Had he not been hurt, Wildcat says he may have considered challenge to get into NBA.
By HOWARD RICHMAN
The Kansas City Star
MANHATTAN, Kan. | There’s no playing the what-if game for standout Kansas State freshman basketball player Bill Walker.
What if the NBA had not closed the window on high school players making the jump to its sport two years ago? If the NBA hadn’t adopted that rule, Walker could’ve entered the NBA draft last spring.
Or, what if Walker had not suffered a season-ending knee injury Saturday?
Earlier this week, Walker addressed any concerns that he might make a legal challenge in regard to the NBA rule that was implemented in 2005. The league and the NBA Players Association agreed to require players to be at least 19 years old and a year removed from high school before they were eligible for the NBA draft.
The NBA is regarding Walker as a class of 2007 high school graduate because he did not complete his senior year of academics on time last spring, which means he’s not eligible for its draft until 2008.
“I would have thought about it (the legal challenge). But I think ultimately I would have come back (to K-State),” Walker said Monday night, just hours after learning how serious his injury was.
Walker was lost for the remainder of the season because he suffered a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Saturday at Texas A&M. At least that probably guarantees his return to the Wildcats for 2007-08.
But if he hadn’t gotten hurt, that wasn’t a given. If Walker had challenged the NBA and won, he’d have been able to put his name in the 2007 NBA draft.
So it’s fair now to say that his injury might have cost him millions, based on where Walker is expected to be taken when he is eligible for the draft.
At the Web site NBADraft.net, Walker is tabbed as the No. 6 overall pick in the first round in 2008. Brandon Roy was the No. 6 pick in 2006 by Minnesota, then had his rights traded to Portland, where he is making $4.69 million in his first two years.
“I mean, that’s hard to tell,” Walker said, referring to challenging the NBA, “because you’ve got (star recruit Michael) Beasley and those guys coming. We’ve got a great chance to do something next year.”
Why did the NBA zone out players like Walker, who might have considered making the jump to that level? Commissioner David Stern thought the rule would prevent watering down the league’s skill level and instill more realistic expectations in players who might not be ready for the NBA.
Hall of Famer Charles Barkley went one step further: He indicated players should be at least 20 to enter the NBA draft.
“I know Walker came out of high school highly regarded,” said NBA director of scouting Marty Blake, “but even many of these kids that leave college early, let alone come straight out of high school, aren’t playing. The NBA should have put this rule in place years ago.”
Don’t tell that to Greg Oden’s mom.
Oden, the star Ohio State freshman, was projected by experts to be the top pick in the NBA draft if he had been eligible out of high school. He wasn’t, though, and Zoe Oden defended her son’s rights.
“I’m teed off,” she told The Indianapolis Star. “The option has been taken away from him. I don’t think that’s right.”
Walker, meanwhile, will concentrate on rehabilitation after he undergoes surgery later this month. Walker has no doubts he’ll land in the NBA one day — just not as soon as he may have wanted.
“I’m not blaming anybody that I got injured, or that it’s going to keep me away from getting to the NBA,” he said. “I would be stupid for saying that. I don’t think this is going to end it for me from being there.
“I’m a guy who’s dealt with adversity all my life. I’ll just take this and work 200 times harder than I have now. I’ll be back a better player. That’s my word.”
