Orlando guard Vince Carter slam dunks during game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals NBA Playoff game of the Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic at Amway Arena on Thursday, May 6, 2010. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
ESPN’s First Take had an interesting debate this morning between retired NBA pro Jalen Rose and Skip Bayless as to if the Magic are better with Vince Carter or Hedo Turkoglu in the NBA playoffs. (You can pretty much guess Skip Bayless’ stance.)
Jalen Rose, who was once teammates with Vince Carter in Toronto, agreed the Magic are better with Vince Carter in the NBA playoffs this season. But added Dwight Howard’s improvement, a healthy Jameer Nelson and a more subdued Stan Van Gundy have equally contributed.
Check out highlights from the debate below.
“Now you add Vince, a guy who has the ability to take over a game in short bursts like he did yesterday in the fourth quarter. He can get you 15, 20 points in a quarter like Hedo can’t do,” Jalen Rose said.
Jalen Rose and Skip Bayless joked that Hedo Turkoglu played for the Raptors “sometimes” this NBA season.
“Maybe the Magic Brass saw something that everybody else didn’t see. And that’s what they need from Vince, a guy that can be a second fiddle scorer, but at the same time a takeover guy like last night.”
Skip Bayless is still not convinced that Vince Carter and the Orlando Magic are the best tandem in the Eastern Conference. He preferred Rafer Alston and Hedo Turko controlling the half-court and playing defense on Lebron last season, in which the Magic won the Eastern Conference title.
“I’m going to believe it when I see it come to fruition down the road when Orlando plays Boston or San Antonio or L.A. there’s a lot of basketball to be played,” Skip Bayless said. “I’m not going to overreact to a series with Atlanta in which the Hawks have no answer to Dwight Howard.”
Skip Bayless added, “Has Vince been since January shockingly good? Has he been vintage VC, Vinsanity? Yeah, he has. Half man, half amazing in the fourth quarter last night. But is he a changed man at 33, is he the guy you can now trust in the clutch in the fourth quarter, I don’t think so. I think he might have found a nice role among a lot of talented players.”
Both agreed the Magic’s real clutch player is point guard Jameer Nelson. The crib midget rules.
So what do you think? Are the Magic better off with or without Vince Carter in the NBA playoffs?