Ainge is target of Walker's shots

During an interview this week, Walker discussed the Oct. 20 trade that sent him and Tony Delk to Dallas in exchange for Raef LaFrentz, Jiri Welsch, Chris Mills, and a first-round pick in 2004. Walker termed the transaction "personal." The All-Star power forward said Ainge dealt him to Dallas because he wanted "to set my career back a little bit." But Walker contended the transaction might set the Celtics back "three or four years." Ultimately, Walker believes Ainge will regret the trade.

"Danny wanted to get rid of me," said Walker. "If you look at the trade, I think he really felt like I wouldn't mesh with these guys in Dallas. Me, personally, I think he was really trying to set my career back a little bit. If you really look at what I got traded for, it's got to be the biggest difference [in talent] in history. Usually, an All-Star gets traded for an All-Star. And you gave away Tony Delk, a proven scorer in this league.

"I can't understand it, unless he was trying to put me in a situation where he didn't want me to succeed. Obviously, he's going to ship me West. He didn't think individually I'd shine in Dallas, maybe team-wise. But if I'm putting up minimum numbers and I'm just an average player with this team, he can live with that because he knows that's what he's going to get in return anyway, with Raef [LaFrentz]."

Ainge denied his biggest move to date was "personal" and viewed Walker's comments as a player still hurt by being traded. Walker's comments come as the Mavericks prepare to visit the FleetCenter Wednesday, Dallas's only trip of the season to Boston.

"Time will answer all the questions," said Ainge. "I'm not going to get into a squabble with Antoine Walker. Every player that gets traded is emotionally hurt and their pride is hurt and I understand it. I've been a player and I've been traded twice. I understand his perspective. I obviously don't agree. And I can't think of a better situation that Antoine Walker went to than Dallas, individually and everything. That organization was the only organization that made any offers of any significance. This was not about me trading him to Dallas." Walker is averaging 17.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for the 13-8 Mavericks, who are in a three-way tie atop the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. Initially worried about how he would fit into a new lineup, Walker has started all 21 games.

LaFrentz, who dealt with a severe case of right knee tendinitis since his arrival, is averaging 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds for the 10-12 Celtics, who are two games behind Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division.

Welsch has worked his way into a starting role. He is averaging 5.7 points per game. Mills was placed on the injured list before the season opener Oct. 27 and is not expected to play for the Celtics this season.

"I knew that this might be a step backward," said Ainge. "I knew how some people might perceive this. I knew that Antoine Walker would put up better numbers in Dallas, in my opinion, than he did in Boston. I said all that the day of trade."

Although Walker reiterated that he was surprised by the timing of the deal, he admitted asking for a trade last summer when it was clear a contract extension would not be forthcoming. Walker has two years worth $28 million remaining on his contract, with an option for free agency next summer. In July, he asked Ainge for an extension similar to those given Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant, three of whom were in his draft class.

"I asked him once [for an extension]," said Walker. "He said, `I don't want to do anything about it now. We'll talk about it later.' I'm not hurting for money. I'll make $28 million over the next two years. Obviously, if Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, all these guys exercised their option, they asked like everybody else asked. Their teams chose to do it. It's a yes or no thing. I'm sure Shareef [Abdur-Rahim], Ray Allen, everybody that is in my class that has the same contract that I got that year, asked for their extension. Some teams said yes and some teams said no. I understood that. My agent knew that coming in, that it was going to be a yes or no thing.

"And if he chose to say `no,' that's fine. But don't give me the runaround that you're not going to trade me, then trade me. It was at that point where I said, `If you want to trade me, that's fine, just let me know what's going on.' The only reason I came to him like that was because of the negative things he's always said about me in the past. So, I was like, if you don't want to pay me, move me to another situation. He was like, `No, I don't want to move you.' He was saying all the right things. But obviously he did the opposite thing.

"I'm set for life regardless of if I get another contract. The money aspect of it wasn't beating me over. It was just that I knew he was a snake. I knew that. I never had a relationship with him. I knew he was going to be a snake."

Walker cited comments by Ainge on TNT shortly after Rick Pitino resigned in January 2001 as an indication that Ainge, then a commentator for the network's NBA coverage, was "a snake." According to Walker, Ainge blamed him for Pitino's downfall on the air. At the All-Star break that year in Washington, Walker said he and Ainge "bumped into each other" and Ainge apologized for his remarks. Walker also said Ainge never bothered to establish a relationship with him.

Walker acknowledged he "wasn't trying to have a relationship" with Ainge, in no small part because of negative comments Ainge made as an analyst. Walker contends that his close relationship with Celtics coach im O'Brien, as well as a number of staff members and front office personnel, threatened Ainge.

Over the summer, Walker hosted Marcus Banks in Chicago for two weeks of workouts. Walker said Ainge called Banks every day, but never called him. Walker said Ainge never called Paul Pierce either.

When asked about the apology and the calls to Banks, Ainge said Walker had his facts wrong.

"I never saw him [in Washington]," said Ainge. "I never apologized. I never even contemplated it. I'm not even sure I said it [about Walker being Pitino's downfall]. I don't even know that it's true. I didn't call Marcus every day. I called him a dozen times because we had issues to deal with. And I did talk to Paul. I can't even comment on this. I'm not saying anything more about Antoine. It defeats the purpose."

Walker says Ainge had his facts wrong when it came to the contract extension. Walker insisted that not receiving a long-term extension from the Celtics was never as contentious an issue as Ainge made it sound. Before asking for an extension, Walker understood there was a strong possibility Ainge would not offer one. While initially disappointed, Walker said he understood the hesitancy that came from a relatively new ownership and a new director of basketball operations. Walker claimed that Ainge's decision did not affect his attitude in training camp.

"In the summertime, I've got a chance to get an extension like Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, and everybody else that did," said Walker. "Why wouldn't I ask? We're all of the same caliber. None of us have won championships. We're all All-Stars. So, why wouldn't I ask for an extension? Now, if you choose not to give me an extension, I have to respect that. I have two years on my deal I have to honor. At first, it bothered me, and I was like, `Just trade me now because I know you're not going to pay me. So, just trade me now.' We had a conversation on the phone and he said, `Well, no. I'm not going to trade you. I'm not going to move you.'

"So, I came into camp figuring I'm going to be there. My mind-set was that I would be there at least till All-Star break because I figured he'd at least see how the team works out. And obviously, if we're not up to where he wanted us to be, then I'll probably be moved by All-Star break, which I would have understood if that's what he wanted to do because he's just taking over. But he went the total opposite route. It came out of the blue. So, I just don't have lot of respect for him. So, it's tough for me. It's a bad situation.

"I don't like some of the owners. Because I particularly think if you run the team, you control what's going on. It is their first time. But if you tell me one thing and do something else, it's kind of hard for me. But about four or five guys on that team I have a lot of respect for, I like a lot because we accomplished so much, we went through so much together. Coach O'Brien, I want him to do well, but it's tough for me to root for them. It's very tough because of the people that run the basketball operations."

Part of Walker's frustration with the timing of the deal is that he wonders what he could have done alongside Vin Baker and Pierce. In fact, Walker often thinks about how the Celtics would have performed this season if he remained on the team, especially in the weak Atlantic Division. Walker added that coming into training camp in, perhaps, the best shape of his career was his way of showing Ainge he was ready to compete.

"With the Atlantic Division, with all the moves that were made, if we could have stayed firm, we'd probably be [9 or 10 games over .500]," said Walker. "Late in the game, we'd have two options instead of one option, stuff like that. We could be sitting up there with Indiana somewhere. High up there somewhere.

"I'm sure he probably regrets [making the deal]. He'll probably never admit he regrets it. I know he knows what situation he put me in. So, [the Mavericks] winning is not surprising him. But if I'm able to succeed individually and have a good season. Then, obviously, if Boston doesn't do well, he's going to regret it. You go to the Eastern Conference finals and then the second round of the playoffs. You only have a little window of opportunity. Now, if you take a step back and don't make the playoffs, and if every year, you're fighting to be around .500, he's going to regret it. That means he came in and set the organization back instead of moving it forward. He won't regret it so much as the owners will regret it. Really, really, really, regret it. I think to win a championship you've got to have two superstars.

"He might have set them back three or four years. It all depends on how long Paul is going to be willing to live with fighting around .500, fighting every night with that whale on his shoulder. Look at Tracy McGrady. It's tough. He's a prime example. You see Philly every year. They had their one break out year. Now, every year they're fighting. It's a tussle every year just to get in the first round. That's not fun. It's better than losing completely, but it's not fun. It can obviously set them back.

"The way the East is now they could make it [to the playoffs]. They have a very good shot at making it. Do I want them to make it? I don't know. You know what, I would probably like to see them in the playoffs because that's when you make men out of a lot of people. I would like to see them in because I remember a quote that Danny Ainge said, that we overachieved. That was his quote when he came in. He told us that we overachieved, then he said we've got to be better than a sixth seed. So, I want to see how high they get. He said last year, a sixth seed wasn't good enough. I remember those quotes. I remember everything. But that's personal. I just hate the fact that it had to go down like that."

Walker said other players around the league are going take note of how his deal transpired and that it will color their perception of playing for Boston. For his part, Ainge maintained that time will tell how the deal will be viewed.

"At the rate he's going, [Danny] is not going to be in this position for a long time," said Walker. "Not making moves without letting guys play it out. Even now, it would be foolish to make another move. Let those guys play it out. It's an adjustment period. I just think you've got to patient. I don't think Boston is patient. They've already been patient for years. They want some results. And the Patriots winning doesn't make it any easier.

"It's tough though when you make a move like Danny Ainge made, and the truth comes out and he really lets it be known. It's obvious it's personal. He can say he anything he wants. I don't know Raef. I don't know Jiri Welsch. When you're not trading value for value, it's personal. It wasn't like I'm going to jail. It's not like I'm in rehab or doing something crazy. I'm the captain of the team. I'm doing everything. I'm doing tons of work in the community. He's not hearing anything negative, so it's got to be personal. That's obvious. Point blank it's personal.

"You can't run a basketball organization like that. You can't treat pros like that. Other stars know that. Other stars in this league watch what goes on."