VC will have a big year! May be an allstar again too. If healthy, only D Wade and maybe Joe Johnson could beat him out of that spot in the East
I agree, it can be very rewarding. Some might use this as another knock on Vince (what? he doesn't have the fire or desire to play on a championship team?!), but that doesn't matter. This is exactly the type of player the Nets need for the upcoming season, and perhaps the next. A veteran who truly wants to be a leader and good role model for the young players, and someone who can also single handedly win games for the team and keep their hopes up.
Agreed, and you cant forget that Yi Jianliang is his team-mate, therefor, China is going to vote for Yi and ALSO VC just like how they do for McGrady-Yao. So you can pretty much bet that VC will be at the all-star game this year.
Vince Carter is already a very popular player in China. Playing with Yi will increase his level of exposure for sure.
I remember reading quotes from Kurt Warner, where he said that as a QB, you need to know that you won't get subbed out so that you can lead your team better. I think VC this season is going to be like a QB that is assured that we will be leading the team the whole time, there's not going to be any leadership changes. Last year, Kidd was the leader from the start, and VC was propelled to be the leader. He wasn't prepared mentally, nor were his teammates, to be The Man. If the Nets make it the playoff and do some damage in them, it will stamp VC as a good leader in my mind.
I agree. How much time are you willing to give him though, to achieve his goal of reaching the playoffs? Even then, a lot of that will be on the coaching staff and whether the new players we brought in are actually good or not.
Let's start with him truly being a leader. That's what I want to see. I'm not concerned with Nets making the playoffs at this point.
the thing is, many people--not necessarily you--are confused about what a leader is. Being a leader is not about yelling and screaming and showing up your teammates. It's about leading by example, and inspiring others to work hard and achieve excellence. It's about making sure that everyone is of one mind with regard to the goals of each play, of each game, of the season. It's to sooth egos and diffuse conflict in the locker room. Basically, being a leader on any level, in any environemnt, is no different than being a third-grade teacher. We won't see Vince yelling and screaming during games. We'll hear more about him trying to be a teacher than being a rabble-rouser. We'll still see him smiling and joking with the opposition. Those things won't be indicative that he is a poor leader. For starters, his teammates have to ready to accept him as the leader, and defer to his wisdom and judgment. So far, at least, it seems like they are doing that. However, to be a leader, you can't go into long funks or fall into a depression where you become overly introverted. You have to be a consistent communicator. Many people--like Josh Boone, for example--could never do that. I am a terrible leader for that reason. You can't get distracted. Can Vince do that? Who knows.
If I see Vince laughing and joking with the opposition after a tough loss, I will consider Vince NOT TO BE a good leader.
major league baseball once instituted a rule where players were not permitted to talk to the opposition on the field. This was back in the '70s. They thought it was bad for the fans to see that sort of interaction, even though many of them were of course friends. It took Reggie Jackson to break the rule. He wasn't punished. Then everyone realised that they could just ignore it, and the rule was abolished. How do you feel about Reggie? Good leader or poor leader?
Don't care very much about Reggie Jackson, or baseball either. I'm talking about Vince (who ain't Reggie) and NBA basketball (which ain't MLB).
