Seattle perspective on tonight's reunion

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Locked On Sports: Baker playing same tired act in Beantown

By DAVID LOCKE
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Be careful tonight. He is back, and on a television near you. Parental
guidance is suggested. He may cause intense reaction. Pure disgust is
common. Hysterical laughter may occur as well. 

Fortunately, he will appear in a limited role only. If you are not watching
at the right time, you might even miss him. If you follow the ball, you will
definitely miss him. 

It is almost impossible to watch without noticing that one man is going at
half the speed of all the others. His package of inadequacies is hard to
avoid. 

No, "he" is not Joe Millionaire. Millionaire, yes; average Joe, no. 

He is the plodding, lumbering, slumbering and, of course, bumbling No. 42.
Thank goodness Vin Baker is wearing Celtics green tonight and not Sonics
green and gold. 

Look out. Baker is red hot. He is coming off one of his best nights in
months -- eight points and five rebounds in a 103-96 loss to Charlotte
Monday. 

That type of performance may put him in the running for most improved player
of the month. Compared with his three previous games, in which he went 47
minutes without a basket, eight points and five rebounds is electrifying.

An eight-point night is a highlight for Baker. He has surpassed that vaunted
mark only eight times this season. Compare that with his 15 nights of two or
fewer points and you take your accomplishments where you can get them.

Baker has had all the explanations and excuses. He didn't understand the
offense yet; the referees were unfair to him; he was just getting his legs
under him; and most recently, with two superstars (Antoine Walker and Paul
Pierce) he doesn't get the ball enough. 

It all fell apart last week when Walker, who averages 20 shots a game, was
out with an injury for four games. This was Baker's chance. But, in those
games, Baker scored (not averaged) a total of 10 points while committing 13
fouls. 

It may be hard to fathom, but the disaster that is Vin Baker's career has
moved from AOL-Time Warner category to a complete Enron debacle. 

It doesn't get much worse than crying about spending all 48 minutes on the
bench during a 33-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 10.

In the NBA, some players are referred to as 20-20 players. Their team must
be down by 20 or up by 20 before they ever leave the bench and get into the
game. Against Dallas, Baker wasn't even a 30-30 player.

Now, the former All-Star is only making "SportsCenter" for his follies, not
his flushes. ESPN's next ad campaign may be "Without sports, how could we
mock Vin Baker."

Monday night on "SportsCenter," Bill Walton said, "I used to be able to
soar, but then I turned 50, had 32 operations, endless stress fractures, two
fused ankles, but I can still play better than Vin Baker."

To say Baker hasn't contributed would be unfair. He is seventh in the NBA in
technical fouls. 

We can't ignore his contributions to the community. He is heavily involved
in a Dunkin' Donuts promotion with the Celtics. It's true. Even I couldn't
make that up. 

In Seattle, he ripped the heart out of the locker room. That will be much
harder to do in Boston, given he plays only 18 minutes a night and is the
eighth man in the rotation. 

Last year, the Celtics went to the Eastern Conference finals; this year they
are 26-22.

Does this sound familiar? "If we want to be winners, we have to do it for 48
minutes. It has to come from everybody. We can't have one or two out there
with fire inside and another two or three without it." 

No, that is not from a Sonics player last year. It is from Pierce, the
Celtics All-Star who made that comment Monday night. 

The catastrophe will be live and in technicolor tonight. But stay on guard,
because next week Baker will be jogging from free-throw line to free-throw
line on the KeyArena hardwood. 

And you know what? I don't think I can handle two Baker sightings in one
week. Tonight is enough; I am taking next week off so I don't have to see it
live.

David Locke is host of "Locked on Sports" from 7-10 p.m. weeknights on
Sports Radio 950 KJR-AM. His column appears Wednesdays in the P-I. You can
e-mail him at Davidlocke@clearchannel.com.