Walker Quickly Turning Heads in New York
Mar 12 2010 4:59PM
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Bill Walker has made the most out of his opportunity with the Knicks.
MSG Photos
Bill Walker has spent less than a month in a Knicks uniform, but he has already delivered enough highlights to last an entire season. Whether it is a monster dunk, a clutch three or a big stop on defense, the Garden crowd is already conditioned to expect something spectacular when the ball is in his hands.
“It’s been fun,” Walker said of coming to New York. “I’ve always dreamed about playing on a big stage like this, and I’m just happy I can get the chance. It was frustrating a bit not getting the chance to show myself, but it is part of the business and I just had to stay ready. Now it’s paying off.”
A top prospect coming out of high school, Walker’s path to NBA success has been a bumpy one. Just seven games into his collegiate career at Kansas State, he tore his ACL for the second time in four years, ending his freshman season. He came back strong with an impressive sophomore campaign, averaging 16.1 points, 6.3 boards and 1.9 assists in 31 games. With basketball pundits buzzing that he was a potential lottery pick, Walker declared for the NBA Draft. Unfortunately, he suffered another knee injury just weeks before the draft during an NBA workout and was selected in the second round, 47th overall by the Washington Wizards.
“I knew that Bill Walker was a great player in high school,” recalled Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh. “Unfortunately he got hurt and had surgery on both knees and that kind of disrupted his collegiate career. But I saw him play when he was healthy, and he would have been a top draft pick had he not had to have those operations.”
While Walker, now fully healthy, was distraught at the time, he is at peace with the hand fate dealt him.
“Yeah, I was disappointed it happened, but I understand why it did,” he explained. “But it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. I think things happen for a reason, but sometimes those reasons we will never find out. Right now I feel like it happened so I can end up in New York in this situation.”
On draft night, Walker was immediately dealt to the defending champion Boston Celtics, where playing time was hard to come by as they sought a second consecutive title. The Celtics sent him to the Utah Flash of the D-League to start the season before he was recalled in early January. He appeared in 29 games his rookie year, averaging 3.0 points in just 7.4 minutes. His second NBA season appeared destined to follow the same route, with Walker spending most of his time in the D-League and playing just eight games with the Celtics where he averaged only 3.6 minutes per game.
Then, on February 18, Walker was traded to the Knicks along with Eddie House and JR Giddens in exchange for Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry. Finally given the chance to showcase his talents, Walker has taken advantage of the opportunity. Through his first nine games in the orange and blue, he is averaging 9.0 points and 3.0 boards in 24.6 minutes per game.
“When he went to the Celtics he didn’t really have a chance to play because they were going for a championship,” said Walsh. “So I think this has been like his unveiling, and I think he has a lot of talent. I think the more he plays the better he’ll get.”
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound swingman posted a career-high 21 points on Mar. 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 9-14 shooting before besting that mark the very next game against the Detroit Pistons, recording 22 points on 9-13 shooting. That game proved to be his coming out party at The Garden, as he brought the crowd to its feet with a pair of rim-rattling dunks, including a reverse slam that blew the roof off The World’s Most Famous Arena.
“I feel extremely happy for him,” said a proud House, who has taken Walker under his wing. “He is one of those guys where it was a numbers thing in Boston where he wasn’t going to get a chance to play ahead of Paul (Pierce) or Ray (Allen) or Marquis Daniels. It was just a numbers game with him, but he was the perfect example of a guy being a pro and waiting for his opportunity and when he does get it, taking advantage of it.”
The 22-year-old Walker has a close relationship with House, who he credits for helping him both on and off the court.
“Coming to the Knicks, everyone has been real cool, but I stick with Eddie. He tells me a lot about the game and I think I have already become a better shooter. Coming into a new situation with someone like him, he makes the transition a lot easier because I don’t feel like I’m alone. He and JR are guys I can always joke with in the locker room and that makes it easier. I don’t think I could have asked for anything else.”
Had he been able to ask for something else, it might have been for a fellow West Virginian to aid his transition to the big city. It just so happens that he has that in head coach Mike D’Antoni. “We are slowly taking over the Big Apple one West Virginian at a time,” joked Walker. “But seriously, I like New York. It is really different. I mean, I am from Huntington, West Virginia so it’s pretty different. But it is good to have coach and someone else I can relate to here.”
While he is adjusting to life in New York City, Walker is no stranger to the Knicks, a team he followed when he was a youngster.
“I loved to watch (Patrick) Ewing , (John) Starks, (Allan) Houston, Latrell (Sprewell) and the guys from that team. It’s crazy to be out here and have Houston here working with us. I remember sitting and watching him in the Finals against David Robinson and Tim Duncan. It’s crazy.”
As Walker makes his own mark on the Big Apple, he is constantly looking to improve his game and bring something special to the Knicks franchise, especially the fans.
“We’ve got some great fans and they really know the game so you can’t cheat them,” he said. “You’ve got to go out there and if you play hard, they’ll love you. That’s what I try to do. My athleticism is my biggest asset and so I use that to my advantage, but I’ve got to get better at my game. I think I’ve got to become a better passer. More and more I’ve been working on it in practices and the games and such, just learning better angles to move the ball and stuff like that.”
With what he has accomplished in such a short amount of time, both Walker and the Knicks understandably feel there is a bright future ahead for him here in New York.
“It’s been fun,” Walker said of coming to New York. “I’ve always dreamed about playing on a big stage like this, and I’m just happy I can get the chance. It was frustrating a bit not getting the chance to show myself, but it is part of the business and I just had to stay ready. Now it’s paying off.”
A top prospect coming out of high school, Walker’s path to NBA success has been a bumpy one. Just seven games into his collegiate career at Kansas State, he tore his ACL for the second time in four years, ending his freshman season. He came back strong with an impressive sophomore campaign, averaging 16.1 points, 6.3 boards and 1.9 assists in 31 games. With basketball pundits buzzing that he was a potential lottery pick, Walker declared for the NBA Draft. Unfortunately, he suffered another knee injury just weeks before the draft during an NBA workout and was selected in the second round, 47th overall by the Washington Wizards.
“I knew that Bill Walker was a great player in high school,” recalled Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh. “Unfortunately he got hurt and had surgery on both knees and that kind of disrupted his collegiate career. But I saw him play when he was healthy, and he would have been a top draft pick had he not had to have those operations.”
While Walker, now fully healthy, was distraught at the time, he is at peace with the hand fate dealt him.
“Yeah, I was disappointed it happened, but I understand why it did,” he explained. “But it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. I think things happen for a reason, but sometimes those reasons we will never find out. Right now I feel like it happened so I can end up in New York in this situation.”
On draft night, Walker was immediately dealt to the defending champion Boston Celtics, where playing time was hard to come by as they sought a second consecutive title. The Celtics sent him to the Utah Flash of the D-League to start the season before he was recalled in early January. He appeared in 29 games his rookie year, averaging 3.0 points in just 7.4 minutes. His second NBA season appeared destined to follow the same route, with Walker spending most of his time in the D-League and playing just eight games with the Celtics where he averaged only 3.6 minutes per game.
Then, on February 18, Walker was traded to the Knicks along with Eddie House and JR Giddens in exchange for Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry. Finally given the chance to showcase his talents, Walker has taken advantage of the opportunity. Through his first nine games in the orange and blue, he is averaging 9.0 points and 3.0 boards in 24.6 minutes per game.
“When he went to the Celtics he didn’t really have a chance to play because they were going for a championship,” said Walsh. “So I think this has been like his unveiling, and I think he has a lot of talent. I think the more he plays the better he’ll get.”
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound swingman posted a career-high 21 points on Mar. 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 9-14 shooting before besting that mark the very next game against the Detroit Pistons, recording 22 points on 9-13 shooting. That game proved to be his coming out party at The Garden, as he brought the crowd to its feet with a pair of rim-rattling dunks, including a reverse slam that blew the roof off The World’s Most Famous Arena.
“I feel extremely happy for him,” said a proud House, who has taken Walker under his wing. “He is one of those guys where it was a numbers thing in Boston where he wasn’t going to get a chance to play ahead of Paul (Pierce) or Ray (Allen) or Marquis Daniels. It was just a numbers game with him, but he was the perfect example of a guy being a pro and waiting for his opportunity and when he does get it, taking advantage of it.”
The 22-year-old Walker has a close relationship with House, who he credits for helping him both on and off the court.
“Coming to the Knicks, everyone has been real cool, but I stick with Eddie. He tells me a lot about the game and I think I have already become a better shooter. Coming into a new situation with someone like him, he makes the transition a lot easier because I don’t feel like I’m alone. He and JR are guys I can always joke with in the locker room and that makes it easier. I don’t think I could have asked for anything else.”
Had he been able to ask for something else, it might have been for a fellow West Virginian to aid his transition to the big city. It just so happens that he has that in head coach Mike D’Antoni. “We are slowly taking over the Big Apple one West Virginian at a time,” joked Walker. “But seriously, I like New York. It is really different. I mean, I am from Huntington, West Virginia so it’s pretty different. But it is good to have coach and someone else I can relate to here.”
While he is adjusting to life in New York City, Walker is no stranger to the Knicks, a team he followed when he was a youngster.
“I loved to watch (Patrick) Ewing , (John) Starks, (Allan) Houston, Latrell (Sprewell) and the guys from that team. It’s crazy to be out here and have Houston here working with us. I remember sitting and watching him in the Finals against David Robinson and Tim Duncan. It’s crazy.”
As Walker makes his own mark on the Big Apple, he is constantly looking to improve his game and bring something special to the Knicks franchise, especially the fans.
“We’ve got some great fans and they really know the game so you can’t cheat them,” he said. “You’ve got to go out there and if you play hard, they’ll love you. That’s what I try to do. My athleticism is my biggest asset and so I use that to my advantage, but I’ve got to get better at my game. I think I’ve got to become a better passer. More and more I’ve been working on it in practices and the games and such, just learning better angles to move the ball and stuff like that.”
With what he has accomplished in such a short amount of time, both Walker and the Knicks understandably feel there is a bright future ahead for him here in New York.
