If he came into the league in 2008, it would be a great feel-good story: Ex college star quits basketball for 10 years only to rediscover his love for the game and become a rookie at age 31. It would probably end up as a movie like that guy with the Eagles or that other guy with Notre Dame... a stirring depiction of personal courage and triumph. Vince Carter would be legendary.
VC makes my blood boil anytime I think of him. Here's a player that is every bit as talented as Kobe yet the disparity between the two players is shocking. The main difference between VC and Kobe, aside from that "edge" that Kobe has that VC doesn't, is that Kobe is just now starting to settle for too many jumpers whereas VC has been criticized for doing that for years. VC has always been prone to disappearing in the 4th quarter and shying away from contact. That's one thing you can NEVER say about the MJ's, Kobe's, LeBron's, etc. I don't think it's a stretch at all to say that if VC had the type of intangibles and toughness of the aforementioned that he would be one of the game's all-time greats. All the same, I don't think it matters if it's 1998 or 2008 -- he'll still be the same in that regard.
It's quite simple, VinceCarter does not have love for the game, plus he lacks the competitive spirit. He is as talented as the best of them to ever play the game, though he plays because he gets paid for it, not because he loves competing. I remeber after one offseason he stated he didn't touch a basketball, he said he never did in college either, said he just stayed fit chilling in his pool. That's not a guy who wants to be one of the best players in the game...
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I, for one, do not spend my vacation time trying to improve my job performance. I hate hearing people complain (I'm not saying that's what you were doing) about athletes who are normal people and are not driven by a single minded passion. That type of obsession is really not healthy, yet for some reason we admire/expect it from athletes.
That's a great point. I guess people think that basketball is not work and therefore players should do it 24/7. It was really funny to see people jump all over VC for that Carolina graduation, all he wanted to do was get his degree. The major black mark for VC was his last year in Toronto, when it was clear the franchise didn't want to pamper him he quit on them on the court. He instantly got rejuvenated when he got traded, the fans in Toronto deserved better. VC handled that all wrong, he should have done what Kobe did when Kobe was unhappy, bad mouth the GM, demand a trade, but still try hard on the court.
Vince has excellent hops, can run and is pretty solid laterally. However, when he's dribbling on offense, he doesn't have the elite change of direction skills when he has the ball. He relies on his first step and explosiveness to score at the rim. He also doesn't have a wide variety of moves or countermoves. And yes, I would say he chucks it more than Tmac does (the older Tmac) To top it off, out of the recent superstars of the last 10 years, I would have to say he is probably the softest defender and least committed of them all. Atleast Tmac was considered a "defensive" stopper early -Vince.......no defense at all. But obviously, he has the tools and size to be a damn good one
Wonder why Vince is always termed as no defense. He played pretty good defense everytime i see him play. Its just that he focused so much on offense, defense comes secondary to team needs. However, If VC is to start his career in 2008, I could just see him as another Gay or a Durant. Good scorer for a weak team and nothing else.
Sorry man, your job description does not fit that of an athletes.... if a player picks not to work that hard at work, its his choice, but he;s being a poor employee. (I don't expect him to be obsessed like Kobe and take 500 shots a day during the offseason, there is a fine line, all that's required is an effort to getting better)......A scenario for you.....if a max player, lets just say a guy named Tracy McGrady for example, spends 6 out of 7 seasons mainly injured, but then one offseason he spends ALL his time training ...which eventually leads him to becoming a superstar again....as a season ticket holder will you be pissed that this guy spent 6 seasons not giving a crap? Point is fans make an investment when they become fans....time and money. To a certain extent, fans have the right to complain!
All I have to say is that if he came to the league in 2008, can you imagine the 2009 slam dunk contest? I don't think Vince would be any better or worse than when he did come into the league. I think he's blessed with elite athleticism, but he's not blessed with truly elite basketball skills like a kobe, jordan, etc. I also think that there are people in the league that think basketball is a job they have to excel at. These are the superstars like Jordan and Kobe - they bust their butts and earn greatness continuously no matter how great they become. They strive to be better and everyone else gets left in the dust. I don't think Vince is in this league. He doesn't have the drive the greatest have, therefore he would never be on their level.
For a guy who never tried to get better, I'd say he has elite basketball skills. He just didn't try/work as hard as the guys you mentioned. I loved watching the guy play, he could have been way better if he ever gave a crap.
Gay or durant? This guy carried his team to the conference finals. He will have a great team this year. He can finally prove if he is a good or great player.
