The Vin-Sane Asylum

Vince Carter is like that annoying kid you got stuck on the team with in your high school gym class. You know, the one that feels he has to take and miss every single shot, while you can't do anything except watch?

Is Vince Carter a good player? Of course. Is he a very good player? Yes. Is he a great player? No way, Jose Reyes. I said it when he first arrived in New Jersey and i'll say it again - you'll never win with Vince Carter. You're more likely to win a championship with Teen Wolf on the court. Vince is the quintessential ballhog. When he gets control of the ball, the entire offense goes into a standstill. He dribbles it for a decade before shooting, and by that point

Vince is anti-clutch, and the anti-superstar. He insists on taking the game in his own hands as if he's one of the greats in the league. He shot less than 25% last night, but still demanded the ball at the end of the game (not to mention the stomach churning missed free throws). You can't handle this role, Vince.

I understand why the Nets dealt for him a couple of years ago. Rod Thorn admittedly made a mistake letting Kenyon Martin go. This doesn't look as bad because Martin's basically played 9 minutes in the last 3 years, but no one knows if he would have gotten hurt had he stayed in the Garden State. The Kenyon Martin Nets' teams were tremendously fun to watch. They played fluid on offense and defense, and played as a team, with no one insisting on controlling the ball even when he was playing like shite.

Vince is a tough guy to like. He demanded a trade to the Nets, earning him the venom of all Toronto Raptors fans. But the thing that bothers me the most about him is that he ALWAYS seems non-chalant on the court. Always. Vince, you're not Dylan McKay. You're a professional basketball player. It seems like he feels that if he plays well, he plays well, but if he's off that day, so be it. Thats not what you want in your star players. He also seems WAY too concerned with being everyone on the other team's best friend. Have you ever seen him right before the game starts. He's hugging eveyone on the other team like they just met up at the Ghostbar in Vegas. And when he's playing, you almost feel that he'd rather lose and make sure everyone still likes him on the other team, than win and have someone be mad at him.

You're a frustrating player, Vince, and i'm glad you're not a Knick. I get to watch WINNERS play every night - like Marbury, Steve Francis, and Eddy Curry. Its damn great to be a Knicks fan.