Vince Carter or Jason Richardson?

[Silky Smooth]

Both are very similiar players. JRich is 27 years old so he is younger and also is a better defender (arguably) but with Carter you know what you get. You get a legit 20 5 5 guy almost every night but you also get a bad defender. In this late in his career could a coach that demands defense get carter to play defense? They both have long expensive contracts that interfer with our cap space for 2010. Is this a risk worth taking to win now? Also which would you rather have?

[David]

Honestly, I'd pick neither

But it isn't an option

So i picked JRich

[liquidfire]

um carter is the better defender then jrich. also id take either, thanks.

if i had to pick one, jrich as hes younger, better in running style and shoots better.

[Mdog1]

JRich for me has the chance to come in and be a good fit for us, and will do whatever the coach asks of him. Also with Charlotte they have two SF's and one needs to go hopefully to us. Carter on the other hand is one of the best players in the league even at his age and could come in and be a dominatn guy.

[Real_Talk]

Carter is the better player/choice. Richardson has not been battle tested so therefore I don't trust him in the playoffs when the stakes are high. At this stage Carter is older and on the decline, but that could turn into motivation knowing this is his last real chance for a championship; Similar to how KG, Pierce, and Allen has been motiviated. Richardson would fill the void, however, he just don't come off as a player to be a key component on a championship team. He just reminds me of another high flying player that can score but will never be a key component on a championship team. But this may just be my personal taste.


But one thing is for sure, the Bobcats gave up alot to land Richardson so it'll be alost silly to get rid of him so quick just for Wallys' expiring. Carter makes more business sense and likely will be traded soon.l

[Typhoon]

Carter no doubt

[rabman_gold]

To be honest, any of these two could have a powerful effect on our roster to the tone of a "Rasheed Wallace-to-Detroit Pistons" effect. Sure, they may not be the most ideal, and they sure as hell don't improve our aging frontline, but they are dangerous threats that would give us our first legitimate 20 point scoring all-star (aside from the obvious [LBJ] and borderline [Mo]).

We all know about Vince Carter at this point. He's a 20-5-5 player who was another athletic monster. People know about his stats, but he used to do amazing things with the basketball, showing a prowess for the type of defense that LeBron has been asked to do for us. Did you know that Vince led all rookies in Blocks back in Lockout-shortened 1999? He was very capable of playing defense, but that may not show the way it is now, especially when he's on the wrong side of 30. But he's not just athletic (still good for the guy), but is a very strong support player. He was able to share the ball with two others that demanded it (Kidd, Jefferson) and has helped his teams reach the second round on plenty of occasions. Additionally, he's not just a driver. That was one of his greatest attributes that got him so many points (like LeBron), but has a tendency to hit outside shots too. He's not as dangerous as other players that are known marksmen, but don't underestimate what Vince was and still is capable of.

As for Jason Richardson, his case is a bit more intriguing. On paper, Jason is an identical player to Vince when you start adding up the assists, rebounds, and especially the points. He is very talented with the ball and has shown the ability to hit his shots. But make no mistake, Vince has hit a lot more shots with efficiency throughout his career. For example, throughout Jason's career, he's hit below 70% free throw shooting in 5 of 7 years. But he's still a great player despite not making the All-Star team. But knowing how great he is, we will make it at some point during his career. A poll done during his rookie year had him being the most likely to break out as an All-Star, so there's potential. In fact, I'd say it was his potential that makes him very attractive. He isn't quite the player Vince was, but at this point, Jason is more likely to produce much longer. And he can still reach beyond 23 points every game. He has 3-5 years before he even starts deteriorating (with exception to the ever-common injuries).

But both are extremely good players, are capable of defense (size helps, as does athleticism, and having a defensive coach), and will give us a strong backcourt (if Mo pans out), since they can also hit their jump shots. No one can stick to LeBron on any given night since these two men can both go off on any night as well.

But both have a limit to what they can do. Vince may start falling apart as early as this year, while Jason isn't exactly a spring chicken either. But both will produce regardless. I wouldn't mind either if there was such an option available (but I don't see either one opening up anytime soon). Jason just may be a bit more attractive if only because he has more time left in the tank.

If one or the other were to come here, they would be instant offense. Maybe not 20 + a game, but at least 16-18, similar to the Celtics with Ray, KG, and Pierce. But other players would defer to these two, so they would get more shots as a result.

That's the gist about both of them, but neither the Bobcats or Nets are giving them up currently, with them being the "franchise" players. Never say never, but wait and see if one or both teams collapse (I ain't holding my breath because I already like what I see and want to give that a chance...).

[Lee]

Carter seems available, I doubt Richardson is available. I go with carter because of the reality factor and he is better on defense. He is older which is a big negative, but if we win 3 ships in a row with him, who cares, lol

[RonG]

I just hope people don't expect one if these SG's to come here and Average 20 points. There just aren't enough shots to go around. I really think chemisty should be our main concern, with that said we have a great guard rotation now, I would personally rather see a big ala Forward or Center.

If you made me pick I would preffer Carter, for the simple fact he is probably at the point where he will do what ever it takes to win a championship at this point.

[Real_Talk]

Carter seems available, I doubt Richardson is available. I go with carter because of the reality factor and he is better on defense. He is older which is a big negative, but if we win 3 ships in a row with him, who cares, lol

I'm not sure of Carter being older is a big negative as you may think. Physically there's a downside, but being older could be a "big positive" in the form of a determined motivation come playoff time.

[Real_Talk]

I just hope people don't expect one if these SG's to come here and Average 20 points. There just aren't enough shots to go around. I really think chemisty should be our main concern, with that said we have a great guard rotation now, I would personally rather see a big ala Forward or Center.

If you made me pick I would preffer Carter, for the simple fact he is probably at the point where he will do what ever it takes to win a championship at this point.

If we can get a SG that come come here and get 20ppg, then that would be GREAT. I'm not sure why you say there's not enough shots to go around when we are not a great scoring team. As of now the Cavs only have two legit scorers. Look at some of the other teams, they are loaded with player's that can drop 20 plus. Also, our guard rotation is very weak.

[RonG]

If we can get a SG that come come here and get 20ppg, then that would be GREAT. I'm not sure why you say there's not enough shots to go around when we are not a great scoring team. As of now the Cavs only have two legit scorers. Look at some of the other teams, they are loaded with player's that can drop 20 plus. Also, our guard rotation is very weak.

You must be a new Cavs fan, and I don't mean this as an insult, welcome to the Cavs!

My point is, this is by far the best SG situation we have had in 5 years++++ So I guess I am getting frustrated that people do not see this, I could see or even understand you talking about our bigs.

Let me explain the shots thing to you. The Cavs are a Defensive team first, and will be as long as Brown is the coach. What that means is pushing the other team to use its full shot clock as much as possible. Meaning we have less offensive possessions than a lot of teams. The teams have are "loaded with player's that can drop 20 plus" either don't make the play-offs or get sent home in the first round by teams that play defense. Offense doesn't win anything in the play-offs as the lakers.

[sam_slam911]

My order of preference is:L

1. Redd
2. J-Rich
3. Gerald Wallace
4.Vince
5. Mike Miller

BUt to be honest any player even close to makin that list would improve our backourt os much.

Tha Mo/Redd backcourt would be great in Cleveland, and they already know eachothers games.

[Real_Talk]

You must be a new Cavs fan, and I don't mean this as an insult, welcome to the Cavs!

My point is, this is by far the best SG situation we have had in 5 years++++ So I guess I am getting frustrated that people do not see this, I could see or even understand you talking about our bigs.

Let me explain the shots thing to you. The Cavs are a Defensive team first, and will be as long as Brown is the coach. What that means is pushing the other team to use its full shot clock as much as possible. Meaning we have less offensive possessions than a lot of teams. The teams have are "loaded with player's that can drop 20 plus" either don't make the play-offs or get sent home in the first round by teams that play defense. Offense doesn't win anything in the play-offs as the lakers.

What you said about defense is on point. However, you are off point when it comes to our guard situation. We have to many 'little guys'(west, boobie, mo'). Our big guards like Sasha and Wally are among the worst shooting guards in the league. IMO, we do not have a legit shooting guard on this team to man the position. While you view our shooting guard as a "positive", I view it as the likely KEY reason as to why we don't win a championship this year.

[Prophet Named X]

Why is this a question? Give me Vinsanity now.