The Vin Baker debate is getting rather stale. On the one hand, you have the bashers who will never forgive Vin for the past two seasons, never forgive him for accepting the money thrust at him by Wally Walker, & forever decry that he is as soft as his namesake -- the Pilsburry Doughboy. On the other hand, you have the Vin defenders constantly reminding us how the "new" slimmed down Vin is an integral part of this team. They point out that he is our only low post scoring threat; that his numbers prove he is one of the team's top players, & deserving of the "go to" designation; that all NBA players make obscene amounts of money, that it's not his fault he just happens to be the recipient of one of the MOST obscene contracts; & finally that we should all just get off his back & let him do his thing -- whatever that might be. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground as I have recently discovered in the PI forum; you either love him or you hate him.

If you critique Vin's game, you are automatically labeled a "basher". It's reminiscent of the debates which raged last summer over Payton on that same board. God forbid that you should suggest that Gary is anything short of superhuman. To do so is to take your life in your hands. That you like, support, & want Gary to remain a Sonic until retirement means nothing to some of these people if you as much as suggest that maturity may have come lately (if at all) to the Glove. What is it that makes people so two-dimensional like cartoon characters instead of real people? Why is it that you can't point out a player's flaws or weaknesses without being placed in the dreaded "basher" camp? I like to think of myself as being somewhere in the middle, a proponent of neither extreme.I pride myself on being objective; in being able to analyze players in shades of gray rather than always seeing things in black or white. But just as homophobes are afraid to broach the subject of their sexuality, for reasons known only to them, some people are afraid to discuss the flaws & weaknesses of their heros. To me it seems akin to worship. Anything negative denigrates or even desecrates the adored object of adulation.

Which brings us back to the subect at hand:Vin Baker. Vin is a gifted player &, the son of a minister, a fine person I am sure. But as with all of us as I'm sure Vin himself would admit, he is not without fault. While you've got to give the guy credit for reinventing himself this year in his former likeness, there are certain things which Vin is capable of doing which he doesn't. Foremost of these is playing tough defense. Vin has been around the league in general, & this team in particular, long enough that he never looks lost out there on defense like some of his younger & less experienced teamates. Rather, as many other guys with a scorer's mentality,he seems to "cut corners" in order to conserve energy for the offensive end. Let's face it, GOOD defense is all about hard work. Knowing the system & understanding basketball are part of the equation to be sure. But once you know these things as Vin does, the amount of energy you choose to expend playing defense is still up to you. The last two years you could have excused this lapse by rationalizing that Vin was just too out of shape to spend what little endurance he had playing tough defense, boxing out, & grabbing defensive boards. But this year it seems to be more a question of attitude. Granted each of us has a finite amount of energy, & we all devote that energy to the part of our game which we believe to be most beneficial to our team. Where Vin & I seem to differ is that I feel the Sonics would be better served if Baker concentrated on defense a litle more & scoring a little less. The NET RESULT is what's important. If you're a 20-10 kind of guy like Vin, but you give up a lot of easy baskets on the other end because you're conserving your energy for your own glory, how much good have you actually done your team? Does anybody besides me wonder if part of Nate's talk to Vin recently might just have touched upon this subject? Remember what a selfless, defensive-minded player Nate was back in the days he suited up for the Sonics? When he talks about "playing within the system", wouldn't you think he's referring not only to offense, but defense as well? It's got to gall him to see guys essentially resting on the defensive end. The league as a whole may have a lot of players leaning towards that style of play; but anyone as hard nosed as Nate is not going to readily accept ANYONE on HIS team dogging it on defense if he can possibly do anything about it.

Perhaps because of the lost weight & better conditioning, Vin has really picked it up on the offensive end this year. He's very active, particulary with the ball where he has primarily four moves. If he receives the ball on the high post or further out, he's more than capable of knocking down the open jump shot when facing the basket. He is NOT adept at, nor to his credit does he frequently attempt to slash to the basket from that position. With his size, he simply isn't fast enough. In the low post, which many consider Vin's favorite place to receive the ball, this year he's demonstrating a quickness many of us thought he'd never regain. Don't confuse this quickness with speed. Baker is not the kind of guy you want to toss the alleyoop as he barrels down the court on a fast break. This isn't the Shawn Kemp of old. Vin has essentially 3 moves from down low: his favorite, particularly from the left side where his body winds up shielding his shot from the defender, is to spin to his left towards the key & put up the running right hander somewhere from the free throw line on in. His second option is to spin baseline. Again, he seems to prefer the left side for this maneuver, probably because after spinning right, he can lean in towards the basket with his leading or right side to lay it in. He is slightly less effective with this move because of his slowness to recognize the double team freqently spinning directly into a second defender. However, he often somehow manages to split the two opponents, & because of his proximity to the basket, he makes a relatively high percentage. Still, one of my criticisms of him is that I wish he would AT LEAST glance at his teamates before making one of these moves to see if someone is SO wide open, they might be a better option. But Vin is so "zoned" into shooting, that all his concentration is directed at how his defender is playing him, & what he might do to counteract said defender to get off the best shot. The BEST players see more than just their individual situation & their teamates know it. When a guy is as motivated to score as Vin is, teammates recognize the unlikelihood of their getting a pass, & consequently don't move as well without the ball as they should when Vin is primed to shoot. The last option from down low for Vin is the turnaround, fadeaway jumper. I say last because Vin only resorts to this when the defense won't easily allow him one of the other two options. Unlike Karl Malone who first checks for cutters & other open teamates before taking a similar shot, Vin does NOT hit a very high percentage on the fadeaway. In fact it's only about 30% by my reckoning. It borders on selfishness, because even Vin himself seems to view it as a shot of last resort; but one he apparently would rather take than trying to find an open teamate with a better opportunity.

In conclusion, there are certain things we shouldn't even try to change about players. Vin is always going to be a finesse kind of guy who doesn't particularly relish conact or the thunderous dunk. He's just fine playing as he is as long as he realizes his limitations & plays within them as he seems to now. We can wish he'd go a little more aggressively to the hoop, but wishing won't make it so. The two things I mention above however -- playing tougher defense & seeing passing opportunities better -- are things he could definitely work on to improve the style of game he now plays. These thoughts don't make me a "VIN basher". I just want to see Vin -- & all the Sonics, for that matter -- do the most that they can do to help return us to those thrilling days of yesteryear ....

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