". . . we have two scholarships left''

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

At this point, C's savor Baker deal: Now must replace Kenny 

by Mark Cofman 
Wednesday, July 24, 2002


Much of the NBA community views the Celtics' acquisition of Vin Baker as a 
major gamble. 

Baker is a maximum-salary player who is four years removed from his last 
All-Star season. He has four years left on a seven-year, $86 million 
contract.The Celtics view the deal, in which they shipped Kenny Anderson, 
Vitaly Potapenko and Joseph Forte to Seattle for Baker and Shammond Williams, 
as a major gamble, too. But for very different reasons.

``We've lost something that is certainly not insignificant in Kenny 
Anderson,'' Celtics general manager Chris Wallace said yesterday at a press 
conference to introduce Baker and Williams at The Sports Authority Center in 
Waltham. 

``Kenny had his finest season in probably the past four or five years, and he 
was a big part of this team reaching the Eastern Conference finals. It's 
certainly difficult to part with him.``But Kenny will be 32 years old at the 
end of this season and he's in the last year of his contract. There's no 
guarantee that he was going to be with us beyond this season. So we lose him, 
we've lost (free agent) Rodney Rogers, we'll probably lose Erick Strickland, 
but we bring back Vin Baker and Shammond Williams, who I don't think people 
around here know much about except the real hard-core fans. But Shammond can 
really light up the scoreboard and create shots off the dribble. He's a real 
gym rat.''

Williams' affinity for the gym notwithstanding, the Celtics are going into a 
season without a bona fide starting point guard. Therein lies the real gamble 
from the team's perspective. Williams, summer-league standout J.R. Bremer and 
veteran Tony Delk will be among the candidates at training camp, with the 
Celtics likely to sign another point guard that slips through the cracks of 
what has become an extremely tight free agent market.

``Right now it'll be by committee, but we have two scholarships left,'' said 
Celtics director of player personnel Leo Papile, referring to a couple of 
roster spots that must be filled. ``Remember, Shammond is a pretty good 
player. It's like the NFL when you don't get a lot of snaps in games. All of 
a sudden you throw a touchdown pass on Sunday and people are wondering why 
you don't play that much.

Asked if Williams could be effective playing 25-plus minutes, Papile said: 
``I don't see why he's not. But that's not to say we won't see what's out 
there and make a move after the fallout in the market. Remember, last year 
Strickland came here on Halloween.''

For their part, Baker and Williams said they were overjoyed with the trade, 
which actually decreases the Celtics' payroll by roughly $1 million this 
season. Baker, who has four years and $56 million remaining on a seven-year 
contract, answered a variety of questions ranging from his days growing up in 
Old Saybrook, Conn., to a lasting image he created during the lockout season 
as overweight and overpaid. Baker also addressed the assertion that a few 
subpar years in Seattle had destroyed his confidence. 

``I definitely don't think there's any problem with my confidence,'' said 
Baker. ``My confidence is at an all-time high. Before the three dislocated 
toes last year just before the playoffs, I thought I was playing the best 
basketball I had played in the last three years. So my confidence is still 
there, and I feel I can be a terrific player here, helping a team that was so 
close go even further this time.

``I'm going to work for the next two months to get ready for the season. 
Right now I'm about 260. My playing weight is about 255. By the time training 
camp arrives, I should be right around or under 255.''

If Baker is in shape and can even come close to resembling the player he was 
in Milwaukee and during his first few years in Seattle, the Celtics will have 
a low-post scorer who can rebound unlike any they've had during Wallace's 
five-year tenure as GM. The Celtics' braintrust believes a chance to 
rejuvenate the 6-foot-11 center-forward far outweighs the risks in taking on 
his hefty contract. 

As far as the point guard situation is concerned, stay tuned.   

CeltsSteve 

"Life Is a Bowl of Gumbo. Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much!"