Vin Baker

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

Lots of good stuff in the Globe and Herald today, including the first really
critical, on-target criticism yet of Chris Wallace (by Peter May).
Apparently at some point, things become so obvious you can't avoid them any
longer.

I'm going to talk about Baker because he overshadows the game last night
(nice win, though). Do you see now why O'Brien didn't make him any more of a
focal point than he did? Do you see why he made Vin a bit player? The minute
you start to rely on Vin Baker, you're finished. I'm disgusted with the guy.
Apparently there was speculation yesterday that Baker was contemplating
retirement. We should be so lucky. We're stuck with this embarrassment for
three more years after this. There is no trade out there. There is no
contract that is worse. There is nothing to do. At this point, I'm hoping
they remove him from the rotation completely and actively encourage him to
retire. Maybe that's harsh, but the guy is stealing money.

The only person I'm more disgusted with is Wallace, of course. Baker is here
only because Wallace brought him here. Wallace made that choice. It's really
mind-boggling. I honestly can't remember a dumber trade in the history of
sports. What a disaster. He has condemned the Celtics to the worst fate you
can suffer in the NBA-mediocrity. They're good enough to make the playoffs,
but we all know they're not good enough to win a championship. They've been
lapped by the Nets and Pacers, and other teams in the East are closing the
gap. There won't be anymore high draft picks. There's no cap room. What you
see is what you get. Get used to 45 wins and early playoff exits. Maybe
that's enough for some fans, who were so tired of the years of losing. But
it's not enough. Not for the Boston Celtics. They play for championships.

It takes the fun out of games like last night. You can enjoy them for what
they are, but you always know how this ultimately is going to end.

Mark