Tour Vince Carter (NBA Basketball legend) mini WITB – 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

[Anser3]

34 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Umm…no disrespect to anyone, but the last thing I expected to see from “Half-Man, Half-Amazing” was an All-PING bag, Lol.

 

I’ve just never been a PING guy (never owned one of their clubs).

 

Most Nike/Jordan guys end up playing TaylorMade, so that’s what I was expecting…or maybe Callaway.

 

Oh well. Had mixed feelings about Vince as a player too. Loved him at UNC, and his early years with the Raptors, but obviously when he forced his way out of Toronto he left a very bitter taste in Raptors fans’ mouths.

 

Some Raptor fans are still very bitter, but based on Vince’s body of work, I do believe his jersey should be retired by the Raptors, and he will definitely be a HOF’r.

 

 

Jordan played Pings early in his career.  

[Ben Berube]

8 minutes ago, Anser3 said:

Looks like he has a Hzrdus Smoke Blue RDX in his driver.  That is not a stock Ping shaft.  Otherwise it looks like he arrived at the event and realized he forgot to throw a driver and fairway woods in his bag.   An hour before tee time, he jumped in his car and drove to Edwin Watts, Dicks Sporting Goods, Hacker's Helper, Golf Headquarters, etc and picked up some Ping woods off the shelf ("This 10K driver looks good.  I saw some nice reviews on Youtube about it.").   I can see him saying to the cashier, "Can we please hurry this up a bit.  I need to be back at Bay Hill for a tee time in 30 minutes."

 

Baron Corbin still has a smirk like, "I can't believe WWE let me beat Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania."

hhahahaha you might be spot on...  or these are literally right out of the Pro Shop and rentals!  🙂

[Anser3]

I still think his opening dunk in the 2000 Dunk Contest  (the reverse 360 windmill) is my favorite dunk ever.  The through-the-legs dunk assisted from McGrady was great too.

Edited March 7 by Anser3

[BallerNate]

29 minutes ago, Anser3 said:

 

 

He will go to the HOF.  He played 20+ years  and a good part of that was at a high leveI.  It is the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.  But, he was usually better than I gave him credit for. I  thought he was very good but a little overrated early in his career. I thought he and Jason Williams were very similar.  Their games had some substance, but their reputations were enhanced because of flashy play. The flashy play led to the perception (in some people's minds) they were on a higher level than what they were. Williams would throw three unbelievable passes  that would make you forget some turnovers or poor shots.  Vince would make a crazy dunk over two defenders.  People would take form that , we were looking at an all-timer. 

One of the criticisms of Vince early on was a perceived lack of effort.  I thought Dirk, Pierce, and BIbby were all better than him early on, even though Vince got most of the recognition.  I think he passed Bibby as a player, but still rank him solidly behind Nowitzki and Pierce from that draft class. 

Yeah, agree 100%. Vince had comparable physical gifts to MJ and Kobe, but definitely didn't have the work ethic, drive, or competitiveness to be anywhere near those guys.

 

I would absolutely say that Dirk and Pierce had much better careers than Vince, with much less in the athleticism/physical gifts department. 

 

I would actually argue that the Raptors should've kept McGrady over Vince, but VC helped the massive growth in popularity of Basketball in Canada, and was definitely a more exciting player than T-Mac in terms of corporate spending and increasing viewership.

 

I got to see Vince and UNC practice the day before their NCAA Tournament game in 1997. I'll never forget him coming out of the locker room with his shoes still untied, and the first thing he did when he stepped on the floor was jump straight up and do a Windmill with no gather steps, LOL!! He was an absolute freak of nature, and definitely respect his longevity, and his massive impact on the game of Basketball.

[BallerNate]

42 minutes ago, Ben Berube said:

Well said Nate.  Usually see Cally or TM bags for the Pro's.  Started to see a few PXG's as of late.

 

But NOT Ping.  

 

I will say you should give Ping a chance at some point.  If you are a picker their woods are meant for it.

 

Plus their drivers always seem like the ball stays on the face an extra fraction.  As if you can feel the face flex with the driver.  It's weird and never felt that in any other driver.  

Yeah for sure, I'm not against playing PING clubs...it's just the timing never lined up for me.

 

I was fitted for a G425 LST a couple of years ago, but all the Golf shops and my fitter were sold out at the time. So I ended up going with the fitter's 2nd recommendation, the Cally Epic Max LS, and I've ended up gravitating towards Callaway Woods since then.

 

A big part of it with PING is that their Irons and wedges really don't fit my eye, and their Woods and putters tend to be more expensive than other OEM's. So I just haven't liked any of their stuff enough to pay extra for it pretty much.

[MtlJeff]

21 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Yeah, agree 100%. Vince had comparable physical gifts to MJ and Kobe, but definitely didn't have the work ethic, drive, or competitiveness to be anywhere near those guys.

 

I would absolutely say that Dirk and Pierce had much better careers than Vince, with much less in the athleticism/physical gifts department. 

 

I would actually argue that the Raptors should've kept McGrady over Vince, but VC helped the massive growth in popularity of Basketball in Canada, and was definitely a more exciting player than T-Mac in terms of corporate spending and increasing viewership.

 

I got to see Vince and UNC practice the day before their NCAA Tournament game in 1997. I'll never forget him coming out of the locker room with his shoes still untied, and the first thing he did when he stepped on the floor was jump straight up and do a Windmill with no gather steps, LOL!! He was an absolute freak of nature, and definitely respect his longevity, and his massive impact on the game of Basketball.

 

Vince will probably be one of those guys that goes from overrated , to really underrated. 

 

He played so long that his career averages look less impressive. His career PPG is like 16, some stathead in 2032 is gonna say that Demarre Caroll or Tobias Harris was better than him. Vince at least a few times averaged 25ppg for competitive playoff teams and division winners. 

 

It's unfortunate it ended the way it did in Toronto. Something for sure happened there because he definitely quit on the team. He was the first megastar the Raptors had, but he's not beloved like Lowry or Derozan

[Cunniandy]

Are his driver, 3w and 7w all the same length? Seems like they’re sitting pretty even in the bag. 

[Anser3]

38 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Yeah, agree 100%. Vince had comparable physical gifts to MJ and Kobe, but definitely didn't have the work ethic, drive, or competitiveness to be anywhere near those guys.

 

I would absolutely say that Dirk and Pierce had much better careers than Vince, with much less in the athleticism/physical gifts department. 

 

I would actually argue that the Raptors should've kept McGrady over Vince, but VC helped the massive growth in popularity of Basketball in Canada, and was definitely a more exciting player than T-Mac in terms of corporate spending and increasing viewership.

 

I got to see Vince and UNC practice the day before their NCAA Tournament game in 1997. I'll never forget him coming out of the locker room with his shoes still untied, and the first thing he did when he stepped on the floor was jump straight up and do a Windmill with no gather steps, LOL!! He was an absolute freak of nature, and definitely respect his longevity, and his massive impact on the game of Basketball.

 

 

I was going to say the same thing about McGrady.  I loved McGrady...wish Boston had taken a chance on him at 6 in the 1997 draft instead of Ron Mercer--this is not revisionist or hindsight.  I was in high school then and said the same thing then.  I didn't bring up T-Mac because I didn't want my posts to sound like a VC bashing session. I wish McGrady had been able to stay healthy his entire career (back issues). 

[Anser3]

14 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

 

Vince will probably be one of those guys that goes from overrated , to really underrated. 

 

He played so long that his career averages look less impressive. His career PPG is like 16, some stathead in 2032 is gonna say that Demarre Caroll or Tobias Harris was better than him. Vince at least a few times averaged 25ppg for competitive playoff teams and division winners. 

 

It's unfortunate it ended the way it did in Toronto. Something for sure happened there because he definitely quit on the team. He was the first megastar the Raptors had, but he's not beloved like Lowry or Derozan

 

 

Remember him attending UNC graduation and then playing in a playoff game against Philly in teh same day?

[MtlJeff]

3 minutes ago, Anser3 said:

 

 

Remember him attending UNC graduation and then playing in a playoff game against Philly in teh same day?

 

I still remember the missed shot from the corner at the end of the game! He played hard in that game though. I just think he had a bad game

[Anser3]

4 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

 

I still remember the missed shot from the corner at the end of the game! He played hard in that game though. I just think he had a bad game

 

 

I don't remember the timeline great for the Raptors.  Was Damon Stoudamire still on the team when McGrady (and Carter a year later) arrived?  Or was he already on the Jailblazers.  I know the playoff series with the Sixers was in 2000 or 2001.

 

 Disgustingly, I do remember the Celtics shipping Billups (halfway through his rookie season), Dee Brown, and a few others to Toronto for Kenny Anderson, Zan Tabak, and Popeye Jones. 

[MtlJeff]

3 minutes ago, Anser3 said:

 

 

I don't remember the timeline great for the Raptors.  Was Damon Stoudamire still on the team when McGrady (and Carter a year later) arrived?  Or was he already on the Jailblazers.  I know the playoff series with the Sixers was in 2000 or 2001.

 

 Disgustingly, I do remember the Celtics shipping Billups (halfway through his rookie season), Dee Brown, and a few others to Toronto for Kenny Anderson, Zan Tabak, and Popeye Jones. 

 

Vince never played with Damon Stoudemire, i didn't check but almost positive he was gone by then. Hey, Popeye Jones was the poor mans Dennis Rodman LOL

 

That was a famous draft year for the Celtics....Ironically they did get a great player in Billups but let him go. I was surprised Mercer never panned out. He wasn't a great creator but had a very good midrange game coming off screens. They probably just used him wrong

 

Doesn't matter though, not like there were any greats at the top of the 1997 Draft anyway

[Obscuri4l]

Very clean!!! Love to see it

[Anser3]

15 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

 

Vince never played with Damon Stoudemire, i didn't check but almost positive he was gone by then. Hey, Popeye Jones was the poor mans Dennis Rodman LOL

 

That was a famous draft year for the Celtics....Ironically they did get a great player in Billups but let him go. I was surprised Mercer never panned out. He wasn't a great creator but had a very good midrange game coming off screens. They probably just used him wrong

 

Doesn't matter though, not like there were any greats at the top of the 1997 Draft anyway

 

 

Correct. There was Tim Duncan..and then everybody else.  Van Horn was meh.  Antonio Daniels was good...not great. I expected Tim Thomas to have a better career.    Danny Fortson was a beast at times but got derailed by injuries.  I believe he was averaging around 16 PPG and 16 RBP to start the 2001-02 season.  I thought Mercer was going to be  a better pro than a college player. I liked Mercer but was so intrigued by McGrady.  Having picks 3 and 6, I was hoping Pitino would take a chance on him at 6.   I remember Pitino talking down on Mercer prior to that draft. presumably, it was so he would slide to Boston at 6.  Duncan, McGrady, and Billups were the best of that draft. Tony Parker had a nice career too. 

Edited March 7 by Anser3

[MtlJeff]

3 minutes ago, Anser3 said:

 

 

Correct. There was Tim Duncan..and then everybody else.  Van Horn was meh.  Antonio Daniels was good...not great. I expected Tim Thomas to have a better career.    Danny Fortson was a beast at times but got derailed by injuries.  I believe he was averaging around 16 PPG and 16 RBP to start the 2001-02 season.  I thought Mercer was going to be  a better pro than a college player. I liked Mercer but was so intrigued by McGrady.  Having picks 3 and 6, I was hoping Pitino would take a chance on him at 6.   I remember Pitino talking down on Mercer prior to that draft. presumably, it was so he would slide to Boston at 6.  Duncan, McGrady, and Billups were the best of that draft.

 

The "no greats at the top of the draft" was a jab at Celtics fans lol.....who i know are still haunted to this day by not getting Duncan , haha

[Binson]

A lot of people talk about VC's dunks, but his ability to shoot jumpers while running full speed and floating sideways and backwards was unreal as well.  It allowed him to be truly dominant at multiple levels of scoring. 

[BallerNate]

1 hour ago, MtlJeff said:

 

Vince will probably be one of those guys that goes from overrated , to really underrated. 

 

He played so long that his career averages look less impressive. His career PPG is like 16, some stathead in 2032 is gonna say that Demarre Caroll or Tobias Harris was better than him. Vince at least a few times averaged 25ppg for competitive playoff teams and division winners. 

 

It's unfortunate it ended the way it did in Toronto. Something for sure happened there because he definitely quit on the team. He was the first megastar the Raptors had, but he's not beloved like Lowry or Derozan

Yeah man, very unfortunate how it ended in Toronto his last year-year and a half.

 

Would love for Vince to do an interview and let everyone what happened behind the scenes, because he definitely quit on the team, the organization, and in turn, Toronto Raptors fans also.

 

I’ll never forget the interview where he said he wouldn’t dunk anymore, and that last half season he was with the team he was just sleep walking on the court and acting like a pouty baby.

[BallerNate]

52 minutes ago, Anser3 said:

 

 

I was going to say the same thing about McGrady.  I loved McGrady...wish Boston had taken a chance on him at 6 in the 1997 draft instead of Ron Mercer--this is not revisionist or hindsight.  I was in high school then and said the same thing then.  I didn't bring up T-Mac because I didn't want my posts to sound like a VC bashing session. I wish McGrady had been able to stay healthy his entire career (back issues). 

For sure, T-Mac could’ve been one of the NBA’s all time greats if he could’ve stayed healthy, and could’ve been with the right team.

 

Imagine the kind of stats T-Mac would put up in today’s NBA with the “freedom of movement” rules that basically make offensive players untouchable, Lol!!

 

He’s a guy that could’ve put up historical numbers in today’s NBA, and put up crazy numbers back then too!!

[Anser3]

43 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

 

The "no greats at the top of the draft" was a jab at Celtics fans lol.....who i know are still haunted to this day by not getting Duncan , haha

Yes..we are.  lol🤣  "Larry Bird is not walking through that door. " 

That team did not win under Pitino.  As soon as he resigned, they improved. It was surreal. He resigned around January 2001.   The next season, they won 49 games and went to the Eastern Conference Finals with the same roster.

Edited March 7 by Anser3

[Ben Berube]

4 hours ago, BallerNate said:

Yeah for sure, I'm not against playing PING clubs...it's just the timing never lined up for me.

 

I was fitted for a G425 LST a couple of years ago, but all the Golf shops and my fitter were sold out at the time. So I ended up going with the fitter's 2nd recommendation, the Cally Epic Max LS, and I've ended up gravitating towards Callaway Woods since then.

 

A big part of it with PING is that their Irons and wedges really don't fit my eye, and their Woods and putters tend to be more expensive than other OEM's. So I just haven't liked any of their stuff enough to pay extra for it pretty much.

Yeah well said Nate.  I agree, so many years they are just downright fugly!  

 

The high toe, hallow and color.  Plus the faces wear out so fast in their irons and wedges and WTF is going to send them back for paint?  

 

Very expensive and not worth it. Just like PXG when they first came out and ripped off all the people they could only to lower their prices to then get everyone else.  (shady)

 

Knowing your club speed I suspect that g425 was long??  

 

Cannot go wrong with Cally either man. Perfect for your swing speed.  

[BallerNate]

Well, since we’re talking about Vince Carter…just happened to come across this video on IG: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2szaOzMoqE/?igsh=cjRicnl2YXR6bHJx

 

Didn’t know this story…definitely increases my respect level for VC a few notches for sure!! 

[Motoboss]

Why is he wearing his little sister’s pants?

[FletchJoy]

On 3/6/2024 at 9:40 AM, phizzy30 said:

Looks like VC's got off the rack G430 woods based upon the stickers he still has on the shafts, lol. 

Those are production stickers, have serial numbers on them (with QR code I think too). Not retail stickers. All clubs that are built at PING ship with those on. Easily peel off, but looks like Vince or his golf guy didn't remove them. Definitely doesn't mean from the proshop. 

[mlwenzlick]

On 3/7/2024 at 8:51 AM, MtlJeff said:

 

I still remember the missed shot from the corner at the end of the game! He played hard in that game though. I just think he had a bad game

That was a sad day for this post MJ bulls Raptors fan. He and mcgrady are cousins as well.