It doesn't hurt that the Sonics are generating enough excitement to breathe new life into a fading national interest, but these Sonics have a torrid win percentage of .760 after 17 games, hence I'm sold two hundred percent.
The Sonics have discovered a lineup that has a present and future. A lineup and rotation proving to be more dangerous then anything the Sonics have put on the floor in six years.
Nevertheless, Baker will be back in uniform soon and there are countless wonders on what to do with him; or even if his return to the lineup should be considered a good thing.
There is a certain canard that the Sonics would simply be better off without Vin Baker on the team; a notion that doesn't follow much logic from a basketball perspective at this point, but has its merits financially.
Leaving the financial ramifications out of bounds, the Sonics probably aren't just simply better off without a half court specialist like Vin Baker, especially if it can resist falling back into old routines on how to use it.
There is a certain fate that becomes of NBA teams who decide to jettison their big man in favor of permanently smaller lineups. These were teams like the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks who witnessed themselves come from the dead the moment their lane clogging big men were injured and off the floor.
Seattle is fairly giddy over 13-4, but the New York Knicks simply ran through the Eastern Conference without Ewing, entering the playoffs the 8th seed and leaving it Eastern Conference Champions and NBA finals participants.
Their success at small ball was enough for them to finally dispose of Patrick Ewing, clearing the way for what they thought was the next era of Knicks basketball.
Not only did the Knicks immediately regress back to .500, they degenerated so far below it, I can finally get Knicks tickets. The Knicks, the Sonics' final stop on their 4 game Eastern road swing, sit at the bottom of their division, desperately searching for what they traded away -- a big man.
The Knicks' situation (along with the Rockets' decision with Olajuwon) isn't precisely what is going on in Seattle. There are key distinctions that make our situation different.
However, with the trade market being as weak as it is and the Sonics' complete lack of continuity over the years, unless a no-brainer presents itself suddenly this summer, the Sonics might be better off standing pat and keeping Baker to solidify their lineup.
He still proves to be a formidable foe for teams like the Lakers and will continue to be useful in many situations.
Having understood that, a change is still coming.
No way does this team go back to what guided it to 18-22. When Baker gets ready to come back, the Sonics, Baker, and media guys like Nunyo Demasio who allude to the Sonics success being more fluke then fact, all will need to realize a "new batting order" is imminent.
Where Baker will fit in, and when does McMillan make the change are the only concerns still pending because the 'Why' is already obvious.
Fitting Baker back into the lineup will prove to be a strategic dilemma of sorts because its unclear if Baker can actually fit in. Usually the Sonics have to fit in around Baker. Usually the game plan is catered around Baker; shot distribution facilitated largely through Baker; and how successful this team is subject largely on Baker.
The Sonics certainly have the option to continue to go to the post as much as it can produce, get Baker his 20 points and the Sonics win about half the time. Otherwise, Baker has to learn how to be relatively useful, without limiting the opportunities of his teammates' offense.
It can be done.
Earlier in the year, Payton was another player facing the same challenge. Questions arose, with myself leading the way, whether he would be able to fit in with the game plan -- a plan that supposed to also feature the young guys, but often left them totally out the offense. The necessity of the change is now self-evident. Gary has turned it around and not only has fit in with the youngsters, but has found ways to continue to be dominant, and the Sonics are better for it.
Vin Baker, in concert with Nate McMillan, will have to make similar adjustments. Still realizing his importance, he and Nate now have to reinvent the game plan and himself into something that solidifies and adds another dimension to what we have going now, without subtracting anything from it.
Baker cannot and should not take this the wrong way; his comeback is no longer about himself. This is no longer a "prove to the world how valuable Vin Baker is" tour. Taking nothing away from Vin Baker, to date he has had a very solid season.
I fully anticipate his return to be politely acknowledged by his teammates in the form of a "welcome back game", where teammates unnaturally go out their way to get the returning player his touches, whether off the bench or otherwise. I'm not so sure if this would be the best thing, but its somewhat unavoidable unless McMillan specifically instructs the team not to.
Probably the best thing would be for the Sonics to forget the reception and waive him out of the post and relegate him to setting screens, and rolling to the top of the key and out of the way.
Welcoming him back in a sympathetic "all you can eat" fashion could partially negate the effectiveness and continuity of what's going on now. To preserve the style of play the Sonics have manufactured since his injury, McMillan should be careful when and how long he needlessly inserts Baker into the first few games back.
That should likely exclude him from starting, but what'll be more interesting is how the Sonics finish games -- more importantly, with whom.
Jerome James has been a savior on both ends, and with the vacancy at center, all indications suggest James would be on the floor when it counts most under most situations.
Baker has been a long time lock to be on the floor at crunch time, and also is an instrument the Sonics would consider putting out on the floor down the stretch. Add that to the fact, McMillan has been hesitant to use Radmanovic late in some games due to so little NBA experience, but also to keep a promise to bring the forward along slowly, despite frequently being put in a position to make a crucial shot at the end of the game.
That would leave with James and Baker, a lineup that we might otherwise refrain from. No longer is it the versatile lineup that helps gather the Sonics close to 30 assists a night; the lineup that forces big men out of the paint to guard 3 point shooters; or the one that forces over 10 steals a night.
We'd effectively be finishing games with a less speed, less defense, less long distance shooting, and with more predictability.
Suddenly crunch time is similar to the lineup that saw the Sonics go 18-22.
There are questions there. But the optimism is, if the Sonics utilize their quick lineup, which has a penchant for blowing teams out over 3 quarters, if it hasn't worked by the near end of the 4th, it's precisely why we would need a Vin Baker.
All opinions expressed in this column are solely the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of other columnists or staff of Sonicscentral.com