Why Vince Carter Sucks

Let me begin by saying in all honesty Vince Carter doesn't suck... he's just not very good and he's about to get paid millions more than he's worth. You might like Vince Carter and you'd have good reason. He scores around 25 a night, he pulls down 5 boards and hands out 4 assists per game. I think you'd be hard pressed to find many players who do that. You're also going to probably recall some highlight dunks and many a V-C-3 and say wow this guy is exciting, and he puts up great numbers what are you talking about the Nets can't possibly let him walk.

Well that's when you have to really start thinking closer about Carters game. Is he at all a factor defensively? 95% of the time the answer is no. How does he score those 25 points a game? Does he move without the ball like Rip Hamilton? Hardly. He takes the ball at around half court, everyone else clears out and he tries to go one on one hoping no one double teams. Invariably someone will and he'll occasionally pass the ball but most of the time force bad shots that occasionally go in. Take enough shots and the points will come, in the meantime your teammates including a very talented Richard Jefferson are left standing at the three point line hoping to get the chance to jack up a 3. He doesn't look to run very often even with kidd on the floor because he's simply not in that great shape. (see videos of him writhing on the floor with cramps on multiple occasions for evidence) Maybe if I'd never seen good basketball played i wouldn't have a problem with all this, but in the Nets two conference championship runs they won by playing good defense, running and having a fluid offense were everyone got involved. Watch the Nets without Vince Carter on the floor and they often look the same way.

If you want evidence of this look no further than the playoffs, the Nets beat the Raptors despite the play of Carter who layed a complete egg in the games in Toronto. He shot 13 for 43 or 30 percent in the first two games in Toronto and 23 for 65 overall in the 3 games in Canada. Even in the final game of the series when they closed it out in NJ the Nets won despite a 6 for 19 shooting effort from Carter. This of course goes to a fact that anyone who's watched Carter over his career knows: he just doesn't have the killer instinct, the heart to be a champion. Imagine if Micheal Jordan was so disgusted with a team that he forced a trade, how many points would he score a game against them? 60? 70? heck imagine even if Reggie Miller was in that situation. He'd hit three after three and tell the crowd what they could do with their stupid red t-shirts.

Despite these facts the Nets are going to give Carter his money, cause he's a "exciting" player and by that i mean he occasionally gets on Sportcenter and their dunce of an owner likes that. How much money? well the same money Dirk is getting, and more money than Amare Stoudamire or Elton Brand. Money well spent? i doubt it.