There was a lot of excitement and hope when the New York Knicks signed Kemba Walker in NBA free agency. New York has been looking for an answer at the point guard position for a long time. Having a hometown player hailing from the Bronx coming in to take over as the starter was an excellent story. Unfortunately, it did not have the ending everyone had hoped.
Last week, Walker was removed from the starting five and rotation altogether. Head coach Tom Thibodeau had decided it was time to go in another direction. While Walker was far from the only issue and it was a disappointing decision to come to, it was the right one.
New York is exponentially better this season when Walker is off the court than on it. They had the best defensive rating in the NBA without him but were among the worst with him on it. The same disparity occurred on offense with Walker on and off the court.
Alec Burks had been inserted into the starting five as his replacement. The team has gone 0-3 since the change, showing that their issues ran a lot deeper than just Walker. But, he has not let it dampen his spirits.
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Walker can be seen on the bench cheering on his teammates as loud as anyone else in the arena. He is the consummate professional and remains as committed to helping the team win as a spectator as he did as the starting point guard.
He recently opened up about the benching, with quotes shared from the New York Post.
“It was tough, obviously, because as a competitor, I love to play basketball,” Walker said after practice. “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.
“I’ve always been a team guy first. It’s not about me, it’s about the team. So if he feels that’s what’s going to make the team better, then so be it. I’m just going to be here for my teammates. I’m here to help in any way, shape or form that I can.”
Walker is handling this about as well as a player can. No professional athlete wants to get benched, especially when feelings were so positive about Walker and the New York Knicks coming into the season.
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He should be commended for how he is handling this. There are some players that would have stormed into the front office, making a scene and demanding a trade. Kemba Walker didn’t do that. Instead, he took his demotion like a professional and is now focused on other ways to help the team win.
Being upset about it won’t change the outcome. The decision was made, now it is time for Kemba Walker and everyone involved to make the most of it and that is what he is attempting to do.
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The Connecticut product will remain ready in case his number is called down the line and the team needs him on the court again to help them win games.
