More on Baker, from Seattle, and it's not good

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

Apparently some on the list feel I'm beating a dead horse, but I feel it's
completely relevant. This is an excerpt from a Frank Hughes column in the
Tacoma Tribune:

Sources say Baker's teammates are aghast at the erosion of his game, and
marvel that he ever was good enough to earn the contract he did. It doesn't
help that Baker continues to use the excuse that he is struggling because he
still is familiarizing himself with Boston's defensive sets. After all, how
long could it take a nine-year veteran to learn how to play defense?
It has gotten to the point, those around the team say, that everything that
happens adversely to the team is blamed on Baker, even if it does not seem
to be his fault.
--- --- --- 

See, this is why it matters. This is what Vin Baker does. And this is
exactly why O'Brien was smart to not try to force-feed Baker minutes he
didn't deserve. He knew Baker couldn't be counted upon, and he didn't want
to give the rest of the team the easy scapegoat. The guy is a team-wrecker.
That's why all this matters. Because it's only going to get worse. O'Brien
should park him at the end of the bench.

Mark

P.S. One more thing... Professional sports are a brutal, hard, competitive,
dog-eat-dog world. It's not built for the weak-minded. Someone may be
perfectly nice away from the game, but that same niceness is a weakness on
the court. And someone may be a complete ass off the court, and those same
qualities make him a heck of a player on it. Baker is getting eaten alive.
You can hear it in the voices of guys like Cedric Maxwell and Bill Walton.
Some guys are warriors, some are weak. Vin is weak, and there are few things
worse in sports. Of course, none of this was a secret-to anyone but Chris
Wallace.