Walker, who was signed as a free agent last offseason to replace departed star Kyrie Irving, dealt with knee problems last season and was never at 100% during the second half of the season. Minutes restrictions in the NBA Bubble and soreness forced him to miss significant minutes during Boston’s playoff run.

In order to attempt to correct the problem, the 30-year-old point guard underwent a procedure that the team hopes will produce added strength in his troublesome knee.

The downside to the procedure is that he won’t be ready until early January at the very earliest, leaving Boston without their starting point guard for the beginning of the season.

The team had hoped that Walker would be ready for the beginning of the season, but the earlier-than-expected December 22nd start date made it impossible for him to be ready in time for the season’s opening tip-off.

As coach Brad Stevens explained, “He’s had great work over the last few weeks with regard to strength, but we are going to proceed slow and I do think the expedited timeline on December 1st impacted him quite a bit in regard to his own timeline of starting the season on time.”

Walker hopes to join the team before too long, but he has a moderately long road left to go before he will be able to do so.

The post Celtics PG Kemba Walker Out Until January After Knee Procedure appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The former UConn Husky, who averaged 19.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for Charlotte since being selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has a special place in the heart of Hornets fans.

Walker summed up the evening by saying, “It was special. Just to be back here and the amount of love I’ve been getting throughout this day, leading up to this day, it’s been a lot of love and the video just topped it off. It’s special and it definitely obviously made me really emotional.”

The 29-year-old point guard shed a few tears as he watched the video dedication that the Hornets played before the beginning of the game.

Walker, clearly affected by his emotions, scored 14 points on 4-12 shooting along with 6 assists in his team’s 108-87 blowout win.

The Celtics have moved to 6-1 with their Thursday night win, while the Hornets now find themselves at .500 with a 4-4 record.

The post Kemba Walker Wins in Emotional Return to Charlotte appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Boston Celtics used Hornets’ “cheapness” in their favor and jumped on the opportunity to give the 29-year-old All-Star a four-year, $140 million contract.

The decision to leave Charlotte wasn’t easy for Walker, as he stated multiple times in the past that he wanted to stick around and lead the team to success. Still, he says he has “no hard feeling” towards the Hornets as he begins his new adventure.

“They offered, but it just wasn’t an offer I could accept.” –  said Walker in an interview with the Charlotte Observer. “I guess that’s the (most) money that they had. I know they didn’t want to go over the (luxury) tax. Which I completely understand. It’s a business at the end of the day, and I respect the decision that they made. No hard feelings at all. I still love that organization and everything around it.”

“It was tough for me (to leave), and I know it was tough for them; for MJ (owner Michael Jordan) and Mitch to let me go. But at the end of the day you have to do tough things in life. It just happens.” – he added. 

Kemba Walker is coming off a career season that saw him average 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He also earned his third straight All-Star appearance and first All-NBA honors.

Despite him playing at this kind of level, Hornets repeatedly failed to build a competitive team around Walker and to make a step forward in the East. By making him a low offer, it appears that Charlotte was ready to see him walk away and start to rebuild a process that will probably see them staying in the lottery for years to come.

The post Kemba Walker Has “No Hard Feelings” Toward the Hornets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Walker, who was signed as a free agent last offseason to replace departed star Kyrie Irving, dealt with knee problems last season and was never at 100% during the second half of the season. Minutes restrictions in the NBA Bubble and soreness forced him to miss significant minutes during Boston’s playoff run.

In order to attempt to correct the problem, the 30-year-old point guard underwent a procedure that the team hopes will produce added strength in his troublesome knee.

The downside to the procedure is that he won’t be ready until early January at the very earliest, leaving Boston without their starting point guard for the beginning of the season.

The team had hoped that Walker would be ready for the beginning of the season, but the earlier-than-expected December 22nd start date made it impossible for him to be ready in time for the season’s opening tip-off.

As coach Brad Stevens explained, “He’s had great work over the last few weeks with regard to strength, but we are going to proceed slow and I do think the expedited timeline on December 1st impacted him quite a bit in regard to his own timeline of starting the season on time.”

Walker hopes to join the team before too long, but he has a moderately long road left to go before he will be able to do so.

The post Celtics PG Kemba Walker Out Until January After Knee Procedure appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The former UConn Husky, who averaged 19.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for Charlotte since being selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has a special place in the heart of Hornets fans.

Walker summed up the evening by saying, “It was special. Just to be back here and the amount of love I’ve been getting throughout this day, leading up to this day, it’s been a lot of love and the video just topped it off. It’s special and it definitely obviously made me really emotional.”

The 29-year-old point guard shed a few tears as he watched the video dedication that the Hornets played before the beginning of the game.

Walker, clearly affected by his emotions, scored 14 points on 4-12 shooting along with 6 assists in his team’s 108-87 blowout win.

The Celtics have moved to 6-1 with their Thursday night win, while the Hornets now find themselves at .500 with a 4-4 record.

The post Kemba Walker Wins in Emotional Return to Charlotte appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Boston Celtics used Hornets’ “cheapness” in their favor and jumped on the opportunity to give the 29-year-old All-Star a four-year, $140 million contract.

The decision to leave Charlotte wasn’t easy for Walker, as he stated multiple times in the past that he wanted to stick around and lead the team to success. Still, he says he has “no hard feeling” towards the Hornets as he begins his new adventure.

“They offered, but it just wasn’t an offer I could accept.” –  said Walker in an interview with the Charlotte Observer. “I guess that’s the (most) money that they had. I know they didn’t want to go over the (luxury) tax. Which I completely understand. It’s a business at the end of the day, and I respect the decision that they made. No hard feelings at all. I still love that organization and everything around it.”

“It was tough for me (to leave), and I know it was tough for them; for MJ (owner Michael Jordan) and Mitch to let me go. But at the end of the day you have to do tough things in life. It just happens.” – he added. 

Kemba Walker is coming off a career season that saw him average 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He also earned his third straight All-Star appearance and first All-NBA honors.

Despite him playing at this kind of level, Hornets repeatedly failed to build a competitive team around Walker and to make a step forward in the East. By making him a low offer, it appears that Charlotte was ready to see him walk away and start to rebuild a process that will probably see them staying in the lottery for years to come.

The post Kemba Walker Has “No Hard Feelings” Toward the Hornets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.