Chuck's Take:
Expectations were low for Celtics rookie class of 2008. Good thing, because we got very little in return.
Bill
Walker is loaded with talent and potential. He has a bigger upside than
1st round pick J.R. Giddens. Walker didn't see much court time until KG
went down in February. When he did take the court, he occasionally
treated us to a flashy and powerful dunk. I also love this guy's moxie.
I know very little about Giddens (other than the fact he needs to
buy some new sportcoats/suits). He played in just 6 games this season.
The highlight coming Feb 23 when he logged 4 minutes and scored 4 pts
in a blowout win against the Nuggets. Statistically speaking, Giddens
did play rather well in the NBDL – 17 ppg, 57%FG.
Both have guaranteed contracts for next season. Walker at $736,420
and Giddens at $1,028,880. But young, raw players on a veteran team
with championship aspirations rarely see significant action. If either
see more court time next year, it will be because of their work on the
defensive end. Look for Walker to stick on the roster, while Giddens
has a less certain future.
John's Take:
The hardest thing for hometown fans to judge is the quality of their
young talent. We always fall in love with their promise and athletic
ability… which is always exhibited in situations that don't exactly
test the young fellas. As much as we'd like to make judgments, summer
league, pre-season and garbage time don't exactly tell you what you
have with your rookies.
But with the C's in salary cap hell, Giddens and Walker will be
looked at as
potential contributors this summer. I might have higher hopes for
Giddens than Chuck, but I agree that it looks like Walker has more of
the mentality that will makes him work in Boston. Walker is clearly a
finisher, but his defense will be the reason he sticks around.
Giddens, on the the other hand, has the potential to slide into an "off
the bench scorer" role as next season progresses. I think Giddens' has
the potential to eventually be a go-to guy in this league. He's still
got a lot of learning to do, but I'm going to really keep a close on
Giddens to be the big surprise for the Celtics heading into next season.
Other "reassessing" articles: Brian Scalabrine, Eddie House, Mikki Moore
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