West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: GangstaBoogy on October 10, 2007, 10:44:04 PM
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MIAMI - Heat coach Pat Riley called out Antoine Walker on his conditioning Wednesday and said the forward might not approach the shape the team desires until January.
"It's beyond irritating," Riley said before his team faced Atlanta in an exhibition at AmericanAirlines Arena. "I'm beyond being irritated. I was irritated the first year when I signed him. I was really irritated last year. I'm beyond irritated. I don't have time to be irritated."
Riley rarely discusses players' conditioning status, but said Walker reported to camp earlier this month at 262 pounds and 15 percent body fat. The 6-foot-9 veteran is listed by the team in its media guide at 245 pounds.
"Antoine is a long ways away from making his conditioning goal," Riley said. "He'll probably make it by January, if he makes it. Probably. It'd probably take that long, because you can't lose five percent in a month, two weeks."
Riley suspended Walker for four games at midseason last season for failing to meet team conditioning standards.
"It's a whole different thing between Antoine and myself," an unusually exasperated Riley said. "That's who he is; that's what his belief is.
"He works out all summer. He works out everyday, I guess, and plays hoops at night and has a trainer. The trainer should call me on the phone and say, 'What are your expectations? What are your expectations of a guy that's paying me, training him to get me ready for training camp? And he never did."
Walker, 31, declined comment before Wednesday's game.
"He's in good condition," Riley said. "But he's not in optimum condition and what I would like to is get him in optimum condition. That's all we're trying to do. And I don't want to get him hurt by playing him."
Walker has been limited by Achilles tendinitis since reporting.
"That's what happens," Riley said, "is they come in and they're not in optimum training camp condition and then they get hurt."
Riley said Walker is "in good enough playing shape to play 15 or 20 minutes," an amount that almost would preclude a spot in the starting lineup.
Asked why more wasn't done to prevent such an issue, Riley said, "You can't force these guys to do anything during the summer, because they can call the players' association and then the players' association calls me, and they fine me."
Riley said the team provides an offseason workout plan for each returning veteran and also makes coaches available to work in players' hometowns.
"'Toine simply doesn't do it. That's all," Riley said. "Now we've got to spend time to get him in the best shape we're going to get him in."
Riley insisted it was not personal.
"He is not in my doghouse," he said. "It's just disappointing to me.
"He and I've talked. We met the other day about it; just trying to get him there."
Walker has this season and next season guaranteed on his Heat contract, with both the Heat or Walker able to void the remaining two seasons on the deal beyond that.
"I'm always saying, 'I wonder what he would be like at 235 and seven percent?' " Riley said. "I dream of those numbers. And I know he could get there. Maybe he can't. We've talked to doctors about it and they say, if he wanted to, he could.
"We need him. We need his offense, his versatility."
^ Gee I wonder where Walker picked up his lazy bad conditioning habits from...
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^well he should have been on that show shaq had for the kids.
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^well he should have been on that show shaq had for the kids.
lmao.
damn i still cant believe fatoine has a championship ring.
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a coach calling out a player = team not winning a title this year
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what a fat turd
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Is Shaq held to a different standard? I mean, seriously, dude reportedly came in at 370 this year. :-X
You KNOW that someones getting their dick sucked when Smush Parker is called out on his body fat before Shaq is...