Baker's washout in Boston is no NY homecoming. Real commitment to Vin in seeking help other than low post help NY could use.....make no mistake about that

Posted by metra:

And i doubt we can get Baker for under 5mil / year. After having a 30mil contract, i dont think he'll settle for less than a million. Plus, its not like other teams dont want him. Theyre gonna bargain.

metra...please do some salary research. What team has cap space right now (because the mid level is below $5M) that wants to take the chance on Baker?

Baker will be lucky to get $1M for this year from any team.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/story/164597p-144231c.html

Isiah likes Vin, mum on Tim

By FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

LOS ANGELES - Isiah Thomas acknowledged that he is interested in signing Vin Baker, but the Knicks president refused to confirm that he had spoken to the Bucks about a deal that would send Keith Van Horn to Milwaukee for Tim Thomas.
"That's a rumor and at this time of year you hear a lot of them," Thomas said yesterday.

In order to make a Van Horn-Thomas swap work within the salary cap, other players would have to be added or the Knicks and Bucks would have to include a third team. Thomas and Van Horn were traded once before, on Draft night in 1997.

The trade deadline is Thursday and the Bucks are somewhat reluctant to make a move that could mess with their chemistry. Thomas, on the other hand, is committed to revamping the Knicks' roster and wants to add athleticism.

Thomas also wants to add a low-post scorer, which is why he has expressed interest in Baker, who was waived by the Celtics on Friday. Baker is expected to clear waivers on Wednesday and then would become a free agent. Baker has told friends he wants to play in New York.

"I wouldn't rule anything out at this point," Thomas said.

THE ANSWER IN HOUSTON? The hottest rumor circulating around the All-Star Game is a potential deal that would include Philadelphia's Allen Iverson going to Houston for Steve Francis.

The Sixers are looking to break up their team, while Francis has fallen out of favor with the Rockets after missing a team flight so he could attend the Super Bowl.

GARDEN MAGIC: Magic Johnson confirmed he was approached by the Knicks about becoming their team president before the team hired Thomas in December. Johnson also said he was thinking about hiring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as head coach had he taken the job.

Instead, Johnson said, he told the Knicks, "I can't do it now, so hire Isiah."

Originally published on February 15, 2004