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This is purely speculation, because only Vince truly knows the answer
to this, but I see him as a guy who likes the game but doesn't love
the game. There are two types of players in the NBA: those who love
ball and those who like it.
Those who merely like it break down into two categories: those who
like hoop, but love the NBA lifestyle -- the fame, the fortune, the
females; and those who like hoop and see this more as their job than
their passion.
I see Vince as the latter. That is not necessarily meant to be a knock. There are people like that in all walks of life.
In journalism, for instance, there are folks who live and breathe their job, who are legitimately passionate about it and who are constantly looking to be the absolute best. Then there are those who are good, even great, at what they do, even as they see it simply as a way to feed their family and have a nice lifestyle. To me, that's Vince.
This is incredible considering he's such a great player. If he had the determination and drive of Kobe, Vince would be off the charts.
He'd probably be the best player in the league. And he probably wouldn't be on the sidelines in street clothes so much.
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As my buddy Ali wrote when he emailed the article to me--it's not anything knowledgable Raptors fans didn't but, but it's something the US media is slowly picking up on, and something Nets fans will be frustrated to learn.
I was waiting for this day to come. The day Vince Carter gets injured, followed by the day that Nets fans think he'll play through the pain, only to realize a week later that Vince has been nursing his injury back to 100% health.
Glorious day, Nets fans. Even with a motivated-but-lame Carter, you took Rob Babcock to school on the deal... but now you'll feel the pain that Raptors fans felt when Vince decided to take a couple of games off because he was "injured".
And, some advice from someone who's been there: get used to being angry and frustrated at Vince's absence and lack of heart... because it won't be the last time you'll feel it.
In this Toronto Star article (registration required), Raptor GM Rob Babcock talks about the recent incident at the Air Canada Centre where two Raptors fans were kicked out o####ame for holding up anti-Babcock signs:
"I try not to pay attention to guys like that. I
was aware they were there but it's something I don't pay attention to.
It's their opinion. They want to rattle me, but it's just better to
just let those things go. They have their right to their opinion. They
have the right to make signs. But I don't have to acknowledge that."
This is exactly the kind of BS that Vince Carter spewed that drove fans crazy (in a bad way). When you show that you are passionate, are trying to do the right thing, <i>care what your paying customers think</i>, and are open to a dialogue about the direction the team is heading in, you engender trust and loyalty.
When you get fans kicked out o####ame because they openly criticize you (and don't for a second believe ACC GM Bob Hunter's claim to the Raptors Insider mailing list that this didn't come from Babcock), and you send out rah-rah emails about how the team is preparing for the future, please bear with us while we continue to be winless, you don't get the benefit of the doubt.
I hope Babcock (or Larry Tanenbaum, for that matter) figures it out, but given history, I don't hold much hope.
