In the wave of Carter-bashing so common these days it has been easy to forget about how good this guy was, and how quickly he got there...Hampered by injuroes and unwise efforts to play hurt the last couple of years, Carter has had little opportunity ( dunks over Duncan aside) to remind people what a special talent he is in the What Have You Done For Me Lately world of the NBA, but contrary to current opinion, Carter was among the 10 players ( actually top 6, but who'se counting) NBA GM's said they would build their teams around before the injuies, not just some guy who could dunk once. But he is back...he is attacking the rim agains nightly, and playing better, more aggressive defense than he everhas during the regular season...and he's playing team ball to boot. The latter was never a legitimate concern about Carter, unlike the first two; he was never in the Iverson/Jordan/Kobe realm of taking shots, and was often criticized for being too deferential...He isn't completely healthy yet, but is already soaring above the rim unlike few others, and again contrary to popular belief, is expected to fully regain the ability to jump that he always had before; to wit, better than anyone else ever... But back to what he's doing now...Lost amid the otherwise terrible and injury plagued season is this one shining light; Carter is coming back..In his last 10 games he is averaging well over 27 pts./game while astoundingly shooting over 60% from the field... Add to that the fact that the Raps horrible season has them currently sitting 3rd in the lottery, well within range of the likes of James, Milicic, or Anthony, and Carter might get the 2nd star he has never had, but whom everyone needs to win. Being both a Rockets and Raptors fan, assuming the lottery goes reasonably according to probability, I can look forward to the future in the NBA with all kinds of excitement.
Carter is a good player. The hatas are just ashamed of their own dirty mitts on the hype machine. Dude really needs some help, though. How'd you like a Yao/Carter mix, instead of Yao/Francis? Don't worry, it won't happen. Still, in the realm of pure speculation, the ball moves better to and from the post from the wing than top of the key or elbow.
I like Carter. I hope things turn out well for him and I wish him all the success he can get. The Raptors have some decent players on their team, they just need to get healthy. Having a healthy Lamond Murry on the team this year would have really helped them out. If the Raptors can get one of the top 3 picks in the draft that would be huge for them. They just need another star level player to combine with Carter.
Today against the 76ers, while playing the majority of his minutes under the point guard position, Carter... 1. Scored 22 points. 2. Shot 75% from the field (10/13), 100% from the line (2/2). 3. Dished out 9 assists. 4. Commited 0 turnovers. Impressive numbers there...
And the Sixers are among the better defensive teams in the league...I'm telling you, he's gonna be huge again, probably as early as next year.
