Vin Baker - First Impressions
Why Vin Baker? Zack Burgess' Slam story reminds me of the first time I really became aware of Vin's basketball potential. The first time I actually saw Vin play was in his freshman year at the University of Hartford against Dartmouth University. I was scouting Dartmouth's Walter Palmer, who would eventually become Utah's second round pick in the 1990 NBA draft. My first impression of Vin was no impression. He played limited minutes in the game and I didn't notice him or his game. I saw him in the summer of 1991 at the World Juniors in Edmonton. USA coaches were raving about him, but again he failed to impress me. I'm not the only one who saw Vin and wasn't impressed. He attended Jim Calhoun's camp at U Conn when he was in high school, and Calhoun did not even recruit him.
Zack Burgess' Slam Magazine article asks the question that everybody wants to know. What happened? Here's Vin's take on what happened:
“I think I experienced success way too fast,” Baker says. “I’m a tremendous competitor, which obviously got me to where I wanted to be as a basketball player. I wanted to get to the NBA, and I got there, but success came very fast for me. Once I experienced it, I think I kind of lost my lust for it. Not to say that I didn’t compete every night, but making the All-Star team four times in five years—after being cut from the basketball team in high school in the ninth grade—was overnight success. Within a span of eight years, I was an NBA All-Star. That’s a tremendous jump for anybody. It’s not exactly the Michael Jordan story, but it’s a story. I don’t know if I was necessarily ready to handle the success that God had given me at the time.”
Vin is the classic late bloomer. Success did happen quickly for Vin Baker. He went from a gangly 6'7" high school recruit who was lightly recruited and played sparingly in his freshman year at Hartford (avg. 4.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg), to a force in his sophomore year (averaged 19.7 ppg and 10.4 rpg). I would finally notice Vin's potential at the beginning of his sophomore year (11/22/1991) when he played against the University of Connecticut. How ironic is that! After the game, I thought he was the best player on the floor. Here are my first impressions of Vin Baker:
Saw him at the World Juniors in Edmonton .. USA coaches were raving about him, but he did not live up to expectations in game situations. He is long. Good quickness defensively. Has the ability to turn it on - raising game to another level. Basketball education needs to catch up with physical abilities. After seeing him play against Connecticut, I now see why the USA coaches were salivating at the mouth. If he decided to come out this year, he would be a 1st round pick. If he was available at our pick, I would beg you to take him. He has come out of nowhere. Lightly recruited out of high school. Attended Calhoun's Camp at Connecticut when he was in high school and they did not think enough of him to recruit him. Was around 6'7" or 6'8" in high school. I saw him play his freshman year against Dartmouth and did not notice him--played limited minutes. Should be a lottery pick by his senior year. Not entirely happy at Hartford. His coach is a poor teacher. Sat by Dartmouth coach at this game. He said that he has made great strides each year. Improving exponentially. First 10 minutes, single handedly kept his team in the game. Scored 13 of his team's 15 pts. during this period. His coach opened the floor to start the game off and let him create on top of the floor. Very good ball handler. Can create own shot. Fired up for this game. Intense--meeting the challenge. Very quick for size. Long wing span. Long legs. Good coordination. Body will fill out. Potential to have a strong body. Likes to go right off the dribble. Has quick pull up shot. Good hands--makes tough catch. Holds his ground well on defensive end. Shot blocker--has excellent timing. Does not get faked off his feet. Does a good job of providing offside help to teammates. Can shoot off the dribble, but has a tendency to lean into the shot and shoot off balance. Has to learn to plant feet and square up to the basket. Reminds me of a bull in a china closet. Great talent, but needs to be corralled and taught. Everyone says that he is eager to learn. Father is a preacher. Needs to improve rebounding. Little lazy checking his man out and
attacking the boards. Would like to see him attack glass harder. "Very comfortable at the wing position. Ability to catch the ball, plant, and go to the hole. Has quick feet and good footwork. Very reactive--quick jumper. Nice release from FT line. Has a lot of creativity to his game. Exhibits good control of his body. Gets low. Utilizes feints. Had a great reverse pivot and pullback move off the dribble for a jump shot. Able to adjust shot in air. Does a decent job of sealing and getting wide and low in the blocks. Needs to work on finishing 8-10 foot shots. Became worn down as the game progressed. Vincent truly excites me. The raw ability is evident. With our total program, Vince has the potential to be an All-Star in the League. 34min 5/18FG, 1/3 3pt, 6-10FT, 5R, 7B, 1A, 17pts
I saw Vin in his junior and senior years at Hartford. The Milwaukee Bucks picked him 8th in the 1993 NBA draft. He made his first NBA All-Star team in 1995 and would become a four time all star. Then the bottom fell out. Most attribute his descent to being traded from Milwaukee to Seattle. Alcoholism and depression took hold of him in Seattle. Listen to Vin's own take on What Happened in part one of a three part interview (do your own clicking to listen to Parts 2 & 3) conducted by Stan Simpson:
You've listened to Vin's side of the story, but you just know there are other sides to his journey. Why did the Milwaukee Bucks decide to trade their three time all-star? Was it solely because of money, or did they know Baker's frailties as a person and an athlete?
Here's a quote on a NBA forum about Vin:
"I also know what happened in the Chris Ford led locker room and how it ultimately led to Vin being traded. Again, a very different take. Vin after every game would give his size 18 shoes away to kids waiting outside the bc parking lot. These kind, yet trivial displays were all just Vin's attempt to manipulate public perception. Vin didn't have an alcohol problem while in Milwaukee, but he had an agenda problem and was extremely selfish and disruptive and was ultimately traded because of it."
One person's view, but I had heard that Vin's downfall actually started in Milwaukee and that they were happy to be getting rid of a player who had become a problem child. Found this enlightening article from Peter May of the Boston Globe that alludes to Vin's problems with Ford and quotes Paul Westphal's thoughts on Vin:
''It was a lack of professionalism off the court,'' Westphal said, when asked about Baker's problems in Seattle. ''Given the events of the day, I think it's pretty obvious what we're talking about. You can't gain 50 to 60 pounds in a year without something going on. We tried to deal with it.''
Excerpt from a Mitch Lawrence article about a blowup between Ford and Baker:
"The Bucks have gone into tailspin, losing to the Spurs, Clippers and Hawks, in the wake of a brutal Chris Ford-Vin Baker blow-up in Dallas. After Milwaukee's win in Reunion Arena, Ford still ripped into his players because he thought they didn't play hard enough. Several players warned Ford, one of the big yellers around, to calm down. "Let it go, coach," was the way they put it. When Ford didn't, the 6-10, 244-pound Baker came back with hurricane force. The ensuing swearing match got quite ugly and resulted in Ford slinking off like a whipped dog. "Vin cut the heart out of Chris Ford right there," reported one player. "Since then, he's hardly even talked to the team."
What happened Vin? That question will always be omnipresent in Vin's life, but a more pertinent question is what is Vin doing to impact the present? Coaching a freshman team at his former high school is one thing that Vin is doing to regain his center and that fact was my main motivation in writing this blog on Vin. Enjoy Vin's half time talk to his team. Enjoyed listening to Vin going Knute Rockne on them and I wish him nothing but the best in the future. The image I will always have of Vin Baker is the passion he played with in that game against Connecticut. He had something to prove to Jim Calhoun that day and I hope he finds the same type of drive to prove something to himself for the rest of his life.
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