Kemba Walker was once one of the best offensive point guards in his prime with the Charlotte Hornets. At his best, he was averaging 25.6 PPG and carrying the Hornets offensively.
However, injuries have slowed him down in recent years. He played 18 games for the Knicks this season, averaging 11.7 PPG. Kemba Walker has recently been benched by the New York Knicks, with Alec Burks starting at point guard in his place.
Gilbert Arenas has recently claimed that Kemba Walker should have seen it coming in regards to getting benched by the Knicks. Arenas mentioned that Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose were “competing” on who gets to be a closer in the 4th quarter, and mentioned that Thibodeau would naturally go to the player that has proven to him what he can do, that player being Rose. (26:50)
You look at his stats and it’s not benchworthy. You’re paying him and you’re playing him 22 minutes. I’m pretty sure he’s frustrated, I’m pretty sure he’s letting you know that he’s frustrated and that’s what you’re benching him for.
As Kemba, you should have seen it coming. You got Derrick Rose over there, coming off the bench. That’s Thibs guy. He done proven to Thibs that he’s a warrior. He knows how Thibs wants to play. He’s done shown what he can do that. You can say he’s back.
You guys are competing on who’s going to finish the game in the 4th quarter. The coach is gonna go with the guy that has proven to him over and over, he’s gonna play Derrick Rose over you in the last 5 minutes of that game…
There’s no question that this is a bad turn of events for Kemba Walker. That being said, there’s always a chance that he gets back in the rotation in the future, or potentially breaks into the rotation of another team if he is traded.
The New York Knicks are currently 11-11 and 10th in the Eastern Conference. To make the playoffs once again, they quickly need to improve, and hopefully, we see them go on a run soon. Perhaps they’ll turn back to Kemba Walker in the future, but as of now, they seem to be content with the players they are currently fielding.
