While Vince Carter will be remembered for many accomplishments, his tenure in Dallas may be his most impressive stint, as I detailed on the Basketball Behind The Scenes podcast. Carter joined the Mavericks prior to the lockout-shortened 2011/12 season as the franchise was looking for another player capable of scoring on his own to pair with Dirk Nowitzki.
The former UNC Tar Heel altered his game during his three years in Dallas, shifting away from the ball-dominant ways of the 2000s scorer. Carter made the three-ball a larger part of his shot portfolio and embraced a willingness to be a contributor off the bench, something that was not as glorified then as it is today. Without the shift in his game, Carter may not have had the opportunity to play a record 22 seasons in the league.
Here are more basketball notes from the state of Texas:
- Nowitzki said that he would have probably turned down the opportunity to compete in ESPN’s H-O-R-S-E competition if he had been asked, as Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News tweets. The Mavericks‘ legend said he only touched a basketball a few times since retiring and once was for a commercial.
- Acknowledging that an early playoff exit might raise some eyebrows, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes in a mailbag that Rockets GM Daryl Morey‘s aggressive roster moves in the last year suggest he still has ownership’s trust. Morey has gone in some unconventional directions – such as going completely centerless – that an executive without as much standing in an organization may not have attempted.
- The Rockets have a few contracts that could be difficult to move in the coming years, including Eric Gordon‘s deal, as John Hollinger tells Iko in a separate piece for The Athletic. The shooting guard inked a four-year, $73MM extension prior to the 2019/20 season.
From the wheelchair, off the box of depends, and over the IV stand, in the hoop.
his time in Dallas may be his most impressive stint?
what???
He has no recollection of why VC was called Air Canada, huh?
Yeah, that is just a really odd thing to say. Carter was an amazing player when he was young. He was like 35 years old when he played for Dallas. I can only assume this writer is too young to remember him in his prime.
Vince Carter was great in his prime, but he was referring to how he had to change his game in Dallas to prolong his playing career. Instead of being the man, he had to adjust his game and was very good still. No more dunking every time he touched the ball. He developed an outside shot as well. He was very good in Dallas
I bet you never thought you’d be writing about
H-O-R-S-E.