BOSTON (AP) Vin Baker is expected to miss his 10th consecutive game Thursday night, a mark that could allow the Boston Celtics to terminate a contract that was to pay him $35 million more over the next 2 years.

Baker missed two months and the playoffs last season after he checked into a rehab center to treat alcoholism. He agreed at the time to follow an aftercare program this season and submit to frequent testing.

But Baker failed to comply with the terms of the agreement at least three times, and was suspended indefinitely on Jan. 23. The team has not disclosed the nature of the violations, which could include a positive test or refusal to take a test.

Only the doctor overseeing Baker's care, approved by the team and player, can determine if he's ready to return. But the agreement said that if Baker wasn't back within 10 games, the Celtics have the right to terminate his contract.

``We continue to wish him the best, but other than that we're not commenting,'' Celtics spokesman Bill Bonsiewicz said Wednesday from Chicago, where the Celtics were preparing to play the Bulls.

Baker, who said he began binge drinking during the 1998-99 lockout, was suspended Feb. 27, 2003, and didn't play again last season. But after treatment he returned in better shape and determined to make it up to his teammates.

He scored in double figures in 21 of his first 35 games, but then his production dropped off again. He totaled just 12 points in four games before being suspended for three games, then played in just two of the next five games before being suspended again.

The 6-foot-11 Baker was the eighth overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1993 draft. He averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds over his last two seasons in Milwaukee before he was traded to Seattle for the 1997-98 season.

His first season in Seattle showed only slight dropoff, and he was good enough to be picked for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team. But by the time the Sydney games came around, his play had deteriorated to the point where he was rarely used.