Bobcats' rookie Walker plays catch-up

It's a relief to Charlotte Bobcats rookie Kemba Walker that the lockout is ending, because he had no interest in playing abroad.

Walker's agent, Jeff Schwartz, inquired about that option as the lockout dragged on..

"I really wasn't thinking about any alternatives," Walker said Friday, following a workout at the Bobcats' practice gym. "He asked me, 'Would I be willing to go overseas?' but I said no. I didn't think I'd be able to do that."

Walker, the star of Connecticut's national-championship run, was drafted ninth overall by the Bobcats. Owner Michael Jordan advocated that pick, saying Walker's competitive nature reminded Jordan of himself as a player.

Walker worked out at Time Warner Cable Arena for the first time, along with several new teammates -- fellow rookie Bismack Biyombo and veterans Tyrus Thomas, Gerald Henderson and Matt Carroll. Ex-Bobcats Derrick Brown and Dominic McGuire also played, as did Charlottean Anthony Morrow, now with the New Jersey Nets.

Walker demonstrated the stop-and-start mid-range game he used at Connecticut. That's where he spent most of the off-season -- on UConn's campus, playing pickup games. Walker said he has some catching up to do, after the lockout cancelled summer league and banned contact between NBA coaches and players.

"Very difficult," Walker said. "Getting to know (new coaches and teammates), and getting to know the organization, hasn't happened. That was pretty difficult, and after a while I started to get really frustrated. I want to play basketball, I want to get to know the city, I want to get to know everyone."

Walker said the only things he knows about coach Paul Silas' plan is a desire to run more and an interest in playing Walker and D.J. Augustin together some. That would make for a quick, but quite small, backcourt.

"Of course it will be hard for us defensively at times, but as long as we stay tough and play together," Walker said. "We just have to trust in our defense and trust in the guys behind us to help."

Notes

Biyombo spent much of the lockout in Tampa, Fla, working with former NBA and Temple center Marc Jackson to improve his low-post scoring game. Said Biyombo of Jackson: "He really pushed me to be a monster down there under the basket."...

The Bobcats hope to have more veterans in Charlotte next week to scrimmage in preparation for training camp Friday. The Bobcats have five veterans under contract who weren't at the practice gym Friday: Augustin, Corey Maggette, Gana Diop, Boris Diaw and Eduardo Najera...

Carroll will be in New York Wednesday, as the team's player rep at a union meeting to review the collective bargaining agreement proposal. A positive vote Thursday opens training camps Friday. The NBA plans five season-opening games on Christmas Day....

The revised NBA schedule comes out Tuesday night. The Bobcats announced they'll play two preseason exhibitions, a home-and-home against the nearby Atlanta Hawks. The game in Charlotte is Dec. 19 at 7 p.m., and the Bobcats plan to give free tickets to those 14-and-under on game day. The game in Atlanta is Dec. 22....

Expect Bobcats radio to be back on WFNZ-AM 610 this season and for Scott Lauer to return as play-by-play announcer. The television team of Steve Martin, Dell Curry and Stephanie Ready will return...

Funny note from Carroll on how long it's been since the practice gym was available to players: Carroll drove halfway from his house to Time Warner Cable Arena Friday before he remembered he no longer had basketball shoes waiting for him in the locker room.