Courant article on Baker

[Tammo29@xxxxxxx]

Not much new but there is a picture of Baker going against Okafor.  He 
doesn't even look like the same guy.

Baker Sees Suspension As Blessing
 Spent Time Off Coping With Alcoholism

September 12, 2003 
By PAUL DOYLE, Courant Staff Writer 

STORRS -- As Vin Baker walked out of Gampel Pavilion Wednesday, a fan wished 
him well and commented on his performance against UConn players in an 
afternoon pickup game.

"You look great," the college age man said.

Baker smiled and nodded.

"I feel great," he said.

And for Baker, that may be the most important aspect of his attempt to revive 
his career.

More than six months after he was suspended by the Celtics, Baker has 
publicly acknowledged his bout with alcoholism.

In a story in the Boston Globe Thursday, Baker described himself as an 
alcoholic and said he is attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

He completed a 28-day rehabilitation program at Silver Hill Hospital in New 
Canaan and has been steadily working toward the season.

Part of his recent workout routine has included daily drives from his Durham 
home to Storrs, where he has played pickup games with college players and 
former college players.

A trimmer and quicker Baker - he says he has lost 15 pounds - has been 
regularly going against UConn's Emeka Okafor.

On Thursday, Baker completed a game at the UConn Field House before running 
sprints. He declined to speak to The Courant, and an adviser said Baker has 
trepidation about continually recounting his troubles.

But when Celtics training camp opens next month in Waltham, Mass., Baker is 
sure to be bombarded with questions about his problems.

"It's difficult, but he's excited about the future," said Jay Nkonoki, the 
executive director of the Vin Baker Stand Tall Foundation and a Baker confidant. 
"It's good news. It really is. Hopefully, people will see it as such."

Baker told the Globe he began binge drinking during the 1998-99 lockout, 
during which he fell out of shape and gained weight.

He also said Celtics coach Jim O'Brien confronted him in December and January 
after smelling alcohol on Baker's breath during practice.

On Feb. 27, Baker was suspended by the team. After initially denying that he 
had a problem, he entered the program at Silver Hill and says he has been 
sober for six months.

"The Celtics, the organization, cared for me as a person," Baker told the 
Globe. "The suspension gave me a chance at a new life, gave me a new lease on 
life, gave me a new chance at my career. I know a lot of people view the 
suspension as an ax job and `he's out of here.' But I didn't view it as that. I viewed 
it as a chance that they gave me to change my life. Obviously, now six months 
later with not touching a drink, I can see clearly how that gave me a new 
lease on life."

Said Nkonoki: "It's been impressive because a lot of people would have been 
bitter about the [suspension]. He looked at it as, hey, this is God's plan. He 
feels blessed. He's excited about the future, and he's excited about the 
opportunity."

Baker, a former All-Star and Olympian, began to see a decline in his game 
after returning from the lockout four years ago. When he signed a seven-year, $87 
million contract with the SuperSonics in 1999, he became an instant target 
for fans and media in Seattle.

There were reports that Baker was depressed, although he told the Globe that 
he has never suffered from and he is not being treated for depression. Those 
who know Baker well say he is sensitive and often hard on himself, so the added 
pressure of his contract may have sent him into a funk.

"He always put an enormous amount of pressure on himself," said Jack Phelan, 
who recruited Baker out of Old Saybrook High and coached him at the University 
of Hartford. "He wanted to do so good, so badly that he was his worst critic. 
He's very tough on himself and that, along with all the talk about [his 
contract] ... it's been tough for him."

Baker spent much of March commuting daily between Durham and New Canaan. He 
played little basketball until returning to the University of Hartford for 
pickup games in May, and he traveled to Miami and Las Vegas for pickup games this 
summer.

He also attends AA meetings a few days a week and talks to his sponsor every 
day.

"I feel like, in the last six months, I've come full circle and come back to 
the person I was before all this started, before [my career in] the NBA 
started," Baker told the Globe.

During his games at UConn, Baker has acted as both competition and mentor for 
Okafor.

"That guy's a pro, an All-Star," Okafor said. "While we're playing, he'll 
tell me things, what to do, what not to do. It makes me just that much better."

Matching up with one of the best players in college basketball for a few 
weeks may be just the preparation Baker needs. He has been forgotten by media and 
fans in Boston, so expectations are low.

"If he's healthy, he can really help Boston," Phelan said. "I guess the best 
thing for me is that his state of mind is good and he's feeling good about 
himself. If he is, he can still play in that league." 

http://www.ctnow.com/media/photo/2003-09/9370836.jpg




TAM