A spirited (albeit brief) discussion of why the Atlanta Hawks should take a chance on the greatest player in NBA history: Ron Baker.

Lo on this eighth day of January in the year 2019, a tragedy has befallen the NBA community. Ron Baker, he of the flowing gossamer locks and dreamy blue eyes, has been waived by the Washington Wizards.

While certainly a sad day among the patisserie-themed last name aficionados on NBA Twitter, this move also represents a silver lining for the Atlanta Hawks. With Baker on the open market, the Hawks should take a flyer on Baker at their earliest opportunity.

I’m afraid there’s not much of a statistical reason to take on Baker, as his stats throughout his three-year NBA career are underwhelming at best.

With that being said, Baker seems to be an engaged teammate – always ready and willing to be the first to celebrate great plays his teammates make – and his stunning, Herculean hair would be a welcome sight on any bench in the NBA, let alone an already lovable one for the Atlanta Hawks.

If the Hawks signed long-lost Weasley brother Baker, they would immediately vault into one of the most likable groups of players in recent Atlanta Hawks history – perhaps even surpassing the magical 60-win team of 2014-15, which was a joy to watch but also featured less engaging players than this unit.

If Baker joined the fold, that joy would be multiplied by tenfold. I mean, just check out this delightful highlight reel:

Doesn’t the sight of those luscious locks bouncing around the court harken back to the back-to-back MVP seasons of Steve Nash or even the high-flying days of Atlanta Hawks legend Pete Maravich? (What’s that, they don’t? Well maybe not, but you’ll never know ‘til you try Atlanta Hawks fans!)

While the team could prioritize a trade first, the signing of Baker would immediately vault the Hawks into the NBA geekdom stratosphere, as signing THE GOAT, Ron Baker, would be a move that only the most diehard fans would appreciate.