The Vince Carter trade is certainly an interesting one, and to understand why you need to know a little bit about Vince Carter.
He was picked 5th in a modest draft pick in 1998 by the Raptors, but soon established himself as a strong point scorer with incredible athleticism. He is perhaps most famously known for the 2000 Dunk Contest. He wowed crowds with a winning performance, freakish height on his dunks mixed with aggressive creativity. This was great for him at the time, but small consolation as he has never come close to an elusive NBA championship in his career even after a move to a Jason Kidd inspired Nets.
Throughout his decade in the NBA he has consistently filled stadiums with his own product of basketball, every time he got points on the board the announcer would scream, ‘Did you see VC?’ and the crowd would be at their most involved. This can only give him so much satisfaction, because as much as a sportsman likes to entertain, they like to win just a little bit more.
Orlando Magic got past the Cavaliers in 2009 and perhaps fell short of experience when it mattered in the Finals. The Cavaliers have stocked up on experience with Shaq, and now the Magic have caught the same with this trade. Vince Carter may not have play-off experience, but he has the advantage of having long-term NBA experience mixed with a persistent hunger to win a championship, which cannot be said of Shaq.
He’s not getting any younger, so maybe now he’ll get the Championship ring that his immense talent deserves. One thing is for sure, he will continue his brand of basketball that has labelled him half-man, half-amazing.
