Check out Vince Carter’s take on Kobe’s 81-point night:
“The only bad thing about it is that younger kids, whose minds are easily warped, are going to think, ‘Ohhh! I am going to go out there and do it instead of (honoring) the team concept first. That is what is missing in the game, guys understanding how to play as a team.
“I think it is great for (the NBA): They want scoring, they want ratings, and you are going to get that. You are definitely going to get them now with the amount of 50-point games, 60-plus games. I just hope that kids and young guys understand that (only) special guys can do that. Yeah, the (other Lakers) were trying to get Kobe the ball, they wanted to see a special night. But they all know their roles.
“Guys understanding their roles is probably the hardest thing to accept in the NBA right now. Everybody wants to prove they are a professional, wants to be a star in this league. You can still become a star in your own right if you just play your role.”
Alright, I want to know who’s feeding Vince Carter lines. Does he have Red Auerbach speaking to him through a hidden earpiece? Because I know he didn’t say that. The guy who cried his way out of Toronto by half-assing it did not say that.
Whoever said that, though, is absolutely right. And that’s not a knock of Kobe or his accomplishment… I could say that it was absolutely the right thing for Kobe to score those 81 points, and it would still be bad for kids to see. Just beause they’ll see what Kobe did, they’ll see the media’s reaction to it, and they’ll believe that all the glory is in scoring points. I think there’s truth in that, regardless of Kobe’s actual intent.
But at the same time… you know, those same kids already have pretty terrible ideas about what it is to be a great basketball player. And it doesn’t take an 81-point game for that to happen. All it takes is a few viewings of SportsCenter. It’s always about the points, it’s always about the dunks, it’s always about the flashy highlights. That’s not Kobe’s fault, that’s everyone’s fault.
I mean, you could blame that on a lot of things. SportsCenter, the NBA itself, lack of good coaching through the entire basketball system, Nike commercials, etc. And hey, speaking of Nike commercials, I think I just saw one starring Vince Carter that’s all about glorifying the slam dunk. What’s that doing for the kids, Vince? Is that sending the right message? “Buy $120 shoes and slam dunk the basketball. Come on. Do it for the kids.” Idiot.
I’m not even going to get into Vince Carter, his style of play, his quitting on him team in Toronto, his being a general douchebag. There’s no point, because he didn’t say that. I think he overheard someone say it on the subway or something, and he just repeated it.
Brandon Says:
January 29th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
All right the bottom line is that Vince said stuff that he should’ve rephrased and should have given his comment a little more thought. The thing is that Kobe may not have any other spectacular players to work with like he did before, like Shaq. He has Lamar but what the frick is he doing? I mean no offense to Lamar fans but he really needs to get some knowlegde on the game of basketball. Like let’s start with his stupid decisions that lost the Lakers the game. When Lamar gets himself mentally ready, then i’m sure he’ll do great things for the Lakers. He’s already there physically wise, but he just needs to prepare himself mentally. And Kobe’s 81 was awesome, but i’m not ragging on him or anything, but the game is about the team. Kid’s with with easilly fooled minds will go “OOOOH maybe I should score 81 and be the highlight of the team.” No, that’s totally the wrong concept. Now I agree with you on the Vince Carter shoe commercial. He is being an idiot. I just wished that kids would learn that getting assists isn’t all that bad. Scoring may make you a big part of the team, but what happens before the basket? The pass, just a simple pass. That’s why I like players like Lebron, and Nash, and Kidd. They can score, pass, and be big at the same time. Now again i’m not ragging on Kobe, that game was pretty hot. He shot at a very good percentage for 81 points. But come on Lamar. He’s supposed to be the second guy after Kobe. Kwame shoulda gone to college, because sure he may have been great in HS, but that big of a jump for him was just a little over his limit. If he went to college, i’m sure he would be a great player. He’s got the body, but not the experience. The thing is, this league is sucking in all the kids into thinking, it’s all about the fame, not the game. Don’t take the game I love playing and turn it into a fame fest. It’s ALL about the game, not the fame. Well that’s my comment on this blog. Sorry if it’s a little to long. Later