FanHouse Bill Walker

Besides being known as the reigning World Champions (apologies, Pop), this incarnation of the Boston Celtics is recognized as being a team that likes to talk a lot of trash to their opponents. Kevin Garnett is the biggest culprit, although he arguably spends just as much time screaming things to no one in particular. So we'll set the most recent example of his antics aside and let him slide for now.

The problem isn't so much with the team's stars that can, you know, actually back up what they're saying with their performance on the court. It's that the lesser known players on the team (I'm looking at you, Kendrick Perkins) can't resist joining in the fun, and that's what has players on opposing teams and the Celtics' own head coach upset.

After Boston's win over the Knicks, Quentin Richardson was less than thrilled with what he was hearing from some of the Celtics, and seemed like he wanted to step outside with a few of them to further discuss what they had to say.

"I'll just be real curious to see what a lot of those guys would say if we weren't in a basketball arena where there ain't no referees and the NBA officials are going to stop certain things," he said. "I mean, it wouldn't be the same story. They are the world champions and rah-rah-rah. But I mean, the tough talk, I don't buy."

Doc Rivers would also like to see less trash talk from his team. Not so much from Garnett, because that's who he is, and who he's been his entire career. But definitely from a role player like Perkins.

A little while back, I showed you the video of Celtics' rookie Bill Walker mixing it up with Tracy McGrady, and made my thoughts on his multiple preseason altercations with stars in the league crystal clear: I did not approve. To recap briefly, it's simply unnecessary for a rookie to start first quarter fights with the opposing team or taunt the best player in the NBA after a simple slam dunk.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who felt that Walker's over-the-top behavior was inappropriate, and some others wrote about it with a similar sentiment (albeit with a more PG-13 headline). This is where the beauty of ESPN merging local content with their own on the site's player profile pages comes into play.

Via Basketbawful, here's a screen grab of what Bill Walker's profile page on the Worldwide Leader's site used to look like. Which, unfortunately for the Disney-owned corporation, splashes the previously mentioned PG-13 headline right under his bio information in bold letters for all to see. It's since been corrected, but for a quick trip back in time to this hilarious error, the picture is after the jump.

We're barely three games into the pre-season, and I'm already tired of hearing the name Bill Walker. It's not that I don't appreciate the youngster's talents, because I do: he's clearly got some skills or he wouldn't be on the court for the World Champs, even in these exhibitions. What needs to stop though is the unnecessary taunting of legitimate NBA All-Stars after making plays that might have been spectacular at Kansas State, but are simply average at the NBA level.

Walker gave LeBron James an unnecessary shove after a mediocre dunk the other day, then took exception to getting knocked down by Tracy McGrady after he had delivered a hard foul to T-Mac on the other end first. Video, via BDL.


Apparently things stayed heated throughout the game, with Yao getting into it with Walker later and Paul Pierce and Ron Artest getting down as well.

Dude, it's pre-season, and you're a rookie. Stop starting brawls in the first quarter and show a little respect, my man. Unless of course, being an unlikeable front-runner with an imaginary chip on your shoulder is a pre-requisite for making the team. In which case, I completely understand ... especially when that team is the Celtics.

With all the name going around about who was staying in the NBA Draft and who was going back to school ... there were a few names that may not be as household that are keeping their names in the draft.

Some may have made a mistake. Just as Josh McRoberts, JamesOn Curry, Von Wafer and Alex Acker made mistakes in the past few seasons ... some could be doing the same now.

Guys like UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Mbah a Moute probably won't be drafted (and if he is, it will be very late in the second round). If he had stayed in school, he could have become the rare guy to go to four Final Fours in his career. Despite losing some big-time talent, the Bruins still have a good shot at getting back.

Or there is USC's Davon Jefferson who probably won't be drafted either. Jefferson left school as a freshman and almost immediately signed with an agent. He made this move without even discussing it with the Trojans' coaching staff. When they have "testing the water" discussions in the future, they might want to have him talk to the class.

How about IUPUI's George Hill? Ya know, good ol' George? No? Yeah, he didn't have a household name or, really, no hype around him to warrant heading into the draft. He may not have the skill, either. He probably will be drafted, but not until the second half of the second round.

Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon really never had a second thought about coming back to school. I mean, he may go late in the second round. Not bad for a guy that no one knows what position he'll play.

In unsurprising news, Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo and Alabama's Ronald Steele have taken their names out of the NBA draft and will return to school.

Today is the deadline for underclassmen who still have their eligibility to pull their names out of the draft. UAB's Robert Vaden already has, Joe Alexander, Mario Chalmers and Bill Walker are staying in the draft. Reports also have UNC's Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green returning to school.

Neither Pargo or Steele were looked at as first round locks ... but were entering into their final collegiate seasons and had nothing to lose by testing the waters. Pargo was projected to be a second round pick had he stayed and got a long of feedback on his game during this process.

Gonzaga should be a top 10-15 team next season.

Steele is a bit more interesting. He is a redshirt senior who missed all of last season with a knee injury and really wanted to just get his name out there. He even worked out for the Charlotte Bobcats this morning before filing the paperwork that took his name out of the draft.

Now Alabama is waiting on work from Richard Hendrix, a junior forward, and his intentions. He, like Steele, has not signed with an agent and has until 5 p.m. ET today to pull his name out of the draft.

Despite suffering a tough knee injury yesterday that may have pushed him out of the first round of the NBA Draft, Kansas State's Bill Walker is deciding to stay in the draft.

Kansas State Wildcats redshirt freshman Bill Walker will remain in the NBA draft despite injuring his right knee at a workout over the weekend, his advisor, Chris Rivers said Monday afternoon.

Rivers, the director of basketball at Reebok, said that an MRI taken Monday didn't reveal a tear of the MCL or the ACL, which was feared when Walker heard a pop prior to working out for 21 teams at the Golden State Warriors' practice facility in Oakland.

This is huge news for Kansas State, which will lose both Walker and Michael Beasley to the NBA and most likely end the latest Golden Era in Manhattan.

With this news, it shows that Walker not only believes that he is a first round pick, but that his knee is also healthy. Many feel that the Detroit Pistons (who pick 29th) may have guaranteed Walker they'd take him there (it is a need they have) and may have pushed Walker's decision to stay.

Trying to figure out what a 20, 21 year old is going to do with his life is tough. Especially when these guys are agentless and are told different things by different people with different interests.

Still, with the 5 p.m. ET deadline for NBA Draft prospects who still have college eligibility and not signed with an agent looming, let's take a look at who has to make the big decisions today.

Chase Budinger (Arizona): He says he could come back to school, but even his coach says he'd be nuts to. He'll be a midround pick and the kind of guy who a team late in the first round won't be able to pass up.

Ty Lawson (North Carolina): I think Lawson is in. He seemed as if he was trying to find a reason to leave Carolina and he seems to have a lock on getting picked in the first round (Nuggets, Spurs). This isn't an elite point guard draft and Lawson would fit certain teams.

Bill Walker (Kansas State): This is a tough one. Even before his injury, no one really knew where Walker's value was. He was the perfect example of a guy who someone could take a chance in the 20s ... or he could fall out of the first round altogether. Initial reports say he tore his meniscus which means his pre-draft workouts are over. I think Walker comes back to school if he doesn't get any better news on his knee.

During the second half of today's Wisconsin-Kansas State game, Wildcats forward Bill Walker made a short jumper in the paint right over Badgers center Brian Butch.

The two got tangled up after the shot, and as Walker backed off, Butch then pushed him to the ground. The referees were right on top of it and immediately called a technical foul. A good call, as Butch clearly deserved to get T'd up -- except that when they went over to the scorer's table, they called a double technical: One on Butch and one on Walker.

CBS showed a replay several times, and I've yet to see Walker do anything that would even remotely constitute a technical. One of the CBS announcers said, "Walker got in there and elbowed him in the nose," but that's not what I saw when they showed the replay.

Maybe I just missed what Walker did, but unfortunately I think the reality is that this was a case of the referees trying so hard to be fair that they ended up being unfair: They thought they needed to treat the players equally, even though what the players had done wasn't equal. Butch deserved a technical and Walker didn't.

As for the game, Wisconsin leads 60-49 with less than nine minutes to go in the second half.

With all the hubbub surrounding Rhode Island's ascension into the Top 25 and Dayton's evisceration of Pitt, Xavier fell out of the spotlight a little bit. They had a bit to do with it themselves. Losing at Arizona State and to Tennessee is nothing to be ashamed about but it did raise a few questions about the Musketeers fitness at the highest levels. Call off the dogs. Last night's 103-77 humiliation of Kansas State is a reminder that 2008 should be a very good year indeed for the Cincinnati school.

It will be a good year because of how deep a team coach Sean Miller has put together. Xavier had seven players score in double figures, the ninth time this year four or more have done so in the same game. Drew Lavender led the way with 21, Xavier scored the first 14 points of the game and the Musketeers shot a blistering 53.9%. They also went to the line 39 times and had just nine turnovers in a complete annihilation of K-State's defense.

As impressive as the offensive explosion was, the defense might have been better.

That's Kansas State forward Billy Walker, sitting out with an ACL injury, but still finding a way to enjoy the NIT tournament action with some extra butter. It's not the most professional-looking thing in the world, but ... hey, sometimes I like popcorn when I watch basketball, too. The man plays for Bob Huggins; if this is the worst he can be accused of, everyone comes out ahead.

Unfortunately, Bill's popcorn could not be washed down with a Kansas State victory. They went down to DePaul, 70-65. Walker, depending on the knee, could bolt to the NBA. Munching on some popcorn might be the last thing that K-State fans get to see Walker do.

Many thanks to Awful Announcing.