Vin Baker saw best of Giannis with Bucks, now they arrive to Heat 'to do something really special'

MIAMI — From the moment the agreement was reached on June 22 to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, the singular goal by the Miami Heat has been to create a connection.

The roster was reshuffled. A welcoming gala was staged. Relocation was assisted.

But there also was a constant that the Heat hope will create the type of connection that led to a championship and two Most Valuable Player seasons.

That connection is Vin Baker, the 54-year-old four time former All-Star who was at Antetokounmpo’s side as a Bucks coach the past eight seasons in Milwaukee and now will be alongside as the lone offseason addition to Erik Spoelstra’s Heat coaching staff.

Thursday, less than a week ahead of the start of the Heat’s first training camp with Antetokounmpo, Baker made clear that a new Giannis era is about to begin with very familiar Giannis goals.

“I think obviously like any athlete who gets traded at that level, it’s not about his performance and him leading the league and scoring,” Baker said during a video interview from Kaseya Center. “It’s not that. He understands his legacy is wrapped up in winning championships. So, there’s a level of excitement. There’s a chip on his shoulder. Being here in this organization, an organization that’s won it before and been to the finals in recent years, he’s excited.

“You take any athlete who’s been in a situation before with a chance to win a championship with a new team, and it’s just a bunch of excitement, and he’s no different than anyone else who’s had this opportunity.”

While Baker’s tenure spanned the tenure of four coaches in Milwaukee, the timing of Antetokounmpo’s move made the timing right for this move of his own.

“Obviously, having the relationship with Giannis played a massive part in coming here and being a part of this organization,” said Baker, whose NBA career spanned 13 seasons. “So it was basically the relationship that I’ve had with him over the last eight years.”

Once the Antetokounmpo deal was done, Baker said he spoke to Spoelstra and Heat President Pat Riley and decided the time was right for the move.

“It’s an ideal time for obviously me and obviously the big fella and this organization,” Baker said. “We get an opportunity to do something really special.”

Baker said when he returned to the NBA as a Bucks assistant in 2018 after leaving the NBA as a player in 2006, he never envisioned this enduring relationship.

“I kind of assisted a little bit on the side and really looked on, before I became one of his active player development coaches, and Giannis has a couple of them, it’s not just me,” Baker related. “But I took on a mentoring role before anything else, and we just became really close personally. Like I’m the one player development coach that he has that’s officiated his wedding.

“So he’s like a son to me, and I think he would share the same sentiments. We just have a special bond that goes beyond basketball.”

In that regard, Baker stands as a bridge between Antetokounmpo’s past and his future.

“Again, our relationship kind of goes beyond basketball,” he said, “and just very fortunate to be here, part of this journey with him and hopefully win another championship at some point.”

Having found a way to endure amid the Bucks coaching changes from Mike Budenholzer to Adrian Griffin to Joe Prunty to Doc Rivers, Baker said he appreciates not stepping on toes as he moves into an established Spoelstra staff. The irony is that Baker actually played against Spoelstra in 1992, when Spoelstra was at the University of Portland and Baker was playing at the University of Hartford.

“I’ve been under four coaches since I’ve come on the coaches’ side, and Jason and Coach Bud with Adrian and Coach Doc the last couple of years,” Baker said. “So I understand the decorum and I understand what it is to be an assistant coach. I want to chime in and want to let the other coaches do what they do best, as well. So I have a great understanding of that. I’ll offer what I can offer. The players don’t want me to sit on the side and not say anything, and neither does Coach Spo and the rest of the staff.

“This has been a great, great month for me being here learning the staff, learning the organization. So I’m confident in what I can bring, obviously. But I’m also confident in working with the other players and with the staff. The thing that makes this a bit easier for, I think, all of us involved is I think the level of expectations and kind of who I’ve come here with.”

As in arriving with Antetokounmpo, a player Baker said who still carries a fire that burns championship bright.

“He’s the hardest working pro I’ve ever been around,” Baker said. “He has a level of expectation for himself and certainly for the organization. When we were in Milwaukee, he wanted to come back and win a championship every year. And talking to him over the summer, this is no different. He feels there’s a tremendous opportunity here.

“When I was traded from Milwaukee to Seattle (in 1997) and the chip that I had on my shoulder going from Milwaukee to Seattle, I expect with all his great talents and all his great preparation, adding that chip on his shoulder, it’ll be a special year for him and certainly a special year for the organization.”

_____