HoopsCorner.com Articles: Air to Air

H o o p s C o r n e r . c o m

HoopsCorner

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October 27, 2001

This piece was supposed to be a comparison of Michael Jordan and Vince Carter. Then I came to my senses. A sobering up thought popped up. Why subject young Prince Vince to the seemingly unsurmountable legacy King Jordan chiseled, when he himself can no longer see its apex. Therefore we'll only talk about how close they are.

The first official game between the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards (December 12, 2001), will have Jordan trying to break down a contemporary version of his image. Never mind that Harold Miner a few light years ago was dubbed "Baby Jordan", or that Allen Iverson has won more of the same awards Jordan used to claim, or even the fact that Kobe Bryant's game is closer to MJ's than anybody's has ever been. Oh yeah Bryant does sound like him too.

The first characteristic eliminating all of the above players is that they don't belong in the family, as in the Tar Heel family. They'll never get to call Chapel Hill their alma matter - unless Bryant or Iverson do choose to get their degrees there. Pistons' fans might holler cruel and unjust treatment to make a case for Jerry Stackhouse, but he has not won any league wide award yet.

Carter and Jordan took their baby steps to fame and stardom while adorned in the Chapel Hill powder blue. During his tenure as a Tar Heel star guard, Michael Jordan had by his side a gritty power forward by the name of Sam Perkins. Vince Carter meanwhile was backed by a flashy and crowd-pleasing forward. Antawn Jamison.

When MJ decided in 1984 that he wanted a slice of the pie that is the NBA, he was followed by his North Carolina power buddy. Sam Perkins was nabbed 4th by Dallas, right behind his fellow Tar Heel, and just before the Notorious Sir Charles. Our contemporary star too struck the jackpot with his four playing buddy. Golden State called up Vince Carter from the Green Room at # 5. As luck or fate - depending on how you look at it - would have it, the Raptors decided that the Warriors # 5 pick would make a better Dino than Jamison, their own # 4 pick.

Just like his airness, Carter too was picked behind a couple of centers. Fittingly enough, just like in Carter's case one of the centers picked before Jordan never deserved his status. Sam Bowie in 1984, as it turned out, should have never been chosen right ahead of Jordan. Fourteen or so years later, it was discovered that Michael Olowokandi, the first overall choice, was a gold-brick.

Air Canada: so named for many reasons, including his style of play, his team sponsor, his likeness to the other guy, and for being the one who revolutionized the way a whole nation feels about a sport. Air Jordan: self-explanatory, and because some cats on the hardwood spent equal time being eye level to his shoe soles as to his bulb.

During his dunk contest Jordan improved on Dr J's fullcourt running dunk by actually catapulting from the free-throw line. In the year 2000, Air Canada launched from the charity stripe, improving on the maneuver by using both wings to dunk the ball.

We hear you out Vince. You want to have your own unique image? No comparisons? We know. Yet here's nature's law. History often repeats itself.

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