 3's will give Shaq more room to dominate like he used to do with Horry as power forward. The spacing is important.

Shaq doesn't need space. He just elbows and pushes everybody in his way. He knows that the refs won't call a foul on him. They don't call 3 seconds on him, even though he spends the whole shot clock in the paint. Why would they call an offensive?

[Kori Ellis]

Heat's Riley meets with Antoine Walker

Associated Press


MIAMI - Free-agent forward Antoine Walker met this week with Miami Heat president Pat Riley, and while no contract offer was made, conversations are ongoing, Walker's agent said Friday.

"It was a chance for them to spend some time together," agent Mark Bartelstein said. "They had never really spoken at length. They had a really good meeting."

Bartelstein said there's mutual interest. He declined to discuss the likely timetable for a deal or what might come next.

"We're looking at a lot of different things," Bartelstein said. "There are a lot of moving parts to this."

Walker, a three-time All-Star, has been a starter each of his nine NBA seasons. He has career averages of 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and played last season for Atlanta and Boston.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Do the Heat mic their rims like Phoenix does? Because if they sign Walker their going to find out just how loud a "CLANK!" can be. Space the floor my ass. This guy will shoot every shot he can take and shoot the Heat in the foot in the process. Besides, maybe they need to wake and smell the damn coffee that a good PG would be a worthwhile investment if they want to win a championship.