Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Wed Apr 23, 2014 4:35 am
Loving this man! Don't stop doing this. its pretty cool. Dont worry about others not commenting, some of them are just damn lazy
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:53 am
KevinParker13 wrote:Loving this man! Don't stop doing this. its pretty cool. Dont worry about others not commenting, some of them are just damn lazy
Thanks guy! Exciting stuff coming up this season, stay tuned.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Fri May 02, 2014 3:03 am
Chapter 20 Routines
For the next two months Jack Walker settled into a comfortable routine that he executed just about every day; workouts and training until 3 followed by a nap usually, then often meeting Lauren at some hole in the wall bar or restaurant she had found. Sometimes they’d be joined by Jodie & Bianca, other times out to concerts or comedy shows.
The two were friends almost immediately as they shared stories of growing up in the Midwest and compared notes on their basketball careers. Jack hadn’t been in any kind of serious relationship since his college days but he was having that feeling that one gets when you know you’re into someone and know they’re into you as well.
“Why do you play basketball?” Lauren blurted the question out one night as they were both staring up at the ceiling of Jack’s bedroom, catching their breath.
“Huh?” Jack couldn’t have been more caught off guard by the question, especially now. Lauren rolled over onto her side so they were face to face.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you that for a while, aaannd honestly it just popped in my head.” She giggled.
“Because I love the game I guess.” Jack shrugged.
“No that’s not it.”
“What?”
“If you love basketball, which I believe you do, you could play in a rec league and dominate while working wherever you want.”
“Yeah but that wouldn’t be against the best players in the world.” Jack pointed out.
“Right but you would be able to work wherever you want like say somewhere in the Midwest or overseas. My point is; you’ve told me you didn’t really like living in DC or Boston, and you don’t like LA…”
“I’m warming up to it.” Jack poked his companion in the arm.
“Well I can tell that, but why play in the NBA if you could still play literally anywhere, I mean you could have gone into coaching college or something.” Jack knew the question wouldn’t go away, but he realized he’d never really asked himself.
“Well I never thought I’d get the opportunity out of college. And to be honest I wasn’t even totally sold on perusing a career even after I’d signed with Washington. But then everyone just piled on after I was drafted… and you know what? Fuck those people. Then in Boston it was more of the same but from my teammates… So starting out I played to prove those people wrong. They’re wrong when they say that Jack Walker, the slow, undersized, one tool player can’t make it in the NBA.”
“So what changed that?”
“I’m so much more confident in my game now, and since being in LA the team has worked with me to help me improve.”
“So what drives you now?”
“More than anything else I want to win a championship. I’ve never won a title at any level. That was my goal really since day one but I just didn’t have that opportunity before.”
“Well I’ll be rooting for you this year.”
--
While the late summer turned into fall, Jack had to start to shifting his focus from his personal life to his professional one. As training camp opened the last weekend in September The Lakers would be looking to defend their Western Conference Title. No body in the locker room verbalized it but Jack could tell that they everyone was confident about their chances to get back to the finals, and he knew he wasn’t the only one hoping they’d find Miami waiting for them once they got there.
As camp progressed the fruits of his work in the off season showed not only in the strength and conditioning drills wherein he frequently was leading from the front but also during scrimmages. His step back jumper was nearly automatic some days and his dribble skills had clearly improved. Another tool he had added to his arsenal was the ability to pick the pocket of the opposing point guard.
Jack enjoyed displaying his new skills so much he probably pushed himself a little harder than necessary in the intrasquad scrimmages. During one such scrimmage he found himself face to face with Steve Blake as the team’s eighth man set up the play Jack focused on his opponent’s rhythmic dribble watching Blake’s eyes and keeping the ball hand in his periphery. Just as Blake moved to push the ball to the wing Jack jab stepped forward and threw his hand at the ball. Blake was left in the dust as Walker headed toward the rim unimpeded.
“I hope this works.” He thought to himself as he rose up, the ball in one hand, he stretched himself to the max, the orange just clearing the rim. It felt like slow motion as Jack stuffed the ball he felt the iron against his palm before he landed to a chorus of ‘OOOOOOHHHHH!!” from his teammates & the younger coaches.
Jack feigned a frown and mimicked the black mamba chest pound before grinning from ear to ear. Everyone in the gym enjoyed the sight of the 6’3” point guard dunking, even if it was little more than an exaggerated layup.
“Little man’s been doin’ work in the off season huh!?” Bynum shouted.
“Look at those hops man, he jumped right outta the gym!” Odom joined in as everyone enjoyed the moment especially after Coach Brown decided to end the practice with that. Jack headed to the locker room noting to himself that that was the closest he’d come to dunking a real game.
--
Good feelings and scrimmage dunks aside the Lakers were considered the favorites to win the west again for a reason. They showed why right out of the gate by winning eight of their first ten games and twelve of their first fourteen. After their win total topped fifteen they were firmly atop the conference ladder while assumed contenders like the Thunder and Grizzlies floundered at the 500 mark.
Once his team had set themselves atop the conference Jack Walker couldn't help himself to whip out his Android on occasion just to look at the standings and appreciate the fruits of his labor. He was doing so one night after a game while his girlfriend slumbered beside him.
‘This is as good as it gets.’ He thought to himself.
For the next two months Jack Walker settled into a comfortable routine that he executed just about every day; workouts and training until 3 followed by a nap usually, then often meeting Lauren at some hole in the wall bar or restaurant she had found. Sometimes they’d be joined by Jodie & Bianca, other times out to concerts or comedy shows.
The two were friends almost immediately as they shared stories of growing up in the Midwest and compared notes on their basketball careers. Jack hadn’t been in any kind of serious relationship since his college days but he was having that feeling that one gets when you know you’re into someone and know they’re into you as well.
“Why do you play basketball?” Lauren blurted the question out one night as they were both staring up at the ceiling of Jack’s bedroom, catching their breath.
“Huh?” Jack couldn’t have been more caught off guard by the question, especially now. Lauren rolled over onto her side so they were face to face.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you that for a while, aaannd honestly it just popped in my head.” She giggled.
“Because I love the game I guess.” Jack shrugged.
“No that’s not it.”
“What?”
“If you love basketball, which I believe you do, you could play in a rec league and dominate while working wherever you want.”
“Yeah but that wouldn’t be against the best players in the world.” Jack pointed out.
“Right but you would be able to work wherever you want like say somewhere in the Midwest or overseas. My point is; you’ve told me you didn’t really like living in DC or Boston, and you don’t like LA…”
“I’m warming up to it.” Jack poked his companion in the arm.
“Well I can tell that, but why play in the NBA if you could still play literally anywhere, I mean you could have gone into coaching college or something.” Jack knew the question wouldn’t go away, but he realized he’d never really asked himself.
“Well I never thought I’d get the opportunity out of college. And to be honest I wasn’t even totally sold on perusing a career even after I’d signed with Washington. But then everyone just piled on after I was drafted… and you know what? Fuck those people. Then in Boston it was more of the same but from my teammates… So starting out I played to prove those people wrong. They’re wrong when they say that Jack Walker, the slow, undersized, one tool player can’t make it in the NBA.”
“So what changed that?”
“I’m so much more confident in my game now, and since being in LA the team has worked with me to help me improve.”
“So what drives you now?”
“More than anything else I want to win a championship. I’ve never won a title at any level. That was my goal really since day one but I just didn’t have that opportunity before.”
“Well I’ll be rooting for you this year.”
--
While the late summer turned into fall, Jack had to start to shifting his focus from his personal life to his professional one. As training camp opened the last weekend in September The Lakers would be looking to defend their Western Conference Title. No body in the locker room verbalized it but Jack could tell that they everyone was confident about their chances to get back to the finals, and he knew he wasn’t the only one hoping they’d find Miami waiting for them once they got there.
As camp progressed the fruits of his work in the off season showed not only in the strength and conditioning drills wherein he frequently was leading from the front but also during scrimmages. His step back jumper was nearly automatic some days and his dribble skills had clearly improved. Another tool he had added to his arsenal was the ability to pick the pocket of the opposing point guard.
Jack enjoyed displaying his new skills so much he probably pushed himself a little harder than necessary in the intrasquad scrimmages. During one such scrimmage he found himself face to face with Steve Blake as the team’s eighth man set up the play Jack focused on his opponent’s rhythmic dribble watching Blake’s eyes and keeping the ball hand in his periphery. Just as Blake moved to push the ball to the wing Jack jab stepped forward and threw his hand at the ball. Blake was left in the dust as Walker headed toward the rim unimpeded.
“I hope this works.” He thought to himself as he rose up, the ball in one hand, he stretched himself to the max, the orange just clearing the rim. It felt like slow motion as Jack stuffed the ball he felt the iron against his palm before he landed to a chorus of ‘OOOOOOHHHHH!!” from his teammates & the younger coaches.
Jack feigned a frown and mimicked the black mamba chest pound before grinning from ear to ear. Everyone in the gym enjoyed the sight of the 6’3” point guard dunking, even if it was little more than an exaggerated layup.
“Little man’s been doin’ work in the off season huh!?” Bynum shouted.
“Look at those hops man, he jumped right outta the gym!” Odom joined in as everyone enjoyed the moment especially after Coach Brown decided to end the practice with that. Jack headed to the locker room noting to himself that that was the closest he’d come to dunking a real game.
--
Good feelings and scrimmage dunks aside the Lakers were considered the favorites to win the west again for a reason. They showed why right out of the gate by winning eight of their first ten games and twelve of their first fourteen. After their win total topped fifteen they were firmly atop the conference ladder while assumed contenders like the Thunder and Grizzlies floundered at the 500 mark.
Once his team had set themselves atop the conference Jack Walker couldn't help himself to whip out his Android on occasion just to look at the standings and appreciate the fruits of his labor. He was doing so one night after a game while his girlfriend slumbered beside him.
‘This is as good as it gets.’ He thought to himself.
Last edited by unitas9 on Sat May 03, 2014 5:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Sat May 03, 2014 5:35 am
Chapter 21 I’m a Business, Man
“Jackie boy! How's it hangin’ man!?” Nick Kennedy greeted Jack Walker as the third year NBAer met his agent.
“I’m great how are you Nick?”
“As usual Jack I am rolling.” The two took their seats on opposite sides of the large glass desk.
The Octagon Athlete Representation offices in LA represent the companies’ headquarters and are located on the top floor of a massive business building in West Hollywood. When Jack first visited his agent’s offices he thought he had stepped off the elevator right onto the set of Entourage. All of the offices had glass walls and none of the cubicles were actually cubes but instead funny shapes which looked like an expressionist painting.
“So let’s get down to business my man. Your brand is growing and as you know it’s my job to manage said brand.”
“Okay.”
“So you’re making about your weight in salary from the Lakers but new opportunities have presented themselves in the form of endorsements.”
“Really? From what companies?” Jack sat up at this news.
“Let’s see here…” Nick shuffled some papers on his desk. “EconoLodge wants to throw twenty grand at you to say you sleep at their sh**hole hotels when on the road… And Buen Amigo Tequila wants to throw thirty grand your way to sip their sauce in a TV commercial that five people will see.” Jack knew he was getting the usual agent runaround.
“Alright I know your f***ing with me, what’s the story.”
“Guilty as charged! How about I let Heather handle this matter?” Nick pointed toward the door and as if on cue a tall, gorgeous, brunette strolled through the door and presented her hand to Jack.
“Jack Walker this is Heather Jones from the Octagon marketing and brand management department, she’s going to help us manage your brand so you can become the mega star you are destine to be.” Nick was beaming after the intro as if he’d gotten an A+ on a midterm exam.
“Its nice to meet you Mr. Walker, I’m excited to have the chance to work with you.” The 6 foot tall brunette offered her hand again and Jack shook it while trying not to be obvious in his admiration of her amazing body.
“Call me Jack, nice to meet you as well Heather.” The brunette beamed and all three sat down.
“Jack, when I look at your brand, if you will, I see some excellent opportunities to market you as the hard working, everyman NBAer. I want the fans to see you on the court as a player they can relate to. Why was Larry Bird so popular?”
“Because he was a hall of famer who won three championships?” Jack retorted.
“Well yes, but also because he represented the everyman to the fans. He encapsulated the Hoosier state hard worker attitude. You being from Ohio I think we can work that as well.”
“Sooo what does that mean for me?”
“It means big bucks my man!” Nick interjected.
“Well yes Nick, but in a literal sense Jack it means I’m currently working with Ford and Wendy’s to gauge their interest in an endorsement deal, both have wanted to get into the NBA for a while.”
“If I do get endorsements what kind of obligations will I have?”
“It depends on the deal, but it will likely mean shooting TV spots, maybe billboards and magazine shoots. But also we need to work on getting interviews on radio and TV so the fans can get to know you better.”
--
“I hate interviews.” Jack whine while he and Lauren ate their carryout Chinese and watched the Thunder battle the Spurs. It was rare for them to both have the night off and it was mutually decided to spend it relaxing and getting to bed early.
“How can you be in your third year in the league and have such an aversion to interviews?”
“No one wanted to talk to me before now I guess.” Jack laughed.
“Well now you’re the starting point guard & second leading scorer on the best team in the league so I think you can handle a couple harmless Q & As.”
“I’ll just have to come up with more of the classic non-answers.”
“No you should be honest. People like athletes who are honest.”
“I’m afraid I’ll get myself in trouble that way. People also like to criticize athletes who are honest.”
“Well I don’t want to tell you how to handle your career, and I know you don’t play for the money alone. But if you be yourself people will like you more and that will lead to more endorsements, I guarantee it. You’re going to retire someday and like it or not that day may be tomorrow. So you really should try to capitalize on the opportunity.”
Jack didn’t like hearing that at all, but he knew she was right.
“Jackie boy! How's it hangin’ man!?” Nick Kennedy greeted Jack Walker as the third year NBAer met his agent.
“I’m great how are you Nick?”
“As usual Jack I am rolling.” The two took their seats on opposite sides of the large glass desk.
The Octagon Athlete Representation offices in LA represent the companies’ headquarters and are located on the top floor of a massive business building in West Hollywood. When Jack first visited his agent’s offices he thought he had stepped off the elevator right onto the set of Entourage. All of the offices had glass walls and none of the cubicles were actually cubes but instead funny shapes which looked like an expressionist painting.
“So let’s get down to business my man. Your brand is growing and as you know it’s my job to manage said brand.”
“Okay.”
“So you’re making about your weight in salary from the Lakers but new opportunities have presented themselves in the form of endorsements.”
“Really? From what companies?” Jack sat up at this news.
“Let’s see here…” Nick shuffled some papers on his desk. “EconoLodge wants to throw twenty grand at you to say you sleep at their sh**hole hotels when on the road… And Buen Amigo Tequila wants to throw thirty grand your way to sip their sauce in a TV commercial that five people will see.” Jack knew he was getting the usual agent runaround.
“Alright I know your f***ing with me, what’s the story.”
“Guilty as charged! How about I let Heather handle this matter?” Nick pointed toward the door and as if on cue a tall, gorgeous, brunette strolled through the door and presented her hand to Jack.
“Jack Walker this is Heather Jones from the Octagon marketing and brand management department, she’s going to help us manage your brand so you can become the mega star you are destine to be.” Nick was beaming after the intro as if he’d gotten an A+ on a midterm exam.
“Its nice to meet you Mr. Walker, I’m excited to have the chance to work with you.” The 6 foot tall brunette offered her hand again and Jack shook it while trying not to be obvious in his admiration of her amazing body.
“Call me Jack, nice to meet you as well Heather.” The brunette beamed and all three sat down.
“Jack, when I look at your brand, if you will, I see some excellent opportunities to market you as the hard working, everyman NBAer. I want the fans to see you on the court as a player they can relate to. Why was Larry Bird so popular?”
“Because he was a hall of famer who won three championships?” Jack retorted.
“Well yes, but also because he represented the everyman to the fans. He encapsulated the Hoosier state hard worker attitude. You being from Ohio I think we can work that as well.”
“Sooo what does that mean for me?”
“It means big bucks my man!” Nick interjected.
“Well yes Nick, but in a literal sense Jack it means I’m currently working with Ford and Wendy’s to gauge their interest in an endorsement deal, both have wanted to get into the NBA for a while.”
“If I do get endorsements what kind of obligations will I have?”
“It depends on the deal, but it will likely mean shooting TV spots, maybe billboards and magazine shoots. But also we need to work on getting interviews on radio and TV so the fans can get to know you better.”
--
“I hate interviews.” Jack whine while he and Lauren ate their carryout Chinese and watched the Thunder battle the Spurs. It was rare for them to both have the night off and it was mutually decided to spend it relaxing and getting to bed early.
“How can you be in your third year in the league and have such an aversion to interviews?”
“No one wanted to talk to me before now I guess.” Jack laughed.
“Well now you’re the starting point guard & second leading scorer on the best team in the league so I think you can handle a couple harmless Q & As.”
“I’ll just have to come up with more of the classic non-answers.”
“No you should be honest. People like athletes who are honest.”
“I’m afraid I’ll get myself in trouble that way. People also like to criticize athletes who are honest.”
“Well I don’t want to tell you how to handle your career, and I know you don’t play for the money alone. But if you be yourself people will like you more and that will lead to more endorsements, I guarantee it. You’re going to retire someday and like it or not that day may be tomorrow. So you really should try to capitalize on the opportunity.”
Jack didn’t like hearing that at all, but he knew she was right.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Sat May 03, 2014 5:45 am
I just now realized the last five chapter numbers were all out of order... smh
(Fixed)
(Fixed)
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Thu May 08, 2014 7:07 am
Chapter 22 Night Moves
“Sooo you play my Clippers tomorrow night...” Lauren said as the couple entered her medium sized LA apartment on the late December night. The two had gone to a small theatre to see a rock concert for a band nether were familiar with, unfortunately the band ended up being awful but they didn’t mind too much when they left at intermission. Jack had been trying to avoid the subject that Lauren had just brought up.
“That we do.” He simply replied.
“Feeling any tightness in your shoulder, or wrist maybe?” Lauren asked teasingly.
“Nope, I feel great.”
“You know if the Clippers did win tomorrow night it would be a big deal. But for you guys, you’re already atop the conference; it wouldn't be that big a win at all.”
“Yeah that’s probably true.”
Jack was fully aware where this conversation was going. Lauren was mindful that the Clippers were her employer and treated the relationship just so, however, she did attend nearly every home game and being a basketball fan she couldn’t help but develop a liking for the team. Also, as she put it, ‘Who wouldn’t want to see Blake Griffin dunk on somebody every other time down the floor?’
“Soooo…” Lauren was really pushing it.
“Are you asking me to throw the game!?”
“NO! Of course I would never ask you to do that… It would be a huge win though.”
“Comon!’”
“Alright, I’m kidding…” She dropped the subject and headed to her bedroom “Well what are you waiting for?” She said over her shoulder. Jack quickly followed.
--
“Walker drains another, thats 12 points on the half for Jack Walker and the Staples Center is rocking as Vinny Del Negro calls a timeout.”
“John I don’t know if we’ve ever seen Jack Walker so locked in, he’s hit five of seven with two triples, and he’s scoring from all over the floor. Normally dangerous from outside and midrange he’s finding a way to get to the bucket and score with the layup as well.”
“Not to mention, Mychal, he’s dished out two assist already and come up with two steals just here in the first half.”
“And the Clippers have no answer. We’ll have to see if he can keep it going in the second half John.”
--
“Wow!” Jack said panting as he rolled to the other side of the bed. The couple both being highly fit athletes their bedroom activities tended to be quite active and often left the two breathless.
“Yeah wow.” Laren echoed. “God I’m all sweaty, I’m going to take a shower… I think you should too.” Jack decided he did need to wash off as well & headed toward the bathroom.
--
“It’s all over but the cryin’ here at the Staples, Mychal as the Lakers beat their in town rival by seventeen, and I think it’s crystal clear who the player of the game is.”
“Absolutly John it’s got to be Jack Walker. The young guard poured in 24 points, dished six assists and swiped three steals. By far the best individual performance he’s had this year or in his entire stint with the Lakers.”
“That’s right, whatever it was Walker did to prepare for this game Mychal, let’s hope he can replicate it going forward, he was scoring from every angle tonight!”
--
“Again?” Jack had just caught his breath as the blonde rolled on top of him again.
“Yeah stud, I’m going to keep you busy all night.”
“You’re trying to tire me out for the game.” Jack said as his hands found their way to her muscular hips.
“I can’t believe you would even suggest such a thing.” Lauren feigned indignation.
“It’s obvious what you’re doing.”
“Are you complaining?” Jack didn't answer; he just pulled Lauren down into a passionate kiss. He was a man after all.
An hour or so later he was finally asleep.
“Sooo you play my Clippers tomorrow night...” Lauren said as the couple entered her medium sized LA apartment on the late December night. The two had gone to a small theatre to see a rock concert for a band nether were familiar with, unfortunately the band ended up being awful but they didn’t mind too much when they left at intermission. Jack had been trying to avoid the subject that Lauren had just brought up.
“That we do.” He simply replied.
“Feeling any tightness in your shoulder, or wrist maybe?” Lauren asked teasingly.
“Nope, I feel great.”
“You know if the Clippers did win tomorrow night it would be a big deal. But for you guys, you’re already atop the conference; it wouldn't be that big a win at all.”
“Yeah that’s probably true.”
Jack was fully aware where this conversation was going. Lauren was mindful that the Clippers were her employer and treated the relationship just so, however, she did attend nearly every home game and being a basketball fan she couldn’t help but develop a liking for the team. Also, as she put it, ‘Who wouldn’t want to see Blake Griffin dunk on somebody every other time down the floor?’
“Soooo…” Lauren was really pushing it.
“Are you asking me to throw the game!?”
“NO! Of course I would never ask you to do that… It would be a huge win though.”
“Comon!’”
“Alright, I’m kidding…” She dropped the subject and headed to her bedroom “Well what are you waiting for?” She said over her shoulder. Jack quickly followed.
--
“Walker drains another, thats 12 points on the half for Jack Walker and the Staples Center is rocking as Vinny Del Negro calls a timeout.”
“John I don’t know if we’ve ever seen Jack Walker so locked in, he’s hit five of seven with two triples, and he’s scoring from all over the floor. Normally dangerous from outside and midrange he’s finding a way to get to the bucket and score with the layup as well.”
“Not to mention, Mychal, he’s dished out two assist already and come up with two steals just here in the first half.”
“And the Clippers have no answer. We’ll have to see if he can keep it going in the second half John.”
--
“Wow!” Jack said panting as he rolled to the other side of the bed. The couple both being highly fit athletes their bedroom activities tended to be quite active and often left the two breathless.
“Yeah wow.” Laren echoed. “God I’m all sweaty, I’m going to take a shower… I think you should too.” Jack decided he did need to wash off as well & headed toward the bathroom.
--
“It’s all over but the cryin’ here at the Staples, Mychal as the Lakers beat their in town rival by seventeen, and I think it’s crystal clear who the player of the game is.”
“Absolutly John it’s got to be Jack Walker. The young guard poured in 24 points, dished six assists and swiped three steals. By far the best individual performance he’s had this year or in his entire stint with the Lakers.”
“That’s right, whatever it was Walker did to prepare for this game Mychal, let’s hope he can replicate it going forward, he was scoring from every angle tonight!”
--
“Again?” Jack had just caught his breath as the blonde rolled on top of him again.
“Yeah stud, I’m going to keep you busy all night.”
“You’re trying to tire me out for the game.” Jack said as his hands found their way to her muscular hips.
“I can’t believe you would even suggest such a thing.” Lauren feigned indignation.
“It’s obvious what you’re doing.”
“Are you complaining?” Jack didn't answer; he just pulled Lauren down into a passionate kiss. He was a man after all.
An hour or so later he was finally asleep.
Last edited by unitas9 on Sat May 10, 2014 3:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Sat May 10, 2014 3:39 am
Chapter 23 Mr. Clutch II
By early March nearly everyone in and around the NBA had pretty much decided the race for best record in the west was over and if the Lakers fell to even the two seed it would be a huge upset. The conference was very mediocre throughout the year as the regular major players; Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Memphis each struggled with injuries, old age, and in fighting respectively.
LA wasn’t dominating their opponents each time they took the court but they were certainly wearing them down. With the Big Three in Miami playing as well as ever, the Lakers began to be known as the Big Five; fans and media alike praising the franchise higher-ups for assembling such a well rounded starting five. Bynum and Gasol rebounded, Odom played tough defense, Walker shot jumpers, and Kobe filled in everywhere in between.
The heavy bulk of the Lakers’ offense was carried in it’s backcourt as Kobe was averaging just over fifteen a game and Jack pitched in almost thirteen. His shooting percentage was up thirty percentage points from the year before thanks to taking smarter shots and not forcing it on nights when his stroke was off.
Inside the locker room the team had a workmanlike manner to them. It was certainly a far cry from Showtime but this version of the Lakers started the season with a clear goal and went about their work thinking singularly. Each member of the squad took their cues from Kobe when it came to interviews and his message was simple and straightforward; ‘We’re just fighting to get back to the finals, and change the outcome once we get there.’
As the season grinded on into the ‘dog days’ of the NBA winter practices started to become slightly lethargic though and the play on the court followed suit. After three straight losses Lakers fans decided the sky was falling and Coach Mike Brown was quoted in the news paper as saying the team needed a shot in the arm. Jack agreed with his coach but didn’t know how he could provide what the team needed. The next night though he would do just that.
--
“So with just 45 second remaining and the Lakers down by eight it looks like LA will be leaving Utah with their fourth consecutive loss.”
“Yeah John, yesterday Mike Brown said this team needed a shot in the arm, well coming out to Utah and losing on a poor shooting night wasn’t exactly what he was referring to.”
“So we’ll see if the Lakers can mount a comeback here as Odom inbounds to Kobe who will bring it up the floor, he tries to lose Millsap but the double team comes, clock ticking down, he sends the ball up top to Walker, he lets fly, got it! Jack Walker hits the three with a hand in his face to cut the Jazz lead to five… They’ll bring the press here, 28 seconds remain and Harris is forced to escape the press up the floor AND WALKER PICKS HIS POCKET! Walker down the floor, HE TRIES THE PULL UP THREE, IT’S GOOD! And timeout Utah. Two quick threes by Jack Walker cut the lead to two with twenty seconds remaining how about that Mychal Thompson!?”
“Like you said John two great shots by Walker and now they have a can go for the steal on the inbound and try for overtime or the win or if they cant force another turnover, give the quick foul and that way not that much time has run off the clock. Twenty second left means a lot can happen before this one is over.
“Interesting move at then end of that play John, the Jazz called timeout and choose to advance the ball, I’m assuming so they don’t have to deal with the Lakers’ press.”
“So that’s where the play will start, Evans to inbound, he’ll pass to Harris in the backcourt; Lakers need a foul here, no Walker with another steal! Going the other way an uncontested lay up! This game is all tied up with just eight second to go!
--
“Welcome back to Sports Center boys and girls Neil Everett alongside Stan Verette, breaking news, The Lakers played a basketball game against the Jazz last night. Quick flashback; just three nights ago Utah held an eight point lead with less than a minute to go before Jack Walker decided to go off; eight points and two key steals in the last 45 seconds opened the door for The Lakers to win it in overtime. What happened last night Stan?”
“I’ll tell you Neil, Jefferson & Favors for Utah making it look easy here down low; Favors the dish… & Jefferson the finish. Kobe was ineffective for nearly all of the first half and Walker shot zero for five from beyond the arc, Jazz led by 12 with a minute and a half in the game but, well Jack Walker stepped in again. They’re calling him Mr. Clutch II, Jerry West reference there for the older generation.
“Walker off the pick drains the three. Jazz miss the outside shot at the other end, in transition Odom drives, dishes outside to Walker that’s good and the lead is at six with 45 to go. At the other end Harris trying to use up some time, Walker, not havin’ it! Picks his pocket and goes the other way, pull up jumper and the lead is at four. Utah praying they can run out the clock and this time LA fouls leaving 20 seconds on the clock, Jefferson misses the free throw and who should they get the ball to Stan?”
“I’m thinking Jack Walker?”
“Mr. Clutch II indeed, he’s feeling it! Throws a crossover, step back for three and the lead is at one.
“Lakers have to foul now so they send Harris to the line and he misses the big free throw. Lakers call timeout to advance the ball, down by one with ten on the clock. Off the inbound, Walker with the ball, but he defers to Kobe for the last shot. He creates some room annnnnd, wins the game.
“The Black Mamba with the game winner but Jack Walker with another late game explosion; this time 11 points and a steal for Mr. Clutch II.”
By early March nearly everyone in and around the NBA had pretty much decided the race for best record in the west was over and if the Lakers fell to even the two seed it would be a huge upset. The conference was very mediocre throughout the year as the regular major players; Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Memphis each struggled with injuries, old age, and in fighting respectively.
LA wasn’t dominating their opponents each time they took the court but they were certainly wearing them down. With the Big Three in Miami playing as well as ever, the Lakers began to be known as the Big Five; fans and media alike praising the franchise higher-ups for assembling such a well rounded starting five. Bynum and Gasol rebounded, Odom played tough defense, Walker shot jumpers, and Kobe filled in everywhere in between.
The heavy bulk of the Lakers’ offense was carried in it’s backcourt as Kobe was averaging just over fifteen a game and Jack pitched in almost thirteen. His shooting percentage was up thirty percentage points from the year before thanks to taking smarter shots and not forcing it on nights when his stroke was off.
Inside the locker room the team had a workmanlike manner to them. It was certainly a far cry from Showtime but this version of the Lakers started the season with a clear goal and went about their work thinking singularly. Each member of the squad took their cues from Kobe when it came to interviews and his message was simple and straightforward; ‘We’re just fighting to get back to the finals, and change the outcome once we get there.’
As the season grinded on into the ‘dog days’ of the NBA winter practices started to become slightly lethargic though and the play on the court followed suit. After three straight losses Lakers fans decided the sky was falling and Coach Mike Brown was quoted in the news paper as saying the team needed a shot in the arm. Jack agreed with his coach but didn’t know how he could provide what the team needed. The next night though he would do just that.
--
“So with just 45 second remaining and the Lakers down by eight it looks like LA will be leaving Utah with their fourth consecutive loss.”
“Yeah John, yesterday Mike Brown said this team needed a shot in the arm, well coming out to Utah and losing on a poor shooting night wasn’t exactly what he was referring to.”
“So we’ll see if the Lakers can mount a comeback here as Odom inbounds to Kobe who will bring it up the floor, he tries to lose Millsap but the double team comes, clock ticking down, he sends the ball up top to Walker, he lets fly, got it! Jack Walker hits the three with a hand in his face to cut the Jazz lead to five… They’ll bring the press here, 28 seconds remain and Harris is forced to escape the press up the floor AND WALKER PICKS HIS POCKET! Walker down the floor, HE TRIES THE PULL UP THREE, IT’S GOOD! And timeout Utah. Two quick threes by Jack Walker cut the lead to two with twenty seconds remaining how about that Mychal Thompson!?”
“Like you said John two great shots by Walker and now they have a can go for the steal on the inbound and try for overtime or the win or if they cant force another turnover, give the quick foul and that way not that much time has run off the clock. Twenty second left means a lot can happen before this one is over.
“Interesting move at then end of that play John, the Jazz called timeout and choose to advance the ball, I’m assuming so they don’t have to deal with the Lakers’ press.”
“So that’s where the play will start, Evans to inbound, he’ll pass to Harris in the backcourt; Lakers need a foul here, no Walker with another steal! Going the other way an uncontested lay up! This game is all tied up with just eight second to go!
--
“Welcome back to Sports Center boys and girls Neil Everett alongside Stan Verette, breaking news, The Lakers played a basketball game against the Jazz last night. Quick flashback; just three nights ago Utah held an eight point lead with less than a minute to go before Jack Walker decided to go off; eight points and two key steals in the last 45 seconds opened the door for The Lakers to win it in overtime. What happened last night Stan?”
“I’ll tell you Neil, Jefferson & Favors for Utah making it look easy here down low; Favors the dish… & Jefferson the finish. Kobe was ineffective for nearly all of the first half and Walker shot zero for five from beyond the arc, Jazz led by 12 with a minute and a half in the game but, well Jack Walker stepped in again. They’re calling him Mr. Clutch II, Jerry West reference there for the older generation.
“Walker off the pick drains the three. Jazz miss the outside shot at the other end, in transition Odom drives, dishes outside to Walker that’s good and the lead is at six with 45 to go. At the other end Harris trying to use up some time, Walker, not havin’ it! Picks his pocket and goes the other way, pull up jumper and the lead is at four. Utah praying they can run out the clock and this time LA fouls leaving 20 seconds on the clock, Jefferson misses the free throw and who should they get the ball to Stan?”
“I’m thinking Jack Walker?”
“Mr. Clutch II indeed, he’s feeling it! Throws a crossover, step back for three and the lead is at one.
“Lakers have to foul now so they send Harris to the line and he misses the big free throw. Lakers call timeout to advance the ball, down by one with ten on the clock. Off the inbound, Walker with the ball, but he defers to Kobe for the last shot. He creates some room annnnnd, wins the game.
“The Black Mamba with the game winner but Jack Walker with another late game explosion; this time 11 points and a steal for Mr. Clutch II.”
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Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Thu May 15, 2014 6:59 am
Chapter 24 Under Armour
As it turned out Jack’s back to back late game heroics against the Jazz was just the “spark” Coach Mike Brown was talking about and the Lakers finished the final twenty games of the season going 16-4 to win a total of 62 games on the year and claim the best record in the league.
The other result of his solid performances was, as Heather Jones put it ‘Jack Walker had arrived.” His jersey became the hottest seller throughout the city and he was deemed the “heir apparent” to Kobe Bryant’s Lakers. Jack was on the phone with his publicist nearly every day to rundown the interviews he’d be doing and what questions he would expect. Eventually he had to make a rule with her that there would be no interviews on game days or travel days.
Heather worked out a two year deal with Wendy’s that would bring him an extra $1 million each year. Jack wasn't happy that he’d have to be a part of at most three commercials each year but he wasn't about to turn down the $250,000 advance the Wendy’s people put in his hand the day he signed.
--
“Under Armour.” Heather Jones stopped for effect while at the Octagon Athlete Representation offices in Hollywood. “Nike, Adidas, and Jordan brands are all for the superstars who had it handed to them; the ones who were all hyped up before they came into the league; LeBron, Kobe, Dwight, etcetera. Under Armour is working to gain a larger footprint in the NBA sneaker market by backing players like you who came out of nowhere & carved out a spot on a roster and refused to let it go.”
“This isn’t just sneakers though Jack.” Nick stepped in.
“That’s right; they want you to promote all their products, workout gear, golf shirts, the whole show.”
“Well is it a good deal? What do they want from me exactly?”
“It’s a six year deal worth $8 million per year.” Again Heather paused. “How does that sound?” Jack honestly was blown away.
“Sounds like a lot of money, what do I have to do for all this?”
“Basically you’ve got to wear all of their stuff, shoes, sleeves, compression shorts, everything. You’ll also have to shoot at least four TV spots a year, and an undetermined number of photo shoots.”
“I can’t have any of this going on during the playoffs.”
“None of this stuff will start until after the finals. To start out they’ll probably have you in a spot along side the other athletes in their stable like Tom Brady, Bryce Harper, Brandon Jennings, of even Lindsey Vonn.” Heather paused. “Jack, Under Armour is looking to make you one of the faces of their brand. If you perform like you have and I’m sure will, they’ll be using your likeness more and more to promote themselves. This deal is big for them because they’re betting you’re going to become a bigger star. It’s a great deal for you because of the money of course but also it will get your face out there which will also lead to more offers.”
“What do you think Nick?”
“Honestly? No Bull**it? I think it’s a slam dunk man. You’re about to be the number one seed in the playoffs and by all accounts possibly become and NBA champion. Under Armour is counting on that and what they’re offering you is MVP money.”
“Alright… I guess I’m an Under Armour guy now.” Jack said and smiled. He always said he didn’t play for the money, and no one could really argue that considering he was still playing under his rookie contract. His personal motto on the subject since college had been ‘money doesn't buy happiness, but it helps.’
“Boom! That’s my guy!” Nick pounded on the table and pulled Jack in for a bro-hug. “You’re a millionaire baby!”
“Well done Jack, this deal is going to be big for you!” Heather said as she and the Laker shook hands.
“So what’s the next step? Do we have to do a press conference?” Jack asked.
“Well actually they’re going to delay the press conference. We’ll get all the paperwork signed, and you’ll get your first check but the people at UA want to wait it out and possibly make the announcement before game 1 of the finals.”
“So they’re assuming we make the finals?”
“Exactly, which I’m sure you will. If by some chance you don’t… they’ll probably hold off until after the finals. When you do though, it’ll be a huge for you and the company to announce right before the big series.”
Jack signed some forms and was told he’d be getting his first check in the mail in a few days. He strived to be humble in all aspects of life but a 6 year $8 million contract would get the Pope excited and Jack certainly was. Nick said he would be getting Jack in touch with a financial planner in the next several weeks, what with the new endorsements and free agency coming up. Jack was also glad to have professional help in that department.
After leaving Octagon offices Jack drove himself straight to the dealership and bought a Jaguar F Type. While filling out the paperwork he decided he was also in the market for a ‘67 Shelby Mustang.
--
Inside the Lakers locker room the entire squad had been keeping one eye on what Miami had been doing all season and were pumped to have taken the best record, thereby guaranteeing home court advantage over their rival if they got their wish of another finals matchup.
Personally, Jack took on the role of head cheerleader as they entered their first round matchup with the eighth seeded Dallas Mavericks. He didn’t want to see the team get caught up in a drawn out series with a scrappy underdog while they were already looking forward to the finals. Also he took on a more vocal role this time around because he was more comfortable with his teammates and because he knew he had to turn around his lousy playoff performance the year before.
As the first round played out on the court though Jack didn’t have to worry about the team's focus at all. Dallas was gassed from having to hustle their way into the playoffs and didn’t have much fight in them once they got there. Down three games to none The Mavs were able to steal a game at home but two nights later LA prevailed and the series was over in five games. Jack shot the ball right at his season average of 43% but struggled from beyond the arc. He knew those numbers wouldn’t cut it in the later rounds much less against Miami.
As it turned out Jack’s back to back late game heroics against the Jazz was just the “spark” Coach Mike Brown was talking about and the Lakers finished the final twenty games of the season going 16-4 to win a total of 62 games on the year and claim the best record in the league.
The other result of his solid performances was, as Heather Jones put it ‘Jack Walker had arrived.” His jersey became the hottest seller throughout the city and he was deemed the “heir apparent” to Kobe Bryant’s Lakers. Jack was on the phone with his publicist nearly every day to rundown the interviews he’d be doing and what questions he would expect. Eventually he had to make a rule with her that there would be no interviews on game days or travel days.
Heather worked out a two year deal with Wendy’s that would bring him an extra $1 million each year. Jack wasn't happy that he’d have to be a part of at most three commercials each year but he wasn't about to turn down the $250,000 advance the Wendy’s people put in his hand the day he signed.
--
“Under Armour.” Heather Jones stopped for effect while at the Octagon Athlete Representation offices in Hollywood. “Nike, Adidas, and Jordan brands are all for the superstars who had it handed to them; the ones who were all hyped up before they came into the league; LeBron, Kobe, Dwight, etcetera. Under Armour is working to gain a larger footprint in the NBA sneaker market by backing players like you who came out of nowhere & carved out a spot on a roster and refused to let it go.”
“This isn’t just sneakers though Jack.” Nick stepped in.
“That’s right; they want you to promote all their products, workout gear, golf shirts, the whole show.”
“Well is it a good deal? What do they want from me exactly?”
“It’s a six year deal worth $8 million per year.” Again Heather paused. “How does that sound?” Jack honestly was blown away.
“Sounds like a lot of money, what do I have to do for all this?”
“Basically you’ve got to wear all of their stuff, shoes, sleeves, compression shorts, everything. You’ll also have to shoot at least four TV spots a year, and an undetermined number of photo shoots.”
“I can’t have any of this going on during the playoffs.”
“None of this stuff will start until after the finals. To start out they’ll probably have you in a spot along side the other athletes in their stable like Tom Brady, Bryce Harper, Brandon Jennings, of even Lindsey Vonn.” Heather paused. “Jack, Under Armour is looking to make you one of the faces of their brand. If you perform like you have and I’m sure will, they’ll be using your likeness more and more to promote themselves. This deal is big for them because they’re betting you’re going to become a bigger star. It’s a great deal for you because of the money of course but also it will get your face out there which will also lead to more offers.”
“What do you think Nick?”
“Honestly? No Bull**it? I think it’s a slam dunk man. You’re about to be the number one seed in the playoffs and by all accounts possibly become and NBA champion. Under Armour is counting on that and what they’re offering you is MVP money.”
“Alright… I guess I’m an Under Armour guy now.” Jack said and smiled. He always said he didn’t play for the money, and no one could really argue that considering he was still playing under his rookie contract. His personal motto on the subject since college had been ‘money doesn't buy happiness, but it helps.’
“Boom! That’s my guy!” Nick pounded on the table and pulled Jack in for a bro-hug. “You’re a millionaire baby!”
“Well done Jack, this deal is going to be big for you!” Heather said as she and the Laker shook hands.
“So what’s the next step? Do we have to do a press conference?” Jack asked.
“Well actually they’re going to delay the press conference. We’ll get all the paperwork signed, and you’ll get your first check but the people at UA want to wait it out and possibly make the announcement before game 1 of the finals.”
“So they’re assuming we make the finals?”
“Exactly, which I’m sure you will. If by some chance you don’t… they’ll probably hold off until after the finals. When you do though, it’ll be a huge for you and the company to announce right before the big series.”
Jack signed some forms and was told he’d be getting his first check in the mail in a few days. He strived to be humble in all aspects of life but a 6 year $8 million contract would get the Pope excited and Jack certainly was. Nick said he would be getting Jack in touch with a financial planner in the next several weeks, what with the new endorsements and free agency coming up. Jack was also glad to have professional help in that department.
After leaving Octagon offices Jack drove himself straight to the dealership and bought a Jaguar F Type. While filling out the paperwork he decided he was also in the market for a ‘67 Shelby Mustang.
--
Inside the Lakers locker room the entire squad had been keeping one eye on what Miami had been doing all season and were pumped to have taken the best record, thereby guaranteeing home court advantage over their rival if they got their wish of another finals matchup.
Personally, Jack took on the role of head cheerleader as they entered their first round matchup with the eighth seeded Dallas Mavericks. He didn’t want to see the team get caught up in a drawn out series with a scrappy underdog while they were already looking forward to the finals. Also he took on a more vocal role this time around because he was more comfortable with his teammates and because he knew he had to turn around his lousy playoff performance the year before.
As the first round played out on the court though Jack didn’t have to worry about the team's focus at all. Dallas was gassed from having to hustle their way into the playoffs and didn’t have much fight in them once they got there. Down three games to none The Mavs were able to steal a game at home but two nights later LA prevailed and the series was over in five games. Jack shot the ball right at his season average of 43% but struggled from beyond the arc. He knew those numbers wouldn’t cut it in the later rounds much less against Miami.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Fri May 23, 2014 4:56 am
Chapter 25 Together we Made It
The Memphis Grizzlies ended up being LA’s second round opponent and by all accounts the series certainly had the opportunity to be a dog fight as Memphis was the only team in the west to really give the Lakers problems in the regular season. Mike Conley was having a career year and it’d be up to Jack to stop him.
Games one and two at home ended up being mild affairs with the Lakers leading the entire time in both games though they were never able to pull away by more than ten. Mark Gasol for the Grizz and Bynum for LA were constantly battling down low for rebounds with neither able to consistently gain an edge. That meant for LA that the offense had to come from the guards; Jack and Kobe responded loud and clear by each scoring over fifteen in the first two games.
In Memphis for game three the Grizzlies made an adjustment and put Rudy Gay on Kobe defensively; the move was talked about a lot because then 6’10” Lamar Odom was being guarded by 6’4” OJ Mayo. The gamble paid off though because while Gay shut Kobe down, Jack was having an awful shooting night going just one of ten. On the inside Gasol and Bynum battled but in the end Memphis came away with the ten point win.
Game four came down to the wire as Mike Brown had to adjust the team’s offensive game plan to work around Gay’s defense. The plan was simple in that they would just use screen after screen after screen and let Kobe use his quickness to get loose. Just about every single offensive position started with Odom setting the pick on Mayo. Under this plan Kobe scored twelve and Jack had six assists. For Walker though it was his bounce back shooting performance that was really memorable as he scored 19 points and shot 60% from the field. Despite the great shooting it still took a clutch jumper from Kobe and a last second defensive stop to secure the win for LA.
In game five Jack carried the momentum and led the Lakers to a victory to lock up the series. The biggest headline out of the match up though was Mike Conley’s ankle giving out on him early in the first quarter as he drove the lane for a lay up. After the injury Memphis brought in Greivis Vasquez to handle the point and Jack was able to exploit Vasquez by constantly cutting without the ball to get into good shooting spots with a free look at the rim. The winner’s locker room, just like in the first round, was rather calm. Everyone knew they still weren’t close to completing their goal, they also knew that Miami had already advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Houston Rockets were the next team the Lakers had to go through. The morning of game one Jack woke up and knew he’d be the man for this series. He couldn’t explain it but all the way through warm ups he just knew that he wouldn’t be stopped. Sure enough come game time Jack totally overwhelmed Kyle Lowry using the crossover and hesitation, plus screens from Odom & Gasol the third year point guard got loose time and again. By the fourth quarter Walker had twenty points, the Lakers were ahead by twenty, and most of the courtside celebrity contingent was headed for the doors.
Game two followed a similar pattern, before tip off Kobe gave Jack a rare boost of confidence.
“Fire away boy, Lowry aint got sh*t on you!”
“You know I got this.” Jack smiled & fist bumped the Mamba and promptly dropped another eighteen points which ended up being the winning margin as the Lakers left LA with a two to zero series lead.
Thanks to the back to back dominant performances it was widely agreed that Houston was done and the Lakers would be resting in LA while Miami, who was tied at a game apiece in their final, struggled to close out the Pacers. The Rockets had other ideas and won game three in blowout fashion thanks in large part to Jack’s terrible shooting night; he ended up going two for fifteen as he attempted to shoot himself out of the slump with no success.
During the balance of the series Jack shot much better but most of LA’s offense came from Bynum working in the low post or Kobe going one on one with whoever was unlucky enough to be guarding him. The Lakers took game four but Houston bounced back to stay alive in game five. Back at the staples center Kobe addressed the team before game six.
“This is it gentleman, we’re not letting this one get to seven games. Let’s play hard and smart; this is just another step on the path to our goal and we all know what that is. Let’s get out there and play Lakers ball baby!”
Though Kobe’s speech seemed a bit forced, it worked and The Lakers advanced to the NBA finals for the second consecutive season.
The Memphis Grizzlies ended up being LA’s second round opponent and by all accounts the series certainly had the opportunity to be a dog fight as Memphis was the only team in the west to really give the Lakers problems in the regular season. Mike Conley was having a career year and it’d be up to Jack to stop him.
Games one and two at home ended up being mild affairs with the Lakers leading the entire time in both games though they were never able to pull away by more than ten. Mark Gasol for the Grizz and Bynum for LA were constantly battling down low for rebounds with neither able to consistently gain an edge. That meant for LA that the offense had to come from the guards; Jack and Kobe responded loud and clear by each scoring over fifteen in the first two games.
In Memphis for game three the Grizzlies made an adjustment and put Rudy Gay on Kobe defensively; the move was talked about a lot because then 6’10” Lamar Odom was being guarded by 6’4” OJ Mayo. The gamble paid off though because while Gay shut Kobe down, Jack was having an awful shooting night going just one of ten. On the inside Gasol and Bynum battled but in the end Memphis came away with the ten point win.
Game four came down to the wire as Mike Brown had to adjust the team’s offensive game plan to work around Gay’s defense. The plan was simple in that they would just use screen after screen after screen and let Kobe use his quickness to get loose. Just about every single offensive position started with Odom setting the pick on Mayo. Under this plan Kobe scored twelve and Jack had six assists. For Walker though it was his bounce back shooting performance that was really memorable as he scored 19 points and shot 60% from the field. Despite the great shooting it still took a clutch jumper from Kobe and a last second defensive stop to secure the win for LA.
In game five Jack carried the momentum and led the Lakers to a victory to lock up the series. The biggest headline out of the match up though was Mike Conley’s ankle giving out on him early in the first quarter as he drove the lane for a lay up. After the injury Memphis brought in Greivis Vasquez to handle the point and Jack was able to exploit Vasquez by constantly cutting without the ball to get into good shooting spots with a free look at the rim. The winner’s locker room, just like in the first round, was rather calm. Everyone knew they still weren’t close to completing their goal, they also knew that Miami had already advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Houston Rockets were the next team the Lakers had to go through. The morning of game one Jack woke up and knew he’d be the man for this series. He couldn’t explain it but all the way through warm ups he just knew that he wouldn’t be stopped. Sure enough come game time Jack totally overwhelmed Kyle Lowry using the crossover and hesitation, plus screens from Odom & Gasol the third year point guard got loose time and again. By the fourth quarter Walker had twenty points, the Lakers were ahead by twenty, and most of the courtside celebrity contingent was headed for the doors.
Game two followed a similar pattern, before tip off Kobe gave Jack a rare boost of confidence.
“Fire away boy, Lowry aint got sh*t on you!”
“You know I got this.” Jack smiled & fist bumped the Mamba and promptly dropped another eighteen points which ended up being the winning margin as the Lakers left LA with a two to zero series lead.
Thanks to the back to back dominant performances it was widely agreed that Houston was done and the Lakers would be resting in LA while Miami, who was tied at a game apiece in their final, struggled to close out the Pacers. The Rockets had other ideas and won game three in blowout fashion thanks in large part to Jack’s terrible shooting night; he ended up going two for fifteen as he attempted to shoot himself out of the slump with no success.
During the balance of the series Jack shot much better but most of LA’s offense came from Bynum working in the low post or Kobe going one on one with whoever was unlucky enough to be guarding him. The Lakers took game four but Houston bounced back to stay alive in game five. Back at the staples center Kobe addressed the team before game six.
“This is it gentleman, we’re not letting this one get to seven games. Let’s play hard and smart; this is just another step on the path to our goal and we all know what that is. Let’s get out there and play Lakers ball baby!”
Though Kobe’s speech seemed a bit forced, it worked and The Lakers advanced to the NBA finals for the second consecutive season.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Fri May 23, 2014 4:58 am
I'm hoping to get the finals up here soon.
In the meantime I recently read a fantastic article (or oral history to be exact) about the 2002 Western Conference Finals between LA & Sacramento. Its a great read and I highly recommend it;
http://grantland.com/features/2002-west ... nto-kings/
In the meantime I recently read a fantastic article (or oral history to be exact) about the 2002 Western Conference Finals between LA & Sacramento. Its a great read and I highly recommend it;
http://grantland.com/features/2002-west ... nto-kings/
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Sat May 31, 2014 6:48 am
Chapter 26 Ball So Hard
Essentially for the LA Lakers everything had broken perfectly right. They secured the best record in the league, mostly breezed through the conference rounds of the playoffs and now would face the same team who had beaten them in the finals a year ago only this time with home court advantage.
The celebration following their game 6 series victory over the Houston Rockets to secure the conference championship was generally muted. They had all been there just one year ago when the Heat proved the Lakers were the inferior team, this time they were determined to prove that that wasn’t the case.
--
“Welcome to PTI boys and girls, in today’s episode Yasiel Puig is slumping, A-Rod is talking, & we have five good minutes with Sir Charles, but first, its finally official that we’ve got exactly what everyone wanted in the NBA Finals and that’s a rematch of the Miami Heat and LA Lakers. Wilbon it’s the same teams, basically the same players, should we be excited about this rematch?”
“Absolutely, Tony last year’s finals will not go down in the history of great NBA finals series like ’84 or ‘98 simply because it only lasted five games. But three of those went to overtime and we’re talking about at most ten points that separate these two teams in terms of regulation play in the finals. Since that series we’ve been treated to some GREAT regular season games between these two teams and it’s turned into a bit of a rivalry. It’s my hope and expectation that last year was the appetizer and this year will be the main course.”
“You’re right that those overtime games were fantastic, and you’re right about the rivalry, but I’m just not so sure we can look at this series and say ‘Well sure LA can win it this time’. We may see a different result from last season. Sure, LA finished with the best record in the NBA but in terms of having the MOST talent on the floor at a given time its still gotta go to the Heat.”
“There’s no doubt about that, but the Lakers are a better, more rounded team than last year, mostly thanks to the dramatic improvement of both Jack Walker and Andrew Bynum. I’m looking at this as a 50-50 series right now; I believe either team could win it.”
“50-50! YOU’RE KIDDING ME! Walker may be better but Lamar Odom aint about to D up LeBron James and shut him down, not to mention that Wade totally dismantled the MAMBA last year. The fact is that Miami is great both offensively and defensively and LA can score points but they just can’t lock down the other team. ”
“So you’re picking the Heat?”
“Yeah I’m picking the Heat. In good conscience you wanna pick LA to beat the team that’s going for their third straight?”
“EEhhh I think it’ll be a great series .”
“But you’re picking the Heat.”
“Yeah I’m picking the Heat.”
--
Game one was an auspicious beginning for the Lakers. They lost by ten points and for the most part didn’t look like they were ready for the pressure. The locker room afterward was heated to say the least and as soon as everyone was sitting Kobe immediately ripped into everyone. The defense simply wasn’t there for the Lakers.
Coach Brown and his staff stayed up nearly all night after game one watching film and trying to devise a defensive scheme that would work to shut down the high powered Miami offense. The game plan they came up with was installed at practice during the off day.
They weren’t going to use any of the zone that briefly disrupted The Heat when the two teams met the year before but simply turn the pressure way up. Instead of reacting to LeBron and Wade’s movements they were going to try to direct where they went and trap the ball. Miami was fairly good at moving the ball around but their wins over LA frequently relied on the one on one match up; to beat that Coach Brown installed the trapping defense and put Metta World Peace in the starting lineup to try to contain LeBron.
On game night, the plan worked to perfection. Miami was shooting just 35% from the field at halftime and at one point the Lakers led by twenty. The Heat mad a charge in the third quarter but the home team rebounded in the fourth and closed out the game with a fifteen point win. On offense Jack led his team with 18 points and added 5 steals; most of his buckets came from his off ball cuts when Kobe drove the lane. Once Bryant was in the paint Jack bounced out to the free throw lane, picked up the kick out and drained the jumper.
As the series shifted to Miami for three straight games at American Airlines Arena the defensive plan stayed the same. Although the Heat were at home and prepared for the aggressive game plan, they weren’t ready for the Andrew Bynum show. From the tip off the big forward was just flat out hot and Jack made sure he got all the touches he needed. Neither Udonis Haslam nor Chris Bosh had any answers for Bynum’s moves on the low block and when Miami tried to double the big man he would kick it out to Kobe or Jack for an easy jumper. In the end the team felt confident having won two straight over the defending champions, but the series was just getting started.
Essentially for the LA Lakers everything had broken perfectly right. They secured the best record in the league, mostly breezed through the conference rounds of the playoffs and now would face the same team who had beaten them in the finals a year ago only this time with home court advantage.
The celebration following their game 6 series victory over the Houston Rockets to secure the conference championship was generally muted. They had all been there just one year ago when the Heat proved the Lakers were the inferior team, this time they were determined to prove that that wasn’t the case.
--
“Welcome to PTI boys and girls, in today’s episode Yasiel Puig is slumping, A-Rod is talking, & we have five good minutes with Sir Charles, but first, its finally official that we’ve got exactly what everyone wanted in the NBA Finals and that’s a rematch of the Miami Heat and LA Lakers. Wilbon it’s the same teams, basically the same players, should we be excited about this rematch?”
“Absolutely, Tony last year’s finals will not go down in the history of great NBA finals series like ’84 or ‘98 simply because it only lasted five games. But three of those went to overtime and we’re talking about at most ten points that separate these two teams in terms of regulation play in the finals. Since that series we’ve been treated to some GREAT regular season games between these two teams and it’s turned into a bit of a rivalry. It’s my hope and expectation that last year was the appetizer and this year will be the main course.”
“You’re right that those overtime games were fantastic, and you’re right about the rivalry, but I’m just not so sure we can look at this series and say ‘Well sure LA can win it this time’. We may see a different result from last season. Sure, LA finished with the best record in the NBA but in terms of having the MOST talent on the floor at a given time its still gotta go to the Heat.”
“There’s no doubt about that, but the Lakers are a better, more rounded team than last year, mostly thanks to the dramatic improvement of both Jack Walker and Andrew Bynum. I’m looking at this as a 50-50 series right now; I believe either team could win it.”
“50-50! YOU’RE KIDDING ME! Walker may be better but Lamar Odom aint about to D up LeBron James and shut him down, not to mention that Wade totally dismantled the MAMBA last year. The fact is that Miami is great both offensively and defensively and LA can score points but they just can’t lock down the other team. ”
“So you’re picking the Heat?”
“Yeah I’m picking the Heat. In good conscience you wanna pick LA to beat the team that’s going for their third straight?”
“EEhhh I think it’ll be a great series .”
“But you’re picking the Heat.”
“Yeah I’m picking the Heat.”
--
Game one was an auspicious beginning for the Lakers. They lost by ten points and for the most part didn’t look like they were ready for the pressure. The locker room afterward was heated to say the least and as soon as everyone was sitting Kobe immediately ripped into everyone. The defense simply wasn’t there for the Lakers.
Coach Brown and his staff stayed up nearly all night after game one watching film and trying to devise a defensive scheme that would work to shut down the high powered Miami offense. The game plan they came up with was installed at practice during the off day.
They weren’t going to use any of the zone that briefly disrupted The Heat when the two teams met the year before but simply turn the pressure way up. Instead of reacting to LeBron and Wade’s movements they were going to try to direct where they went and trap the ball. Miami was fairly good at moving the ball around but their wins over LA frequently relied on the one on one match up; to beat that Coach Brown installed the trapping defense and put Metta World Peace in the starting lineup to try to contain LeBron.
On game night, the plan worked to perfection. Miami was shooting just 35% from the field at halftime and at one point the Lakers led by twenty. The Heat mad a charge in the third quarter but the home team rebounded in the fourth and closed out the game with a fifteen point win. On offense Jack led his team with 18 points and added 5 steals; most of his buckets came from his off ball cuts when Kobe drove the lane. Once Bryant was in the paint Jack bounced out to the free throw lane, picked up the kick out and drained the jumper.
As the series shifted to Miami for three straight games at American Airlines Arena the defensive plan stayed the same. Although the Heat were at home and prepared for the aggressive game plan, they weren’t ready for the Andrew Bynum show. From the tip off the big forward was just flat out hot and Jack made sure he got all the touches he needed. Neither Udonis Haslam nor Chris Bosh had any answers for Bynum’s moves on the low block and when Miami tried to double the big man he would kick it out to Kobe or Jack for an easy jumper. In the end the team felt confident having won two straight over the defending champions, but the series was just getting started.
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Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Wed Jun 04, 2014 7:08 am
Chapter 27 Fischer v Spassky
The chess match that the finals had turned into continued at American Airlines Arena. Each successive had boiled down to a series of overly strategized moves and counter moves set in place by the coaching staffs and executed to perfection by their lieutenants on the court.
--
Game 4, 2014 NBA Finals, 3:14 2nd Quarter, Miami 18 LAL 16
“They’re denying the wing pass Jack! When they do reverse it to Metta, Metta you look for the shot or hit Pau, Pau same thing or hit Kobe in the corner. Kobe if they close out hard Andrew will be open on the low block! WE NEED QUICKER PASSING OUT THERE; WE’LL LOOSEN THEM UP AND FIND THE OPEN LOOK. MAKE IT HAPPEN.” Coach Brown had to shout over the din of the crowd and music during the TV timeout.
Once the Lakers inbounded the ball they ran the play crisply but Miami’s defense reacted well until Kobe was doubled in the corner and he found Bynum under the rim for an easy dunk.
Game 4, 2014 NBA Finals; 0:30 4th Quarter, Miami 55 LAL 52
“WE’RE GONNA GET JACK LOOSE FOR A THREE HERE.” Larry Lewis shouted as he’d been tasked with drawing up the right play to tie the game. The arena was deafening as the Lakers huddled. “KOBE IS GONING TO BRING THE BALL UP JACK YOU’RE HERE IN THE CORNER. PASS TO PAU UP TOP, OVER TO LAMAR ON THE WING, KOBE & PAU SET THE SCREEN THEN BOTH FLASH TO THE BASKET. JACK UP TOP AND TIE THE GAME. QUESTIONS? GOOD, THIS IS VERY SIMPLE SO YOU’VE GOTTA SELL IT!” The huddle broke.
Kobe dribbled on the near elbow, Jack in the near corner, Bynum on the near low block, Pau at the top of the key, and Lamar on the far elbow. Kobe passed to Pau, Pau to Lamar and they both set the screen while Lamar surveyed the floor. Jack made to cut inside then went around Pau after which the two veterans cut to the basket. The screen worked to perfection and Jack was free up top as Odom hit him. Feet set, knees bent, rise up and release… Game tied.
Miami had ten second to try to win the game; naturally they called timeout to advance the ball. Out of their timeout Bosh inbounded the ball to Wade who was guarded by Kobe, LeBron was covered by World Peace on the low block, everyone else had cleared out. With seven second left LeBron cut to the elbow and World Peace was screened by Bosh, LeBron faked the shot forcing the covering Kobe to leave his feet, the pass went to back to Wade at the top of the key but Jack was right in his face. Dwayne Wade calmly bounce passed to Mario Chalmers on the high block, Chalmers took the game winning shot and sank it as time expired. The AAA erupted as Jack Walker stood rooted to the ground in astonishment, not believing that his team had just been beaten on a game winning shot by Mario Chalmers of all people.
Upon video review after the game Jack saw Gasol might have had a chance to close out better on Chalmers but Spoelstra had just drawn up a good play. Now it was down to a best of three series with one more in Miami and two in LA. He knew game five would be a must win.
--
No one in the LA locker room was sad to see their time in Miami coming to an end. After a week in South Beach they’d be boarding a plane for the west coast immediately following game five for at least one more contest in the friendly confines of the Staples Center. With the series at two games apiece though their focus was razor sharp on the impending tip off.
“I got this one J… No need to worry.” Kobe said to Jack right after the national anthem was finished. Jack could see it in the veteran’s eyes; he was in Black Mamba mode even before tip off.
Game 5 NBA Finals; 6:00 2nd Quarter, Miami 14 LAL 18
“Remember to look for the reverse pass if they keep denying the wing!” Coach Brown shouted during a timeout. To that point in the game Kobe was right on the money, he’d already scored ten and added two assists. “We’re riding the Mamba tonight,” Coach Brown continued. “If they ever switch Wade off of Kobe just scrap the triangle and run an iso. But I was to see off ball cuts as well!”
As the huddle broke Kobe grabbed Jacks arm.
“Don’t stop feeding me J.” Perhaps he intended to be more positive but Jack felt a little like it was a threat.
After the inbound Jack passed to Kobe on the wing and got out of the way. Bryant spun off Wade, faked a drive to the rim and splashed a fade away for two. Jack just shook his head.
Game 5 NBA Finals 2:53 4th Quarter, Miami 52 LAL 50
“NOWS THE TIME WE’VE GOT TO DIG DEEP BOYS!” Kobe shouted on the bench over the raucous Miami crowd. “I DON’T WANT TO SEE A SINGLE UNCONTESTED SHOT FOR THE REST OF THE GAME! YOU GOTTA GET RIGHT UP INSIDE THEIR JERSIES, MAKE THOSE SLIDES TO HELP! GET THOSE 50-50 BALLS! LETS GET A STOP HERE AND TIE IT UP.”
While Kobe was in Black Mamba mode all night, his counterpart Dwayne Wade was having a hell of a game himself. They seemed to match each other shot for shot and the scoreboard showed it as they had both surpassed twenty points in a truly epic showdown. The Lakers were losing, however, because they were getting crushed on the boards; with a ten rebound deficit the Lakers were fortunate to only be losing by two.
Back on the court the away team instituted their method of double teaming Wade or LeBron anytime they went for the rim. The strategy paid off in the form of a Chalmers shot that missed thanks to Jack being right in his face. Back down the court Jack dished to Kobe then walked to the low post and watched for the signal. Kobe dribble once left handed, then twice right handed signaling the simple play in motion. Jack flashed tot eh corner then cut to the top of the key, Mario Chalmers was met with a hard screen from Lamar Odom and Jack swished the wide open triple with the assist from Kobe.
In the end Kobe’s incredible 24 points and six assists weren’t enough to overcome The Heat as LeBron and Wade combined for forty of their own. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling for Jack to have his teams back up against the wall in the finals but it also wasn’t unfamiliar. Needless to say the plane ride back to LA was very quiet.
--
Jack went into game six feeling tense; he tried with all his might to loosen up in the locker room and during the shoot around but all the extra stretching and thinking about it only made things worse. He’d been tense before games before and it never ended well, he was actually nervous.
Sure enough the nerves were an issue; in the first quarter he turned the ball over twice and missed the only two shots he took. To make matters worse Miami turned up the heat on Kobe when he had the ball; they simply pestered him constantly frustrating the future hall of famer into a few off balanced shots.
Game 6 NBA Finals 6:00 2nd Quarter, LAL 10 Miami 18
“FASTER PASSING GENTELMAN THIS IS GAME SIX!” Coach Brown shouted in the huddle as they prepared for the second quarter. “Now they’re shutting Kobe down so we’re gonna try to work the PG outside cut this quarter. We’ve got the ball so Jack bring it up to the wing, if Chalmers gets in your jersey I need you to beat him and look for the inside dish. If he’s off hit Kobe, and rub off him like so.” Brown indicated on his dry erase board. “Kobe look for Jack in the corner. Jack you’ll have options but don’t be scared to fire away! This is how we’re gonna beat this team men.” The huddle broke.
Back down the floor and the play was executed to perfection as Chalmers was cleared by the rub and Jack found himself wide open in the corner, rise, release, splash. The crowd roared and all the tightness left his body. At the other end he watched Chalmers dribble while surveying the defense, in a flash Jack stabbed out his left hand and just picked Chalmers clean as drove to the rim for the easy lay up.
That was all it took; a three pointer and a steal to put Jack right were he wanted to be mentally. The point guard just abused his counterpart for the rest of the game to the point where Spoelstra benched his starter in favor of Mike Bibby. The call to the bullpen didn’t make much of a difference as Walker finished with 21 points and an incredible seven steals. The rest of the Lakers were inspired by Jack’s play and absolutely overwhelmed Miami on the defensive end and on the boards helping themselves to a clear 15 point win.
--
The 2014 NBA Finals would go the full seven games with the final contest at the Staples Center. The home team won game seven in the finals in 14 of 17 occurrences and the Lakers liked their chances after the convincing victory. Now they just had to make it a reality.
The chess match that the finals had turned into continued at American Airlines Arena. Each successive had boiled down to a series of overly strategized moves and counter moves set in place by the coaching staffs and executed to perfection by their lieutenants on the court.
--
Game 4, 2014 NBA Finals, 3:14 2nd Quarter, Miami 18 LAL 16
“They’re denying the wing pass Jack! When they do reverse it to Metta, Metta you look for the shot or hit Pau, Pau same thing or hit Kobe in the corner. Kobe if they close out hard Andrew will be open on the low block! WE NEED QUICKER PASSING OUT THERE; WE’LL LOOSEN THEM UP AND FIND THE OPEN LOOK. MAKE IT HAPPEN.” Coach Brown had to shout over the din of the crowd and music during the TV timeout.
Once the Lakers inbounded the ball they ran the play crisply but Miami’s defense reacted well until Kobe was doubled in the corner and he found Bynum under the rim for an easy dunk.
Game 4, 2014 NBA Finals; 0:30 4th Quarter, Miami 55 LAL 52
“WE’RE GONNA GET JACK LOOSE FOR A THREE HERE.” Larry Lewis shouted as he’d been tasked with drawing up the right play to tie the game. The arena was deafening as the Lakers huddled. “KOBE IS GONING TO BRING THE BALL UP JACK YOU’RE HERE IN THE CORNER. PASS TO PAU UP TOP, OVER TO LAMAR ON THE WING, KOBE & PAU SET THE SCREEN THEN BOTH FLASH TO THE BASKET. JACK UP TOP AND TIE THE GAME. QUESTIONS? GOOD, THIS IS VERY SIMPLE SO YOU’VE GOTTA SELL IT!” The huddle broke.
Kobe dribbled on the near elbow, Jack in the near corner, Bynum on the near low block, Pau at the top of the key, and Lamar on the far elbow. Kobe passed to Pau, Pau to Lamar and they both set the screen while Lamar surveyed the floor. Jack made to cut inside then went around Pau after which the two veterans cut to the basket. The screen worked to perfection and Jack was free up top as Odom hit him. Feet set, knees bent, rise up and release… Game tied.
Miami had ten second to try to win the game; naturally they called timeout to advance the ball. Out of their timeout Bosh inbounded the ball to Wade who was guarded by Kobe, LeBron was covered by World Peace on the low block, everyone else had cleared out. With seven second left LeBron cut to the elbow and World Peace was screened by Bosh, LeBron faked the shot forcing the covering Kobe to leave his feet, the pass went to back to Wade at the top of the key but Jack was right in his face. Dwayne Wade calmly bounce passed to Mario Chalmers on the high block, Chalmers took the game winning shot and sank it as time expired. The AAA erupted as Jack Walker stood rooted to the ground in astonishment, not believing that his team had just been beaten on a game winning shot by Mario Chalmers of all people.
Upon video review after the game Jack saw Gasol might have had a chance to close out better on Chalmers but Spoelstra had just drawn up a good play. Now it was down to a best of three series with one more in Miami and two in LA. He knew game five would be a must win.
--
No one in the LA locker room was sad to see their time in Miami coming to an end. After a week in South Beach they’d be boarding a plane for the west coast immediately following game five for at least one more contest in the friendly confines of the Staples Center. With the series at two games apiece though their focus was razor sharp on the impending tip off.
“I got this one J… No need to worry.” Kobe said to Jack right after the national anthem was finished. Jack could see it in the veteran’s eyes; he was in Black Mamba mode even before tip off.
Game 5 NBA Finals; 6:00 2nd Quarter, Miami 14 LAL 18
“Remember to look for the reverse pass if they keep denying the wing!” Coach Brown shouted during a timeout. To that point in the game Kobe was right on the money, he’d already scored ten and added two assists. “We’re riding the Mamba tonight,” Coach Brown continued. “If they ever switch Wade off of Kobe just scrap the triangle and run an iso. But I was to see off ball cuts as well!”
As the huddle broke Kobe grabbed Jacks arm.
“Don’t stop feeding me J.” Perhaps he intended to be more positive but Jack felt a little like it was a threat.
After the inbound Jack passed to Kobe on the wing and got out of the way. Bryant spun off Wade, faked a drive to the rim and splashed a fade away for two. Jack just shook his head.
Game 5 NBA Finals 2:53 4th Quarter, Miami 52 LAL 50
“NOWS THE TIME WE’VE GOT TO DIG DEEP BOYS!” Kobe shouted on the bench over the raucous Miami crowd. “I DON’T WANT TO SEE A SINGLE UNCONTESTED SHOT FOR THE REST OF THE GAME! YOU GOTTA GET RIGHT UP INSIDE THEIR JERSIES, MAKE THOSE SLIDES TO HELP! GET THOSE 50-50 BALLS! LETS GET A STOP HERE AND TIE IT UP.”
While Kobe was in Black Mamba mode all night, his counterpart Dwayne Wade was having a hell of a game himself. They seemed to match each other shot for shot and the scoreboard showed it as they had both surpassed twenty points in a truly epic showdown. The Lakers were losing, however, because they were getting crushed on the boards; with a ten rebound deficit the Lakers were fortunate to only be losing by two.
Back on the court the away team instituted their method of double teaming Wade or LeBron anytime they went for the rim. The strategy paid off in the form of a Chalmers shot that missed thanks to Jack being right in his face. Back down the court Jack dished to Kobe then walked to the low post and watched for the signal. Kobe dribble once left handed, then twice right handed signaling the simple play in motion. Jack flashed tot eh corner then cut to the top of the key, Mario Chalmers was met with a hard screen from Lamar Odom and Jack swished the wide open triple with the assist from Kobe.
In the end Kobe’s incredible 24 points and six assists weren’t enough to overcome The Heat as LeBron and Wade combined for forty of their own. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling for Jack to have his teams back up against the wall in the finals but it also wasn’t unfamiliar. Needless to say the plane ride back to LA was very quiet.
--
Jack went into game six feeling tense; he tried with all his might to loosen up in the locker room and during the shoot around but all the extra stretching and thinking about it only made things worse. He’d been tense before games before and it never ended well, he was actually nervous.
Sure enough the nerves were an issue; in the first quarter he turned the ball over twice and missed the only two shots he took. To make matters worse Miami turned up the heat on Kobe when he had the ball; they simply pestered him constantly frustrating the future hall of famer into a few off balanced shots.
Game 6 NBA Finals 6:00 2nd Quarter, LAL 10 Miami 18
“FASTER PASSING GENTELMAN THIS IS GAME SIX!” Coach Brown shouted in the huddle as they prepared for the second quarter. “Now they’re shutting Kobe down so we’re gonna try to work the PG outside cut this quarter. We’ve got the ball so Jack bring it up to the wing, if Chalmers gets in your jersey I need you to beat him and look for the inside dish. If he’s off hit Kobe, and rub off him like so.” Brown indicated on his dry erase board. “Kobe look for Jack in the corner. Jack you’ll have options but don’t be scared to fire away! This is how we’re gonna beat this team men.” The huddle broke.
Back down the floor and the play was executed to perfection as Chalmers was cleared by the rub and Jack found himself wide open in the corner, rise, release, splash. The crowd roared and all the tightness left his body. At the other end he watched Chalmers dribble while surveying the defense, in a flash Jack stabbed out his left hand and just picked Chalmers clean as drove to the rim for the easy lay up.
That was all it took; a three pointer and a steal to put Jack right were he wanted to be mentally. The point guard just abused his counterpart for the rest of the game to the point where Spoelstra benched his starter in favor of Mike Bibby. The call to the bullpen didn’t make much of a difference as Walker finished with 21 points and an incredible seven steals. The rest of the Lakers were inspired by Jack’s play and absolutely overwhelmed Miami on the defensive end and on the boards helping themselves to a clear 15 point win.
--
The 2014 NBA Finals would go the full seven games with the final contest at the Staples Center. The home team won game seven in the finals in 14 of 17 occurrences and the Lakers liked their chances after the convincing victory. Now they just had to make it a reality.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Fri Jun 06, 2014 5:29 am
Chapter 28 The 15th & Final Round
Jack Walker woke from a fitful sleep the morning of June 20th 2014 simply thinking to himself ‘Game 7’. As he showered and ate breakfast, for whatever reason he began thinking back to his junior year in high school. That was the year he began really taking his game seriously, before then he played because it was fun and he had a good shot. After eleventh grade Jack began studying moves of the great point guards around the league and mimicking them on the court as best he could. He spend hours at school and in his back yard making perfecting his shooting form and making it totally repeatable.
In college he was all about the weight room and adding pounds. Being a lowly walk on provided no identity so he made one for himself by making sure he could outwork everyone else on the team. It wasn’t long before he was taking advantage of Xavier’s film room to study offensive schemes used by colleges around the country for no other purpose than personal interest.
Then the NBA called and Jack Walker learned no matter how much he had improved in five years, he still had a long, long way to go. Speed and quickness training coupled with the developing crossovers, hesitation and step back moves. From Washington to Boston to LA he was always the last person to leave practice because he knew he needed to be.
Now, although he would never acknowledge it, Jack Walker was one of the premier point guards in the NBA. He had walked the path and it had led to a game seven against the best assemblage of talent since Jordan, Pippen and Rodman. His goal was just within his grasp…
--
“We are Live from the Staples Center ladies and gentleman, glad to be with you on this the 20th of June for Game Seven of the 2014 NBA Finals between your Los Angelis Lakers and The Miami Heat. John Ireland here with you this evening and my partner here courtside Mychal Thompson, Mychal… The series is all tied at three games apiece and the championship comes down to just one game. What do the Lakers have to do to bring home their 17th NBA championship?”
“John its been the same prescription for this team all series and that can’t change now and that’s pressuring the ball as much as possible when it isn’t in the hands of Dwayne Wade or LeBron James, using help defense if either of those men have possession. We all know the Lakers can score on Miami’s defense from multiple angles so if LA is going to win it, they’re likely going to have to do so on the defensive end.”
“Mike this same starting five for the Lakers minus Jack Walker have already won a Finals game seven in 2010 over the Boston Celtics in a truly classic game, will that experience come into play tonight?”
“I don’t see that being a huge factor since Miami isn’t a team of young players, these guys have been through plenty of tough situations as well. I do believe the Lakers will be very happy to have the home crowd advantage this evening. As I always say basketball is a game of emotions and they’ll be running high tonight, this crowd will be the loudest they’ve ever been.”
--
“Mychal both teams have played well and its no surprise really that we’re deadlocked at the end of one; fifteen apiece.”
“John this series has been such a chess match between these two fabulous coaching staffs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve run out of adjustments to make and just said pregame ‘go out there and make some buckets!’”
--
“CHALMERS HITS THE THREE!! And Mike Brown calls timeout as the Heat take their lead to fifteen with just a minute before halftime!”
“That was a must call timeout by Mike Brown John. The Lakers need some kind of boost here as they’ve been virtually shut out since the second quarter began. In such a crucial game like this you can’t let the opposition take any kind of big lead, they’re gonna have to get a bucket out of this timeout and create some momentum before going into the locker room for halftime.”
“LeBron has led the Heat second quarter charge with eight points in the last six minutes… and no surprise here Metta World Peace is checking in for Odom, in all likelihood to D-up LBJ.”
--
“Walker at the top of the key directing traffic just fifteen left in the third, Jack dishes to Gasol on the low block, Pau working on Haslam, he passes out to Odom on the elbow, Odom to Kobe, Kobe to Walker, for the tie… GOT IT! MR. CLUTCH II with the last second shot to tie the game as we’re headed to the fourth quarter!”
“Mr. Clutch indeed, fantastic back screen set by Bynum there. You’ve gotta love this play, John, as it gives the option to shoot to Lamar, Kobe, and Jack. This time its Jack from two steps inside the three point line to tie us up at forty apiece.
“That’s right Mychal, LA able to rebound from a thirteen point halftime deficit, thanks in large part to an eleven to zero run to start the quarter.”
“Yeah they came out of the locker room with great energy on both ends and really overwhelmed Miami, especially on the boards.”
“Indeed, The Lakers have pulled down seven more rebounds than The Heat and that matches their largest rebounding lead in this series through three quarters. They did it in game three in Miami when LA went on to win the game.”
--
“Walker beats Chalmers into the lane… but the dish to Bynum down low for the easy lay in! Lakers lead for the first time 44-42!”
--
“Chalmers to Wade, the screen by Bosh… Wade drives and finishes with the dunk!”
--
“LeBron working on Odom here, dribbles between the legs and pulls up, and sinks the jumper!!”
--
“Haslam working down low, dish to LeBron and he slams it homefor the four point lead!”
--
“Walker at the top of the key, oh! A lazy pass to Kobe and Wade dunks it at the other end to put Miami up six!”
--
“The Lakers working the comeback again, here with less than a minute to go. Gasol gives down low to Bynum, he finds Odom in the corner, one more to Walker, FOR THREE! GOT IT!! TIMEOUT MIAMI! Jack Walker ties the game up at 53!!!
--
“So to reset we’re all tied up at 53, and LA has the ball with 6.3 seconds remaining after a big time defensive stop. Mychal what do you expect to see out of this timeout?”
“John the ball has got to go to Kobe Bryant. This is a championship moment tailor made for the future hall of famer. Six seconds is a bit of a difficult amount of time to have because its not enough to run a set play but its too long to only run a quick inbound catch and shoot, we’ll have to see what Coach Brown comes up with but, like I said, expect Kobe to take the potentially title winning shot.”
“So coming out of the huddle for the Lakers it’s the starters; Walker, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, & Bynum and countering them for Miami it’ll be Chalmers, Wade, LeBron, Haslem, & Bosh, Chalmers will guard Walker and LeBron will guard Kobe.
“Odom will inbound to Walker, crosses over, he’s looking for Kobe, drives to the free throw line and backs up, Bryant is double teamed, Walker crosses over again, 2 second left, he steps back… HE RAISES UP, FIRES FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!”
As Jack’s feet left the ground his base felt good, as the ball began moving forward his elbow felt good, as the rubber left his fingertips his wrist felt good. Jack landed on the hardwood and watched as the ball slowly sailed toward the rim with the perfect amount of backspin.
He thought of all the tens of thousands of jump shots he’d taken in his life; how they’d all lead up to this one seventeen footer. Everyone in the arena was transfixed by the path of the ball, it was almost deadly silent until…
Jack Walker woke from a fitful sleep the morning of June 20th 2014 simply thinking to himself ‘Game 7’. As he showered and ate breakfast, for whatever reason he began thinking back to his junior year in high school. That was the year he began really taking his game seriously, before then he played because it was fun and he had a good shot. After eleventh grade Jack began studying moves of the great point guards around the league and mimicking them on the court as best he could. He spend hours at school and in his back yard making perfecting his shooting form and making it totally repeatable.
In college he was all about the weight room and adding pounds. Being a lowly walk on provided no identity so he made one for himself by making sure he could outwork everyone else on the team. It wasn’t long before he was taking advantage of Xavier’s film room to study offensive schemes used by colleges around the country for no other purpose than personal interest.
Then the NBA called and Jack Walker learned no matter how much he had improved in five years, he still had a long, long way to go. Speed and quickness training coupled with the developing crossovers, hesitation and step back moves. From Washington to Boston to LA he was always the last person to leave practice because he knew he needed to be.
Now, although he would never acknowledge it, Jack Walker was one of the premier point guards in the NBA. He had walked the path and it had led to a game seven against the best assemblage of talent since Jordan, Pippen and Rodman. His goal was just within his grasp…
--
“We are Live from the Staples Center ladies and gentleman, glad to be with you on this the 20th of June for Game Seven of the 2014 NBA Finals between your Los Angelis Lakers and The Miami Heat. John Ireland here with you this evening and my partner here courtside Mychal Thompson, Mychal… The series is all tied at three games apiece and the championship comes down to just one game. What do the Lakers have to do to bring home their 17th NBA championship?”
“John its been the same prescription for this team all series and that can’t change now and that’s pressuring the ball as much as possible when it isn’t in the hands of Dwayne Wade or LeBron James, using help defense if either of those men have possession. We all know the Lakers can score on Miami’s defense from multiple angles so if LA is going to win it, they’re likely going to have to do so on the defensive end.”
“Mike this same starting five for the Lakers minus Jack Walker have already won a Finals game seven in 2010 over the Boston Celtics in a truly classic game, will that experience come into play tonight?”
“I don’t see that being a huge factor since Miami isn’t a team of young players, these guys have been through plenty of tough situations as well. I do believe the Lakers will be very happy to have the home crowd advantage this evening. As I always say basketball is a game of emotions and they’ll be running high tonight, this crowd will be the loudest they’ve ever been.”
--
“Mychal both teams have played well and its no surprise really that we’re deadlocked at the end of one; fifteen apiece.”
“John this series has been such a chess match between these two fabulous coaching staffs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve run out of adjustments to make and just said pregame ‘go out there and make some buckets!’”
--
“CHALMERS HITS THE THREE!! And Mike Brown calls timeout as the Heat take their lead to fifteen with just a minute before halftime!”
“That was a must call timeout by Mike Brown John. The Lakers need some kind of boost here as they’ve been virtually shut out since the second quarter began. In such a crucial game like this you can’t let the opposition take any kind of big lead, they’re gonna have to get a bucket out of this timeout and create some momentum before going into the locker room for halftime.”
“LeBron has led the Heat second quarter charge with eight points in the last six minutes… and no surprise here Metta World Peace is checking in for Odom, in all likelihood to D-up LBJ.”
--
“Walker at the top of the key directing traffic just fifteen left in the third, Jack dishes to Gasol on the low block, Pau working on Haslam, he passes out to Odom on the elbow, Odom to Kobe, Kobe to Walker, for the tie… GOT IT! MR. CLUTCH II with the last second shot to tie the game as we’re headed to the fourth quarter!”
“Mr. Clutch indeed, fantastic back screen set by Bynum there. You’ve gotta love this play, John, as it gives the option to shoot to Lamar, Kobe, and Jack. This time its Jack from two steps inside the three point line to tie us up at forty apiece.
“That’s right Mychal, LA able to rebound from a thirteen point halftime deficit, thanks in large part to an eleven to zero run to start the quarter.”
“Yeah they came out of the locker room with great energy on both ends and really overwhelmed Miami, especially on the boards.”
“Indeed, The Lakers have pulled down seven more rebounds than The Heat and that matches their largest rebounding lead in this series through three quarters. They did it in game three in Miami when LA went on to win the game.”
--
“Walker beats Chalmers into the lane… but the dish to Bynum down low for the easy lay in! Lakers lead for the first time 44-42!”
--
“Chalmers to Wade, the screen by Bosh… Wade drives and finishes with the dunk!”
--
“LeBron working on Odom here, dribbles between the legs and pulls up, and sinks the jumper!!”
--
“Haslam working down low, dish to LeBron and he slams it homefor the four point lead!”
--
“Walker at the top of the key, oh! A lazy pass to Kobe and Wade dunks it at the other end to put Miami up six!”
--
“The Lakers working the comeback again, here with less than a minute to go. Gasol gives down low to Bynum, he finds Odom in the corner, one more to Walker, FOR THREE! GOT IT!! TIMEOUT MIAMI! Jack Walker ties the game up at 53!!!
--
“So to reset we’re all tied up at 53, and LA has the ball with 6.3 seconds remaining after a big time defensive stop. Mychal what do you expect to see out of this timeout?”
“John the ball has got to go to Kobe Bryant. This is a championship moment tailor made for the future hall of famer. Six seconds is a bit of a difficult amount of time to have because its not enough to run a set play but its too long to only run a quick inbound catch and shoot, we’ll have to see what Coach Brown comes up with but, like I said, expect Kobe to take the potentially title winning shot.”
“So coming out of the huddle for the Lakers it’s the starters; Walker, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, & Bynum and countering them for Miami it’ll be Chalmers, Wade, LeBron, Haslem, & Bosh, Chalmers will guard Walker and LeBron will guard Kobe.
“Odom will inbound to Walker, crosses over, he’s looking for Kobe, drives to the free throw line and backs up, Bryant is double teamed, Walker crosses over again, 2 second left, he steps back… HE RAISES UP, FIRES FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!”
As Jack’s feet left the ground his base felt good, as the ball began moving forward his elbow felt good, as the rubber left his fingertips his wrist felt good. Jack landed on the hardwood and watched as the ball slowly sailed toward the rim with the perfect amount of backspin.
He thought of all the tens of thousands of jump shots he’d taken in his life; how they’d all lead up to this one seventeen footer. Everyone in the arena was transfixed by the path of the ball, it was almost deadly silent until…
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Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Tue Jun 10, 2014 2:27 am
Chapter 29 The Circle’s Getting Smaller
Jack Walker sat on the bench and for the second straight year watched the Miami Heat celebrate an NBA championship.
“Get the f***ing ball to KOBE!” He muttered angrily to himself thinking back to the Lakers’ title winning opportunity at the end of regulation. After Jack’s jump shot rattled the rim and fell out, Kobe was actually the first person to pat Jack on the butt after his missed shot at the buzzer.
--
“I looked for you, I swear…” Jack said but Kobe cut him off.
“Don’t sweat it, we NEED you in OT.” The legend told him before the team huddled up around Coach Brown. Jack didn’t hear a word his coach said, he had seen his goal right within reach and so close he even felt it in his bones. The symphony of a hush through the arena as the ball sailed slowly toward the hoop with a slight backspin, to be followed by an explosion of 20,000 voices screaming in joy. But the explosion never came.
Miami owned overtime from the tip to the horn. LeBron & Wade couldn’t be stopped and LA wasn’t able to score on their first three offensive possessions, effectively sealing their fate. The final score showed The Lakers only losing by four but that deficit felt like 100 to Jack.
--
In the locker room no one said a thing about the play at the end of regulation but Jack couldn’t stop thinking about it and after a very long shower he made his way to the film room and queued up the tape himself. Sure enough after his first crossover he could have slid to the top of the key, found Kobe Bryant and let him secure the franchise’s 17th NBA title. Jack stared at the screen which was paused right before he took that final shot of regulation for probably thirty minutes before finally realizing he was unemployed and heading home.
One season ago Jack Walker was a role player who took too many shots and turned the ball over too much. This season he was a key component in the team’s run to the finals and the extra offensive fire power he provided helped them reach game 7 of the finals. But in the end it was all for naught and Jack felt terribly deflated.
Once home he sat on his couch, closed his eyes, and wept.
Jack Walker sat on the bench and for the second straight year watched the Miami Heat celebrate an NBA championship.
“Get the f***ing ball to KOBE!” He muttered angrily to himself thinking back to the Lakers’ title winning opportunity at the end of regulation. After Jack’s jump shot rattled the rim and fell out, Kobe was actually the first person to pat Jack on the butt after his missed shot at the buzzer.
--
“I looked for you, I swear…” Jack said but Kobe cut him off.
“Don’t sweat it, we NEED you in OT.” The legend told him before the team huddled up around Coach Brown. Jack didn’t hear a word his coach said, he had seen his goal right within reach and so close he even felt it in his bones. The symphony of a hush through the arena as the ball sailed slowly toward the hoop with a slight backspin, to be followed by an explosion of 20,000 voices screaming in joy. But the explosion never came.
Miami owned overtime from the tip to the horn. LeBron & Wade couldn’t be stopped and LA wasn’t able to score on their first three offensive possessions, effectively sealing their fate. The final score showed The Lakers only losing by four but that deficit felt like 100 to Jack.
--
In the locker room no one said a thing about the play at the end of regulation but Jack couldn’t stop thinking about it and after a very long shower he made his way to the film room and queued up the tape himself. Sure enough after his first crossover he could have slid to the top of the key, found Kobe Bryant and let him secure the franchise’s 17th NBA title. Jack stared at the screen which was paused right before he took that final shot of regulation for probably thirty minutes before finally realizing he was unemployed and heading home.
One season ago Jack Walker was a role player who took too many shots and turned the ball over too much. This season he was a key component in the team’s run to the finals and the extra offensive fire power he provided helped them reach game 7 of the finals. But in the end it was all for naught and Jack felt terribly deflated.
Once home he sat on his couch, closed his eyes, and wept.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:25 am
Chapter 30 If It Wasn’t For the Money
Over the next 5 days Jack hadn’t done much of anything besides hang around his apartment, watch movies, and think about what he could have done to change the outcome of the season. He had spoken with his parents and friends over the phone and Larry Lewis during the exit interviews but nothing could shake the funk. He had felt it in his bones that this was their time to win it all and they’d fallen short because of him.
He was glad to have Lauren around to talk to but it didn’t take long for her to be fed up with him being bummed out. While knocking around his apartment he thought of great players like Steve Nash, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton who were twice the player he was and still had never won a title. Jack couldn’t stop thinking that he was so close, within one simple jump shot, a sixteen footer at most, only to blow it.
The media wasn’t kind in their assessment of the game seven performance. It seemed the prevailing opinion was that since they were at home it should have been an easy win. Beyond that though it was all the usual LeBron worship.
--
“Hello?” Jack answered his phone having just been woken up by its harsh ring.
“Morning!” Nick Kennedy said on the other line.
“Whatsup?” Jack said trying to keep the conversation brief.
“Look I know you don’t want to hear this but we’ve got to talk about free agency, can you come in today?” Jack didn’t want to at all but didn’t have anything else going on nearly all day.
“Alright, how about 11?” Jack said checking the clock, making sure to allow time to compose himself a little more.
“See ya then.” The point guard hung up the phone and rolled over in bed.
Right at 11AM Jack Walker walked through the doors of the LA offices of Octagon Athlete Representation. The secretaries all smiled and said ‘hello’ or ‘sorry about the finals’. A part of Jack just appreciated that they recognized him but he also couldn’t help but wonder how many of them had been pissed at him for not getting the job done for the hometown team.
“There’s my guy!” Nick shouted jovially as he met Jack outside his office with a handshake and half hug. “It may not seem like it while you’re driving that Nissan or whatever but you made yourself a lot of money this season. Let’s have a seat and talk it over.
“Sorry about the finals, that was an epic series.” Nick took a serious tone. “I’m not sure even winning the MVP could have raised your league profile as much as that series did.”
“Did it raise it in a positive way or negative way?” Jack asked sarcastically.
“Alright I know you’re bummed but your about to take a big step in your career here soon and I need your full attention.”
“Okay, whatsup?”
“Good, it’s June 26th right now and free agency negotiations can begin on Monday, from there teams can sign players on July 7th.”
“Simple enough, what else do I need to know?”
“For you, this season is tough.” Nick sat down across form his client. “Normally with how you played this season and in the playoffs we’d be laughing all the way to the bank. But as you may or may not know this is probably the biggest free agency bonanza the NBA has ever seen, I mean stacks on stacks are gonna be flying everywhere.”
“Who else is unrestricted?”
“Let me throw some names at you; James Hardin, Chris Bosch, Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmello Anthony. We’re fortunate because you’re the only high profile point guard in the pool and in case you didn’t hear the league is shifting towards teams needing good point guards more.”
“So how do we play it? I mean I want to stay in LA.”
“I’ve already put some feelers out and I’ll let you know who is interested and you tell me who you like. We’ll meet again on the 30th to review their offers. Don’t talk to anyone in the Lakers front office; they’ve got to be convinced you’re prepared to go elsewhere.”
“Okay.” Jack stood to leave.
“There’s one more thing.” Nick said, this time in his serious tone. “This is a big decision, chances are good that you’ll be offered multi year deals and the best I can do is advise you, but in the end it’s got to be your decision because you’ll be the one living with it.”
“Alright.”
“Make a point to be here around noon on the 30th.”
“Thanks Nick.” Jack left.
Later that night Jack found himself finally thinking about something other than the finals. Were the Lakers going to make good on their promise? Was Kobe going to re sign with the only team he’d ever played for? In just a few short weeks the NBA was going to look very different.
Over the next 5 days Jack hadn’t done much of anything besides hang around his apartment, watch movies, and think about what he could have done to change the outcome of the season. He had spoken with his parents and friends over the phone and Larry Lewis during the exit interviews but nothing could shake the funk. He had felt it in his bones that this was their time to win it all and they’d fallen short because of him.
He was glad to have Lauren around to talk to but it didn’t take long for her to be fed up with him being bummed out. While knocking around his apartment he thought of great players like Steve Nash, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton who were twice the player he was and still had never won a title. Jack couldn’t stop thinking that he was so close, within one simple jump shot, a sixteen footer at most, only to blow it.
The media wasn’t kind in their assessment of the game seven performance. It seemed the prevailing opinion was that since they were at home it should have been an easy win. Beyond that though it was all the usual LeBron worship.
--
“Hello?” Jack answered his phone having just been woken up by its harsh ring.
“Morning!” Nick Kennedy said on the other line.
“Whatsup?” Jack said trying to keep the conversation brief.
“Look I know you don’t want to hear this but we’ve got to talk about free agency, can you come in today?” Jack didn’t want to at all but didn’t have anything else going on nearly all day.
“Alright, how about 11?” Jack said checking the clock, making sure to allow time to compose himself a little more.
“See ya then.” The point guard hung up the phone and rolled over in bed.
Right at 11AM Jack Walker walked through the doors of the LA offices of Octagon Athlete Representation. The secretaries all smiled and said ‘hello’ or ‘sorry about the finals’. A part of Jack just appreciated that they recognized him but he also couldn’t help but wonder how many of them had been pissed at him for not getting the job done for the hometown team.
“There’s my guy!” Nick shouted jovially as he met Jack outside his office with a handshake and half hug. “It may not seem like it while you’re driving that Nissan or whatever but you made yourself a lot of money this season. Let’s have a seat and talk it over.
“Sorry about the finals, that was an epic series.” Nick took a serious tone. “I’m not sure even winning the MVP could have raised your league profile as much as that series did.”
“Did it raise it in a positive way or negative way?” Jack asked sarcastically.
“Alright I know you’re bummed but your about to take a big step in your career here soon and I need your full attention.”
“Okay, whatsup?”
“Good, it’s June 26th right now and free agency negotiations can begin on Monday, from there teams can sign players on July 7th.”
“Simple enough, what else do I need to know?”
“For you, this season is tough.” Nick sat down across form his client. “Normally with how you played this season and in the playoffs we’d be laughing all the way to the bank. But as you may or may not know this is probably the biggest free agency bonanza the NBA has ever seen, I mean stacks on stacks are gonna be flying everywhere.”
“Who else is unrestricted?”
“Let me throw some names at you; James Hardin, Chris Bosch, Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmello Anthony. We’re fortunate because you’re the only high profile point guard in the pool and in case you didn’t hear the league is shifting towards teams needing good point guards more.”
“So how do we play it? I mean I want to stay in LA.”
“I’ve already put some feelers out and I’ll let you know who is interested and you tell me who you like. We’ll meet again on the 30th to review their offers. Don’t talk to anyone in the Lakers front office; they’ve got to be convinced you’re prepared to go elsewhere.”
“Okay.” Jack stood to leave.
“There’s one more thing.” Nick said, this time in his serious tone. “This is a big decision, chances are good that you’ll be offered multi year deals and the best I can do is advise you, but in the end it’s got to be your decision because you’ll be the one living with it.”
“Alright.”
“Make a point to be here around noon on the 30th.”
“Thanks Nick.” Jack left.
Later that night Jack found himself finally thinking about something other than the finals. Were the Lakers going to make good on their promise? Was Kobe going to re sign with the only team he’d ever played for? In just a few short weeks the NBA was going to look very different.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Fri Jun 20, 2014 7:02 am
Chapter 31 All I Want is Cash & Things
As promised on June 30th Jack and Nick met again at the OAR office in West Hollywood.
“Let’s get right into it; I’ve got some exciting news for you.” Nick said sitting behind his desk as if he were actually giddy.
“What’s the story?”
“There is a lot of interest in you my friend…” Nick paused like he was holding in a secret.
“Well out with it!” Jack was just tired of being in the dark.
“Alright; Lakers, Trailblazers, Suns, Pacers, Grizzlies, Thunder, Timberwolves, Magic, Spurs all are looking for your services.”
“Damn.” Jack was astonished.
“Not only that! It looks like most are willing to offer multiyear, multimillion dollar contracts, BOOM!”
“No f**kin’ way!?”
“Hell yeah! What are your thoughts on those teams?”
“Well…” Jack tried to process the information. “I want to stay a Laker obviously… But I’ve always love the Pacers, why would Oklahoma City want me? They’ve already got Westbrook.”
“A few of these teams are looking for you to be their sixth man who could be effective but you and I know you’re better than that and you’d play your way into the starting lineup in no time.”
“Hmm, are the Lakers going to sign Kobe and Pau as well?”
“Unfortunately they wouldn’t tell me who else they’re pursuing but I believe it’s safe to say they’ll sign Kobe, there’d be riots if they didn’t. I know you want to stay here but we’ve gotta have five or six back up plans in case something falls through.”
“But Mr. Kupchak promised me…” Nick cut him off.
“Jack, promises aren’t worth sh*t when you’re at the negotiating table. I’ll do everything I can to keep you in purple and gold but until the ink is on the paper there aren’t any guarantees.”
“Fine, I like Memphis too, if I had to choose I’d rather play with a team full of younger guys.”
“They’re built for the long haul with Gay, Randolph and Marc Gasol but they might want you behind Mike Conely. Are there any teams you would say no to right out?”
“Probably just Orlando, Phoenix, and San Antonio.”
“Great they’re gone; we’re down to six potential teams and that’s a good number to go into negotiations with. I’ll keep you up to date, numbers will start coming in right away so we’ll meet again tomorrow evening.”
“Sounds good, this time you’re coming to me though.”
--
The doorbell for Jack’s apartment rang around seven the next evening and Nick bounded through the door with a huge grin on his face.
“I F***ING LOVE FREE AGENCY!”
“Good to see you too.”
“Are you ready to make some money? Get excited man, no job besides professional sports gives you the satisfaction of a dollar figure to tell you exactly how much your services are worth man!”
“I am excited actually.” Jack almost couldn’t believe it but he was excited.
“Alright here we go.” Nick sat on the sofa and spread out seven folders with different team logos on each one he grabbed one and handed it to Jack. “The Memphis Grizzlies are offering you a five year deal at $8 million a year.”
“Damn!”
“Sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
“Definitly.” Jack said while looking through the file Nick had prepared. It had a roster of players and front office execs, information about the city, scout analysis, and team history.
“It gets better; Portland, Indiana & Oklahoma City are all offering five years at $11 million.” Nick handed over three more packets.
“Wow.”
“It gets better Jack!” Nick looked like a kid on Christmas morning he was so amped up. “Minnesota is offering four years at $14.13 million!” Jack held the folder with the Timberwolves logo on it but could only think about one question.
“What about the Lakers?”
“Well that’s tough,” Jack’s excitement plummeted at this. “They’re tapped out after offering Kobe and Gasol… One year at $2.11 million.”
“Really?...” He was actually speechless.
“Look you may want to consider this though, you’ll be worth even more next year and there isn’t a city in the country where you could raise your profile like in LA.”
“Who is that?” Jack asked looking at the last packet.
“I know you wanted to nix the Suns but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t bring this to you… Phoenix is offering five years, at $15 million.” Jack was truly floored at this. “15 million dollars a year Jack... That would get you out of this sh*thole in a hurry.” Jack didn’t even hear the dig on his housing situation as the phrase $15 million was echoing in his head. “You think this all over for a couple days and then let me know where you’re leaning. Talk to friends and family and we’ll meet again in my office on the 3rd.”
“What happens after that?” Jack asked.
“All the biggest names will have deals essentially signed by Monday so they’ll all announce right when the signing period begins. I’m thinking we’ll hold off a day to make sure you get some spotlight.”
As promised on June 30th Jack and Nick met again at the OAR office in West Hollywood.
“Let’s get right into it; I’ve got some exciting news for you.” Nick said sitting behind his desk as if he were actually giddy.
“What’s the story?”
“There is a lot of interest in you my friend…” Nick paused like he was holding in a secret.
“Well out with it!” Jack was just tired of being in the dark.
“Alright; Lakers, Trailblazers, Suns, Pacers, Grizzlies, Thunder, Timberwolves, Magic, Spurs all are looking for your services.”
“Damn.” Jack was astonished.
“Not only that! It looks like most are willing to offer multiyear, multimillion dollar contracts, BOOM!”
“No f**kin’ way!?”
“Hell yeah! What are your thoughts on those teams?”
“Well…” Jack tried to process the information. “I want to stay a Laker obviously… But I’ve always love the Pacers, why would Oklahoma City want me? They’ve already got Westbrook.”
“A few of these teams are looking for you to be their sixth man who could be effective but you and I know you’re better than that and you’d play your way into the starting lineup in no time.”
“Hmm, are the Lakers going to sign Kobe and Pau as well?”
“Unfortunately they wouldn’t tell me who else they’re pursuing but I believe it’s safe to say they’ll sign Kobe, there’d be riots if they didn’t. I know you want to stay here but we’ve gotta have five or six back up plans in case something falls through.”
“But Mr. Kupchak promised me…” Nick cut him off.
“Jack, promises aren’t worth sh*t when you’re at the negotiating table. I’ll do everything I can to keep you in purple and gold but until the ink is on the paper there aren’t any guarantees.”
“Fine, I like Memphis too, if I had to choose I’d rather play with a team full of younger guys.”
“They’re built for the long haul with Gay, Randolph and Marc Gasol but they might want you behind Mike Conely. Are there any teams you would say no to right out?”
“Probably just Orlando, Phoenix, and San Antonio.”
“Great they’re gone; we’re down to six potential teams and that’s a good number to go into negotiations with. I’ll keep you up to date, numbers will start coming in right away so we’ll meet again tomorrow evening.”
“Sounds good, this time you’re coming to me though.”
--
The doorbell for Jack’s apartment rang around seven the next evening and Nick bounded through the door with a huge grin on his face.
“I F***ING LOVE FREE AGENCY!”
“Good to see you too.”
“Are you ready to make some money? Get excited man, no job besides professional sports gives you the satisfaction of a dollar figure to tell you exactly how much your services are worth man!”
“I am excited actually.” Jack almost couldn’t believe it but he was excited.
“Alright here we go.” Nick sat on the sofa and spread out seven folders with different team logos on each one he grabbed one and handed it to Jack. “The Memphis Grizzlies are offering you a five year deal at $8 million a year.”
“Damn!”
“Sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
“Definitly.” Jack said while looking through the file Nick had prepared. It had a roster of players and front office execs, information about the city, scout analysis, and team history.
“It gets better; Portland, Indiana & Oklahoma City are all offering five years at $11 million.” Nick handed over three more packets.
“Wow.”
“It gets better Jack!” Nick looked like a kid on Christmas morning he was so amped up. “Minnesota is offering four years at $14.13 million!” Jack held the folder with the Timberwolves logo on it but could only think about one question.
“What about the Lakers?”
“Well that’s tough,” Jack’s excitement plummeted at this. “They’re tapped out after offering Kobe and Gasol… One year at $2.11 million.”
“Really?...” He was actually speechless.
“Look you may want to consider this though, you’ll be worth even more next year and there isn’t a city in the country where you could raise your profile like in LA.”
“Who is that?” Jack asked looking at the last packet.
“I know you wanted to nix the Suns but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t bring this to you… Phoenix is offering five years, at $15 million.” Jack was truly floored at this. “15 million dollars a year Jack... That would get you out of this sh*thole in a hurry.” Jack didn’t even hear the dig on his housing situation as the phrase $15 million was echoing in his head. “You think this all over for a couple days and then let me know where you’re leaning. Talk to friends and family and we’ll meet again in my office on the 3rd.”
“What happens after that?” Jack asked.
“All the biggest names will have deals essentially signed by Monday so they’ll all announce right when the signing period begins. I’m thinking we’ll hold off a day to make sure you get some spotlight.”
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Fri Jun 20, 2014 3:10 pm
great read!! Please continue this!!
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Sat Jun 21, 2014 12:30 am
Woogie98 wrote::applaud: :applaud: :applaud: great read!! Please continue this!!
Thanks a ton! No worries, it should keep going for a while.
Author's note: Due to summer vacations and the fact that my work is incredibly busy there may be longer periods w/out updates. nevertheless please stay tuned.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:40 am
Chapter 32 You Know I’m Always Guessing
Jack Walker couldn’t believe the money teams were willing to throw at him. $15 million a year to bounce a rubber ball seemed unfathomable. Not only that but he was getting text messages from guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul George, and OJ Mayo trying to encourage him to come play for their team. Despite all the flattery though, he was actually really pissed at the Lakers and Mitch Kupchack. The fact that they wouldn’t send an offer that was even close to competitive bothered him to no end.
As the free agent signing period opened Nick Kennedy ended up being right in that all big names on the table announced their intentions right away and as it so happened they were all on the move. Miami’s big three got the titles they wanted and split town, as LeBron decided on Boston and Chris Bosh ironically chose Cleveland. Pau Gasol signed with the Suns, the only team willing to sign him for more than two years. Carmello Anthony surprised no one by leaving New York but turned around and shocked the media by signing with New Orleans of all teams. Kobe signed a massive deal for a ridiculous four years to stay in LA. James Harden was tired of being the 6th man in OKC and signed with Minnesota, he was the only addition to any of the teams Jack was still interested in.
For his part, over the time leading up to the signing period, Jack hadn’t come much closer to a decision. Nick Kennedy tried to work the Lakers for a better deal, and was optimistic after it was confirmed that Gasol would be heading to phoenix but for whatever reason they wouldn’t up their offer. Kupchak tried to contact him a few times but Jack wouldn’t take the call, he didn’t want to hear what the GM had to say.
--
“Sorry about the offer man. Its bull**it that they wouldn’t at least make it competitive.” Jodie Meeks mused while he and Jack watched over his three year old daughter and sipped beers.
“Eehh what can you do? Its business I guess.” Jack offered
“Yeah it is but it’s also about winning, maybe more so for this franchise than any of the other ones. I mean that offer is a slap in the face.” Jack wondered if his friend was even more pissed than he was about the situation. “Well anyway it was a blast training with you last year. Can I convince you to spend the summer here or you think you’ll move right away to wherever it is you decide to go?”
“Well I’m still considering everything. I’ll probably still stay here next season.”
“WHAT!?” Jodie nearly spit his beer right out. “You can’t take the offer. No way!”
“Why not?”
“It’s a slap in the face to the rest of us!” Jodie was really hot about this. “The players association would not be happy at all.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look you’re one of the best point guards in the NBA. No matter how much you want to think you’re still the underdog scrapping for playing time but you’re a starter and a star player. This deal they’re offering?... Hell I make more than that!”
“Really?”
“It’s a raw deal for sure. They’re trying to get you for way under market value. You want to be a man of the people, taking a pay cut to win a title that’s fine but this is more than just a pay cut. This is the organization trying to cover up its bad contracts with Artest and now Kobe.” Meeks paused at this and sipped his beer. “I’m sad to see you go but this is your career your messin’ with…You can’t take this deal man.”
Jack pondered Jodie’s words as they sat in silence.
--
“You want to stay in LA Right?” Lauren asked while she and Jack enjoyed dinner at a low rent steakhouse in the valley.
“Yeah absolutely but this is a BS offer.”
“It is, but you’ll have more exposure here than anywhere else, plus you get to still play with Kobe Bryant! And now the east is weak with LeBron no longer in Miami, between you and Kobe and Bynum you’ll cruise to a championship.”
“All true.”
“And you’d still get to play at Staples…. Plus I’m here!” Lauren trailed off slightly on her last point.
“All true indeed.” Jack smiled and the two continued their meal. Jack hadn’t told Lauren what Jodie had said, or that both David West and Andray Blatche agreed when he had spoken with the veterans over the phone.
--
Later that night while Lauren slept in his bed Jack sat in the other room with a pen and made a list of the teams he was still considering. He had mentally crossed off the Grizzlies and Thunder leaving the Lakers, Pacers, Timberwolves, and Trailblazers. Taking stock of the remaining teams Jack wrote each city on a blank stat sheet and began to jot down their pros and cons.
‘Portland has a great fanbase… Minnesota has a fairly young roster… Indy is close to home… LA has the best weather…’ He thought while writing. ‘Indy may want me to sit be behind Collison… I don’t really like living in LA… Not sure I’d start in Portland… Minnesota is under a foot of snow six months of the year…’
After listing out several more details for each franchise Jack sat back and rubbed his eyes realizing he hadn’t really come much closer to a decision. He sat for a moment then decided to boil it all down to three questions; did he want to take the raw deal and stay in Los Angelis? And if not, did he want to continue the tradition and legacy of a proud franchise like Indiana or Portland? Or did he want to build a whole new tradition in Minnesota?
Almost out of nowhere Jack thought of what David West had said to him when they spoke on the phone ‘This is a big time career decision, you don’t have a family so you’ve got to be thinking of only your career and your happiness when you’re considering different teams.’ With that advice in mind Jack decided his time as a Laker was over and circled the town in which he would be playing basketball next season...
Jack Walker couldn’t believe the money teams were willing to throw at him. $15 million a year to bounce a rubber ball seemed unfathomable. Not only that but he was getting text messages from guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul George, and OJ Mayo trying to encourage him to come play for their team. Despite all the flattery though, he was actually really pissed at the Lakers and Mitch Kupchack. The fact that they wouldn’t send an offer that was even close to competitive bothered him to no end.
As the free agent signing period opened Nick Kennedy ended up being right in that all big names on the table announced their intentions right away and as it so happened they were all on the move. Miami’s big three got the titles they wanted and split town, as LeBron decided on Boston and Chris Bosh ironically chose Cleveland. Pau Gasol signed with the Suns, the only team willing to sign him for more than two years. Carmello Anthony surprised no one by leaving New York but turned around and shocked the media by signing with New Orleans of all teams. Kobe signed a massive deal for a ridiculous four years to stay in LA. James Harden was tired of being the 6th man in OKC and signed with Minnesota, he was the only addition to any of the teams Jack was still interested in.
For his part, over the time leading up to the signing period, Jack hadn’t come much closer to a decision. Nick Kennedy tried to work the Lakers for a better deal, and was optimistic after it was confirmed that Gasol would be heading to phoenix but for whatever reason they wouldn’t up their offer. Kupchak tried to contact him a few times but Jack wouldn’t take the call, he didn’t want to hear what the GM had to say.
--
“Sorry about the offer man. Its bull**it that they wouldn’t at least make it competitive.” Jodie Meeks mused while he and Jack watched over his three year old daughter and sipped beers.
“Eehh what can you do? Its business I guess.” Jack offered
“Yeah it is but it’s also about winning, maybe more so for this franchise than any of the other ones. I mean that offer is a slap in the face.” Jack wondered if his friend was even more pissed than he was about the situation. “Well anyway it was a blast training with you last year. Can I convince you to spend the summer here or you think you’ll move right away to wherever it is you decide to go?”
“Well I’m still considering everything. I’ll probably still stay here next season.”
“WHAT!?” Jodie nearly spit his beer right out. “You can’t take the offer. No way!”
“Why not?”
“It’s a slap in the face to the rest of us!” Jodie was really hot about this. “The players association would not be happy at all.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look you’re one of the best point guards in the NBA. No matter how much you want to think you’re still the underdog scrapping for playing time but you’re a starter and a star player. This deal they’re offering?... Hell I make more than that!”
“Really?”
“It’s a raw deal for sure. They’re trying to get you for way under market value. You want to be a man of the people, taking a pay cut to win a title that’s fine but this is more than just a pay cut. This is the organization trying to cover up its bad contracts with Artest and now Kobe.” Meeks paused at this and sipped his beer. “I’m sad to see you go but this is your career your messin’ with…You can’t take this deal man.”
Jack pondered Jodie’s words as they sat in silence.
--
“You want to stay in LA Right?” Lauren asked while she and Jack enjoyed dinner at a low rent steakhouse in the valley.
“Yeah absolutely but this is a BS offer.”
“It is, but you’ll have more exposure here than anywhere else, plus you get to still play with Kobe Bryant! And now the east is weak with LeBron no longer in Miami, between you and Kobe and Bynum you’ll cruise to a championship.”
“All true.”
“And you’d still get to play at Staples…. Plus I’m here!” Lauren trailed off slightly on her last point.
“All true indeed.” Jack smiled and the two continued their meal. Jack hadn’t told Lauren what Jodie had said, or that both David West and Andray Blatche agreed when he had spoken with the veterans over the phone.
--
Later that night while Lauren slept in his bed Jack sat in the other room with a pen and made a list of the teams he was still considering. He had mentally crossed off the Grizzlies and Thunder leaving the Lakers, Pacers, Timberwolves, and Trailblazers. Taking stock of the remaining teams Jack wrote each city on a blank stat sheet and began to jot down their pros and cons.
‘Portland has a great fanbase… Minnesota has a fairly young roster… Indy is close to home… LA has the best weather…’ He thought while writing. ‘Indy may want me to sit be behind Collison… I don’t really like living in LA… Not sure I’d start in Portland… Minnesota is under a foot of snow six months of the year…’
After listing out several more details for each franchise Jack sat back and rubbed his eyes realizing he hadn’t really come much closer to a decision. He sat for a moment then decided to boil it all down to three questions; did he want to take the raw deal and stay in Los Angelis? And if not, did he want to continue the tradition and legacy of a proud franchise like Indiana or Portland? Or did he want to build a whole new tradition in Minnesota?
Almost out of nowhere Jack thought of what David West had said to him when they spoke on the phone ‘This is a big time career decision, you don’t have a family so you’ve got to be thinking of only your career and your happiness when you’re considering different teams.’ With that advice in mind Jack decided his time as a Laker was over and circled the town in which he would be playing basketball next season...
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Sat Jun 28, 2014 6:17 am
Chapter 32 You Know I’m Always Guessing (contd)
“You can’t be serious!” Lauren shouted at Jack. “I can’t believe you would let me think you were going to stay here when this whole time like a fu**ing idiot!”
“I’m doing what I think is right for my career.” Jack said, knowing no matter what he said he was in for the full tongue lashing he had coming his way.
“Bull**it.” Lauren said. “You see all those zeroes on the dotted line and you don’t give a sh*t about me anymore… You go around saying you don’t care about the money but that’s garbage, you’re just as selfish as all the rest of them.”
“I want to build a winning tradition…”
“No you don’t you obviously just want to build that bank account. I mean you’d leave LA for a sh**hole like that, everyone is going to see right through you.”
“I don’t care I just want to win.”
“That is such GARBAGE! You want to be rich and you want to bang around with those tramps because now you’ll be a big fish in a small pond getting grade C NBA groupie pu**y!”
“Look I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Well you did a fine f***ing job of that.” She paused while Jack studied the tops of his shoes. “The cit y of LA is going to hate you… And you know what? You deserve every bit of it.” Lauren’s voice cracked at this as she grabbed her keys and purse and slammed the door hard enough for a picture of the two of them to fall from off of the wall.
Jack continued to study the tops of his shoes while reflecting internally on how much of a jerk he felt like. Regardless of the abrupt end to his and Lauren’s relationship he was still confident in his decision and texted Nick Kennedy.
“I’ve made my decision”
“You can’t be serious!” Lauren shouted at Jack. “I can’t believe you would let me think you were going to stay here when this whole time like a fu**ing idiot!”
“I’m doing what I think is right for my career.” Jack said, knowing no matter what he said he was in for the full tongue lashing he had coming his way.
“Bull**it.” Lauren said. “You see all those zeroes on the dotted line and you don’t give a sh*t about me anymore… You go around saying you don’t care about the money but that’s garbage, you’re just as selfish as all the rest of them.”
“I want to build a winning tradition…”
“No you don’t you obviously just want to build that bank account. I mean you’d leave LA for a sh**hole like that, everyone is going to see right through you.”
“I don’t care I just want to win.”
“That is such GARBAGE! You want to be rich and you want to bang around with those tramps because now you’ll be a big fish in a small pond getting grade C NBA groupie pu**y!”
“Look I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Well you did a fine f***ing job of that.” She paused while Jack studied the tops of his shoes. “The cit y of LA is going to hate you… And you know what? You deserve every bit of it.” Lauren’s voice cracked at this as she grabbed her keys and purse and slammed the door hard enough for a picture of the two of them to fall from off of the wall.
Jack continued to study the tops of his shoes while reflecting internally on how much of a jerk he felt like. Regardless of the abrupt end to his and Lauren’s relationship he was still confident in his decision and texted Nick Kennedy.
“I’ve made my decision”
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Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Fri Jul 04, 2014 4:57 am
Chapter 33 Stuck in the Middle
The Minnesota Timberwolves, throughout their 25 season history, had always just kind of been a franchise that was just there. They averaged just 32 wins per season and twice won no more than 15 games with their only glory days being thanks to drafting Kevin Garnett right out of High School. Garnett was able to lead the team to their one and only conference finals appearance in 2004 when they had the best record in the west but ended up losing that series to Kobe, Shaq and the LA Lakers. After that run to the conference finals the team promptly returned to mediocrity and eventually traded Garnett to Boston in 2007. From there the franchise tanked for several consecutive seasons either coming in last or second to last in their division.
Thanks to the dreadful performances on the court Minnesota became known as one of the worst cities for NBA basketball as they consistently ranked near the bottom in attendance. Local fans seemed to prefer to football and hockey over basketball and because of this there were often rumors from 2011 on that the franchise would move to Seattle, a city that loved its basketball team and had wanted one back since theirs bolted for Oklahoma City.
These rumors looked to be true until in 2013 Jim Calloway stepped in and bought the team outright. The Minneapolis native attended Minnesota University before dropping out to peruse his passion of software development in Silicon Valley. Calloway gathered investors and launched his first company at the age of 22. By 27 he had sold that company for millions and began a new venture, in software which creates seamless transition of documents, spreadsheets, and images between all Apple and Microsoft devices. By the age of 35 Calloway had become one of the youngest multi-billionaires in the world.
Upon purchasing the franchise Calloway’s first order of business was to set in motion plans to fully update the Target Center. He renovated the luxury boxes, concourses, scoreboard, and locker rooms bringing the high level of finish all modern NAB arenas had. Calloway also brokered a deal with the Mayo Clinic to redevelop the entire Block E area of downtown Minneapolis so the team’s practice facility was literally right around the corner from their home court.
After attacking the facilities Calloway directed his attention to the roster. To help him in his pursuit of building a contender he hired Scott Layden away from the San Antonio Spurs to be his general manager. Layden had worked his way up the Spurs’ front office ladder to become second in command behind the great RC Buford.
Though Calloway wanted to throw money at the problem and buy as many high priced free agents he could afford he knew that wasn’t guaranteed to succeed nor was it a smart investment. The move to secure Layden didn’t promise success either but it did promise smart investing on quality players.
In Calloway’s first season of ownership the Wolves returned to the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2004. Despite being swept in the first round, the playoff berth boosted attendance and the owner set about capitalizing on this by spending some money in the free agent market.
--
After Jack informed his agent that he wanted to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves things moved very quickly for him. They signed the contract worth over $50 million the very next day and soon thereafter he was flown to Minneapolis for the obligatory announcement press conference. The media and executives Jack met were very excited to have him there but when reading the Minneapolis Star Tribune Jack found that more headline inches were dedicated to the Vikings having just opened mini camps, and whom the Wild would be targeting in free agency.
After a quick stay in his future home Walker headed back to LA to pack up the few belongings he’d be moving to Minneapolis. Brad Redford, Jack’s old Xavier teammate, met the newest Timberwolf in Los Angelis to help him pack up his apartment as it was decided to simply donate nearly all of his furniture and Lakers gear and just buy new stuff once he found a new place to live.
After the packing was done the two hopped in the F Type and drove Minneapolis with stops in Vegas, Denver, Lincoln, and a few national parks in between. While in the middle of nowhere near North Platte, Nebraska while traveling around 90 miles an hour, Redford finally asked the question.
“So why the Timberwolves?”
“I wondered how long it would take you ask that.” Jack laughed. “No one seems to understand.”
“Well LA is better exposure and better chance to win. Portland has better fans, and Indy is close to home and has a shot to win... And don’t give me that media answer either.”
“Alright so first and foremost I want to win a championship, more than anything…”
“Obviosly.”
“And I understand with LeBron and Bosch out of Miami that next season that might have totally been possible in LA… But I want to be a part of something that means a lot for a franchise, for a city… I mean, in LA if we had won last year, it would have been huge to beat Miami, especially in seven games. But it would have been just one of seventeen titles they’d have, then there’s the Dodgers, and the Kings, and the Clippers, and the fact that there is this perception that big market teams, especially the Lakers are ‘supposed’ to win.”
“So you want to be a big fish in a small pond.” Redford stated.
“Yeah I think so. Beyond that I just got so tired of living out there with all the self involvement.”
“I hear that. So you’re trying to be the savior of a franchise?”
“Well I guess so; I’d prefer not to put it that way. If I can win a championship there… God it ‘d be amazing.”
“Let me ask you this, you’ve got this burning desire, this one thing you’re striving for, why would you make it harder on yourself to achieve it? Why not continue to play with a sure fire hall of famer like Kobe Bryant?”
“I don’t know actually… “ Jack paused contemplating the question himself. “… I guess I feel like I have to do it on my own a little bit. But besides that I think we’ve got a really good shot between myself, Harden & Love.”
“Yeah I see that…” The two sat in silence for a minute “I can see the headline now; Walker, Harden, & Love; Attorneys at law.”
--
Kevin Love was easily the Timberwolves best player nearly every season since he had been drafted out of UCLA in 2008 by Memphis, then immediately traded to Minnesota. Love played power forward and quickly became known as a force on the boards, could occasionally knock down threes, and was very well liked in the community.
Anthony Randolph played one season at LSU before being drafted by Golden State. The pundits lauded him for his high ceiling and excellent athleticism but his lack of size caused issues for his rebounding and he never panned out for Golden State. From there he essentially became a journeyman playing for the Warriors, Raptors, Knicks, but was now entering his fourth season in Minnesota. Before playing for the Timberwolves Randolph had never gotten starter’s minutes despite being a decent rebounder and above average inside scorer.
Michael Beasley was selected by the Miami Heat with the number two overall pick behind only Derrick Rose. In two season with Miami Beasley played well but soon became known more for his off the court issues with drugs than for his performances between the lines. Beasley was an excellent scoring option early in his career but his numbers dwindled as his off the court incidents rose. He was traded to Minnesota in 2010 when Miami was making cap room for LeBron James & Chris Bosch.
James Harden played third banana behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for four seasons before finally being fed up and wanting to be a starter. His free agency process was generally a simple one in that he eliminated any team that would possibly have him starting on the bench, and then he just took the best possible deal. On the court Harden was known to be able to score from anywhere on the court thanks to his speed and sweet shooting stroke, plus in his last two seasons with the Thunder his assist numbers had climbed dramatically. Harden consistently led the league in outrageous press conference attire.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, throughout their 25 season history, had always just kind of been a franchise that was just there. They averaged just 32 wins per season and twice won no more than 15 games with their only glory days being thanks to drafting Kevin Garnett right out of High School. Garnett was able to lead the team to their one and only conference finals appearance in 2004 when they had the best record in the west but ended up losing that series to Kobe, Shaq and the LA Lakers. After that run to the conference finals the team promptly returned to mediocrity and eventually traded Garnett to Boston in 2007. From there the franchise tanked for several consecutive seasons either coming in last or second to last in their division.
Thanks to the dreadful performances on the court Minnesota became known as one of the worst cities for NBA basketball as they consistently ranked near the bottom in attendance. Local fans seemed to prefer to football and hockey over basketball and because of this there were often rumors from 2011 on that the franchise would move to Seattle, a city that loved its basketball team and had wanted one back since theirs bolted for Oklahoma City.
These rumors looked to be true until in 2013 Jim Calloway stepped in and bought the team outright. The Minneapolis native attended Minnesota University before dropping out to peruse his passion of software development in Silicon Valley. Calloway gathered investors and launched his first company at the age of 22. By 27 he had sold that company for millions and began a new venture, in software which creates seamless transition of documents, spreadsheets, and images between all Apple and Microsoft devices. By the age of 35 Calloway had become one of the youngest multi-billionaires in the world.
Upon purchasing the franchise Calloway’s first order of business was to set in motion plans to fully update the Target Center. He renovated the luxury boxes, concourses, scoreboard, and locker rooms bringing the high level of finish all modern NAB arenas had. Calloway also brokered a deal with the Mayo Clinic to redevelop the entire Block E area of downtown Minneapolis so the team’s practice facility was literally right around the corner from their home court.
After attacking the facilities Calloway directed his attention to the roster. To help him in his pursuit of building a contender he hired Scott Layden away from the San Antonio Spurs to be his general manager. Layden had worked his way up the Spurs’ front office ladder to become second in command behind the great RC Buford.
Though Calloway wanted to throw money at the problem and buy as many high priced free agents he could afford he knew that wasn’t guaranteed to succeed nor was it a smart investment. The move to secure Layden didn’t promise success either but it did promise smart investing on quality players.
In Calloway’s first season of ownership the Wolves returned to the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2004. Despite being swept in the first round, the playoff berth boosted attendance and the owner set about capitalizing on this by spending some money in the free agent market.
--
After Jack informed his agent that he wanted to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves things moved very quickly for him. They signed the contract worth over $50 million the very next day and soon thereafter he was flown to Minneapolis for the obligatory announcement press conference. The media and executives Jack met were very excited to have him there but when reading the Minneapolis Star Tribune Jack found that more headline inches were dedicated to the Vikings having just opened mini camps, and whom the Wild would be targeting in free agency.
After a quick stay in his future home Walker headed back to LA to pack up the few belongings he’d be moving to Minneapolis. Brad Redford, Jack’s old Xavier teammate, met the newest Timberwolf in Los Angelis to help him pack up his apartment as it was decided to simply donate nearly all of his furniture and Lakers gear and just buy new stuff once he found a new place to live.
After the packing was done the two hopped in the F Type and drove Minneapolis with stops in Vegas, Denver, Lincoln, and a few national parks in between. While in the middle of nowhere near North Platte, Nebraska while traveling around 90 miles an hour, Redford finally asked the question.
“So why the Timberwolves?”
“I wondered how long it would take you ask that.” Jack laughed. “No one seems to understand.”
“Well LA is better exposure and better chance to win. Portland has better fans, and Indy is close to home and has a shot to win... And don’t give me that media answer either.”
“Alright so first and foremost I want to win a championship, more than anything…”
“Obviosly.”
“And I understand with LeBron and Bosch out of Miami that next season that might have totally been possible in LA… But I want to be a part of something that means a lot for a franchise, for a city… I mean, in LA if we had won last year, it would have been huge to beat Miami, especially in seven games. But it would have been just one of seventeen titles they’d have, then there’s the Dodgers, and the Kings, and the Clippers, and the fact that there is this perception that big market teams, especially the Lakers are ‘supposed’ to win.”
“So you want to be a big fish in a small pond.” Redford stated.
“Yeah I think so. Beyond that I just got so tired of living out there with all the self involvement.”
“I hear that. So you’re trying to be the savior of a franchise?”
“Well I guess so; I’d prefer not to put it that way. If I can win a championship there… God it ‘d be amazing.”
“Let me ask you this, you’ve got this burning desire, this one thing you’re striving for, why would you make it harder on yourself to achieve it? Why not continue to play with a sure fire hall of famer like Kobe Bryant?”
“I don’t know actually… “ Jack paused contemplating the question himself. “… I guess I feel like I have to do it on my own a little bit. But besides that I think we’ve got a really good shot between myself, Harden & Love.”
“Yeah I see that…” The two sat in silence for a minute “I can see the headline now; Walker, Harden, & Love; Attorneys at law.”
--
Kevin Love was easily the Timberwolves best player nearly every season since he had been drafted out of UCLA in 2008 by Memphis, then immediately traded to Minnesota. Love played power forward and quickly became known as a force on the boards, could occasionally knock down threes, and was very well liked in the community.
Anthony Randolph played one season at LSU before being drafted by Golden State. The pundits lauded him for his high ceiling and excellent athleticism but his lack of size caused issues for his rebounding and he never panned out for Golden State. From there he essentially became a journeyman playing for the Warriors, Raptors, Knicks, but was now entering his fourth season in Minnesota. Before playing for the Timberwolves Randolph had never gotten starter’s minutes despite being a decent rebounder and above average inside scorer.
Michael Beasley was selected by the Miami Heat with the number two overall pick behind only Derrick Rose. In two season with Miami Beasley played well but soon became known more for his off the court issues with drugs than for his performances between the lines. Beasley was an excellent scoring option early in his career but his numbers dwindled as his off the court incidents rose. He was traded to Minnesota in 2010 when Miami was making cap room for LeBron James & Chris Bosch.
James Harden played third banana behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for four seasons before finally being fed up and wanting to be a starter. His free agency process was generally a simple one in that he eliminated any team that would possibly have him starting on the bench, and then he just took the best possible deal. On the court Harden was known to be able to score from anywhere on the court thanks to his speed and sweet shooting stroke, plus in his last two seasons with the Thunder his assist numbers had climbed dramatically. Harden consistently led the league in outrageous press conference attire.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Thu Jul 17, 2014 5:26 am
Chapter 34 The Futures in my Eyes
“Jack thanks for meeting with us.” Scott Layden began as the two shook hands & Walker greeted Head Coach Larry Drew. “I have to admit that I’ve never had the guts to order it but I hear they have a four pound Australian lobster tail on the menu!"
The meeting place was the Minneapolis’ famous Manny’s Steakhouse located in the Foshay Tower which also happened to house the W hotel where Jack was staying until he found a more permanent living situation.
“That’s too bad, I only eat American lobster…” The coach and GM laughed at Jack’s lame joke.
“So are you getting settled in town?”
“Yeah I’m getting there. Its nice to have a fresh start but it’s a bit overwhelming too.”
“Well the Timberwolves have resources; we can help you find a place to live, a decorator, all that stuff just let us know and we can help you out.” The three men had small talk for a bit but by the time the food started arriving, naturally the conversation turned to basketball. They discussed the previous season, off season moves around the league, and the rookie draft before finally they began talking about the Timberwolves.
“So Jack the main reason I wanted to have this meeting was for all of us to get to know each other, but also to key you in on what our long term plans are.” Layden went on. “You’re the key piece to this team… Oh don’t look so shocked, after we hired Larry our primary goal was to fill our roster with not the best players available but the right ones.”
“Harden was a the obvious move but we knew Rubio wasn’t the right fit for what we’re trying to build.” Larry Drew cut in. “We zeroed in on you because your work ethic, your desire, and the kind of teammate you are.” It was at this point that the fourth member of the dinner party finally arrived, as usual well late of the appointed meeting time and under dressed for the occasion.
“Gentleman! Apologies for my lateness, glad to see you didn’t wait for me. Jack you got the lobster right?” As Jim Calloway got to the table heads turned throughout the restaurant and Jack noted mummers passing between tables. Dressed in jeans and Minnesota Golden Gophers polo Calloway energized the room just with his presence. Jack had done his research on the man and was impressed with his business acumen, but found what the 37 year old billionaire was most known for was his immense energy and undeniable excitement for whatever venture he was currently perusing. “Jack a pleasure to meet you, so sorry I couldn’t make the press conference, I swear my office in California couldn’t find its own way with a map and a compass.” Jack sized up his new boss for the first time as they shook hands and almost immediately knew he’d enjoy working for the man.
“Mr. Calloway, it’s a pleasure for me as well.” Jack spoke
“Phhh,” Calloway scoffed “Call me Jim please, I’m way too young to be a Mr.” All four men sat down and Calloway ordered a round of shots and an expensive bottle of red wine for the table. “So you’ve covered the game plan on the court?” Calloway asked Layden.
“We were just getting to Jack’s role on the team….”
“Excellent!” The owner cut off his GM. “Jack you’re going to be a superstar, I can’t tell you how excited I am to have you on my team. I look at Minnesota as an untapped market for the NBA; poor performances on the court thanks to bad management and disinterested ownership have led to a complete lack of community interest in the team. We’re gonna turn that around and make Minneapolis one of the premier NBA cities.” Jack could feel the excitement Calloway was driving at but he was skeptical.
“That sounds great and trust me I’m excited to be here… But do you really think the Timberwolves can be more popular than the Vikings?” Calloway just got a grin on his face at this comment.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I have supreme confidence in the players we’ve assembled plus Scott and Larry here. You guys just do you thing on and off the court and I’ll take care of the rest.”
The balance of the evening was spent discussing specifics as to how Larry Drew would be running the team. He wanted to focus on an up tempo style where the ball was pushed quickly up court following turnovers and rebounds. Jack and James Harden would be the ones to look for the outlet passes and move up court while looking for each other or Beasley in transition. Drew noted that for this offense to work the team would need to play stout team oriented defense and all five players on the court would need to be willing to rebound the ball.
“Jack one of the biggest reasons we wanted to meet with you is because we need you to become the leader of this team, you’re going to have to be the de facto captain.” Larry Drew stated in a more serious tone. “The media is already saying this is a team of castoffs and spare parts, and in some ways it is. But Scott and I reviewed the players we had, who was available and decided to execute the moves we did because we felt it gave s the best chance of winning.” Layden picked up the ball
“This team of ‘castoffs’ has the talent to make a run but they need a leader on the floor and since you’ll be handling and distributing the ball the most it needs to be you.”
“What about the guys who have been here longer?”
“We’re a team of small egos for the most part... Kevin Love… Is a great basketball player as you know but he just isn’t the team leader that we need on the floor.”
--
Later that evening while Jack sobered up on the balcony of his hotel room looking over the Minneapolis skyline, he wondered how this change in his life would work out for him. He had never played in an up tempo system and he had never acted as the leader of a team. When he was a senior in high school and in college he tried to lead by example but had never acted as the man to lead the team while in a huddle or giving directions on the court. Soon enough though Jack realized he was excited about these possibilities. He had always idolized the great point guards like Stockton, Nash, Zeke, and Gary Payton.
Once again over the summer Jack would have to evolve his game. He’d have to work on passing and on the ball defense; he’d learn everything he could about his teammates’ strengths and weaknesses. Most of all though he needed to learn the playbook cover to cover, he needed to make sure he could recite from memory exactly where each person on the floor was supposed to be and when. In short he would become a floor general.
“Jack thanks for meeting with us.” Scott Layden began as the two shook hands & Walker greeted Head Coach Larry Drew. “I have to admit that I’ve never had the guts to order it but I hear they have a four pound Australian lobster tail on the menu!"
The meeting place was the Minneapolis’ famous Manny’s Steakhouse located in the Foshay Tower which also happened to house the W hotel where Jack was staying until he found a more permanent living situation.
“That’s too bad, I only eat American lobster…” The coach and GM laughed at Jack’s lame joke.
“So are you getting settled in town?”
“Yeah I’m getting there. Its nice to have a fresh start but it’s a bit overwhelming too.”
“Well the Timberwolves have resources; we can help you find a place to live, a decorator, all that stuff just let us know and we can help you out.” The three men had small talk for a bit but by the time the food started arriving, naturally the conversation turned to basketball. They discussed the previous season, off season moves around the league, and the rookie draft before finally they began talking about the Timberwolves.
“So Jack the main reason I wanted to have this meeting was for all of us to get to know each other, but also to key you in on what our long term plans are.” Layden went on. “You’re the key piece to this team… Oh don’t look so shocked, after we hired Larry our primary goal was to fill our roster with not the best players available but the right ones.”
“Harden was a the obvious move but we knew Rubio wasn’t the right fit for what we’re trying to build.” Larry Drew cut in. “We zeroed in on you because your work ethic, your desire, and the kind of teammate you are.” It was at this point that the fourth member of the dinner party finally arrived, as usual well late of the appointed meeting time and under dressed for the occasion.
“Gentleman! Apologies for my lateness, glad to see you didn’t wait for me. Jack you got the lobster right?” As Jim Calloway got to the table heads turned throughout the restaurant and Jack noted mummers passing between tables. Dressed in jeans and Minnesota Golden Gophers polo Calloway energized the room just with his presence. Jack had done his research on the man and was impressed with his business acumen, but found what the 37 year old billionaire was most known for was his immense energy and undeniable excitement for whatever venture he was currently perusing. “Jack a pleasure to meet you, so sorry I couldn’t make the press conference, I swear my office in California couldn’t find its own way with a map and a compass.” Jack sized up his new boss for the first time as they shook hands and almost immediately knew he’d enjoy working for the man.
“Mr. Calloway, it’s a pleasure for me as well.” Jack spoke
“Phhh,” Calloway scoffed “Call me Jim please, I’m way too young to be a Mr.” All four men sat down and Calloway ordered a round of shots and an expensive bottle of red wine for the table. “So you’ve covered the game plan on the court?” Calloway asked Layden.
“We were just getting to Jack’s role on the team….”
“Excellent!” The owner cut off his GM. “Jack you’re going to be a superstar, I can’t tell you how excited I am to have you on my team. I look at Minnesota as an untapped market for the NBA; poor performances on the court thanks to bad management and disinterested ownership have led to a complete lack of community interest in the team. We’re gonna turn that around and make Minneapolis one of the premier NBA cities.” Jack could feel the excitement Calloway was driving at but he was skeptical.
“That sounds great and trust me I’m excited to be here… But do you really think the Timberwolves can be more popular than the Vikings?” Calloway just got a grin on his face at this comment.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I have supreme confidence in the players we’ve assembled plus Scott and Larry here. You guys just do you thing on and off the court and I’ll take care of the rest.”
The balance of the evening was spent discussing specifics as to how Larry Drew would be running the team. He wanted to focus on an up tempo style where the ball was pushed quickly up court following turnovers and rebounds. Jack and James Harden would be the ones to look for the outlet passes and move up court while looking for each other or Beasley in transition. Drew noted that for this offense to work the team would need to play stout team oriented defense and all five players on the court would need to be willing to rebound the ball.
“Jack one of the biggest reasons we wanted to meet with you is because we need you to become the leader of this team, you’re going to have to be the de facto captain.” Larry Drew stated in a more serious tone. “The media is already saying this is a team of castoffs and spare parts, and in some ways it is. But Scott and I reviewed the players we had, who was available and decided to execute the moves we did because we felt it gave s the best chance of winning.” Layden picked up the ball
“This team of ‘castoffs’ has the talent to make a run but they need a leader on the floor and since you’ll be handling and distributing the ball the most it needs to be you.”
“What about the guys who have been here longer?”
“We’re a team of small egos for the most part... Kevin Love… Is a great basketball player as you know but he just isn’t the team leader that we need on the floor.”
--
Later that evening while Jack sobered up on the balcony of his hotel room looking over the Minneapolis skyline, he wondered how this change in his life would work out for him. He had never played in an up tempo system and he had never acted as the leader of a team. When he was a senior in high school and in college he tried to lead by example but had never acted as the man to lead the team while in a huddle or giving directions on the court. Soon enough though Jack realized he was excited about these possibilities. He had always idolized the great point guards like Stockton, Nash, Zeke, and Gary Payton.
Once again over the summer Jack would have to evolve his game. He’d have to work on passing and on the ball defense; he’d learn everything he could about his teammates’ strengths and weaknesses. Most of all though he needed to learn the playbook cover to cover, he needed to make sure he could recite from memory exactly where each person on the floor was supposed to be and when. In short he would become a floor general.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Wed Jul 23, 2014 2:02 am
Like this story! That pizza joke was hilarious! Keep it up!
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Thu Jul 24, 2014 5:52 am
Archone wrote:Like this story! That pizza joke was hilarious! Keep it up!
Thanks man. A friend of mine was visiting out there a while back and that happened to them, always stuck with me.
I've been slowed down A LOT with work being very busy but the story WILL keep grinding along.
Re: One Goal-- Jack Walker's NBA Journey
Thu Jul 24, 2014 6:56 am
Chapter 35 Sometimes A River
Over the summer Jack’s regimen kicked up a notch from the previous off season. He used a similar schedule of drills in the gym and weight room work in the morning and afternoon only this time he followed that up by spending evenings studying all kinds of tape in his new penthouse apartment.
The LPM apartments, Minneapolis’ newest tower, stood at 36 stories and Jack decided to be the first resident of their largest penthouse. The first feature he installed naturally was a huge entertainment system complete with a 3D smart TV, blue ray player, surround sound, and the comfiest couch known to man. Not long after the dust had settled on that Jack enlisted the help of the Timberwolves’ head film guy to augment the system with top of the line digital video and playback gear so anything on file at the Target Center could easily be transferred right to the top floor of the LPM Apartments.
By summer’s end Jack was satisfied with his knowledge of the playbook and his teammates. By watching ever Wolves’ game from the year before he felt like he already knew the guys though he’d only really had limited conversations with them. He also worked with the Timberwolves player development staff in the gym on every imaginable passing drill right up until the day training camp opened on September 15th.
--
Inside the Timberwolves plush home locker room on opening night Jack stared at his locker with his jersey hanging in it. The home white trimmed with purple, silver, and black designs to look like pine trees in the wilderness. On the back the number 3 that he had worn while in LA and at Xavier. While the rest of the team was generally quiet, most of them listening to their pregame music Jack meditated on the new stage of his career.
In his mind Jack took ownership of the team and it had shown in training camp where the veterans responded to his leadership on the floor. Coach Drew was right that the team was in serious need of someone to direct traffic on the court and Jack was happy to take that mantle. There was no captaincy ceremony or discussion of who would run the team but there was no doubt that Walker led the way on the floor and in the locker room.
Before that first game Jack also mentally took ownership of the results; by making the 2014-15 Timberwolves ‘his team’ it also meant responsibility for their successes and failures. Jack accepted this, suited up, and for the first time met the sold out Target Center crowd as a starter for the home team.
--
“Welcome everybody to Timberwolves basketball commin’ at you on 830 WCCO the Twin Cities home for the Timberwolves… Its opening night in the NBA, I am Alan Horton here to bring you all the action and with me, as always Kevin Lynch. Sold out crowds at the Target Center; not a common sight recently but that’s exactly what we have here tonight, much excitement in the arena to see how the new members of the pack will fare. Kevin, how do you see Jack Walker and James Harden fitting into this bunch?”
“Alan the team looks solid in the preseason, a good mixture of creative passing and sharp shooting with the additions of Walker and Harden plus the big guys; Kevin love and Anthony Randolph banging inside for rebounds. New coach Larry Drew is known throughout the NBA for using an up tempo style of play utilizing the fast break. We’ll see tonight if that the case, I think this team certainly can be successful with that strategy but to make it happen they’ll have to get those rebounds and create turnovers. We’ll see if they can do that tonight against the Wizards.”
--
“Walker brings the ball up court, passes to Harden on the wing, now to Beasley in the corner he dishes inside to Randolph whose working on Blatche, he hits Walker coming off the pick… Walker for THREE! Nailed it! And the Target Center crowd shows its appreciation; Jack Walker in his first shot attempt for the Timberwolves fires from downtown and drains the triple!
--
“So despite a solid showing the Wolves lose the home opener on the last second shot by John Wall. Kevin Lynch what did you see from the home team tonight?”
“Well a disappointing loss indeed but a lot to build upon no doubt. Jack Walker led this team in impressive fashion scoring 12 and dishing out 4 assists, however he seemed to be forcing passes at times and the three turnovers hurt. I have to say the biggest positive has to be the eleven and ten scored by Beasley and Randolph respectively. Two starters who were considered going into the seasons basically as role players, if they can continue to have an impact on the game it will be a big time positive for this team.
“That it will, we’ll be back with all the post game wrap up and out of town scoreboard after this…”
--
“The second quarter begins here tonight in Philadelphia with the Wolves leading by five, Jrue Holiday brings the ball up for the 76ers. Tough defense has led the way so far for the away team and we’ll see if they can keep it up going forward… Walker guarding Holiday who dribbles to the elbow, Beasley comes over and Holiday is trapped, and the ball is stolen away! He tried to force the pass and Love picked it off…
“Down at the other end Walker down low to Randolph, now to Harden in the corner. Harden tries the cross up but can’t shake the defender, shot clock winding down, Beasley with it up top, now Walker on the elbow, steps back for three but its off the iron and.. the whistle has blown, Jack Walker is on the ground and he looks like he’s in pain. What did you see on the replay Kevin?”
“Jack with a nice strep back jumper gets some room… but… Oh! Jrue Holiday closed out hard and put Walker on his butt, that DEFINITLY should have been a foul.”
“Thanks Alan. Jack now trying to walk off the pain, it appears its his back that is in pain. The training staff will take him immediately back to the locker room, hopefully we’ll be able to see him back in the game soon.”
--
The stabbing pain in Jack’s back didn’t subside by the end of the game, or by the time he got back to Minneapolis while the rest of the team had flown to Charlotte. The team doctor gave the diagnosis as back spasms and said he would likely be out of action for two weeks and set a treatment plan of rest, ice, and compression.
Over the summer Jack’s regimen kicked up a notch from the previous off season. He used a similar schedule of drills in the gym and weight room work in the morning and afternoon only this time he followed that up by spending evenings studying all kinds of tape in his new penthouse apartment.
The LPM apartments, Minneapolis’ newest tower, stood at 36 stories and Jack decided to be the first resident of their largest penthouse. The first feature he installed naturally was a huge entertainment system complete with a 3D smart TV, blue ray player, surround sound, and the comfiest couch known to man. Not long after the dust had settled on that Jack enlisted the help of the Timberwolves’ head film guy to augment the system with top of the line digital video and playback gear so anything on file at the Target Center could easily be transferred right to the top floor of the LPM Apartments.
By summer’s end Jack was satisfied with his knowledge of the playbook and his teammates. By watching ever Wolves’ game from the year before he felt like he already knew the guys though he’d only really had limited conversations with them. He also worked with the Timberwolves player development staff in the gym on every imaginable passing drill right up until the day training camp opened on September 15th.
--
Inside the Timberwolves plush home locker room on opening night Jack stared at his locker with his jersey hanging in it. The home white trimmed with purple, silver, and black designs to look like pine trees in the wilderness. On the back the number 3 that he had worn while in LA and at Xavier. While the rest of the team was generally quiet, most of them listening to their pregame music Jack meditated on the new stage of his career.
In his mind Jack took ownership of the team and it had shown in training camp where the veterans responded to his leadership on the floor. Coach Drew was right that the team was in serious need of someone to direct traffic on the court and Jack was happy to take that mantle. There was no captaincy ceremony or discussion of who would run the team but there was no doubt that Walker led the way on the floor and in the locker room.
Before that first game Jack also mentally took ownership of the results; by making the 2014-15 Timberwolves ‘his team’ it also meant responsibility for their successes and failures. Jack accepted this, suited up, and for the first time met the sold out Target Center crowd as a starter for the home team.
--
“Welcome everybody to Timberwolves basketball commin’ at you on 830 WCCO the Twin Cities home for the Timberwolves… Its opening night in the NBA, I am Alan Horton here to bring you all the action and with me, as always Kevin Lynch. Sold out crowds at the Target Center; not a common sight recently but that’s exactly what we have here tonight, much excitement in the arena to see how the new members of the pack will fare. Kevin, how do you see Jack Walker and James Harden fitting into this bunch?”
“Alan the team looks solid in the preseason, a good mixture of creative passing and sharp shooting with the additions of Walker and Harden plus the big guys; Kevin love and Anthony Randolph banging inside for rebounds. New coach Larry Drew is known throughout the NBA for using an up tempo style of play utilizing the fast break. We’ll see tonight if that the case, I think this team certainly can be successful with that strategy but to make it happen they’ll have to get those rebounds and create turnovers. We’ll see if they can do that tonight against the Wizards.”
--
“Walker brings the ball up court, passes to Harden on the wing, now to Beasley in the corner he dishes inside to Randolph whose working on Blatche, he hits Walker coming off the pick… Walker for THREE! Nailed it! And the Target Center crowd shows its appreciation; Jack Walker in his first shot attempt for the Timberwolves fires from downtown and drains the triple!
--
“So despite a solid showing the Wolves lose the home opener on the last second shot by John Wall. Kevin Lynch what did you see from the home team tonight?”
“Well a disappointing loss indeed but a lot to build upon no doubt. Jack Walker led this team in impressive fashion scoring 12 and dishing out 4 assists, however he seemed to be forcing passes at times and the three turnovers hurt. I have to say the biggest positive has to be the eleven and ten scored by Beasley and Randolph respectively. Two starters who were considered going into the seasons basically as role players, if they can continue to have an impact on the game it will be a big time positive for this team.
“That it will, we’ll be back with all the post game wrap up and out of town scoreboard after this…”
--
“The second quarter begins here tonight in Philadelphia with the Wolves leading by five, Jrue Holiday brings the ball up for the 76ers. Tough defense has led the way so far for the away team and we’ll see if they can keep it up going forward… Walker guarding Holiday who dribbles to the elbow, Beasley comes over and Holiday is trapped, and the ball is stolen away! He tried to force the pass and Love picked it off…
“Down at the other end Walker down low to Randolph, now to Harden in the corner. Harden tries the cross up but can’t shake the defender, shot clock winding down, Beasley with it up top, now Walker on the elbow, steps back for three but its off the iron and.. the whistle has blown, Jack Walker is on the ground and he looks like he’s in pain. What did you see on the replay Kevin?”
“Jack with a nice strep back jumper gets some room… but… Oh! Jrue Holiday closed out hard and put Walker on his butt, that DEFINITLY should have been a foul.”
“Thanks Alan. Jack now trying to walk off the pain, it appears its his back that is in pain. The training staff will take him immediately back to the locker room, hopefully we’ll be able to see him back in the game soon.”
--
The stabbing pain in Jack’s back didn’t subside by the end of the game, or by the time he got back to Minneapolis while the rest of the team had flown to Charlotte. The team doctor gave the diagnosis as back spasms and said he would likely be out of action for two weeks and set a treatment plan of rest, ice, and compression.