Bill Walker Deserves to Stay

By: Greg Payne

When news broke of Bill Walker's torn meniscus in his right knee, here's what Gary Washburn of the Globe wrote:

An MRI on Bill Walker's right knee revealed a torn meniscus and he will miss six to eight weeks, meaning the Celtics would have to carry an injured Walker on their roster into the regular season.

Clearly that line is suggesting that Walker has officially become dead weight for the time being, meaning the Celtics could potentially release him to open up a roster spot. He's set to make less than a million dollars for the season, so it's not as if the team would be costing itself a ton of money (probably the only reason Tony Allen and his 2.5 million dollar salary are still around) by letting him go.

However, I'm here to say that Bill Walker deserves to stay. My main reason for this? Allen, who has suffered more injuries than Kenny in an entire season of 'South Park', has somehow managed to stick with this team. Whether it's because the Celtics vastly overpaid him and can't simply release him, or because no other team is interested in his services, we're essentially stuck with the guy. Danny Ainge and the team elected to pick up the guy's option, proving that even the most brilliant of basketball minds make mistakes once in a while.

But, my argument is this: If Danny Ainge is willing to stick with Tony Allen through five years of injuries, surely he can give the now injured Walker at least one more season. At the very minimum. In my opinion, Ainge already made a mistake in not waiting half a season for Leon Powe and should not make a similar mistake here. Powe obviously would have been a key cog of any Post-Big Three Celtics squad, and right now we're hopeful that Walker will walk down a similar path.

Now we'll be forced to watch Leon thrive in Cleveland, which will make us shudder even on our best days. We do not want to endure a similar feeling if we're forced to see Walker skying to the rim for another team.

Walker sure did put in the work this summer - both on and off the court. His dedication to community service speaks volumes of him as a person, while his commitment to workouts in Waltham show just how much he wants to improve and make an impact on this team. How can you just ship out a guy like that? Sure, basketball is a business. But have a heart, Danny. Keep Walker's dream alive and keep our hopes for his future in green alive as well. It's not fair to say we're expecting big things from the kid, but it is fair to say we're hopeful for big things from the kid. Don't sweep out our legs before we're able to stand properly.

I will say that preseason is effectively ruined for me now. Was it realistic to believe Walker would significantly contribute and crack the rotation this year? Eh...maybe not so much. However, preseason was going to be Walker's time. Eight games of anticipation at the thought of him launching from 10+ feet out, soaring through the air and jamming the ball with tenacious force through the hoop. Or better yet, eight games of slashing to the hoop, drawing fouls, finishing, or finding open mates. Or EVEN better yet, eight games of (hopefully) silky smooth jump shots.

Sure, I can still look forward to Lester Hudson, J.R. Giddens and Shelden Williams. But come on. Walker was my guy. He was our guy. He was the preseason's main event. We all know the starters will only play limited minutes along with Rasheed Wallace and possibly even Marquis Daniels and Eddie House. This isn't their first rodeo. And no offense to Brian Scalabrine, but he just can't capture my excitement the way a guy like Walker can. Headband and all, it just doesn't do it for me.

Look, Danny, let's get real here. If you absolutely NEED to open up a roster spot, send out a mass text message to Celtics Nation, which approximately a third of us will answer while we're driving a car, asking for donations, with the goal being 2.5 million dollars so you can buy out Tony Allen. We will answer your call. We will respond. I mean, we have nothing against Tony Allen as a person, but he's simply unreliable. We need stability in this modern age (insert pardon for Bill Walker).

Keep Walker around. He deserves to be here.