Baker officially suspended indefinitely

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

They announced at the top of tonight's broadcast that Baker has been 
indefinitely suspended for "noncompliance with his aftercare program".

There's no details on exactly HOW is out of compliance, nor has there been 
any word--even at the level of speculation--of what Baker's eventual status 
is.  The impression I got is this happened late this afternoon, and I think 
the C's are holding off any detailed discussion until tomorrow.

I feel for Baker, and had hopes that he would go the distance.  But I was 
also concerned that despite protestations to the contrary, the Celtics were 
expecting too much of Vin--or perhaps Vin's own expectations were too 
high.  Trying to simultaneously begin recovering from alcohol abuse AND 
mount a comeback to the NBA may have been too much, too soon.

If I look at this objectively, Baker is probably not going to be a Celtic 
for long.  While he may beat his problem in the long run, the fact is that 
Vin cannot be relied upon as a player right now.  Personally, I might offer 
him a deal--he gives up his contract for the rest of the season, and the 
C's resign him at a reasonable amount--probably the veteran 
minimum--contingent on him NOT playing, but spending his time recovering 
properly.  Bring him up as a warm body off the bench, and see where he is 
next season.

This has an upside for both the C's and Baker--if Baker gets it together, 
the C's might be able to regain some kind of inside game.  If not, they let 
him go with a clear conscience, having done their best to support 
him.  Either way, Baker's current contract is off the books, and he has a 
chance to focus on beating the booze.

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website