Re: Suspension

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

"I'm not retiring. I'm not leaving the team. I'm not getting 
bought out. None of that. " - Baker 

Cecil, here is the Springer article on the suspension.  This
Baker thing gets curiouser and curiouser.  If alcohol was the 
sole problem, why wouldn't he just go for rehab?

Who knows, maybe there is hope yet of forcing him out.

Egg
-----------------
Baker facing suspension 

Sources indicate alcohol an issue; meeting today
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 2/27/2003  

Vin Baker will be suspended today by the Celtics to deal, in part, 
with alcohol-related issues, according to sources close to the 
situation. 
At a meeting this morning with his teammates and the coaching 
staff, Baker will address his future with the team. Baker will serve 
a team suspension lasting at least two weeks. While Baker did not 
discuss the agenda he had planned for the meeting, the Celtics center
said he is not retiring nor taking any form of buyout. 
The Celtics are expected to release a team statement today. 
''We're gonna talk about some things [today],'' said Baker privately 
after last night's game. ''Coach [Jim] O'Brien and I have some things 
we want to talk about. I haven't spoken to anybody yet. We're going 
to talk [today]. Communication is good. There won't be anything 
negative. It will be full of positives. I'm going to talk about my 
role. I'm not retiring. I'm not leaving the team. I'm not getting 
bought out. None of that. 
''There's no secret at all. Coach and I will talk about my role on the 
team and we'll talk about a few different things.'' 
Baker reiterated several times that he was not considering 
retirement or a buyout. Asked if he would be with the team for 
the remainder of the season, Baker said, ''Yes.'' His teammates 
appeared to know that something was going on with Baker, but no 
one was certain what. 
According to Baker, one of the reasons behind calling the meeting 
was to make sure his situation did not become a distraction as the 
Celtics make their playoff push. Baker added that he ''decided over 
the last couple days'' to meet with his teammates. Asked whether 
he or O'Brien called the meeting, Baker said, ''Both of us.'' 
Last night against the Pacers, Baker did not play for the third 
consecutive game. It was his fourth DNP-coach's decision this season. 
Since backup center Mark Blount arrived in a trade with Denver 
Feb. 20, Baker has not left the bench. It was a situation that was 
clearly difficult for Baker, who arrived in Boston this summer with 
high hopes and a four-year, $56.25 million contract. So far this 
season, Baker is averaging 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 18.1 minutes 
per game. 
His frustration was clear when he spoke to reporters before last 
night's game. Asked if this season could be described as a nightmare, 
Baker said, ''It's been somewhat of a nightmare for me. Again, it's God's 
plan. I'm going to keep working hard, keep playing, and hopefully things 
will work out in the end.'' 
The suspension and alcohol-related problems come at the end of an 
extraordinarily difficult month for Baker. He missed a home game 
against his former team, the Sonics, Feb. 5 with what was first 
described as ''lightheadedness,'' but later revealed to be heart 
palpitations that required an overnight hospital stay and a battery of 
tests. Baker spent half of the All-Star break wearing a heart monitor 
in an attempt to determine the cause of the palpitations. 
Baker met with Celtics owners and management Feb. 10 to discuss 
his medical condition before flying to Seattle and rejoining his 
teammates. His return to Seattle was marked by playoff-like media 
attention. He played one of his most aggressive games against his 
former team, but quickly found his role diminishing during the 
six-game road trip. O'Brien opted to start Walter McCarty at center 
when regular starter Tony Battie was unable to play because of 
personal issues and then illness. Baker's string of DNPs began with 
the last game of the trip, at Sacramento. 
''I think Coach O'Brien is one of the best coaches in this league right 
now,'' said Baker before the game. ''If he feels there's a certain 
situation that works, he's going to make it work. I can't really 
question him right now. Obviously, I want to be in the game. I want 
to play. I want to be a part of the situation, but that's not what's 
happening right now. 
''I want to be on the floor, but this is Coach Obie's program. I think 
he's doing an excellent job. We're in fifth place in the Eastern 
Conference. It didn't disturb me initially [when the team picked 
up Blount]. But not playing the last [few] games obviously has 
disturbed me. It's obviously been something that's bother me. 
''I'm preparing for playing and I'm preparing for getting back 
on the floor.''