It’s not that Antoine Walker was, as they say in psychology circles, conflicted. But before he dropped 27 points on the Bulls Tuesday night, he was a picture of ambivalence.
On the one hand, there are his performances for the visiting Celtics–he leads them in scoring (16.5 points a game) and rebounding (9.1) while averaging more than 35 minutes a game. Those numbers have thrust him into the race for NBA Rookie of the Year. “I’d love to win it,” he said.
“Every rookie would. When you’re out there competing and working hard and you’re giving it your best, you feel you should be up for the award. Every rookie thinks about that.”
On the other hand, there was Kentucky’s loss in Monday night’s national championship game, the very game Walker had starred in as a sophomore one season earlier, leading the Wildcats to the title. Did he wish he had been playing in it again?
“Oh, yeah,” Walker admitted. “That atmosphere’s the best. I’ve never been in the NBA Finals, but being in that championship, that’s a great feeling. I’d have loved being part of it again.”
That is often the way it goes for a pro rookie, even for one as talented as this Mt. Carmel grad. Walker is playing well enough to be mentioned with Rookie-of-the-Year candidates such as Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson, Toronto’s Marcus Camby and New Jersey’s Kerry Kittles. Yet, despite his personal success, he looks at the Celtics’ woeful record and says, “It’s been an up-and-down season. Losing can get you down a little bit.”
And later, speaking of the most difficult adjustment he has faced, he mentions 82 games. “It’s easy to get fatigued, tired, and especially easy to give up. But playing and loving to play the game of basketball, I still enjoy it.
“I’m not saying I feel great every night. Some nights you just don’t have it. But this has been a great experience for me. I’m having a chance to do what I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
