By Frank Hughes
The News Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS – Seattle SuperSonics coach Nate McMillan was very succinct in analyzing his team’s 108-83 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
And he wasn’t kind.
“The inconsistency that we are seeing, it should not happen from professional athletes,” McMillan said. “These guys are pros. You are called pros for a reason. You are supposed to give effort every night. And the inconsistency that we are getting from some of our guys is unprofessional.
“I don’t know the reason for it. It’s been this way for the last couple of years. I put it on our veterans to get this going, and play with intensity each and every night.”
If you weren’t reading between the lines, those were thinly-veiled criticisms of Vin Baker.
Particularly the part about “the last couple of years.”
Baker has, for the most part, played well this season. But insiders knew the real test was going to come on the road, where he has struggled in the past.
In Tuesday’s game at the Target Center, Baker got into early foul trouble – two of his first three fouls were offensive – and he played only four first-quarter minutes. As the game continued, he never established the post presence that McMillan is demanding, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes.
McMillan noted with anger that Minnesota (11-5) had 16 offensive rebounds and scored 25 second-chance points. Also, the Sonics rank last in the league in defensive rebounds.
“Until our post guys start being more physical in the paint, (and) rebound the ball and not wait for the ball to come to them, we will struggle,” McMillan said.
Of Baker’s offensive fouls, McMillan was not sympathetic.
“You got to fight for post position,” McMillan said. “It is too easy to take away our post stuff. Until we get more aggressive getting into the paint and fighting for post position, so we can establish something in the paint, you get offensive fouls and you play a perimeter game.
“And we couldn’t get anything down in the paint tonight.”
Point guard Gary Payton said the reason the Sonics (9-11) have lost eight of their 11 games by at least 10 points, and two by more than 24, is the team’s youth and the resulting inconsistency.
It was pointed out to Payton that Baker is in his ninth season and, at 30, is not exactly inexperienced.
“I can’t just say it is Vin,” Payton said. “This is a team game. That would knock some things off if we did get a post presence … but that don’t get it. It is a lot of us that need to play basketball.
“I can’t just say Vin is the main reason. There are 11 others of us that need to play.”
As for Baker, he said his poor performance – which included five turnovers – is not for a lack of effort.
“Teams are playing me different,” Baker said. “It is hard in this league to just walk people down every single night. They are going to front you, they are going to double-team you with the new zone rules. It is hard to just walk people down and get in the post. It is not a lack of effort because I am trying hard to get down in there.
“The irony is I got two offensive fouls by trying to get as deep as I can in the post. It’s not a lack of effort in trying to get there, because they are basically putting me on the bench when I try. So it’s a Catch-22 with me. I am trying my (butt) off … but then I am picking up offensive fouls. So it makes me that much more tentative to go down.”
The result of Baker’s inside absence was that the Timberwolves were able to double-team Payton whenever they wanted. Payton scored 15 points (eight below his season average) to go with six assists and four rebounds.
But when it was suggested that he was shut down by Minnesota’s Wally Szczerbiak, Payton bristled.
“You let me play Wally one-on-one and you see what happens,” Payton said.
McMillan agreed. Vehemently.
“When we are not rebounding and we are not scoring, defensively (they) are able to do some things,” he said. “The (Timberwolves) keyed on Gary tonight, and we didn’t establish anything in the low post. Most defenses are geared to stop Gary, and they had a wall on. There was nowhere else we could go with the ball. It is easy to contain a guy when there is no where else to go with the ball.”
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