Vince Carter, Richard Hamilton: Players Chicago Bulls should avoid in free agency – NBA Feature
Part-2
Vince Carter
Phoenix Suns’ veteran shooting guard Vince Carter is also a candidate for the Chicago Bulls job. Carter, 34, joined the league back in 1998 and boy did he have a start. Vince was named the Rookie of the Year in his first season in National Basketball Association. However, he attained eminence in 2000, when he won the Slum Dunk Competition and remained an All-Star form 2000-2007.
He is a terrific perimeter shooter and his precision from the three-point range is also brilliant. His career average is 22.2 points per game on .445 percent shooting from the field is a testament to that.
However, just like McGrady, Carter has also seen his peak. He is no longer the force; he used to be in his prime. That complemented with the fact that he is not a good ball mover and has weakness in his defence make him a questionable option for Bulls, a team that thrives on unselfish plays and lives on defence.
For the past two seasons, Carter’s scoring average is on the decline. In the 2009-10 season, Carter scored at an average of 16.6 and in 2010-11, he managed just 14.0 points per game. In the midst of last season, he was traded by the Orlando Magic in an attempt to bring better support for their ace Dwight Howard and at Phoenix, he failed to excel. His shooting from the field in the last season was unimpressive to say the least and as such, he will add not only to the Chicago’s financial cap, but also to the bevy of role players available.
Richard Hamilton
Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton is another shooting guard form the Detroit Pistons and another player that has lived his prime. The 33 year old veteran is famous for the hustle and energy that he brings into the game.
Hamilton led the Pistons to the NBA Championship in 2004 and was selected as an All-Star on three occasions from 2006-2008. He is known for his aggression with which he hits the basket and his trickery with the ball make him a standout.
Hamilton’s average career scoring is 17.7 points per game on 0.450 shooting from the field and 0.852 percent from the free throw line. In 2009, Hamilton set a league record of most points by a bench player with 38 points against Milwaukee Bucks. But the problem is that this is the role, Rip has been more than happy to perform for a couple of year – the role of a bench player.
Hamilton has lost the spark; he used to have in his prime time. His stats drastically fell in the previous season, as he scored at an average of 14.1 points per game, clutched 2.3 rebounds and dished out 3.1 assists per game.
Hamilton has also been struggling when it comes to fitness. He played 55 games in last season and before that in 2009, he played just 46 games. This does not make Hamilton a suitable replacement for Keith Bogans, who relatively have a better defence than him and almost similar kind of stats.
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