Looking at the Vinsanity in Orlando

DID YOU SEE??????????????? VC????????????????

Half-Man, Half-Amazing, Air Canada, Wince Carter, the Tin-Man. Call him what you want, few other players in the league have captured our hearts and imaginations quite like Vince Lamar Carter. From the electrifying early years in Toronto to the maligned years in New Jersey, Vince has transformed himself from a flashy finisher to a surprisingly underrated all-around player. And now, he's bringing him game back home, to the Orlando Magic.

Sure, Hedo made Orlando great. His length, range, ball-handling, and play-making ability made him a tough matchup (as Cleveland found out) and helped make Orlando a fairly unorthodox team. But now with Hedo playing up North, and Vince taking over, Orlando has found itself a more athletic and potent scorer. Vince actually shot better than Hedo from beyond the arc last season (.385 compared to .356) and scored 20.8 points compared to Hedo's 16.8 ppg. Of course, neither player is known to be defensive stalwarts, Vince seems to be the more able defensive player, if only for his athletic skill.

Vince, known for not wanting to be "the man", won't have to carry the load by himself in Orlando. With scorers like Lewis and Nelson around him (not to mention the dunk-tastic Dwight Howard), Vince will be free to do his thing for most of the game while being given the ball in late-clock/game scenarios. Furthermore, many of us expect Carter to be enthused; playing for a championship contender in your home state is a great reason to bring it every night.

Only time will tell how this move works out for Orlando. Losing Courtney Lee, a promising young guard who looks to be a solid contributor for years to come in this league, is a definite shame. But how can you pass up an 8 time all-star with career averages of 23ppg, 4apg, and 5rpg with plenty left in the tank (as seen by his recent showing in the UNC alumni game)?

The Answer is in Memphis

Finally, a summer of unrest comes to an end (sort of). Looks like Allen Iverson will be joining the Memphis Grizzlies. Earlier this morning Iverson tweeted that "God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career. I met with Mr. Heinsley, Chris Wallace and my next head coach Lionel Hollins".

Allen Iverson is undoubtedly going to the hall of fame some day, but his best days are behind him. No more are the exciting runs to the Finals, dragging shells and corpses with him along the way. The A.I. of today has the stigma of both Philly and Denver getting better once he left, in addition to a forgettable stint with the Detroit Pistons.

Here is the resulting debate between Rish and myself.


Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
AI a grizz

rishabh. says:
AI's got a hoooooooooome!!

rishabh. says:
so stoked

rishabh. says:
ai, mayo, rude, zbo, marc?

rishabh. says:
i like it

rishabh. says:
ai mayo

rishabh. says:
rude

rishabh. says:
ai needs to be better this year though

rishabh. says:
better then he was last year

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
aye aye aye

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
i can see serious chemistry issues

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
and this signging will stunt the growth of gay, mayo, and conley, i believe

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
zbo seems to have been bahaving well the past few seasons, but zbo and A.I. are two huuuuge egos

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
plus mayo led the team in shots last year... as a rookie

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
you'd imagine he'd be prone to do the same

rishabh. says:
there needed to be a veteran to keep everyone in check

rishabh. says:
ai's a vet

rishabh. says:
dont know if he can keep everyone in check, though

rishabh. says:
and well, nobody really respects zbo all too much

rishabh. says:
but if ai can do what he does

rishabh. says:
like in philly

rishabh. says:
philly ai

rishabh. says:
only 4 seasons

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
phill a.i. doesn't exist anymore

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
he's too old

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
too slow

rishabh. says:
he's still quick

rishabh. says:
ai doesnt slow down

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
he can't get into the paint and wreak havok on defenders anymore like he used to

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
he's slowed down

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
still quick, for sure

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
but he's relying more and more on his jimmy

rishabh. says:
but mayo

rishabh. says:
can

rishabh. says:
so mayo drives

rishabh. says:
dishes to either rude or ai

rishabh. says:
and then they drive

rishabh. says:
and dish to either or

rishabh. says:
so its like a 3 drive situation

rishabh. says:
drive dish

rishabh. says:
drive dish

rishabh. says:
drive score

rishabh. says:
also zbo can hit midrage

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
well you'd have to imagine that mayo is gonna play more of a point guard role with a.i. on the team.. he's more talented than conley and a.i. obviously likes to jack it up

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
zbo can

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
dude's got post moves, too

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
but he also doesn't pass the ball and takes terrible shots

rishabh. says:
well thats why when those three drive
zbo can just sit midrange and hit those midrange jumpers

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
well thats pretty optimistic

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
i just see too many issues with iverson in memphis

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
i don't really think they can make the playoffs

rishabh. says:
theyre not going to

rishabh. says:
but i think they can be competitive

rishabh. says:
more competitive then they wouldve been without ai

rishabh. says:
you know?

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
a.i. is a talent upgrade, but that doesn't always help

Vance Pacemaker, Pace Yourself says:
a.i. is more 'talented' than billups, but he didn't help the
pistons all that much

rishabh. says:
the pistons' best player played the same position as AI

rishabh. says:
mayo can play point

rishabh. says:
well, too.

One thing is for certain, things are about to get a lot more interesting in Memphis.