Kemba Walker was removed from the Knicks rotation one week ago and, finally, the Knicks let him speak to reporters about it on Monday afternoon. He was everything you’d expect—classy, deferential to the decision made by coach Tom Thibodeau, and supportive of his team.
But if there is one thing most around the NBA, and even within the Knicks’ sphere, want to know, it ‘s what will happen next with Walker. Thibodeau has said he will either start Walker or keep him on the bench, but won’t use him as a reserve, which is an odd line of thinking that seems to be an attempt at gaining some cover for just not playing Walker at all.
The Knicks’ other option is to trade Walker, which won’t be easy because though his contract is manageable ($8.7 million this year, $9.2 million next year), his production was tough to swallow for New York. Walker had a hard time defensively and, offensively, averaged 11.7 points on 42.9% shooting. His 3-point shooting was very good (41.3%) but his ability to attack the basket and finish at the rim has suffered because of a persistent problem with his left knee.
So what next. Does Walker seek a role with the Knicks off the bench or ask out of town, where he might get another crack at playing?
Per Newsday columnist Barbara Barker, Walker said, “Not sure. We’ll see….it depends on how things go moving forward. only the future knows.”
Asked Kemba if he would like to come off bench or go someplace else where he could start. Seems like he is still figuring things out: “Not sure. We’ll see….it depends on how things go moving forward. only the future knows.”
Kemba Walker: ‘It’s Not About Me’
Walker, an 11-year veteran, was an All-Star just two seasons ago. The knee problem that had bothered him from time to time during his first eight seasons, spent in Charlotte, got worse as time went on during his stint in Boston, beginning in January 2019. It got bad enough that the Celtics sought to dump Walker to the Thunder last summer.
OKC gave Walker a buyout and the Knicks swooped in to bring him back home to New York in the offseason. The move came with great fanfare for Walker, who is from the Bronx and went to Rice High School.
Said Walker:
It’s not about me. Never in my life, off the court or on the court, has it ever been about me. It’s about the team, like I said, and that’s what I’m here for. I’m here for my teammates. I’m here to help these guys as much as possible. I could be p***ed, I could be upset.
But, at the end of the day, there are some young guys here who look up to me and I’m pretty sure they wanted to see how I reacted to the situation. Anybody on my team down the line can be in the same situation. Maybe I can be a role model in that aspect. Like I said, it was tough but at the end of the day, it’s not just about me. I’m a team-guy first, I’ve always been. Ask anybody I ever played with, always been a team-guy first. So, yeah, I love being around my teammates and I’m gonna cheer them on until I can’t anymore.
“I could be pissed, but at the end of the day there are some young guys here who look up to me. Maybe I can be a role model. I love being around my teammates and I’m going to cheer them on until I can’t anymore.”
– Kemba Walker
Walker: ‘Nobody Feels Bad for You’
Walker said he was blindsided by the decision Thibodeau made last week.
“It was tough, obviously, because as a competitor, I love to play basketball,” Walker said. “I love to be on the court. This is the first time this has happened to me in my career, pretty much on any level. But at the end of the day, I have respect for coach Thibs and the decision he made. It might not have been an easy one, but it was a choice he made. I have no choice but to live with it.”
Walker, of course, has earned about $125 million in his NBA career, so he knows he is not exactly a subject for sympathy. But he does want to keep playing or, at least, end his career with his head held high.
“Nobody feels bad for you,” he said. “Nobody feels bad. It’s a situation where you just gotta push through. Not everything is going to go great throughout your career. That’s just not how this works, that’s not how life works. Everything doesn’t always go your way. Everything is always just not right. Adversity hits everyone at some point in their life, at some point in their career. It’s all about how you go through it, how you get out of it.”
“Nobody feels bad for you….Not how life works, everything’s not always gonna go your way….Adversity hits everyone…and it’s all about how you go through it, and how you get out of it“: Kemba Walker’s message to young players
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Kemba Walker Finally Addresses Shaky Future: Knicks or Trade?