WALTHAM, Mass. -- Vin Baker's critics in Seattle said the veteran center had lost desire for the game over the past few seasons as his numbers faded and his weight swelled.

Now, home in New England -- a change of scenery he had long sought -- Baker is playing down suggestions that his desire has waned or his skills, which made him a four-time All-Star in Milwaukee, have faded.

"I definitely don't think I had a problem with confidence. My confidence is at an all-time high,'' Baker said Tuesday when he was introduced as the newest member of the Boston Celtics. "Before I had three dislocated toes last season I thought I was playing my best basketball in the past three years.''

Baker and guard Shammond Williams, traded to Boston Monday for Kenny Anderson, Vitaly Potapenko and Joseph Forte, see the deal as a shot at an NBA championship.

Baker, entering his 10th NBA season, called the trade "the best day of my career.'' The native of Old Saybrook, Conn., who played at the University of Hartford "hoped and dreamed'' of playing in Boston, "but I didn't know if it was going to happen.''

Baker's happiness is genuine, Celtics general manager Chris Wallace said.

``There's not a player in the league right now who is more ecstatic about leaving one situation and going to another,'' Wallace said.

Baker, 30, averaging 16.9 points and 8.2 rebounds in his career, was drafted by Milwaukee in 1993. He spent four seasons with the Bucks, making the All-Star his last three years with the team. Baker then played the last five years with the Sonics, making the All-Star game in his first year in Seattle.

Last season, he averaged 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in 55 games, 41 as Seattle's starting power forward. But those numbers represented a substantial decline from his years with the Bucks.