Walker says he'll defer to Shaq, Wade
Miami -- Antoine Walker said he's not coming here trying to get 20 shots a game.
He's not coming here insisting to start.
And he's willing to defer to Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, because, as he said, players in this league dream about the chance to play with them.
"I've never come into a season and said, `Our goal is to win a championship,' so this is a big difference in my career," Walker said. "Now I have the opportunity to fight for championships and win championships. This is an opportunity I don't want to let go by."
Officially introduced as a Heat player on Thursday, Walker did his best to dissolve uncertainty about how and where he fits in with his new team.
Will he play small or power forward? Will he start or come off the bench? What impact will he have on team chemistry?
Thursday, Heat President Pat Riley called Walker's addition "a boon for this franchise," and referred to him as "the real link in the chain for us," in regards to offseason acquisitions.
Riley said the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Walker can stretch the defense and has unique skills for his size like only two players he has coached, Magic Johnson and Lamar Odom. Walker has averaged 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his career, though just 64.2 percent free-throw shooting and less than 56 percent the past four seasons.
Traded four times in the past two years -- from Boston to Dallas to Atlanta, back to Boston and then to Miami -- after seven seasons with the Celtics, there also have been questions about Walker's attitude. He has a reputation for being a player who's uninterested in defense, shoots too many 3-pointers and is selfish. His upper-body shimmy dance on the court, known as The Wiggle, doesn't help his image.
Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said he doesn't expect problems.
"It's not right nor fair to come into a situation and prejudge guys on what their attitudes are going to be or what kind of guys. ... I mean, look, we've had histories of guys," Van Gundy said.
"Supposedly Lamar Odom was one type of guy, and supposedly Rafer Alston was one type of guy, and supposedly Damon Jones was. And I think all of those guys have been fabulous to deal with."
Walker already has good relationships with the Heat's two stars. O'Neal called last week and encouraged him to join the Heat, and Wade, like Walker, is from Chicago.
However, Walker hasn't thrived off the bench before. In 2003-04 with Dallas, he averaged a career-low 14 points a game and played mostly small forward. With newly re-signed Udonis Haslem at Walker's preferred power forward spot, he seems better suited for small forward.
But it would be a challenge for the Heat to start Walker alongside Haslem, as Walker would be relied upon to guard the other team's best perimeter player, previously Eddie Jones' responsibility.
"You can put whoever you want out there offensively, but how are you going to guard the other team?" Van Gundy said. "The issue with him playing down is can he guard [small forwards]? Some he probably could, and others he probably would struggle with."
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