Ainge plans Baker's recipe for success

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ainge plans Baker's recipe for success

by Steve Bulpett
Tuesday, June 3, 2003







As he prepared to head off to the NBA's pre-draft camp in Chicago in search of
young talent, Danny Ainge had a more mature player on his mind yesterday. The
Celtics' new head of basketball operations has been keeping a close eye on Vin
Baker and his recovery from alcohol issues, looking to see whether the
6-foot-11 low-post man will be able to help the club next season.




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``I've had conversations with Vin, and everything's going good,'' Ainge said.
``Everything is moving in the right direction.''

Ainge is looking forward to getting a close-up view of the 32-year-old big
man, who has been undergoing outpatient rehab in Connecticut. He plans to work
him out as soon as his schedule allows.

``I'll see him after the draft, unless I can find some time before then,''
Ainge said. ``But I've talked to Vin and I know that everything is in place
and in order, from his workouts and his conditioning and his aftercare -
everything. I know that's all going forward, which is great.

``I just talked with (team physician) Dr. (Arnold) Scheller (Sunday) and I
talked with Vin last Thursday. So I'm keeping tabs on that.''

The plan has been to have Baker work out with the Celtics' summer league group
and perhaps participate in the Shaw's League here in mid-July. But Ainge was
wavering on that yesterday.

``I've kind of changed my thinking on that for right now,'' he said. ``I don't
think I'm going to have him in that camp. He's been working out hard, but I
don't think I'm going to have him do that. I don't know. I'm not sure. I
haven't decided for sure, but right now I'm leaning toward not having him come
to that.''

Asked if he's trying to avoid putting Baker under the pressure of playing
before home fans who have been vocally critical of him since his acquisition
from Seattle last summer, Ainge said, ``That doesn't have anything to do with
it. I just want to see what he's doing workout-wise and where he's at. And I
want to focus on some other guys around the summer league. But that could
change. If that's something I feel like he needs, then I would consider having
him come in for that. It's not like I'm set in stone on it.''

There was also a suggestion within the organization that Baker could be placed
on one of the free agent teams in the LA Summer League, but Ainge shot that
down.

``Those are no good,'' he said. ``Five games in that is really overrated. It's
more for younger players than it is to use for a conditioning tool. I mean,
you can get better conditioning doing other things than playing in a summer
league game. Sometimes you get bad habits.''

Ainge made it clear that Baker's shape will be the most critical factor in
deciding whether he can contribute to the Celtics next season and over the
course of the remaining three years on his contract.

``His conditioning's huge - a big priority for us,'' Ainge said. ``If Vin's in
good condition, then I think he can play.''

According to Ainge, Baker has hired a personal trainer in Connecticut to
conduct his workout program.

Celtics notes

General manager Chris Wallace will be accompanying the Celtics party to
Chicago this week, but there may be some non-Celtic business on his agenda.

Wallace has already spoken to the Portland Trail Blazers about their GM
vacancy, and sources said yesterday that Washington has made a formal move to
talk with him regarding a similar job there.

``I'm not sure what's going to happen with that,'' Ainge said. ``He's giving
me all the information he has (in preparation for the draft), but I know he's
still in the running for some jobs. He's talking to Portland and he's
exploring that opportunity, so who knows?'' . . .

The Celtics have hired Rich Gotham as executive vice president of sales and
corporate development.

Gotham, who formerly worked at media Internet company Terra Lycos, will
spearhead the Celtics' sales staff, overseeing all aspects of ticketing and
new business development.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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