The Finishing Flourish of the Brush or the Canvas?

Vince Carter are his dunks are featured in a new add where he says that "Coach says a dunk is only worth two points" before disagreeing. "Coach" is presumably Dean Smith, winner of two National Championships and an Olympic Gold Medal. It's true that dunks can change the game in a way that a lay-up cannot but their effect is over-rated by players with limited skill sets.

After VC crowned Fréderic Weis in the 2000 Olympics, France was not coming back to win the game (they weren't going to win in the first place). However, Lithuania wasn't intimidated in the least. Basketball players are professional athletes whose success is defined by whether they are still playing in June, not just their commercials. No matter how many second round series that Vince Carter loses, he will still have less credibility than Coach Smith.

Dean Smith doesn't care whether you dunk or not, just whether you score two points. When Dywane Wade or Manu Ginobli steal the ball, they finish with a simple dunk that always goes in the hoop. Fancy dunk attempts that don't go in are as practical as the avocado green in the sports coat that Amare Stoudamire has been wearing on the sidelines lately: nice as a colourful accent, atrocious when passed of as the main feature. The benefits of creativity aside, both show how some players should leave art to the real artists and focus on winning. Many athletes forget to establish their credibility before establishing their style.

Bad Trades

The Raptors lost 105-104 to the New Jersey Nets today. Vince Carter made a three point shot with 0.1 seconds left, highlighting three points:

The Raptors were generally hosed in last year’s Vince Carter trade. Stats by Vince Carter today: forty five minutes and forty two points -- stats by players traded for Vince Carter: DNP-CDs and fifteen minutes, seven points by Alonzo Mourning in the Heat-Blazers game. Key Lesson: Trade quality for quality. The Lakers also made this mistake last year by trading one of the top twenty players in the game (Shaquille O’Neal) and neglecting to get one in return (Dwayne Wade). Don’t trade quality for garbage. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Shooters make shots. Many players do not realise that not all players are shooters. Anyone can take shots, but shooters put the ball in the basket. Key Lessons: If you aren’t a shooter, don’t take shots you can’t make. Also, when up two in a last-second situations, don’t let a shooter spot up for a three; make them put the ball on the deck.

Morris Peterson horsed around with Vince Carter and got ejected. Key Lessons: Mind your manners next to Steve Javie, don’t call the officials’ attention to yourself, and do your talking on the scoreboard, like Vince did with 0.1 seconds left.