CALL ME SNAKE

This Antoine Walker situation is getting more complicated by the day. In my last post (“Maybe I was right,” March 12, 2005), I argued (persuasively at the time) that perhaps I was right when I initially gave voice to questions that had been raised about the wisdom of the Walker deal. Despite the victory over the Pistons, the defending NBA champs, some sloppy play by Walker (missed layups, turnovers, etc.) lended some legitimacy to those questions. Now I’m not so sure. The Celtics won again on Sunday night (7 out of the last 8 by my admittedly unofficial tally), beating Washington 105-101. Walker came through with 11 points, 12 rebounds, 1 block, and 2 steals. Tommy Heinsohn, known for his cool objectivity, called Walker a “very smart player” and indeed one of the smartest players on the team. (If Heinsohn is right, and he’s rarely wrong, that would make GM Danny Ainge one of the smartest ex-players on the planet.) To make a long story short, I just finished watching the Wizards game on videotape delay and, after a few moments of reflection and soul searching, I now believe I might have been right the first time when I said I was wrong. Or, to make things perfectly clear: maybe I was wrong on Sunday when I said I was right. More clarifications will follow on this evolving story.