Grade Drew Carter, celtics play-by-play guy

[keevsnick]

Simple question, how would you rate the new ply-by-play guy? Does he do a good job following the action, does he have good call phrases? Like his voice? Ect Ect.

[Celtics2021]

I think he’s got a terrific play-by-play voice.  I think he’s a bit too jocular with Scal at times, but I blame that more on Scal, who very much likes to make jokes at his broadcast or studio partners, with the normal exception of how he treats Mike Gorman.  Despite that, the two of them have developed a good rapport, which I think is a compliment to Drew.  He also clearly does his homework before every game — he knows the background of every player on the opposing team, never stumbles on a name, etc.  I do expect him to be the voice of the Celtics for a long time unless a nationwide broadcaster snatches him up.  He’s good at his job.

[Roy H.]

I'd give him a B+.  He's not Prime Mike, but he's got decent chemistry with Scal (which has been a work in progress over the season), he keeps up with the action, he's got a good voice.  Sometimes he overtalks or things don't connect, but for a rookie he's been a pleasant surprise. 

That said, I still wish they'd gone with Grande.  He's more enmeshed in Boston and Celtics fandom.  Carter doesn't have that same allegiance; it's like he's a carpet bagger. 

[Celtics2021]

I'd give him a B+.  He's not Prime Mike, but he's got decent chemistry with Scal (which has been a work in progress over the season), he keeps up with the action, he's got a good voice.  Sometimes he overtalks or things don't connect, but for a rookie he's been a pleasant surprise. 

That said, I still wish they'd gone with Grande.  He's more enmeshed in Boston and Celtics fandom.  Carter doesn't have that same allegiance; it's like he's a carpet bagger.

Ironically, Grande left Boston for Minnesota for three years in the late 90s-early 2000s, where conveniently Drew Carter was in his formative years.  Perhaps toddler Drew Carter listened to Grande his brain absorbed how to be a great announcer.

I’m a Grande fan, and was bummed for him when he didn’t get the job, because he clearly wanted it, but I also think Drew Carter got it on merit and is quickly becoming a Bostonian.  He’s young enough where he won’t be a carpet-bagger for long.

[Neurotic Guy]

Great voice. Smooth. Not over-polished or broadcaster voice. Well studied. Plays well with others.  Comfortable in his role(s). Given his age, I give him an A.

[liam]

I give him a B. It would've been an A but he's not Mike. He could be an A in 5 or 10 years.

[Donoghus]

B.

There's NEVER gonna be another Mike Gorman but the kid has a good feel for play by play and stays on top of the action.  Solid voice.  Already has pretty solid chemistry with Scal. 

The biggest letdown is going from Gorman's rich local accent to Carter's rather vanilla voice.  But you just don't see guys like Gorman around anymore. 

[celticinorlando]

B

[Atzar]

A-/B+.  Great voice, calls the game well, does his homework, knowledgeable about the players - even guys pretty deep on the opponent's depth chart.  Does great with Scal, which hasn't been a sure thing for some of our other fill-in guys in the past.  A little hit-and-miss on the quippy one-liners but I like him quite a bit.

[bdm860]

He also clearly does his homework before every game — he knows the background of every player on the opposing team, never stumbles on a name, etc.

On the homework piece, one thing that kind of annoys me is Drew talking about historical things.

There's definitely a certain charm when Mike or Grande talk about historical things because they were there live (and I also kind of like when Mike asks Scal about something from maybe the Bird era and Scal will be like "Mike, I was 8 years old").  So it feels kind of weird to me hear Carter reference past things (even though he's done his homework) vs hearing it from guys who lived it.  (And don't worry, the irony that many of us passionately discuss players/teams before our time is not lost on me).

Not really a knock on Carter (nothing he can do about it), but just something that feels a little weird when I hear it.  Goes a long with Roy's carpetbagger comment.

[Kernewek]

I'd give him a B+.  He's not Prime Mike, but he's got decent chemistry with Scal (which has been a work in progress over the season), he keeps up with the action, he's got a good voice.  Sometimes he overtalks or things don't connect, but for a rookie he's been a pleasant surprise. 

That said, I still wish they'd gone with Grande.  He's more enmeshed in Boston and Celtics fandom.  Carter doesn't have that same allegiance; it's like he's a carpet bagger.

Ironically, Grande left Boston for Minnesota for three years in the late 90s-early 2000s, where conveniently Drew Carter was in his formative years.  Perhaps toddler Drew Carter listened to Grande his brain absorbed how to be a great announcer.

I’m a Grande fan, and was bummed for him when he didn’t get the job, because he clearly wanted it, but I also think Drew Carter got it on merit and is quickly becoming a Bostonian.  He’s young enough where he won’t be a carpet-bagger for long.

"Well, it all depends on how you look at it. I mean, you might think that you're more from here than me, for example. But I've been living here longer than you been alive. So who's right"?

I think Carter is fine: so I've rated him a C. He's never going to be the local guy that Mike was, but the truth of the matter is that it's unlikely that we'll ever get anyone like that again: the industry is too competitive now, and the talent moves to where the jobs are.

[Surferdad]

I give him an A- (so A for this poll). He gives you everything you want, has good knowledge of the game, and he has a great voice for the role.

[jpotter33]

I like him. Thought he’s had a solid overall first year. Hard to fairly evaluate him given he’s only doing road games plus it being Mike’s farewell tour.

Man, I sure hope we get one more chip to send Mike off in style.

[radiohead]

I think he’s very knowledgeable in terms of basketball in general and Celtics info in particular. I just feel he sometimes goes overboard when he makes fun of opposing teams’ players which comes off as arrogant.

[ozgod]

I'd give him a B+.  He's not Prime Mike, but he's got decent chemistry with Scal (which has been a work in progress over the season), he keeps up with the action, he's got a good voice.  Sometimes he overtalks or things don't connect, but for a rookie he's been a pleasant surprise. 

That said, I still wish they'd gone with Grande.  He's more enmeshed in Boston and Celtics fandom.  Carter doesn't have that same allegiance; it's like he's a carpet bagger.

Ironically, Grande left Boston for Minnesota for three years in the late 90s-early 2000s, where conveniently Drew Carter was in his formative years.  Perhaps toddler Drew Carter listened to Grande his brain absorbed how to be a great announcer.

I’m a Grande fan, and was bummed for him when he didn’t get the job, because he clearly wanted it, but I also think Drew Carter got it on merit and is quickly becoming a Bostonian.  He’s young enough where he won’t be a carpet-bagger for long.

Agree with this, I think Drew has plenty of time to grow into being a Boston fixture. I think he's been great, he has a good voice and he has some good chemistry with Scal and with the rest of the NBC Sports Boston team. As for Grande I thought Chad Finn said it was because Grande (and Max) signed extensions with 98.5 the Sports Hub to keep calling games on the radio? Though I'm sure contracts once signed are easily broken if the will is strong enough