Warren2ThaG Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 http://hoopedia.nba.com/images/2/2b/Act_michael_sweetney.jpgMike Sweetney seeks gains on court"The week collapsed before Mike Sweetney could start his comeback. After spending roughly 1 years away from basketball, the veteran power forward signed on with the Celtics for a stint in this week's summer league in Orlando, Fla. But Sweetney pulled a hamstring 15 minutes into his first game Monday, and spent the rest of his week getting treatment. Not surprisingly, Sweetney responded with gracious relief when Celtics assistant Clifford Ray walked over and told him there was a chance he could work out at the C's practice facility next week. After taking 18 months off - roughly a year to deal with what he described as "a family situation" and another six months in Miami to conquer his well-chronicled weight and conditioning issues - this attempt to climb back will include a few stumbles. Sweetney also has an unlikely source to thank for his new resolve. Antoine Walker was his workout partner in Miami. "He's trying to show everyone that he can play again," Sweetney said of the former Celtic who also is out of the league partly because of an inability to stay in shape. "We come from different circumstances, but we found a lot in common while we were working together." Sweetney also saw, up close, what a sudden setback can produce. They were well into their daily routine when Walker was arrested and charged with drunken driving in Miami Beach last January. "He really took that DUI situation hard," Sweetney said. "But the next day he was back in the gym like nothing had even happened. He's just a real good guy - a good family man, everything." Sweetney was the ninth overall selection by New York in the 2003 draft - one of the greatest in modern NBA history. The Knicks traded him two years later to the Bulls, and he was out of the league three years after that. A Chicago columnist reported that a doctor had told Sweetney his life would be in danger if he didn't lose weight - something the player still refutes. "I've never received a doctor's warning. That Chicago situation, man, that was rough," he said, shaking his head. But Sweetney also regrets the way he reacted to his environment on and off the court. "I regret that I didn't handle things in a professional way," he said. "I got upset with things that were said about my weight. I didn't like that the coach (Scott Skiles) was talking about it through the media. But I didn't handle it well. The only regret I had was not being professional." Sweetney now is listed at 275 pounds, though that may be an old number. He said he's lost 40 pounds, though he's not letting on to his actual weight."----http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/20090711mike_sweetney_seeks_gains_on_court/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deestillballin Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 enough said when Antione Walker is your work out partner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurbyFX Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 Walker is back in shape you hater. Celtics should sign Walker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWhiTex34 Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 Yea Toine is back in shape I heard also. But I don't want to sign him lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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