Arenas: Carter should 'be on bench as a coach or in the office'
Vince Carter is reportedly returning for an NBA-record 22nd season to play for the Atlanta Hawks, but not everybody is a fan of the decision.
Former All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas spoke out in April against Carter's choice to continue playing, and he doubled down on his comments this past weekend following a BIG3 game.
"Let's be honest here," Arenas said, according to The Athletic's Chris Kirschner. "You have Vince, or you have this young guy. You're going to choose Vince. He's put 20 years in. His five percent is better than your 100 percent because his five 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."
Arenas is the captain of the Enemies squad in the three-on-three professional basketball league, in which many former NBA players are currently plying their trade.
Some players in the BIG3 are journeymen hoping for a shot in the Association, and Arenas believes they should have an NBA job instead of Carter.
"Vince should be on the bench as a coach or in the office giving his input," Arenas said. "That's a roster spot. You have kids who are 27 in (the BIG3) that should be in the NBA. Why are they not in the NBA? It's not that I don't like that he's playing, it's just that I had to fight from the beginning.
"You see a guy who is over the hill already and think, 'I'm better than you.' But the coach isn't going to put me in, and you have no reason to still be playing. You're not playing for anything, but in his mind, he's playing for the title of most seasons played."
Carter averaged 7.4 points on 41.9 percent shooting across 76 appearances last season for Atlanta. He passed Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller for 20th on the NBA's all-time scoring list and became the oldest player to hit seven 3-pointers in a single game. Carter sits sixth in league history with 2,229 career triples made.
The 42-year-old was drafted fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors in 1998. He was traded shortly thereafter to the Toronto Raptors, with whom he rose to prominence.