Shira and Vin Go Mansion Hunting

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There's love in Shira's eyes for the Vin Man......

Fit and trim, Baker ready to fight for a spot
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 10/3/2003
WALTHAM -- Vin Baker was back in a Celtics uniform and back with his teammates yesterday for the first time since being suspended Feb. 27. He sounded confident as he answered questions about his ongoing recovery from alcoholism. But above all, after "training like a fighter," Baker was eager to get back to playing basketball.

"My biggest thing is getting on the court and just playing," said Baker. "I said originally that I have a new lease on life and a new perspective on life and, obviously, a new perspective on my career. I just want to get on the floor. It's really not about proving myself. I know a lot of people are going to be watching and I've prepared myself for that. I'm glad that all eyes are going to be on me because I'm looking forward to the challenge. I think I'm going to help my team. I think my teammates are going to help me and I think it's going to be a win-win situation for myself and the Celtics this year."

Baker wants the Celtics to see him at his best, to give his teammates the support on the court they deserve. But the 6-foot-11-inch, 240-pound center/forward has not set statistical goals. He simply wants to help the team improve. He will control what he can on the court, but playing time is up to the coaching staff. Coach Jim O'Brien views Baker as a new player.
"I expect Vin to be one of the best-conditioned athletes to start camp," said O'Brien, who spoke publicly about Baker for the first time since the suspension. "I expect leadership from him, added low-post scoring, a much more effective defensive player, a much more effective rebounder. In short, I expect him to be like a new player for us, like we just went out and were able to sign a free agent that is the type of Vin Baker that we saw in the past. How quickly he'll be able to acclimate himself remains to be seen. But I think we'll see a strong addition in Vin Baker.

"His conditioning program will have him in pretty good basketball shape. He certainly has to get acclimated to the game of basketball the way it is played by the Boston Celtics and that will take some time."
Baker will look to his teammates for support throughout the season. He said that part of his therapy is being with his teammates and coaches every day. Baker hopes to show them how much he has changed with his effort on the court. Yesterday, even before the first full-squad practice, Baker's teammates sounded ready to welcome him back.

"Vin is an All-Star in this league and very capable of continuing to be an All-Star in the league," said Antoine Walker. "We need him to play to the best capabilities that he's able to play. Obviously, playing time is going to be a big issue for Vin. He's got to get the playing time that other stars get for him to produce on the court. But if he's on top of his game, it could be scary. We could be a very good basketball team. We could be a very dominant team in the East because he could give us a low-post presence that we've never had before because he's capable of scoring big numbers on the block and rebounding at a high level.

"I'm happy for him because he had a tough situation he went through and bounced back so quickly in a five- or six-month span and that's a tribute to him," said Walker. "I'm happy to see him smiling again and happy to be here. I'm looking forward to spending some time with him. He was a good friend of mine when he left the team last year, so I'm happy to have him back, to see him healthy. Obviously, he does look great. That's a tribute to him. He owes it all to himself because he went through the trenches by himself."
) Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.