SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #22 Brooklyn Nets

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #22 Brooklyn Nets

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by | Jul 8, 2020 | Featured, NBA

And alas…an actual basketball article that we here at Sneaker Reporter are fortunate enough to give you, the reader, during this tumultuous year known as 2020.

Since the season readies for its eventual resumption on July 30th, we’re going to be bringing you some key facts and season-in-reviews within 22 breakdowns that will be done for the 22 teams heading into Orlando in pursuit of a championship. Keep in mind, these team breakdowns could very well change up regarding the progressing status of players’ options to opt-out due to injury, or if they get infected by the Coronavirus. As teams head their way to South Florida, let’s get to the first official team of this 22-team countdown on our list: the Brooklyn Nets.

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 Brooklyn’s Season In Review (30-34, 7th in the East)

The Nets’ 2019-2020 season was supposed to be an eight-month period that was supposed to center around letting new Nets Guard Kyrie Irving find his bearings amongst his brand-new adversaries in the Barclays Center while his partner-in-crime Kevin Durant healed from his ruptured Achilles suffered during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

And as part of that plan, Irving was projected to lead this massively altered Nets roster back to the postseason for a second-straight season even if Durant wouldn’t be able to assist his new teammate to obtain a deep playoff streak. As fate would have it, that wasn’t the case and in Irving’s case, his on-court absence was a double-edged sword for a guard-dense Nets team that, albeit, was able to squeak out 30 wins during the season but only experience Irving’s dynamic productivity for just 20 games until Irving was sidelined for the rest of the season due to a shoulder impingement and surgery on that injured joint.

This Nets team was marred by an injury to a substantial amount of their core pieces, like Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert for a slew of games that prompted the Nets to only grab the seventh seed in the East, but it could have been worse. In fact, the Nets’ defensive effort prompted them to acquire a spot in the top-10 for defensive ratings across the league’s landscape.

Additionally, now ex-head coach Kenny Atkinson pushed the Nets to get some pretty impressive wins under his belt, up until his firing on March 7.

Remember that key victory on March 3 against the Celtics that saw the Nets (and most notably, Caris LeVert, overcome a 21-point deficit as LeVert ended up dropping 51 on an injury-maligned Celtics for that exciting overtime win? Or the first road game without Kenny Atkinson coaching courtside on March 10 inside the Staples Center, which saw a group of Nets reserves find a way to counter LeBron and Anthony Davis’ Lakers thanks to a game-winning elbow jumper by Spencer Dinwiddie with 28.4 seconds left on the clock, just hours before the season was abruptly paused one day later?

Another mark on their defensive prowess when pieces like Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan dominating the glass: during their rematch against the defending champion Toronto Raptors, the Nets held the 12th-best offense in the NBA to only 91 points on 98 possessions. And of course, not to be excluded, a dominant 20-point home beatdown against rival Philadelphia on December 15, in a game where Spencer Dinwiddie could not be stopped on his way to a team-high 24 points.

Brooklyn now finds themselves in a tight bind, however, with their collective playoff lifelines practically on life support. Opt-outs and de-commitments to play now leave a prospective playoff roster decimated and unrecognizable, making the Nets a bubble team that could be on its way out early in Orlando.

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Nets Roster For Season’s Resumption: The Orlando Nets won’t look a thing like the Brooklyn Nets.

Not having Kyrie Irving on the court since February 1 has done more harm than good for the offensive output of these Nets. Without their stars on the floor, The Nets are the only team in the NBA that ranks in the bottom six in field-goal percentage (44.4%, 26th), 3-point percentage (34.0%, 26th), and free-throw percentage (74.4%, 25th). Which, in the given landscape of the bottom of the East, isn’t helpful or satisfactory in the slightest. And it makes it all the worst when you factor how many of the Nets have confirmed that they’d refuse to take the trip to Orlando before the season restarts. To fill you in on how many Nets aren’t going to suit up in the coming weeks, here’s a list of the guys not competing in the abridged season.

  • Kyrie Irving (shoulder injury)
  • Kevin Durant (Achilles recovery)
  • Spencer Dinwiddie (two positive COVID-19 tests)
  • Taurean Prince (positive test for COVID-19)
  • DeAndre Jordan (positive COVID-19 test)
  • Nico Claxton (injury)
  • Wilson Chandler (willful opt-out)

That’s a majority of their roster depleted, and the remaining names left on the team don’t quite spell “competitive”. Without their best player in Dinwiddie, who when he was playing, helped the Nets score 11.5 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (110.5) than they have with him off of it (99.0). That’s tied for the fifth-biggest on-off differential among 218 players who have played at least 1,000 minutes. He’s been the biggest star on this Nets team while Irving and Durant have rehabilitated, averaging a team-high 20.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game.

The Netw will lose other dimensions of their offense with other guys like sharpshooting wing Taurean Prince (12.1 PPG., 6 RPG.) and defensive anchor Wilson Chandler (5.9 PPG., 4.1 rpg., 0.5 BPG, 0.3 SPG.), but they hope to get the same kind of supplementary productivity from their recently-signed free-agents in guard Tyler Johnson, wing Justin Anderson and newly-acquired veteran big man Amir Johnson.

Nets interim head coach Jacque Vaughn will now look to rising star Caris LeVert to carry the offensive load and push this car wreck of a Nets team over the seasonal finish line. LeVert was on a tear before the season was suspended, averaging 24.1 points per contest in the season’s last 16 games. In addition to that wild OT win in the TD Garden on March 7, LeVert nabbed his first career triple-double against the Spurs just three nights later. At times, LeVert’s potential shines as bright as an LED Flashlight, as he showcases his ability to score at all three levels. But his consistency has been the biggest question mark.

In his return to the hardwood after a two-month recovery from a thumb ailment, LeVert struggled mightily, and his true shooting percentage dipped. That can’t happen in Orlando if he’s to be the primary threat on the offensive side of the ball.

So now, Brooklyn is going to conjoin new pieces like 2nd-year big man Jarrett Allen, marksman Joe Harris, rotational forwards Rodions Kurucs and Dzanan Musa, and two-way player Chris Chiozza with Tyler Johnson, Justin Anderson, and Amir Johnson in the efforts of making a new starting five that Vaughn himself doesn’t even know what will look like.

“I still have to wait and see how guys are looking once we get to Orlando and make that adjustment, and that’s the challenge,” Vaughn said in an interview with the New York Post. “Whether it’s adjusting the way we play offensively and defensively, that could happen in two weeks leading up to our first game. That’s not your normal preparation, but we might bend a little bit. But we’re not going to break.”

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Brooklyn’s Schedule, At A Glance

Brooklyn might as well be counting their days if they’re going to pack it in and hope that they can keep their seventh seed in the East without any difficulty, considering just how many skill position players won’t even suit up for the Nets in Orlando.

And Speaking of Orlando, those pesky Magic who only sit a full two games out of swiping the seventh seed in the postseason from under them at 30-35. The Washington Wizards (24-40), on the other hand, are sitting six games back from taking that eighth seed from the Nets in the event they slip out of the playoff race or if the Wizards get within four games of the Nets and force a play-in tournament for the eighth seed.

Brooklyn’s schedule looks as if it could be a major thorn in their sides come the time of the season’s resumption. Here’s what it looks like:

The Nets start off their eight-game Orlando campaign with back-to-back duels with their two Eastern foes they are trying to defend their seventh seed from in games against Orlando and Washington and right after that, they’ll go toe-to-toe with two top-three teams in the East in Milwaukee and Boston.

Brooklyn has yet to beat Milwaukee this season (0-3), but do have somewhat of a considerable advantage over the Boston Celtics (2-1). But of course, that was when everyone was healthy and the combination of Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVertsuited up for them in all of their matchups.

Two days after that, Brooklyn has a mini “Western road trip” if you will, and will play another team vying for a playoff spot in the Sacramento Kings next, who need all of their games in positive results if they’re to challenge the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the West. After that, they play their hardest game of the eight-game stretch as they play Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s Los Angeles Clippers. They’ll have one more opportunity to beat the Magic after that game, and will finish their regular season playing another Western team with a battle against Damian Lillard’s now healthy Portland Trail Blazers.

Brooklyn’s roster, already maligned with opt-outs and injuries, has the 17th-hardest schedule of any team in the NBA bubble. Which should be a point of optimism. But, this roster will be hard to identify come tip-off on July 31 against Orlando.

However, if Caris LeVert, Chris Chiozza, and whoever else that’s left on this Nets team can muster up some last-minute chemistry with new guys in the locker room and fight to get Brooklyn back into the postseason, that’ll make two successful seasons in a row that the Nets will have touched the playoffs, which only spells good juju for a team that’s going to be a lot more threatening come December when a new season starts and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant open up Brooklyn’s championship window for a couple of years.

Jul 8, 2020 No Comments
NBA Season Makes it’s Return

NBA Season Makes it’s Return

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by | Jul 5, 2020 | Featured, NBA

With all that has gone on since the beginning of 2020, the league began its indefinite hiatus on March 11. This left both fans and organizations in a extend period of lull, unknowing of the future of the current season. Collectively, we were unsure whether or not the 2019-2020 NBA Season would be voided in its entirety, anxious for a definitive answer. As three months pass, on June 4, NBA’s Board of Governors reaches to the consensus of a continuation of the season.

The continuation will consist of 22-teams overall, competing for positioning that would then proceed to the NBA Playoffs.

Now although all these games for these 22 teams are very meaningful for their respective organizations, we look at some personal picks of the games to mark your calendars for when it comes to Must-See TV.

The return of the NBA Season kicks off with a bang, with the 4th installment of the Battle for Los Angeles. The Clippers currently hold the edge against the Lakers in the regular season series up 2-1, and have a chance to assert themselves as the premier team in LA unless LeBron and the Lakers can tie it up come Day One of the season’s return on July 30.

The very next day on July 31, we’re given yet another top-tier match up in the Eastern Conference between the 1st seed Bucks against the 3rd seed Celtics. It is here we get to see some of the biggest up and coming names in the league face off in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown. Their regular season series is currently tied at one a piece, as these two teams fight to assert themselves as the beast in the East.

With only 16 available spots for the NBA Playoffs and 22 resuming play this season, the Washington Wizards and the Phoenix Suns are the ultimate underdogs in the Playoff race being the bottom two teams of their respective conferences. Furthermore, this would be the first opportunity for Phoenix All-Star Devin Booker to get some post-season experience, validating him as one of the best in the league. On the other hand, one of the league’s epitomes of underdogs in Bradley Beal hopes to further his resume by leading the Wizards to the Playoffs once again, after missing out last year. Every single games feels like a must-win for these two teams, and we can fully expect them to compete at the highest level physically possible night in and night starting out on July 31.

To round off only some of the must-see games coming soon towards the end of July, we have the biggest names to come out of the 2020 Rookie Class facing off in Ja Morant and Zion Williamson on August 3. These two names have been in conversation with one another dating back to their days in AAU and will continue to be such as the current discussion of the Rookie of the Year. With the Grizzlies currently holding and looking to lock down the 8th seed, the 10th seed Pelicans have quite the uphill battle to make it to the Playoffs.

It goes without saying that we as fans are going to want to tune into as many of these games as we possibly can, having been deprived of basketball for 3 months. All 22-teams have a narrative that they’re trying to continue to forge for themselves by making it to the Playoffs, and their stories will be restored come July 31st.

Jul 5, 2020 No Comments
Zion Williamson Is Your Next-Gen Cover Athlete for NBA 2K21

Zion Williamson Is Your Next-Gen Cover Athlete for NBA 2K21

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by | Jul 1, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Well, if what we confirmed to be true back in the PlayStation 5 reveal when NBA 2K20 dropped its trailer, onlookers kinda predicted the future cover athlete for the current-gen and/or next-gen version of 2K Sports’ coveted professional basketball simulator.

Turns out, they were about 50 percent correct with their premonition, since Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard was announced Tuesday morning that he would be the cover athlete for the standard edition. Where they hit the nail on the head was getting the PS5 and Xbox Series X-generation cover athlete right in saying that the New Orleans Pelicans’ rookie sensation Zion Williamson.

The next-generation version of this year’s professional basketball rendition, set for pre-order on July 2nd, released its official cover, and it looks something like this:

forbes.com

That’s right. Williamson will be the first-ever rookie in 2K Sports’ history to be given the reigns of posing as the cover athlete for an NBA 2K game. Brought forth by the official NBA 2K Twitter account, a 44-second cinematic trailer that didn’t quite show any gameplay but in fact, reshowed and reiterated the graphical update that the game will be able to display with consoles that have twice the power as their current-gen predecessors.

There is scheduled to be a final cover athlete reveal for the “Legend Edition” on Friday and in somewhat of a posthumous fashion, there is a growing consensus in the 2K community as to who the final cover athlete might be…

Check out the official reveal trailer here.

Jul 1, 2020 No Comments
NBA Schedule Re-Release: Top 10 Games To Look Out For

NBA Schedule Re-Release: Top 10 Games To Look Out For

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by | Jun 27, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The three-month pause on the NBA season looks to be nearing its end, as the season’s suspension will officially be up on July 30 with the return of the premier basketball league officially releasing their 22-team schedule last night in a televised special on ESPN.

The relieving information brought on to sports fans across the stratosphere came at a time of necessity, perhaps, given the unpredictable reality of the teetering improbability of a season resuming where COVID-19 infection rates are low-to-nonexistent. Still, NBA supporters must’ve been glad to hear the news about their favorite teams’ schedules for the compromised season and with that, we can’t wait to break down some of the more anticipated matchups for the remainder of the year leading up to the postseason which should tip-off sometime late August.

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10. New Orleans Pelicans vs. Utah Jazz- There’s nothing like the first. In what will be the official resumption of NBA competition since March 11, 2020 (AKA the infamous date that the NBA was suspended) basketball will be back, live and direct to the people on TNT at 6:30 p.m. ET. The NBA just couldn’t wait to get the phenom, Zion Williamson, back on primetime television as the Pellies have somewhat of a red carpet-like path to the postseason. Aside from the Clippers, they’ll have the Grizzlies, Kings, and Wizards as their main competition coming up.

In comparison to the other three teams duking it out for the eighth and final seed in the West, New Orleans has arguably the easiest schedule of eight remaining games, and the Utah Jazz have one of the harder schedules with games against the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Mavericks within their plans to earn a higher seed for the postseason.

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9. Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers – This is going to be the final regular-season matchup between these two Western powerhouses, but it may be a little more subsidized as we may have wanted in accordance with the news surrounding star Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic and his contraction of the Coronavirus.

Though it’s likely, It is yet to be seen if he’ll take part in the NBA’s bubble games but if he participates, we’re surely in for a barnburner and potential playoff preview. On the other hand, the Clippers are in prime position to uphold their second seed in the West with a fairly easy schedule. On August 12th at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, when the shorter season reaches its conclusion, this game could be a measuring stick for both teams now that both teams’ intensities must elevate in order to get ready for the playoffs.

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8. Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks – This could very well be a preview of our Eastern Conference Finals this year. This is the first game for both Boston and Milwaukee on their path to the playoffs as well, and it’s happening on July 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Both teams have gotten wins off of each other earlier this season and line up with each other quite well for what should be another compelling duel between two of the East’s most prominent teams.

While the Bucks have one of the more difficult slew of games in Orlando (tack on games against Miami, Houston, and Toronto) they’ve set unprecedented marks this year and are still holding on to the highest average scoring margin of any team in the NBA (+11.3) and don’t look to be taking it easy on anyone. Boston, on the other hand, has a real shot of landing the No. 2 seed in the East with games against Brooklyn, Portland, and Orlando as the most challenging games on the list.

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7. Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks – Dallas is balancing on a tightrope when it comes to getting higher in the Western standings and any infraction against the seventh-seeded Mavs could be severe. They’re in a tight battle with the Thunder for a higher seed in the West, and Orlando could be a huge opportunity to improve their marks just in time for the postseason. Tipping off at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN on July 31, this now neutral Battle of Texas features several playmakers in James Harden and Russell Westbrook going against MVP candidate Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in a contest that should be a good one.

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6. Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors – And next, we have yet another potential playoff preview that we’ll likely see at some point during the Eastern Conference Playoffs, tipping off at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV. Toronto’s laid plans of keeping the 2nd seed heading into August’s postseason could go awry, considering that they could lose their seeding with one of the more tedious schedules in all of the NBA. The Raps have to play the Lakers, Celtics, Bucks, Grizzlies, and 76ers and in the midst of that turbulence, lie the Miami Heat who could be a threat to reach the conference finals in their own right. But a lot of fans wouldn’t mind seeing Jimmy Butler exact revenge on the team that ousted him in the postseason last year.

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5. Houston Rockets vs. Milwaukee Bucks – One of the more suspenseful and rivalry-filled games that we’ll be treated to in Orlando, the two “good buddies” in Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden take their grievances to the court on August 2nd at 8:30 P.M. ET on ABC for what could very well be a Finals preview. Houston’s schedule isn’t all that challenging which can only mean good things for a sixth-ranked Rockets squad desperate for some wins. And when you look at the Western teams that are higher on the conference Totem Pole, teams like the Lakers, Nuggets, and Thunder may have a hard time keeping their status in the West.

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4. Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers – As mentioned in the last section about these Rockets’ rather easy schedule…this probably isn’t one of those games. Still, the duel between Houston’s league-leading backcourt in scoring – of course, that’s Russell Westbrook and James Harden – and LA’s most intimidating frontcourt and Pick-and-Roll connection – LeBron James and Anthony Davis – is still going to be a dandy to watch. It’ll be live on TNT at 9:00 p.m. ET. Had the virus delay never commenced, this was actually scheduled to be the next game on the schedule for both the Rockets and Lakers but as fate would have it, we’re getting this battle of Western Goliaths later in the summer.

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3. Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors – Taking place on August 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET on TNT, these teams could very well be neck-and-neck racing for the second seed and again, as mentioned in earlier sections, it’s polar opposites when comparing the strength of schedule between these Eastern factions. What won’t be up for debate is how intriguing this matchup is going to be. Boston is 2-1 this year against Toronto and by the looks of it, they have some sort of an advantage over the defending champions in more ways than one.

With this time off, however, Toronto will walk into Orlando as one of the lone squads that are completely healthy, and that’s quite a game-changing variable considering how much success Raptors coach Nick Nurse has had over the course of this year with his lineup combinations while missing substantial pieces like All-Star Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet.

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2.  Memphis Grizzlies vs. New Orleans Pelicans – This is probably the final duel between the two presumptive Rookie of the Year candidates, and it could shape up to be a significant matchup, considering the playoff placement of the two teams that are battling for the final postseason spot in the West. Two must-see physical anomalies in Ja Morant and Zion Williamson could be playing for the continuation of their seasons, and their final duel for the 2019-20 season will take place on August 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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1. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers – So, if all predictions are true and all media experts’ initial postseason theories are correct at the end of the day, the Battle of L.A. will be a thing by the time the Western Conference Finals go down. The duel of the Staples Center inhabitants will now, more than ever, play in a neutral arena (as if they were going to play in anything different, right?) and the best part of this rivalry’s renewal? It’ll be the first game out of the gate for the Clippers and Lakers’ trip to Orlando, as the two teams square off on July 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET on TNT!

Jun 27, 2020 No Comments
The Nike Air Zoom BB Next is the Future of Hoops

The Nike Air Zoom BB Next is the Future of Hoops

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by | Jun 27, 2020 | Featured, NBA, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

Nike’s dedication to performance is held strong by their continued evolution. Thanks to their continually improving technology, the folks in Oregon once again press forward with their advancements in innovation. The Nike Air Zoom BB NXT is the future of the Nike Air.

Image via Nike

“We now have athletes that are ‘positionless’ and generate the values of all positions on court. Within the NBA alone these positionless athletes face a grueling journey, starting with the offseason training, then preseason, and into the 82-game season, playoffs, Finals. Fatigue is the enemy and endurance is the goal,” says Ross Klein, Senior Creative Director for Nike Basketball footwear. 

Image via Nike

To reduce fatigue during critical moments, the BB NXT introduces a unified system of full-length Nike REACT foam, plate, and Nike Air Zoom pods that work in sync to provide superior impact protection and energy return. The Nike Air Zoom BB includes many revelatory changes in its construction.

Image via Nike

A bit of exposed REACT foam under the heel serves to create a “soft and responsive” feel while a plate above the foam counteracts it with the appropriate rigidity. Under the ball of the foot are two Air Zoom that both absorb energy as well as provide responsiveness. The lightweight mesh used to form the upper is specifically crafted to offer support and durability to basketball players of any skill level or position. The plush tongue and padded collar top off the experience for added comfortability, the collar flares out adding a supportive notch for the Achilles tendon.  

  The Nike Air Zoom BB NXT releases in the Black/Green “Dangerous” colorway on July 25. The white “Rawthentic” colorway hits the streets and courts this September.  

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Jun 27, 2020 No Comments
Thank You, Vinsanity: Vince Carter Officially Announces His Retirement

Thank You, Vinsanity: Vince Carter Officially Announces His Retirement

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by | Jun 25, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Keeping it real here: it’s going to take a lot of time getting used to googling Vince Carter’s name and seeing “former American professional Basketball player in his bio.

And yes, it was expected considering that he announced that the 2019-20 season would be his farewell tour, but it is still going to be hard to see one of the more impactful superstars of the past two decades hang up the sneakers.

In what will go down as one of the many special moments stolen by the worldwide Coronavirus shutdown of sports this season, we’ll never get to formally see Vince Carter offer his goodbyes to the thousand of patrons inside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena or in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as an ode of respect to the fans of the Raptors and Nets, two of the franchises integral in carving out the legacy and storied career of the one we call “Half-Man, Half-Amazing”.

Instead, all fans and supporters of VC will get is a digital announcement, as the presumptive first-ballot HOFer took to Twitter Thursday morning to express his desire to step away from professional basketball, thus ending a 22-year career for the eight-time All-Star who played in eight jerseys in that span. Carter was on his “Winging it” Podcast on The Ringer when he declared his official retirement.

And deservedly so, he deserved a proper send-off – perhaps a cumulative career highlight montage, one final crowd address, a prolonged standing ovation – rather than the abrupt and sudden ending to his professional tenure on the eve of March 11, ubiquitously known as the date the season was suspended.

Looking back, he would’ve been a little more earnest of a more gratifying career conclusion; Though needing gratuitous persuasion from the onlookers within the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena, Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce looked his way and placed him with the third-team in the game’s remaining 19.5 seconds, ultimately leading up to a dribble handoff and top-of-the-key three-ball to score his 25,728th point, 2,290th and final three-pointer.

The lasting impact of Vinsanity won’t soon be forgotten if that nugget of information ever needed an appropriate mention. He had never had the luxury of reaching the pantheon of championship gold once in his time in the league but had done oh so much in the span of 22 long years.

When we think VC, obvious pictures roll into our heads: the gravity-disrespecting throw-downs both in-game and in that memorable 2000 Dunk Contest he did as a pioneer of modern dunking. The All-NBA teams he qualified for. His highlight-filled collegiate career. His many appearances in USA Red, White, and Blue as a member of the national team during his winning of both the Gold in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2003 Gold medal in the FIBA Americas Championship.

Oh, and the fact that he single-handedly made the sport of basketball cool in the entire country of Canada during his time as a Raptor.

Or, the multitudinous teammates he’s had throughout his 22 years in the business, including the youngsters he’s dropped knowledge for who weren’t even born when he was having his most-prominent years in the league.

A career that has seen its understandable decline in athleticism, Carter was never the type to lament about his diminishing role on the five teams he was shipped to in his waning seasons. And as quick as the physical transition from an All-NBA caliber high-flyer to a throw-in piece as part of trade negotiations, his humility, maturity, and understanding of playing the role of confidant and teacher developed just as expeditiously.

He could’ve bowed out gracefully and on the top back in 2012-2013 when he wasn’t exactly himself. But as his body slowly started to deteriorate, his mind found resolution and optimism. His unpredictable durability became a beacon of hope for players not quite comfortable with transitioning into lesser roles. During his second year with the Mavericks, who after signing Carter were still championship contenders even without him, still profited greatly from his contributions. He still averaged double-digits, completing his transformation to full-time reserve.

Carted did an interview with Sports Illustrated back in May of this year, and as Carter detailed his desire to retire last year, he said that he “had doubts”. And as fate would have it, he spotted a relaxed Kobe Bryant in the front row of the Nets home floor in the Barclays Center back in December. Two former rivals turned buddies embraced while Bryant’s daughter Gianna admired from afar and watched her dad and his former colleague conversate.

That conversation probably included old memories about their battles the two had in their careers, but moreover involved life after the game is over. Bryant confessed, in Carter’s words, that it was the happiest he had ever been. And then a month later, Vince Carter passed Dirk Nowitzki in scoring to earn spot No. 19 on the all-time scoring list, and the Flying Dutchman himself offered the same sentiment about retirement in a text, saying he was going to love it.

So, while it may be as anticlimatic of a conclusion to 22 seasons, in Carter’s eye, he may have already gotten his riding-off-into-the-sun moment: alongside the Knicks’ rookie guard R.J. Barrett at a free-throw hash, he logged his final minutes, played his final, 1,541st game, and drilled his final shot attempt for a total of five points in a win against the Knicks on a bizarre night that the entire NBA was forced into hiatus after players and fans in the stadium caught wind of the cancellation of that Jazz-Thunder game that caught the attention of national headlines.

When those same fans started chanting “We Want Vince”, imploring coach Pierce to put in the living legend that’s literally played in at least one game in four different decades, Carter said that it really started hitting him that it could all really be over. The legend may not have known at the moment that his goodbye was to be permanent this time, but as he’d say, “I ended on a pretty good note.”

And that he did. Thanks for everything, Vince.

Jun 25, 2020 No Comments