Four years, $62 Million For Vince Carter: What Was New Jersey Thinking?

January 20 08

My AM Take: “It’s over. It’s over,” yelled Kenny Smith. His TNT colleague Charles Barkley was so stunned he was actually silent. And the audience at All-Star weekend was in disbelief.

Vince Carter had dunked the ball and his forearm. For now, he was on top of the basketball world. A gifted athlete destined for greatness.

That was nearly seven years ago. February, 2000. This must have been the image New Jersey owner Bruce Ratner had in mind when he inked Carter to a four year, 62 million dollar extension this past summer.

Ratner wanted to re-sign Carter, believing the high-flyer would sell tickets when the club moved to Brooklyn.

Six months later, Carter’s contract is a lemon. His play has been shaky. I’m not trying to hate, but he’s done little to justify such a mega deal.

The Nets’ front office knows it, too. Over the last week, Carter’s name popped-up in separate trade rumors. First, word spread New Jersey and New York discussed a Carter-Zach Randolph swap. Yesterday, reports surfaced that the Nets and Pacers were talking about a Carter-Jermaine O’Neal swap.

Neither deal would improve the Nets. The club would be moving one bad contract and taking on another.

Here’s some advice for Ratner: research your players. If the owner investigated Carter, he would’ve found this quote:

In an interview broadcast Thursday on TNT, network analyst John Thompson asked Carter if he pushed himself as hard as he should have in Toronto.

"In years past, no," said Carter, acquired by the New Jersey Nets on Dec 17. "I was fortunate to have the talent ... you get spoiled when you’re able to do a lot of things. You see that you don’t have to work at it. (ESPN)

Carter is a one-dimensional scorer, undeserving of top dollars. Unfortunately, Ratner and the New Jersey Nets learned this lesson the hard way.

What are your thoughts on Carter? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts or discuss this article in our fan forum.

The AM Take is Oly’s morning thoughts on the NBA, appearing Sunday through Friday on HoopsVibe.com. Errors can be attributed to the time and his need for another coffee. Click here to get his AM Take and subscribe to his blog.

11 Comments: Four years, $62 Million For Vince Carter: What Was New Jersey (...)

Posted by
WM
on 02.4.2008

This is the same nonsense that went on in Toronto. He proved his worth, signed a bigtime contract, decided it was no longer essential that he show up for games and then pointed the finger at evryone else when his character came under fire. Vince’s achilles heel has always and will always be weak character. .

Posted by

on 01.24.2008

man i just hope my dude carter get back on his game and take da ball 2 da rim i mean 20.9 ppg aint him i mean have he even broke 40pts dis year come on VC .

Posted by
castor
on 01.24.2008

vince carter is an all tym player and is gud though i want to learn his style .

Posted by

on 01.22.2008

if the nets had jkidd, vc and a solid post player, this discussion would not come up .

Posted by
raek1
on 01.21.2008

he still got it. common, the injury during his time at tdot took a toll on him. plus he got lazy, REALLY LAZY. but he still got it. he should drive and dunk more. he is relying on his jumper. he would be more effective if he drove more. especially with j.kidd and rj. it is like he aint caring about bball anymore. he is just playing, not balling unlike before. remeber his 1st 2 yrs at the swamp? he should perform like those. Carter is one of my fave players, but its like he got a little tired of the game. he should get a little more motivated. common it is in him. .

Posted by
figgy
on 01.21.2008

remember seeing this in toronto, once he signed the big contract he became a jump shooter and rarely took it to the rim, the only thing the raptors have left from the carter trade was the draft pick they chose joey graham with and oddly enough they may have got the better end of the deal!? .

Posted by
Number7Philippines
on 01.21.2008

Vince? I like him in the first place. I’m a fan of the Nets since I was a kid. With Jason, Vince and Rj, It adds my love for NJ. But as of 2008, Vince got a VERY Bad FG. Dunking the ball, driving will make percentage of the shot more higher. He’s not even scoring much or giving some dimes. His attempt to FGM ratio is just so BAD. If he cant be aggressive, then trading would be a big Help. I see Big Z there in NY, I just dont like the Carter-Jermaine(Injury prone). getting VC out of NJ would be a deal if it can Help NJ back on winning tracks. **Make RJ aggressive too... .

Posted by

on 01.21.2008

this year vince isnt as aggresive as years in the past, he need to attack tha basket more and shoot less jumpers .

Posted by
The UNDERTAKER
on 01.21.2008

I THINK (CARTER) STILL GOT IT.....HE’S JUST HAVING A BAD SEASON AND HE NEEDS TO REALIZE THAT HE’S A SLASHER FIRST....JUMP-SHOOTER SECOND....HE SHOOTS TOO MANY JUMPERS!!! .

Posted by
Kalilltheinfidel
on 01.21.2008

I used to hate on Carter, mostly because I felt Paul Pierce was a more complete player when Carter won ROY & only won it because he was highlight reel, and it always bothers me when I see talented individuals on cruise-control, just getting by on talent alone instead of working hard to get even better. I don’t mind him so much these days, but I’d still love to see him get traded for Jermaine O’Neal. Just as long as the nets don’t give up Marcus, Sean or Boone, Probably Krstic too, I’m pretty sure he was starting to play some D before his injury, I think, maybe?? But, JO would love playing with Kidd, and I’m sure Kidd would love to have a prime big man again, & I think RJ would be better, freed from Carter’s shadow in the wings (and let’s be honest, lately his shadow is all there has been). I include Krstic if need be, but I hang on to the rest of the young brigade, they’ll be a good core for the transition to Brooklyn, and the Nets immediate window only lasts as long as Kidd’s legs, which is about as long as JO’s contract. .

Posted by
BelgianGuy
on 01.21.2008

if carter wouldnt be so lazy, get to the rim......and actually CARE about playing basketball.....god knows how far he would get. Now he’s just a threepointshooter that makes a girly face cause he thinks that he is fouled everytime he gets the ball in his hands. And Jason Kidd must be going insane inside to be spending his prime with vc, he’s always giving his all, instead of the latter. Imagine JKidd with Kobe, ....two of the biggest competitors of all time .

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Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More

Four years, $62 Million For Vince Carter: What Was New Jersey Thinking?

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