Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 12:00 pm  |  65 responses

Vince Carter, Welcome to Struggles-Ville

by Marcel Mutoni

Vince Carter, in more ways than one, is all alone these days. Jason Kidd bolted for Dallas last season, and Richard Jefferson is now in Milwaukee.

He’s the only star left on the team, the Eastern Conference has only gotten tougher, and with seven new players (and a host of youngins) on the New Jersey Nets squad, the artist formerly known as Half-Man Half-Amazing has his work cut out for him.

Deep down inside, he probably knows that this will not end well, but publicly, Carter is putting on a brave face. From the Star-Ledger:

“The big old kid,” he called himself. “It’s one of those things, and I accept it with open arms.”

[...]

“I never questioned what they’re doing, and I definitely wanted to be here,” VC said. “It’s the way it goes. It’s the business of basketball. Sometimes guys get moved who didn’t want to, and sometimes guys are thrown into a deal. All those different types of things happen. You have to accept it and I’m going to make the best of it. This is my opportunity to step up and be a leader on and off the court.”

At nearly 32 years old (I can’t believe he’s that old either), he’s going to step up become a leader. Riiight. Where do I sign up for Nets season tickets again?

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  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    i dont give a damn what all you haters say, vince is still that dude.

  • SeanB

    firstststttt

  • SeanB

    DAMIT TARZAN

  • riggs

    he should go to houston and reunite with his cousin, i still remember when there would always be a VC highlight or top 10 play each week

  • http://www.freewebs.com/betcats BETCATS

    2nd what Tarzan Cooper said?!. I cant belive i am agreeing with him! But the Nets will be very intresting, the equavlent to Golden State East, but Lawerence Frank is still a bad coach.

  • Pic

    i think its actually good to hear him saying all the right things

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    On what he knows about Yi Jianlian: “I did see him dunk on Sean Williams at Milwaukee. I do remember that. Ask Sean.”

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    if you think about it, vince has never had a good coach in the league, and only had a decent team a few years.

  • http://slamonline.com Chris O’Leary

    I’d rather see Vince do the right things than talk about doing them.

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com DP aka D.Polo

    The nets will be alright in a couple of seasons. Carter being there actually helps CDR out a lot. He can learn how to play the 2 and the 3 while under Carter’s wing and he will eventually take VC’s starting job once he is through with it all. 32? damn, where does the time really go? LeBron, 23? Wade, what is he like 26? Kobe, 30? hot damn. play wit it.

  • adams

    Vince Carter is irrelevant.

  • B. Long

    @Tarzan: Didn’t Lenny Wilkens coach him in T-Dot? He’s got a pretty solid record.

  • http://www.freewebs.com/betcats BETCATS

    Dp i updated the website in a updated type of updating way.

  • k.o.

    yea, lawrence frank must have been coaching vince to settle for fadeaway jumpers instead of driving and getting the and 1 like he can on any given play

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com H to the Izzo

    But VC isn’t the person you want tutor your best up and comers is he?Especially if the person he’s helping is a diffferent position and maybe not that important of a prospect to begin with,I mean CDR is a nice player but will never lead a team(will be happy to eat my words on this one),I would not want Carter to start teaching him the art of the iladvised three and advising him to cut penetration from his game altogether.Hopefully he’ll turn into old Vince,or at least try to play like old Vince instead of playing like Reggie Miller.The Nets are in a good position though,they have plenty of young talent and with a few additions could be good sooner than people might think.And lawrence Frank is a bad coach,a very cad coach indeed.

  • http://talkaboutsport.blogspot.com TalkAboutSport

    It truly is a shame…VC never was traded onto a championship-caliber team. Hopefully the younger folks on the Nets will be able to help him – he has some good help from CDR (I agree with DP). Anyways if he wants to regain his fame – he should probably focus on making highlight reals by doing some loco dunks of the backboard during games.

  • http://talkaboutsport.blogspot.com TalkAboutSport

    VISIT MY BLOG AT: talkaboutsport.blogspot.com

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com DP aka D.Polo

    Aite BETS let me check it out before I start my report. and Talkaboutsport, enjoyed your blog.

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    hey, everyone check out my blog. click my name

  • http://www.another48minutes.blogspot.com Gerard Himself

    I really hope CDR will get playing time this season. But he will play either SG or SF, so tough to find minutes for him. I can’t explain why, but I think if this guy gets minutes, he can be a very productive player for the Nets. And although I don’t hate Frank, I don’t think he will give CDR minutes.

  • http://www.freewebs.com/betcats BETCATS

    Tarzan i went to your site now you go to mine site because i went to yours. D Polo is even on it. D Polo!!

  • KA

    dang, I forgot that vince is same age as me. man, his rookie season now feels like ages ago. funny how amongst his peers, Paul and Jason he’s looking the odd one out not to win a championship.

  • Mendel

    Well we knew he threw in the towel a long time ago

  • Deeves

    Mendel, you don’t know what you are talking about…

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com DP aka D.Polo

    D.Polo is a mothaf*cking problem. He’s not the president but he sees cops behind him. and personally BET, I like the 4oz in the 20oz sprite and I’m floating. I love my doctor.

  • http://theghostofroyhobbs.blogspot.com Mo Charlo

    My site’s good too, guys! Tarzan, I guess you’re asian? And talkaboutsport, you need to change your title, because you don’t mention NFL (fyi).

  • http://theghostofroyhobbs.blogspot.com Mo Charlo

    Just thinking about Vince back in the day is enough to make a tear come to my eye. I thought he had it back with that funk he had on Zo 2 years back, but I remain depressed.

  • Mike C

    I hope Vince has a comeback year this season. No one, including MJ, has ever made my jaws drop like Vince did during his first three seasons..

  • tike

    Damn i forgot all about VC man dudes ben M.I.A no doubt about it…i also feel terribly bad for him as well hes all alone with virtualy no help…poor guy

  • tinchek

    oh the glory toronto days…sigh
    if he wasn’t such a lazy ass he would have been the best player in the league after lebron and kobe! sigh…

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    d polo, where you at? po, po the fo in gatorade, watch me lean in the shade…….

  • Exile

    I’ve seen this flic before.

  • Exile

    Moreover… I didn’t like it the first time.

  • Ryan.T.

    He has no other options, so he’s forced to step up now. I can see him rising to the occasion.

  • http://www.alllooksame.com Tarzan Cooper

    m from the south i got them diamonds in my mouth……..cuz thats how it is in the lone star state with a cup full of barre and a candy car and we jammin on a Robert Davis grey tape…

  • Dave Kamin

    Listen to this, just think about it…
    Shane Battier,Mike Harris,Luther Head and the newest Rocket Ron- for VC.
    You get a great mentor, two talented young players, and an expiring contract. perfect.
    Just think about it.

  • http://idunkonthem.blogspot.com/ albie1kenobi

    right, so the rockets can go from great D to non-existent D, and have half the team missing games due to injury. they may as well change the team name to Houston Rehabs.

  • B. Long

    Vince and Melo should date.

  • tealish

    I honestly think Vince will breakout this year. Expect 26/6/6. But then again, those numbers aren’t far off from his statlines of previous years when he was being hailed as the worst superstar of all time.

  • B. Long

    @Tealish: Numbers aren’t his problem.

  • tealish

    Yes, misconceptions are. Dude went out and said in an interview what was probably true for 80% of players in the L, and it hasn’t been the same since.

  • B. Long

    If he takes this team to the playoffs all sins are forgiven. 8)

  • http://jaredmintzisthetruth.blogspot.com Jared

    damn i cant believe half man half complainin is 32!

  • dfrance

    B.Long, that’s until he settles for a bunch of fadeways and 360 layoffs in said playoffs. then everyone will be back on his butt.

  • B. Long

    @dfrance: What exactly is a “layoff”? A missed layup?

  • B. Long

    Devin Harris is more important to the Nets playoff chances than Wince anyways.

  • ciolkstar

    “Its from the Star Ledger inquirin’ minds wanna know. How Pretty Ton’ get white as soft as snow?”

  • http://www.myspace.com/fresh2def6 Ta!ented

    You aint gotta care what i say, but vince is not still that dude…hasnt been for the last year. Hopefully he’ll show up again this year or the Nets r in trouble

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Uhhh, after VC left Toronto he’s been in the point of no return. No, he will not be that “dude” and even if his numbers are up, the Nets will still suck. At least until Lebron comes to Brooklyn in 2009 and Yi develops correctly with phenomenal publicity, which will happen.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    @ Deeves, you don’t know what he’s talking about, since he’s right.

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