Chad Ford on Bill Walker

[catsfan20012002]

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=ford_chad#20070108

Kansas State freshman Bill Walker got some of the worst news an NBA draft prospect could get. Ranked as the third-best prospect among college freshmen just 10 days ago, Walker suffered a serious knee injury -- rupturing his left ACL -- during a K-State loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.

The injury ended Walker's season. He'll need six to eight months to rehab.

This was Walker's second serious knee injury. He tore the ACL in his right knee in 2003.

How will this injury affect Walker's draft stock? As you might assume, it's potentially very damaging.

First, it almost certainly dashed Walker's draft hopes for this year.

Second, it will drop his stock going into next season as well.

In fact, two NBA scouts I talked to said Walker's draft standing might have taken a permanent hit.

Walker's most impressive attribute has been his athleticism. A second ACL injury is going to raise a flurry of medical red flags whenever he does declare.

It's been a bumpy ride for Walker this season. He was ruled ineligible for his senior season of high school in September. Walker graduated early and enrolled at Kansas State. He was forced to sit until Dec. 16 to become eligible and was playing in just his sixth game for the Wildcats. For the first five games, Walker was averaging 14.4 points.

The NBA's position is that Walker is ineligible for the 2007 draft because, by rule, he cannot enter the draft until a year after his high school class graduated.

Still, many thought Walker would challenge the decision. Already 19, it appears he should have graduated with his high school class in the spring of 2006.

Now that all appears moot.

The great 2007 NBA draft class just got a little weaker. We had Walker ranked as the No. 4 prospect for this year's draft on our Top 100. For now, we'll leave him on the board, but he's no longer projected for the first round.



He has him as the #35 prospect now. Wouldn't that make it more likely that he'll come back longer to prove a point?

[Joker]

He'll need six to eight months to rehab.

Don't tell that to Bill. He said four months 

[ksu_FAN]

Its a bit different situation, but here's a little Wildcat hoops history to show you never know what can happen when you go under the knife.  The last PG to lead this program to the NCAAs was Elliot Hatcher.  At one time in his career coming in HS Hatcher had a vertical jump of 40+".  However, he had to go under the knife several times (more than Walker) and he could barely dunk while at K-State.  However, he adapted his game and was a great floor leader at K-State for his 2 years here.  Again, things have changes a lot since even then in how well these things can be prepared and Hatcher wasn't the phenom that Walker is when healthy, but it does show why the NBA might be a little leary b/c you never know about knees after they've been cut a few times.

[sys]

Its a bit different situation, but here's a little Wildcat hoops history to show you never know what can happen when you go under the knife.  The last PG to lead this program to the NCAAs was Elliot Hatcher.  At one time in his career coming in HS Hatcher had a vertical jump of 40+".  However, he had to go under the knife several times (more than Walker) and he could barely dunk while at K-State.  However, he adapted his game and was a great floor leader at K-State for his 2 years here.  Again, things have changes a lot since even then in how well these things can be prepared and Hatcher wasn't the phenom that Walker is when healthy, but it does show why the NBA might be a little leary b/c you never know about knees after they've been cut a few times.

i can´t speak to hatcher´s injury specifically, but i do wonder if he might have experienced something akin to my own acl tear.  it took a lot longer than 6 months before the knee felt more or less like before, more like 2 years (could play again at 6-8 months, but not at all the same).  but after 2 years, i´m sure my vert was basically the same as before.  but my game wasn´t.  i stopped jumping, not ´cause i couldn´t, but because i was afraid to.

[ksu_FAN]

Hatcher had multiple surgeries to each knee.  He didn't have the ability to jump much after that.  There used to be a nice article in Collegian archives about it, but they took most of those down. 

The good thing is that Walker recovered from his first one in HS and was still a super athlete, so that should help is confidence/fear with this knee.

[Skycat]

We've had a couple of players lose explosiveness to injuries in their freshman season in the last 15 years.  Ski Jones was a much more athletic player before getting hurt.  Of course, that led him to focus on practicing his jumpshot.  Cartier has gone through a similar transformation.

Granted, neither of those guys had the world class athelticism of Walker.  I just hope that he can recover fully.

[pissclams]

Elliot could still get up plenty after his surgery, he might not have had quite the same explosiveness but he could get up.

[ksuno1stunner]

If Walker being 100% meant that he will never play at KSU anymore, then I would take it. 

[sys]

If Walker being 100% meant that he will never play at KSU anymore, then I would take it. 

walker´s mother doesn´t read this board.

[ksucmurphy]

If Walker being 100% meant that he will never play at KSU anymore, then I would take it. 

I totally agree! For those of us that have actually met the guy and talked to him, we know how nice of a guy he really is.  Seriously, of all people this could have happened to, Bill Walker didn't deserve this.  Espiecally with his future being so bright.  I just hope Walker takes his time and works at getting back at 100% instead of trying to rush back.

[plaincat]

ACL procedures have improved incredibly in recent years.  If you did this in the 60's you were done forever.  See Gale Sayers.  In the late 80's and early 90's you were still screwed with a full years rehab and would probably never be the same. 

Now?  Walker will be back as good as new by the summer.

[wildcat79]

Rest assured he will have the best surgen in the country. I agree, his chances are much better today as opposed to a few years ago.

[bigdeal]

I had ACL's done on both my knees, one in the early 90's and one in the late 90's.  I agree with the earlier comments...with the rehab facilities and time he'll have, he'll likely be back back in around 6 months, but, from my experience, any explosiveness or jumping ability will take another year or so to come back.  I guess that's all relative.  Let's just say it is likely his knee won't feel like his knee to him with any push until at least the Big 12 part of this coming season, and likely the season after.  Again, that is just my experience.  Of course, he is a college-aged (barely) world class athlete and I can't speak to either of those qualifications.