well eliminate the raptors from being a player. i thought that he would be a professional but we are at the stage where the nBA should be known as the National babies association.

if i owned the team i would tell him to stfu.

Trade me now, Carter demands
Frustrated Raptor star goes public
'It's just time for me to look after me'


DOUG SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER

Vince Carter says it's time to go.

"It's time for the truth: I want to be traded, I'm ready to be traded," the 27-year-old Raptor all-star told the Star last night.

"First and foremost, this has nothing to do with the fans or the city, it's just time for me to look after me."

Carter, who has been the subject of intense trade rumours since the end of the season, said his decision to go public last night is because he's frustrated at the pace of trade talks the Raptors have been pursuing.

He said he's made it known to new general manager Rob Babcock and first-year head coach Sam Mitchell that he wants out of Toronto but he isn't sure they are investigating possible deals as strongly as they could be.

"I want a fair shot at being on the market and being traded and I feel I haven't had that fair shot," Carter said in a telephone interview. "This is about doing what's best for me."

Carter's desire to be dealt stems mainly from increasing frustration regarding the future of the team. If he's not dealt by the beginning of the regular season Nov. 3, he will enter his third straight season with a new head coach and second in a row with a new general manager, playing for a team that has missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons.

"It's been since 2000 when we were on a certain level (the team advanced to the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals that season) and it's been going down since then," said Carter, who averaged more than 24 points a game for the Raptors last season when Toronto finished 33-49 and out of the playoffs.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
`I can spend the rest of my career giving guys a chance. It's time to move on.'

Vince Carter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"It's time to resurrect my career."

Babcock, who took over from the fired Glen Grunwald in early June, has resisted all talk about a Carter trade since assuming his position. While it is hardly a secret that Carter's agents have pushed for a deal, Babcock has said repeatedly he wouldn't make a trade just for the sake of it and would only deal Carter if it made sense for the Raptors.

"Some people might say you're not giving these new guys a chance," Carter said. "I can spend the rest of my career giving guys a chance. It's time to move on."

Carter played in 73 of Toronto's 82 regular-season games last season and there are questions around the NBA about what his status is among the game's elite players. Three seasons ago, he was considered one of the great young players in the NBA but two injury-riddled seasons, where he had to deal with knee injuries, saw his reputation take a huge hit.

"I don't mind taking shots for this team, I know what my (reputation) was and I was the guy everyone was looking to," he said. "But it's time to worry about me. I know that sounds hard but it's how I feel."

Carter is the only high-profile Raptor player to sign a contract extension in Toronto. Unlike Tracy McGrady and Damon Stoudamire before him — two promising players who engineered their own departures — the 6-foot-7 swingman signed a six-year contract extension worth more than $90 million (all figures U.S.) after the 2000-01 season. He still has three years — plus a fourth at his option — to run on that deal and will make more than $12 million this season. The Raptors are scheduled to open training camp on Oct. 5.

Finding fair value for Carter — still considered one of the top half-dozen athletic talents in the league — will be difficult.

"I want them to get someone of fair value. ... but I'm looking for a new start for Vince right now," he said. "I've never been this way, but it's time. I've looked around at so many rosters trying to find what would help this team and it's hard."

Carter said he wouldn't want to get traded to a Western Conference team and he's not adamant about joining a club with a legitimate chance to win the NBA title any time soon.

He conceded it would be interesting to play in New York ("It's the mecca of basketball," he said) despite the presence of ex-Raptor coach Lenny Wilkens, with whom Carter clashed in 2002-03."I would love to play in Florida (where he was born and maintains an off-season home). It's just time to move."

Posted by diderotn:

Carter is correct. This is a freaking business, he is just looking for the best possible situation for him. There is nothing wrong with that. Loyalty doesn't pay in this league anymore. Ask Shaq.

But what reason do they have to trade Vince? He's whiny? He's been a whiny b*tch for quite a while now, how does this change anything?

I still think Vince for Ray Allen works well for both squads.

Just because a player does a lot for your franchise lets not go over the edge and say they deserve an extension because of that. Ewing, we all love, but he wanted a big contract extension which would have really hurt the Knicks, turns out Scott Layden the worst basketball mind ever concieved did that anyway.

This isn't football people, thats the biggest business in all of sports.

Shaq please he wanted the biggest extension you have ever seen and balked because they wouldn't give him crazy sums of money.

When they retire these guys numbers and give them, gifts, honors, VIP treatment, you say something about loyalty...

I am sure no one is giving any of you anything for a job well done...or salary because of what you did in the past...

Sports is so sad, these little bitches like Kidd and Carter, make franchises blow up the bank in order to retain their services and then say they don't like the direction of the franchise.

Vince had to have Davis, Williams, JYD all signed to big deals to stay which crippled any leverage they had no he wants a trade out of the situation he created.

Kidd, wanted a center so Thorn went tradede for Zeke, he wanted 100 million he got it, he wanted Mourning he got, Harris he got it, fire Byron Scott he got it...So complain if the Nets won't spend 276 million on three players when they can't sell out a building in the playoffs....

Perspective People

Posted by teslawlo:

^ Completely agree with that post.

Me too. Good call.

At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if he whined his way to the Knicks.

I, for one, don't like the Raptors as a team. They don't seem to be headed in any direction. Vince (before his injury) was an awesome player... an elite player. I wouldn't mind seeing him on another team (preferably West bound to contend with Kobe). Let's face it. This guy clearly needs help, Toronto can't give him any kind of help offensively and that just cause pressure on Vince whenever he gets tha ball. He's been with that franchise long enough, and it's time to move on. I don't honestly see the Raptors being any different in 3 years, and Vince will be 30yrs old by then. Let Vince Move on!!!!

IMHO the Knicks should not trade S. Marbury, J. Crawford, or T. Thomas.

T. Thomas is a good small forward and I wouldn't trade him unless it is for a dominant center (of course more players would have to be included).

We can't risk trading these guys for someone who has just came off injury because these guys are healthy guys (with the exception of TT cuz he was injured in the playoffs, but Vince isn't a dominant center) and excellent ball players.

This is just my opinion.

how about this

SAR to Boston

Carter to Portland

Davis Telfair Welsch Rick Fox+ a Portland unretrsicted #1 pick Id be willing to do that

Posted by crzymdups:

Posted by teslawlo:

^ Completely agree with that post.

Me too. Good call.

At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if he whined his way to the Knicks.

Ditto, Good post MS!

IMHO the Knicks should not trade S. Marbury, J. Crawford, or T. Thomas.

I agree and I also wouldn't trade Sweetney to get Carter unless we were getting Bosh. Otherwise, they can just keep Vince.

I would trade T Thomas and K Thomas for V Carter in some sort of trade, in a heartbeat. Sign Keon since there is time opened up now.

V Baker/ N Muhammed/ Clark
M Sweetney/ J Williams
V Carter/ P Hardway
A Houston/ J Crawford/ Ariza
S Marbury/ Moochie

Id go for that. And next year try to package Hardway, Norris, Muhammed for a big man and some bad contracts.