RealGM

I was 11 during the 02-03 Raptors campaign. I was a 6th grader wishing for Vince to make a major comeback. I even bet my friend that, at the beginning of the season, with the success of the previous year of making the playoffs without Vince, the Raptors would make the Eastern Conference Finals. Injuries after injuries, however, piled up and Vince Carter as we know it was never the same. He was able to adjust his game by not going to the basket as much and developed a better jump shot. A lot of fans, and media members, gave him a lot of flak for this transition. However, a decade later it is clear he changed his game to create longevity. A strategy that clearly worked as Vince has been able to remain healthy late in his career.

For a player whose knees started to go at a very early stage of his career (his fourth season, reminds you of a current Chicago Bull?) Vince Carter's true potential has never been reached. Some say he did not try enough, but if you look at his New Jersey days it was clear that, Vince, being very talented, was able to adjust his game but it just wasn't the same as 98-2002ish.

For the fans that are too young to remember, Vince first got injured in a game in 2002 against the Spurs. At that time, the Raptors were in the top 4 in the East and Vince was average ~25 ppg. Vince just signed a multi year contract and the Raptors were thought to make the finals and face the L.A. Lakers.

The question I pose is what would have happened if Vince never got injured? If that same 2000 athleticism, though showing glimpses in New Jersey, maintained until his early 30's.

Remember the reason why people became fed up with Vince was because he was injury prone. But that all started in that game against San Antonio. His timidness to drive to the hoop, the notion that he didn't "try as hard," and even him leaving Toronto would never had been if Vince never injured his knee in the 01-02 campaign against San Antonio (btw the game was in San Antonio).

You don't have to respect my insight into the NBA. But you will respect,

NBAinsight

Why is this for younger fans? If anything, the older fans would remember VC's time more accurately since we weren't 3 years old when he was drafted haha

If Vince never got injured, he would have kept his athleticism longer. Would he be on the same level as Kobe for example? Probably not

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/n ... -vince.htm

For more information

Green Backpack wrote:Why is this for younger fans? If anything, the older fans would remember VC's time more accurately since we weren't 3 years old when he was drafted haha

If Vince never got injured, he would have kept his athleticism longer. Would he be on the same level as Kobe for example? Probably not

That's why. He is shedding light into the situation for the younger fans. I was born in 93 but i know everything about that era mostly because of me watching games of that time and doing research much later. I can never have the same experience as the older guys here so when someone from that time makes a post about what happened it is very interesting.

You don't have to respect my Horse that is Dead. But you will respect,

DeadHorse

DeadHorse wrote:You don't have to respect my Horse that is Dead. But you will respect,

DeadHorse

I laughed out loud.... kudos

Ya he was never the same athletically after that Jumpers knee but even him at 75% athletically
is better then most of if not the entire league.

It think it's documented that he's never trained hard and kept his body at optimum performance
especially when he was younger not sure about now. He was so naturally talented he knew he
didn't have to train like a beast to be good.

I've been watching VC since he was a rookie and he only tried for his first 3 seasons and right after he got traded to NJ.

Vince didn't even injure his knee, as in an acl/mcl/meniscus sprain/tear etc, he just had jumpers knee (aka tendinitis).

VC is just a classic example of a guy who was able to coast through the NBA due to his natural skill/talent.

This pic sums up VC nicely.

damn, i feel old reading this ****!

I wonder what the median age of this forum is

Feels like it might be 20 or something

I'm pretty sure his original injury came at home against the bulls, he did re aggravate it (as he had done numerous times) in that San Antonio game, the same one I believe where he dunked over Duncan.

Also, as the poster above said, there was no structural damage to Vince's knee, no tears of ligaments or meniscus, he even had freakin athroscopic surgery (where they basically stick a camera into his knee to see what's going on) and nothing was found, although he did end up missing the 02 playoffs because of it, again pretty excesive since no actual surgery was done. What vince rolled on the floor about, most players play through, tendonitis is common.

Edit: I may be wrong about the San Antonio game being the one where he dunked on Duncan, it may have been the game at home before the all star game, regardless the rest of my argument stands.

VC-INJURY wrote:I've been watching VC since he was a rookie and he only tried for his first 3 seasons and right after he got traded to NJ.

Vince didn't even injure his knee, as in an acl/mcl/meniscus sprain/tear etc, he just had jumpers knee (aka tendinitis).

VC is just a classic example of a guy who was able to coast through the NBA due to his natural skill/talent.

This pick sums up VC nicely.

Perfect, "VC-INJURY" telling us about a VC injury. I smell a "yo dawg" meme

Flashy_Lights wrote:

DeadHorse wrote:You don't have to respect my Horse that is Dead. But you will respect,

DeadHorse

I laughed out loud.... kudos

is your pic glow in the dark multi-colour condoms? where do you get those man

There is a reason why Vince Carter is such a polarizing figure.

His first three seasons were simply astounding - and it wasn't just the highlights - he played aggressively, got to the line with regularity, and caused problems on defense.

Once he got injured, that all changed. I am not a psychologist, but as a fan watching, it was clear that he was playing a somewhat scared. Gone were the fearless charges into the paint, replaced by mid-range fadeaways. His FT numbers dropped. And his defense became virtually non-existent.

What frustrated you most about Vince wasn't his injuries. It was how he played in between them.

416 wrote:

Flashy_Lights wrote:

DeadHorse wrote:You don't have to respect my Horse that is Dead. But you will respect,

DeadHorse

I laughed out loud.... kudos

is your pic glow in the dark multi-colour condoms? where do you get those man

are you too young to remember "bright light?"

or do you just crush a lot ?
lol

Yes.

hankscorpioLA wrote:There is a reason why Vince Carter is such a polarizing figure.

His first three seasons were simply astounding - and it wasn't just the highlights - he played aggressively, got to the line with regularity, and caused problems on defense.

Once he got injured, that all changed. I am not a psychologist, but as a fan watching, it was clear that he was playing a somewhat scared. Gone were the fearless charges into the paint, replaced by mid-range fadeaways. His FT numbers dropped. And his defense became virtually non-existent.

What frustrated you most about Vince wasn't his injuries. It was how he played in between them.

Reading all that makes me think Derrick Rose might go down the same path...

IMAN5 wrote:

hankscorpioLA wrote:There is a reason why Vince Carter is such a polarizing figure.

His first three seasons were simply astounding - and it wasn't just the highlights - he played aggressively, got to the line with regularity, and caused problems on defense.

Once he got injured, that all changed. I am not a psychologist, but as a fan watching, it was clear that he was playing a somewhat scared. Gone were the fearless charges into the paint, replaced by mid-range fadeaways. His FT numbers dropped. And his defense became virtually non-existent.

What frustrated you most about Vince wasn't his injuries. It was how he played in between them.

Reading all that makes me think Derrick Rose might go down the same path...

Totally different situations. As someone pointed out, Vince never had a serious "injury". He never missed a season, let alone two in a row.

Rose is going to have his struggles coming back and the injuries will probably affect his explosiveness, but in Vince's case, it seemed to be more about a lack of effort than ability.

He just became a lazy player.

Flashy_Lights wrote:

416 wrote:

Flashy_Lights wrote:

I laughed out loud.... kudos

is your pic glow in the dark multi-colour condoms? where do you get those man

are you too young to remember "bright light?"

or do you just crush a lot ?
lol

It's your photo and all,,, but wasn't it "lite bright"? not "bright light"?

SharoneWright wrote:

Flashy_Lights wrote:

416 wrote:
is your pic glow in the dark multi-colour condoms? where do you get those man

are you too young to remember "bright light?"

or do you just crush a lot ?
lol

It's your photo and all,,, but wasn't it "lite bright"? not "bright light"?

Bahaha your absolutely right Lol or in this case your absolutely "Wright"