Sweet, sweet music

[Peter Delevett <pdelevett@xxxxxxxxx>]

Anybody else see this in Bulpett?

"A medical retirement this season still would allow
Baker to be paid the remainder of his contract (nearly
$44 million in the next three years) and would remove
him from the Celtics salary cap after next season.
Insurance would pick up the lion's share of his
remaining contract."

God, what a perfect solution for everyone. Baker can
ride into the sunset, take care of his family, not
have to subject himself to the pressures & ridicule.
He clearly seems to have lost his fire for basketball,
whether or not he'll admit it to himself. I know some
players, like say Derrick Coleman, stick around
forever even when they've obviously lost interest in
playing, because the money's so tempting; but come on,
Baker's gotta realize that the way things are going
now, he'd be lucky to get a minimum deal from anybody
after his current contract expires. Take a year off,
see if the passion returns, play yourself back into
shape in the ABL or something ... or just launch that
scintillating second career as the son of a preacher
man or whatever.

And the Celtics, ah, they could ... well, I don't know
exactly what. Would the cap allow them to sign anybody
else even w/o Baker's freight? I mean, Walker & Pierce
get paid a lot ... I'm unclear how it works if a team
that's already over the cap clears salary but remains
over or close to the cap. But still, not having to
worry about Baker's sideshow, not having to deal with
any more reminders of the Kenny/Rogers deal, that
would surely be worth the loss of whatever oncourt
asset Baker potentially represents.
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