March 26, 2010

Can Vince Handle the Pressure?



As a good Canadian boy, as Don Cherry calls em, I've always hated Vince Carter's guts since he quit on the Raptors back in '04. I loved how he carried the Raptors to their highest point, facing Larry Brown and Allen Iverson in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, putting up massive averages of 27, 7 and 5. I was watching when he threw down those insane dunks at the beginning of the new millennium, setting the dunk contest up to be a disappointment for the next decade.

But once he quit on his teammates, I could never see him in the same way. I can understand quitting on Rob Babcock and Sam Mitchell, but giving up on a young Chris Bosh, a still hardworking and effective Jalen Rose and some of the great character guys in this league (Bonner, MoPete and Donyell Marshall) is just unforgivable.

So why am I excited to see this man I can't stand go to the playoffs with the Magic?

Because he is going to crumble like a stale muffin once the Magic are out of the first round.

Early in his career, Vince's skills let me overlook his clear character flaws. He quits when he doesn't see a benefit for him, he never looks like he even wants to be there and I never believed for a second that he worked much harder than Iverson in practice. It didn't matter to me as a teenager, the man was a god in Canada. I can overlook character flaws in supremely talented players (Mr. Bryant, I'm looking at you) as long as they don't effect the team. But once they start hurting the team, it becomes an entirely different issue.

Bill Simmons' book The Book of Basketball features a considerable amount of Russel vs. Wilt talk (and a lot anti-Vince talk, too.) Simmons paints the picture of Russel constantly rising against all odds and Wilt Wilt-ing (check one for bad puns so far) on the biggest stages possible. Meeting in the Finals a few times, with Russel having Wilt under his thumb the entire time.

Now let me change the topic a little bit.

If you asked around the league who the two players who have (or had) the best chance to be the next Air Jordan, I'm betting you would hear a lot of players, coaches and GMs tell you it has to be Vince or Kobe.

Does anyone see where I'm heading with this?

Just like Wilt and Russell, they came in the league a few years apart and they both played the same position. when you compare the two sets, a lot of similarities arise past this.

Both Russell and Kobe have never been traded from their first team, are notorious for stepping up in the clutch moments and has a competitiveness unmatched by any other player. They both maximized their potential as players by constantly working on their games and playing the game the right way. While Kobe might have some problems with his ego and connecting with teammates, no one can ever say he didn't put enough effort forward.

Both Wilt and Vince have been traded in their prime multiple times for scraps (fill in details) and are known to have a passive approach to the game. They both were better known for having bigger concerns than basketball, for not having interest in basketball except for personal gain from their ridiculous talent level. Vince might not have the teams that Wilt had, but for being heralded as having one of the highest ceilings by many scouts, winning the ROY and being an All-Star in his second season, he sure hasn't been in the playoffs much.

But despite all this, not many people would argue that Wilt could have been better than Russel or that Vince could have been better than Kobe.

The issue was never athleticism or talent.

Not size or IQ; not their teammates or their coaches.

It was their unwillingness to co-operate and play a team game, inability to apply themselves to the game, and lack of desire for winning.

That's why I think that no one should be surprised is Vince falls through in the clutch, when the players who have invested their lives in the game start to shine. Kobe will be grinding his heart and mind on every possession once everything is on the line, just like Russell. Meanwhile, players like Vince and Wilt who just went through the motions with their unparalleled talent will fall apart. It all makes me think of when Russel said to Wilt - "No one in the world but me knows just how good you are", and if Kobe meets Vince in a Finals rematch I think Vince could be hearing some similar words.

3 comments:

  1. Great comparison in the middle there.
    I'm not expecting Vince to "fold" so much as: cause the Magic to be ineffective against the other Top 3 in the East and then not even be noticed enough to take blame.

    Man he was a bitch...

    Oh and going on 3 days with no post. Just sayin.

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  2. Kobe was actually traded from his first team the Charlotte Hornets to the Lakers on draft day

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