'Toine is Back

Antoine Walker, former Celtics player from 1996-2003, is coming back to Boston to finish out the season in a Celtic green jersey. Walker, who was a three-time All Star player with the Celts, was included in a trade yesterday with the his current team, the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks will receive three Celtic players, including Gary Payton, as well as the Celts' first round draft pick for 2005 or 2006. Payton was traded to Boston this past year from the Lakers and will now be heading south; there is talk that the Hawks won't keep him and he may even end up back in Boston.
Walker was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2003, after Danny Ainge took over the team that year. Ainge claimed it was all part of his "retooling" plan but Walker took it personally; he was at the time the team's captain and most visible player. After a year in Texas, Walker went to the Hawks, where he led the team in scoring. Now, two seasons later, he'll be back in Boston with Paul Pierce to see how far the Celtics can take it in the playoffs.
So 'Toine will be back in the Fleet Center, or whatever name it will be named the night of each game. Fortunately, Walker won't be taking the court on Tuesday, March 1, when the arena will be called the "Derek Jeter Center." A NYC attorney and Yankees fan, Kerry Conrad, won the naming rights with a bid of $2,325, and decided to give the honor to Jeter. According to the arena's calendar, there is no function at the "Derek Jeter Center" that day.