What Will Kemba Do?
The Story: Kemba Walker, perhaps the most beloved former UConn player, is a free agent for the Charlotte Hornets, who incredibly missed the playoffs despite an All-Star performance from Walker this year. Where will he end up?
A STAR IN A BLACK HOLE: Walker was a starter at the All-Star Game and averaged career highs of 25.6 points and 4.4 rebounds along with 5.9 assists this season. He also shot 43.4 percent and 35.6 percent from 3-point range and likely will be named to one of the three All-NBA teams. If he doesn’t make one of those teams, we have to seriously consider if there is an anti-UConn bias in all media all over the world.
The problem is Charlotte. The moves Michael Jordan has made haven’t worked. The best player Walker has played with in Charlotte is Al Jefferson, and they missed on picks such as Frank Kaminsky and Malik Monk. They tried to sign Gordon Hayward to an offer sheet five years ago before Utah matched it and even brought in Dwight Howard. They’ve even had four different coaches in Walker’s eight season and now the Hornets are out of time.
GIVE THAT MAN HIS MOH-NEY? Walker is due a max contract and he is going to be one of the most sought free agents on the market. Walker has told the media about his affinity for Charlotte, where he has played since being drafted No. 9 overall in 2011, and said he would like to return but is non-committal. He’s already the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer with 12,009 career points and has played 20,607 minutes, also a franchise record. At this point, he can’t rule anything out. He is 28 years old and is one of the best players in the NBA.
MSG HOMECOMING? There is no shortage of places Walker could go. Would he sign a max deal with the New York Knicks and join, perhaps, Kevin Durant at MSG? That would put him home in New York City and back at the scene of his most iconic moments at Madison Square Garden. He’s also charismatic and would be a darling to the press as Durant’s foil.
Or, how about going west to Los Angeles and teaming up with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers? They have a max slot open and are in desperate need of talent. Walker and LeBron fit very well on the court and he could play similar to how Kyrie Irving played with LeBron for the Cleveland Cavaliers. There is also talk of the Chicago Bulls targeting Walker, and then an interesting team, the Dallas Mavericks, could make a run at teaming him with Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic.
WHAT DID KEMBA SAY? “Just haven’t thought about it yet. I know you all want to ask free agent questions so bad, but I just don’t know. I’m not sure.”
BOTTOM LINE: Walker has earned his superstar credentials the hard way — by working on his game. Walker wasn’t the kind of shooter or scorer in his first years in the NBA but became an All-Star. He had an elite career at UConn, but some scouting reports had him as a sixth man (seriously). He was a national champion and a celebrated player, yet he still went into the gym and worked on his game and has become one of the elite guards.
Wherever Walker finds a home, we hope he gets to a team with enough talent so he isn’t sitting out come playoff time. Stars should be in the playoffs, and that is where Kemba belongs.
SEC Filling Big 12 Void with AAC Games
The Story: The SEC will continue to try to strengthen its non-conference schedules for its men’s basketball teams by reaching an agreement with the AAC for next season. The teams not participating in the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge will play AAC teams instead.
WIN-WIN SITUATION: This is a positive development for both the SEC and the AAC — and most importantly for the fans, who will be treated to (what we assume) will be more quality basketball games in the early part of the season. The Big 12/SEC Challenge started in 2013-14 as a way for teams of both conferences to play better opponents and strengthen their NCAA tournament resumes, and the series has been fairly balanced ever since, with the Big 12 winning six of the 10 games this past season.
FOUR STRONG GAMES: Because there are 14 teams in the SEC and only 10 teams in the Big 12, four SEC teams have had to sit out the series each year. This season, that group included three NCAA tournament teams — Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State — as well as Missouri, which is usually a solid team.
We have to think that in the spirit of the competition, SEC teams will want to face some of the AAC’s better teams (sorry, ECU), which could leave Houston, Cincinnati, Wichita State, Temple and, yes, UConn in line to participate. Would we trade an early December game against Lafayette for one against LSU? We absolutely would. And, if it’s supposed to be a home-and-home series, that means the Huskies would travel to LSU and get a return game as well. Not too shabby.
BOOST THE RESUME: Everything this past season revolved around those vital Quad 1 wins, which helped pad a team’s strength of schedule and make it a more attractive candidate for an at-large bit from the NCAA tournament selection committee. Although the NCAA’s NET Rankings changed each day, the final list from this past season included 10 SEC teams in that Quad 1 area (the top-ranked 75 teams) — including all four who sat out the challenge.
If an AAC team were to draw one of those four, and it was a road game, and the AAC team won, it’s a significant boost when the cases are decided in March. And let’s face it: The AAC could use all the opportunities it can get to strengthen its reputation.
Morning Reads
SPECIAL CONNECTION: How did Katie Lou Samuelson come to idolize Larry Bird, who retired from playing five years before she was born? It’s because of her father. (The UConn Blog)
EARN THEIR STRIPES: The baseball team (21-12, 5-4) will host Memphis for a three-game set beginning this afternoon with Mason Feole on the mound. (UConnHuskies.com)
