NBA Profile

Vince Carter is in the news again, for all the wrong reasons. This once highly-touted superstar, riddled by injuries at the start of his career, is once again being criticized for being soft.

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of every Toronto Raptor fan yelling, “I told you so.” When Vince made his departure from Toronto several seasons ago, he wanted a new start, somewhere with stability.

In a few seasons with New Jersey, he has won nothing but has beaten his former team countless times, once with a memorable buzzer beater and, more importantly, in last year’s playoffs. Carter was ineffectively effective in that series, but the Nets did manage to advance past the Raptors.

Fast-forward to this year – Vince Carter is once again being called out for his lack of hustle and being content with passing and taking long-range bombs. Granted, Vince Carter is still a very dangerous option on any team, but criticism from other coaches is certainly unacceptable.

In his first year of a new contract, Carter is shooting well below expectations. He’s shooting 44 per cent from the floor, 32 per cent from three and a measly 79 per cent from the line. He’s averaging 5 less points and 0.5 less rebounds this year in comparison to last and teams are taking note.

Recently, Phil Jackson praised the work ethic and commitment of Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson but changed his tone when asked about Carter. He said Carter seems to just be “playing” and adds it is not “with that fire that Jason (Kidd) seems to imbue in his game.”

With that said, is it really any surprise? In Toronto, Carter pulled the same stunt. He got his money, was deemed “The Man” and just fell off the face of the planet before his tasteless departure. He lashed out at the media when he was asked where his drive was – literally, and then proceeded to play with more intensity when he was traded.

It looks like the same old song and dance in New Jersey. When things don’t go his way, Vince seems to turn it down a notch and recede back into mediocrity. Instead of being “Half-Man, Half-Amazing” he becomes Half-Sulk, Half Headache.

I wonder who really got the worst of that Carter trade now.

The Raptors are on the rise and the Nets have accepted their place as nothing but an average team in the NBA.

Somewhere Rob Babcock is smiling. 

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...