You Allowed Yourself To Get Played By Vince Carter?

I have tried to avoid writing about this, because I find it hypocritical to do so. Vince Carter has been a topic this week with Raptor fans and media.

I honestly both laugh and cry at how pathetic this is as it is clear to me that Vince Carter has used you all in this situation. Take a step back and ask yourself when is the last time you remember Vince Carter doing media prior to a game with the Raptors in Toronto. I don’t recall him doing it in many years.

So ask yourself what is the motivation for him to do so? Here is a hint, if Vince does anything it usually is about doing something that helps Vince at the end of the day.

Vince Carter is no longer the huge star he once was. Unlike Kobe Bryant he is not considered a star player still in the NBA. He is getting to the end of line in terms of his NBA career. So now from out of left field he suddenly cares about his legacy in Toronto when he was a NBA star.

He says he would not rule out a return to Toronto and he would like to see his number hanging at the ACC someday. This makes complete sense seeing as in one of his more narcissistic moments he referred to the ACC as his house.

Honestly though my anger in this is not at Vince Carter. This is what I expect from him. He is nobodies fool at the end of the day. He understands how all this media stuff works and is pretty good at using it to his advantage. He has learned a lot from the days of trying to please everyone and the infamous interview with John Thompson on TNT.

My anger is more with the Toronto media and people for allowing themselves to get sucked in by Vince Carter. He played you all with this.

The Raptors have never really replaced Vince Carter since he was traded. They still to this day struggle at the position. Isn’t that right Bryan Colangelo and Landry Fields?

This doesn’t mean bringing Vince back regardless of his feelings makes any sense. Forget that this is Vince Carter for a second and just look at the basic facts. A guy that is 35 years old that has a past in which his effort level gets called into question often. Is this a guy that you want your young players to aspire to be? You really want that type of voice in your locker room?

As for his legacy and his number being retired he likely is right. However let’s not get this twisted Vince Carter is no Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or even Kobe Bryant. The fact we are having a conversation about this before he has actually retired just feeds to the ego of a guy that already has a massive one.

I just find it sad that we as media and as fans still see Vince Carter as relevant. It is the past and let’s just keep it in the past. If Rob Babcock had of believed Vince he would have been laughed out of town. That wasn’t the mistake he made the trade he made to send him packing was. This became a topic when Sam Mitchell and Rob Babcock got involved in this story. It was suggested that Carter might have wanted to stay but Babcock didn’t believe him.

Chalk that up with what might have been if T-Mac stayed and some alleged Fantasy trade suggested by a hockey guy that would have landed Steve Nash and Dirk for Vince Carter going to Dallas. If this team is ever going to move forward we need to stop living in an era that is long gone.

Vinsanity is long over and it isn’t coming back even if Vince Carter came back home to Toronto. Understand I have never been a guy that has booed Vince. I have always defended people’s right to boo him and others. I will not sit back and say nothing though when it is clear that he is using the media and playing everyone.

Toronto really needs to get over this. It is pathetic that were still obsessed with a relationship that ended so long ago. Ask yourself if you dated someone and it ended badly and they came along eight years or so later and said they wanted to get back together. I hope for your sake you would laugh at the person and tell them you have moved on. Even if it wasn’t true. Show some self respect at the end of the day.