Leaving the Vinsane asylum Part 3... by wongoz
Happy holidays to everyone... hope it's been a good one. Here at 2 Guys Who Know Everything About Everything, we've had a nice rest (clearly), and now it's time to get back to work.
I've been saying, in my debates with Apollo, that Toronto fans value one thing about their sports heroes, more than anything else: total and complete effort. That's why they support people like Doug Gilmour and Doug Flutie, people who may not have been the most talented, but the ones who did the most with their talent, the ones who spilled their blood and guts on the field. That's why they dog guys like Robbie Alomar, when he stopped running hard.
So that's why Vince Carter's admission that he didn't put in 100% effort every game validates everything I've been saying for the last half-year. And not just this season, but before that too. "In years past," is how he put it.
This was all but clear to the fans in Toronto, except possibly Apollo. Maybe he does acknowledge it, but he also didn't count it against him, as one of Carter's most vigorous defenders. And of course, it's easy to overlook it if you're winning, because talent goes pretty darn far, especially with a talent like his.
But it's one thing to not give total effort, and another to dog it for so long and still claim that you're a professional and willing to suck it up and deal with the situation, which is what VC did. In spite of the fact the Raptors handed him the fattest contract in club history, he still found it beneath him to exert himself to the fullest. What gall!
Needless to say, as a fan, I'm not impressed. I can't begin to imagine the betrayal his teammates must feel. Jalen Rose, one of the better persons in the NBA despite his revolving door defence, seemed to defend Vince a bit, but others like Morris Peterson, Rafer Alston, and the player who most personifies grit and determination, Alvin Williams, took swipes at Carter, and rightly so.
What does it feel like when your team's best member doesn't do much except show up for his paycheck? Well, maybe that's being a little harsh... Vince may not have been giving 100%, but he sure wasn't giving 0%. Problem is, athletes, and professional ones in particular, expect more than 100%. And if you're not giving, you're taking, and that just won't cut it.
I'm not sure how this affects Carter's legacy in Toronto, because history stands for itself. Vince did lead the Raptors to their best seasons, but how will Toronto fans react to this admission? Will they cheer him in appreciation of his service here, or will they boo him for throwing in the towel? I suspect it will be the latter. I certainly would.
4 Comments:
I found this story rather comical, really...and while I am disappointed, I'm not overly surprised. I'm not overly surprised that Vince's comments following the trade, where he praised and thanked Toronto were given very little attention, whereas these comments in an interview on American television are now front page news. Vince was a floater from time to time, a player who showed up when the bright lights were on, but didn't always show up every night. I do acknowledge that it became very maddening to watch him practically win games at will some nights and allow less talented players to blow past him on others. Over the years, Vince developed bad habits, and very little was done to stop that, or encourage his development, both in terms of having coaches to challenge him the way Butch Carter did, and other players to support him.
With the recent admission by Tracy McGrady that he also slacked off last season in Orlando, I suppose poor attitude may run in the family for Vince and his cousin. Unfortunately, we'll never know what could have been if T-Mac had stayed in Toronto with VC, or if Vince had simply approached this season with a fresh attitude instead of demanding a trade. A problem of the modern day athlete, particurlarly one such as Carter who came from a winning North Carolina program, is that it is so easy to become complacent and indifferent, particularly on a perenially losing team, particularly when your every whim is granted, particularly when the only person who can possibly hold you accountable is yourself.
The odds are that even if Vince had shown the workout intensity of Karl Malone and the practice habits of Kobe Bryant, the fate of the Raptors over the past few years would not have changed, which is probably the saddest comment of all. Vince surely was not slacking when he led the Raptors to their only playoff round win all those years ago, and it wasn't slacking that kept him injured on and off over the past few years. Vince's stats may have been better, but the overall demise of the franchise isn't due to his slacking, in my opinion, although he certainly bears some responsibility for it.
There's no doubt that Toronto fans will boo Carter upon his return, and will likely treat him the same way they treat Damon Stoudamire, McGrady, Antonio Davis, and other ex-Raptors. At some point though, Vince should be acknowledged for what he did for the franchise and the city, which unfortunately is becoming more and more forgotten with each solid performance he puts on for his new team. The fact that he was awarded a maximum salary contract is irrelevant in my opinion. Over his tenure in Toronto, MLSE made exponentially more money off Vince Carter than he did off of playing here. He's still the best player this city has ever seen, flaws and all. If we choose to focus only on the flaws, as we have done with every other ex-Raptor that we have seen go away, it will only be the fans who can be accused of slacking.
Apollo, I don't understand how you can give weight to those comments about how Vince liked and praised Toronto... This is the same guy who, to our faces, said that he didn't demand a trade and then actually did it, and said that he was just going to play hard this season regardless of the situation and then admitted not only dogging this season but "years past".
Vince only seemed to show up when the lights were at its brightest, ie. the All-Star game and the Olympics. Unfortunately for the Raptors, they're not featured on ESPN Sportscenter, which he can't even get in Toronto, so he figures he can mail it in with a half-assed effort because he's just so damn talented.
I think it's a bit too easy to just blame it on the "modern athlete" syndrome. There are just as many players who bust their butt every night. Is money a factor? Yeah, probably, and probably the biggest one too, but that still doesn't make it an excuse.
Anyways, it's not just Toronto fans doing VC-bashing, it's out in the international media. Check out John Hollinger's NBA mailbag for CNNSI.com when it was suggested that Antoine Walker should be referred to as an "impure shooter" for his low field-goal percentage:
"Brilliant idea. I love it. While we're at it, let's take it to the logical next step. From now on I plan to call Vince Carter an "impure hustle player" and guys like Steve Francis and Ben Gordon "impure point guards.""
I don't weigh comments as much as I do actions. Vince Carter's record of charity work, community involvement and being an ambassador for the perceived NBA hinterland are absolutely beyond reproach. Only the most blind cynic (and I admit there are many of those) would discount anything that Vince did for the city while he was here. Keep in mind that unlike any other moderate to legitimate NBA star who came through the SkyDome and later the Air Canada Centre, Vince chose to stay in Toronto. He chose to stay and extend his contract when he could very easily have parlayed his stardom at the time into a max contract with any team in the NBA.
He donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities, opened basketball courts and playgrounds in the city and so on. To say that he was lying or it was all a facade or he somehow didn't like Toronto just because he later admitted that he didn't try at times in basketball games is simply wrong. He grew weary of playing for a perennial losing team and he grew weary of watching players he played with leave for one reason or another. His trade demand had nothing to do with the city of Toronto and everything to do with his perception of the organization. Now his perception was most likely wrong, and he handled things in a very unprofessional manner, but he will have to live with that.
Vince floated. Vince didn't try hard on defence all the time. Vince settled for too many jump shots much more often over the years. Those are facts. But he did show up on many nights and was the single reason that the Raptors were even competitive, not to mention he is solely responsible for the only playoff success this franchise has ever enjoyed. I'm not happy with Vince's recent actions or his admissions, but I won't allow that to skew my perception of him during his tenure here. As I have said all along, he has taken far too much criticism over his career in Toronto and the tendency now is to forget everything he ever did that was positive, and I will not do that.
As for the modern athlete syndrome, it isn't an excuse, but merely a means to understand such a strange mentality. And I would theorize that the number of talented players who hustle consistenly is much lower compared to the number of talented players who hustle...that's why we tend to celebrate the hustle plays and equate hustle itself with journeymen players like Jerome Williams and Matt Bonner. I don't agree with a spoiled rich talented athlete's attitude and I think it's terrible that it happens, but I also don't think that Vince Carter is the only star player to dog it from time to time. In many ways he will deserve the boos he will receive when the Nets come to Toronto later this year, but if those boos become perennial, then I consider that a shame. There's nothing wrong with expecting your players to hustle and give a consistent effort, but there's a fine line between celebrating athletes who do that and admonishing anyone who doesn't live up to a particular standard, and forgetting all the other positive things they contribute beyond hustle.
Enjoyed a lot!
sell timeshare A1 cheap laptops Timeshare exchange business free sex voyeurs timeshare stockbridge ma Safeco home owners insurance rentals timeshare property Cum dupsters Answering services hanover maryland Complications from wearing contact lenses Pictures of massive cocks with condoms Jansport squirt backpacks Free pokemon red game http://www.timeshare-reviews-6.info/Timeshare-buyers-in-tucson.html
Post a Comment
<< Home