Re: Boston Globe - Martins, Shaughnessy

["pmaurice" <damekmo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Peter Delevett <pdelevett@yahoo.com>

> with Toine and/or
> Pierce on the bench, guys will naturally look for
> Baker as one of the few guys out there who knows how
> to put the ball in the bucket, and as that progresses
> his confidence will grow.

Peter, I couldn't agree more. I think that O'Brien is handling Baker
perfectly. The last thing you want to do with that 6'11" slug is let him
think you expect great things out of him. You tell him he's coming off the
bench and that he's only ever the first option during garbage time. If the
team wins he's just another cog in the wheel. If the team loses, it's never
his fault. Big things were expected of Vin Baker when he went to Seattle and
when he couldn't perform up to those expectations - and he never will
again - he just gave up. He became a whiner and a quitter. He was expected
to be a difference maker in a conference full of talented big men. They were
depending on fat Vinny to power them into contention. Oh my god, did he suck
and living out here in the northwest I can testify, that yes, I saw with my
won eyes a weeping tub of goo give up on the baksetball court night after
night after night. I hate Vin Baker. I hated him in Milwaukee. He's the
perfect example of a guy who put up good numbers but it just doesn't matter.
But what are you going to do? Here he is. How to rehabilitate the guy? If
anybody can get Vinny to actually be an effective basketball player in a
limited role to help a team win it's OB. Look what he did for Kenny
Anderson.

Paul M.