It’s all smoke and mirrors at this point, and unless it’s announced with the word “official” attached, then you shouldn’t pay any attention. That goes for the pre-draft rumors swirling that teams are concerned about UConn star Kemba Walker and a possible knee injury. If anything, it’s one team with a lower pick spreading rumors hoping that Walker will instead fall to them.
Marc Spears is an NBA analyst for Yahoo! Sports and he just sent out a message via Twitter saying, “UConn guard Kemba Walker has a minor knee issue that is causing concern with draft approaching, sources say.” Those “sources” are as reliable at this point as a used car salesman, and teams should know better than to believe such banter. Then again, if the “source” can get even one single team to panic and avoid a player like Walker, then it could be worth it depending on the draft position.
Even if Walker has any knee concerns, teams interested would have already conducted their own workouts and physicals far before draft night. The reality is that Walker is rumored anywhere from the Toronto choice at No. 5 through the rest of the lottery, so it’s likely that a team in the 10-14 slots is sending out mixed messages to a writer like Spears, hoping that they can lower Walker’s draft slot even one or two more positions. In the end, you shouldn’t expect anyone to bite and Walker will be selected around mid-lottery.