I'll preface this with the obvious note that I'm not there when Fran Dunphy, Dwayne Killings, Aaron McKie and company are talking to these kids, but here's my 2-cent take on this: they need Carter and Tone Carr moving forward.
I think Josh Brown has gotten a lot better, but as others have noted, he's a bit better off the ball. His outside shot has improved dramatically and he's a solid defender, but he hasn't shown yet that he can be a great penetrator and table setter at the point. That just may not be his game moving forward. So if he doesn't become that player, you don't have a point guard next season. Levan Alston is better off the ball and Trey Lowe is a shooter and slasher.
I haven't seen Carter play in person, but Rich Flanagan saw him and talked to him for a story at the Mary Kline Winter Classic last month and liked him a lot. So do a lot of other people. Carter's on the shorter side (between 5-11 and 6 feet, most likely), but if you look at his film, he's athletic, tough and squares himself up nicely and has good form on his jumper. Just about everyone I've talked to describes him as tough. Sounds like a simple, overused word, but toughness is what this team has been lacking since Cummings got hurt.
Could it be complicated to bring on Carter at the point and then convince Carr that he's also your guy moving forward? Perhaps.I don't know if the staff originally promised Carr that it wouldn't recruit another point guard before him. I'm not sure if Carr is even wired that way. But I don't think there's any harm in having both, right?
Carter is playing but is still not at 100 percent after a meniscus tear, and he had an issue at Roman Catholic that was responsible for him landing at Life Center. People I've talked to who know his situation better than I say he's changed and has not had a problem at Life Center at all.
If that's the case, it sure sounds and looks like he's worth getting right now.
