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Gilbert Arenas Sound off on His Comments Towards Vince Carter, Says It’s Not About Legacy

 (Photo by Mitchell Layton/NBAE via Getty Images)

Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas made a couple of headlines, to say the least in the last couple of months. Due to his commits towards future Hall of Famer Vince Carter, who recently resigned the Atlanta Hawks. Earlier this summer, Carter announced that he would be coming back for his record 22nd season in the NBA, and it will also be his final season.

Immediately after the announcement, Arenas took to Instagram to voice his opinion about Carter’s decision.

He would then defend those comments in an interview with sports reporter Ashley Nevel at the Big3 draft in Las Vegas.

“If you look at the whole element behind himself, he’s the G.O.A.T. So, if you are a veteran coach, and Vince Carter wants to come on your team, and wants to tryout you are going to say yes. I need a veteran because you have to remember I can rely on 21 years of experience versus this young guy,” said Arenas.

In a recent interview with Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Arenas stated that Carter has little to gain playing next season for the Hawks, and should let someone else become the next Vince Carter.

“Let’s be honest here. You have Vince, or you have this young guy. You’re going to choose Vince. He’s put 20 years in. His 5 percent is better than your 100 percent because his 5 percent is going to be smart basketball, so the coach is going to overlook young talent until they get that experience. When you’re the last guy on the bench or the guy who got cut, you look at someone like Vince and say, ‘Come on, dude.’ There’s no upside for Vince. Let somebody else get in there and be the next Vince Carter.”

Last week, I spoke to Arenas via a phone interview and asked him about his comments about Carter. Agent Zero would then inform me that, he wasn’t aware at the time this would be Carter’s record-breaking season and if he knew that at time. He would have never made the commit in the first place.

“Vince was a steady guy just shows you the kind of professional he was, and still is to last this long. Consider the freak of nature, he was to last this long says everything about Vince. In regards to my comments, I had no idea if, Vince came back this year. He was going to be the guy at the top of the food chain as most years played. See if I would have known that I would have never made the comments, Arenas told me.”

I just thought that he was just coming back for a whole another year for no apparent reason. I was one of those things where I saw Dwyane Wade, he and I talked. He shared with me that he had a couple more years, but I want to give another person a chance. As long as I am there, they are going to just play me and it will take away from the young kids’ development. That is the conversation Dwyane Wade and I was having because I told him he’s got one more year in you. He was like man, at the end of the day I could possibly do this, but I am looking Vince’s side, it is not like you are going to compete for a championship.

You are just going on to a roster and I felt that was unfair as someone that came in the league as an underdog. If it wasn’t for Mookie Blaylock being kicked off the team, I would have never gotten a shot. That is the veteran that had me in the 15th spot with the Warriors. Now, he is removed and now I am only one guard behind playing. So, originally the order was Mookie Blaylock, Larry Hughes, and then myself. Unfortunately, Larry went down with an injury, but it gave me an opportunity to play, which gave me the opportunity to take off. That is where I am looking coming from as the last guy on the bench. My comments were coming from that space because there wouldn’t be a Hibachi or an Agent Zero if Mookie Blaylock was still on the team. I would have been that guy, who was the last man on the bench fighting for a roster spot all season and then going into my second season struggling to get playing time. The next step after that you are out of the league, and playing overseas. However, all that changed after the injury to Larry, and the situation with Mookie.

Back to Vince, I am sure young players are probably beating him out in practice, but because he is a veteran. So, when it is time for the game his game experience, he will beat out the upcoming talent every time. If I am a veteran coach, I can trust that he won’t make a mistake when the game is on the line, and Vince will secure my job. So, that is where my comments were coming from it had nothing to do with his legacy.

For Vince to last this long in the league, I already know what he brings to an organization and he his bring the work ethic in place. He is also showing up on time and being the constant professional everything you would want from a veteran. That part of Vince, I have no question about and that is important for young kids to see.

I was in Memphis and had to make the decision to remove myself to allow Jeremy Pargo and Josh Selby the opportunity to showcase their talent in games like they were doing in practice and I was brought in for the playoffs. Lionel Hollins didn’t believe in young talent at the time.

Gilbert Arenas is a former three-time All-Star with Washington Wizards, who averaged 20.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists. As for Carter, he averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists per game for the Hawks last season.

 

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Written by Landon Buford

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