FIrst off, the MLE was used, be happy. Most teams don't use it.

Second, the dude only wants to play here, at 3mil, thats nothing in this league.

And last, the guy just had a valve repaired in his heart. Not people with his condition experience bouts of fatigue.

This guy will be the comeback player of the year. He will double-double every nite.

I wish i was as optimistic as you guys but every year Baker and his agent rave about the progress he's made in the off season. How he's in the best shape of his life and alcohol free! Ive heard it all before. If we trade Kurt i want Sweetney to get the majority of the minutes at forward, not Baker.

Aren't there any younger, better players who can be signed by offering them the full MLE?

It's still too much, precisely because of the risk that he could relapse.

Just because other teams overpay players, it doesn't mean Isiah should. The MLE is one of his few assets. Why waste any portion of it on a player who is over 30 with a history of substance abuse problems, that didn't play particularly well for the Knicks? Baker isn't worth it. If he doesn't want to play for the LLE, let him walk.

Layden overpaid players all the time. I was hoping those days were over.

i think the length of the contract is what i object to & not so much the annual salary...3 years is alot to commit to for a recovering alcoholic...i would much rather go on a year by year basis, or at the absolute MOST a 2 year deal w/a team option for a 3rd w/provisions that would void his contract if he had a relapse.

He's 30+ with a ton of question marks and is already collecting big money on another contract. He only had one other suitor (cavs) who just traded for Gooden. Giving him more than half the MLE when he has very little leverage is a mistake when there are younger players out there that we could sign. I hope like the rest of you that he can turn it around, but I agree with Rich that it's more risk than reward at this point.

One more time. ++

THe guy had an UNDIAGNOSED HEART VALVE PROBLEM AND HAD A MAJOR SURGERY TO REPAIR IT. HE WILL RECOVER 100%! THIS CONDITION LEADS TO BOUTS OF FATIGUE. IF YOUR AN ALLSTAR PLAYER WITH THIS CONDITION AND THE WORLD IS COMING DOWN ON YOU FOR "LAZY" OUTPUT ON THE COURT, THAT ALCOHOLISM GENE SWITCH GETS TURNED ON AND ITS A BAD SPIRAL FOR HIM. VERY BAD. THIS GUY HAS BEEN THRU HELL, AND A HIGHLY PUBLIC CELTIC LAWSUIT TO KILL HIS CONTRACT. THIS IS A GOOD GUY, NOT SOME CRASS IDIOT. HE IS WORTH ROOTING FOR.

IF THE SURGERY IS THE CULPRIT TO HIS FATIGUE,AND HE HAS KICKED THE BOTTLE, THIS GUY CAN BE A MONSTER AGAIN.

AT 3 MILLION, THIS COULD BE A BARGAIN. MUCH LESS RISK THAN PAYING 68MILLION TO DAMP! DAMP HAS A REP FOR BEING LAZY AND ONLY MOTIVATED BY MONEY. OUTSIDE OF VIN'S BOOZE AND FATIGUE, HE IS AN ALLSTAR WITH SKILLS. DAMP HAS NEVER ACHIEVED THIS!

FOR ONCE, LETS ROOT FOR THIS BEATEN DOWN FORMER ALLSTAR TO COME HOME, PLAY FOR THE ONLY TEAM HE CARES ABOUT, AND SPUR HIM ON TO THE COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR INSTEAD OF WHINING ABOUT DEJAUN WAGNER AND DREW "THE PARTY ANIMAL WHO UNDERACIEVES" GOODEN.

Calm down Nalod. BTW, the heart surgery thing was only picked up by 1 paper and people in Vin Baker's camp denied that it happened. We really don't know what happened there. And besides, no one is not rooting for him if he re-signs here. I think we all hope he can trun his life around.