Great article. I honestly never knew the whole story as it was before my time, but pretty enlightening. I don't really think he has much to apologize for.
He says he'd like to get back into broadcasting. It would be interesting to Have Barrett and Walton and Wheels and Rice.
An enlightening and poignant article by Quick. I've forgiven Walton years ago. I could always see how he loved Portland in his commentary. What I didn't know is that he never had forgiven himself for what happend here.
Excellent article by Jason Quick - and it's nice to get one of the franchise's two greatest players fully back in the fold.
That was a really good read. I like how he takes most (if not all) of the blame, and even talks about how the love the fans gave him wasn't something he was able to return. I think that was a sincere act by Bill. now, if he can just publicly denounce his son...
So...his explanation for why he left is that he wanted out, and the fans and media wanted him out. B-u-l-l-s-h-i-t! The only people who didn't want Walton around, are the same type of people who now hate the NBA because it is "too black." Everybody else worshipped the guy. Even after the rash of injuries cost the team a chance to win back-to-back titles, the team was still young and fans were optimistic about the future. As one human being to another, I'm glad he is no longer depressed and in chronic pain. As a Blazer fan...it is way too late for making ammends.
You are spot on. I think he may have read some recent threads on this forum and now feels guilty. How will he make any amends? Can't give back what he stole.
He could mentor Oden (not physically as in 1-on-1, but teach him the mental side of the game). That would effectively do just that: give back what was stolen.
""I went from thinking I was going to die, to wanting to die, to being afraid I was going to live, to now seeing rainbows, Calliopes, clowns, and dreams of a better tomorrow." ...for the uninitiated those are some Grateful Dead lyrics... "rainbows, Calliopes, clowns, and" everybody's dancing!
Walton is the last person who should mentor Oden. His whole problem was blaming everyone but himself for injuries beyond anyones control.
Actually, yes you would. The article glossed over some important details. As SnakeOiler said - Walton blamed everybody but himself when things didn't go his way. Walton's injuries started when he was at UCLA, (and continued after he left the Blazers), but he still used his injuries as an excuse for bailing on the team. He turned his back on his coach, his team-mates, and his fans....and tried to justify it over a disagreement with his Dr? Now, he is trying to claim that the Portland fans and media drove him out of town! How does that qualify as "making amends?"
The quote in the article came from his book "Nothing But Net"... how old is that book? 1995, according to Amazon. I personally wouldn't count that as "now". I think it was placed there to exemplify how much he's changed since then. http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-but-Net-Just-Give/dp/0786880783
