By Paul Gotham

Reckoning Season

Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady face personal crossroads this upcoming season. Both entered the league with much fanfare. Golden State chose Carter with the fifth choice of the ’98 draft. Toronto picked T-Mac ninth in the ’97 draft.

Since draft night Carter has played on teams that have won three playoff series. As of now, Carter does not know the NBA playoffs beyond the second round.

McGrady is still waiting to celebrate the winning of a playoff series.

Carter joins an Orlando Magic team that fell one game shy of the NBA title.

When Hedo Turkoglu opted for Toronto and its Turkish community, Magic GM, Otis Smith, acted quickly and acquired Carter. On the surface, Carter seems like an upgrade.  The ’99 Rookie-of-the Year is physically imposing. Orlando’s half-court set thrives on 4-Out around Dwight Howard leaving plenty of open floor. Carter should be able to capitalize and use his ability to go off the dribble.

But Carter will need to play a role supporting role with the Magic – something he has never seemed comfortable with in the past. Turkoglu’s biggest contribution to the Magic might have been his ability to let the game come to him. Rarely, did Turkoglu force a shot. Carter, on the other hand, might be responsible for single handedly exposing the limitations of the Iso set.

Making Carter’s plight more challenging is the overall improvement of the Eastern Conference. Add to that the loss of Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee (traded for Carter) and Orlando could find themselves exiting early in the 2010 playoffs.

Can Carter pick up the slack?

McGrady watched as his Houston Rockets eliminated Portland in the first round and lost in seven games to the eventual champion, Los Angeles Lakers. Many stuck a fork in the Rockets. McGrady spent most of the season sidelined with a knee injury. Then the Rockets shuffled Alston to Orlando leaving second-year man Aaron Brooks to run the point guard position. Rather than collapsing, the Rockets had a revival.

With the return of McGrady to lineup, will Houston improve? Or will the Rockets regress to a previous state of playoff incompetence?

Beasley Checks Into Re-Hab

ESPN is reporting that Miami Heat first round pick, Michael Beasley checked himself into a rehab center in Houston. Details are unclear, but it appears the rookie is suffering from chemical dependence.

This is not meant as a cut on Beasley, but how many of us saw this coming? Beasley lacked maturity at Kansas State. He argued with teammates and coaches. Sure, he is an impressive physical specimen with incredible athletic abilities. When will NBA teams figure out that it takes more than athleticism to be a professional?

Beasley was Miami’s second leading scorer. Perhaps, the best statement about Beasley might be that from Dwyane Wade. While Wade hasn’t come right out and directly criticized Beasley, the Heat’s leading scorer is making waves about his future. Wade has lobbied for the Heat to bring in more talent. Is that because Wade knows Beasley is four years away from consistently contributing?

Beasley, as many young players, needed an opportunity to grow without the pressures of playing professional. Instead he gets thrust into a spot where he lacks the coping mechanisms to succeed.

Here’s hoping Beasley gets the help needed to work through his problems. Here’s hoping NBA execs let kids make their mistakes in an environment that has the potential to nuture.

Got some Splinters to share? Post ‘em here.

Joe Alexander Junior/ West Virginia 16.2PPG 6.1RPG – Small never looked so big. Don’t be misled by Alexander’s 6’8” frame. Yeah he’ll play with his back to the basket when the situation warrants. But he gets the most damage done when he is facing the basket. He can take the baseline better than anyone in the country. When needed he can step out and run the offense.

Gary Forbes Senior/ UMass 20.3PPG 7.9RPG – Recently named the Atlantic 10 Player of the year. Has eight double-doubles on the season including a twenty-three point performance at the Carrier Dome earlier this year when the Minutemen knocked off the Orange – had twenty-two points and seven rebounds at Chestnut Hill.

Courtney Lee Senior/ Western Kentucky 20.6PPG 4.5RPG – Finally got a chance to catch this talent. Loves to slash to the basket and can finish with authority. Has scored in double figures in all but two games this year including 21 at Gonzaga, 23 versus Tennessee, and 22 against Michigan.

Josh Shipp Junior/ UCLA 13.2PPG 3.1RPG – Okay so that shot should not have counted. It was still sick. Did you see him go off the dribble to get that shot? Don’t let this guy’s numbers fool ya. Somewhere along the line the Pac 10 became a defensive conference – padding one’s statistics just doesn’t happen in the West – has scored in double figures twenty-three times this year.

Robbie Hummel Freshman/ Purdue 11.7PPG 5.9RPG – There’s been a resurgence amongst the Boilermakers, and Robbie Hummel is leading the way. Kid can light it up from the outside. When you step out on him, he can put it to the floor and finish strong.

Starting Sunday we will break down the brackets by region. We’ll give you in-depth analysis along with interesting tidbits to watch as the NCAA tournament unfolds.