Fanball is reporting this, so.... http://www.fanball.com THE NEWS Raptors guard Vince Carter wants to be traded to an Eastern Conference team, and he'd prefer to be playing for the Knicks. A league source told the Toronto Globe & Mail that Carter would only return to the Raptors as a last resort. "He wants out and he needs to go," said the source. "He is very, very firm on that. He needs to go. They're supposed to be working on something right now. It might have to involve a third team, or they may have to acquire someone and pass him through." Knicks president Isiah Thomas is reportedly interested in making a deal and would "give up anyone on his roster outside Stephon [Marbury]." OUR VIEW Raptors general manager Rob Babcock would have a tough time pulling a trigger on a deal that does not involve Marbury, as he still needs to fill seats in Toronto. Carter is a huge draw, and Babcock can't a couple of Knick scrubs on his roster and expect fans to stick around. And, by the way, Carter continues to stay silent to the media while others are doing the talking for him. Speak up, Vince!
lol..kinda like when he got benched for the last 3/4 of the all-star game this year and just sat at the end of the bench watching the east lose? As for the trade, if Toronto takes any package that doesn't include Marbury, they might as well just get ready to move out of Canada, cause that franchise is GONE.
Carter in NY would be a big move for him, especially endorsementwise. The reality though is that what does NY have that Toronto would want? Nothing. They clearly would have to get a third team involved. I am not so sure Toronto can get a star player in return for Carter. If not and if they HAD to move him then I guess they would look for expiring contracts to rebuild and have another team team Carter along with a few of their bad contracts like Rose and Williams etc. I dont see Carter being moved.
There's been enough 'chatter' about moving Vinsanity, who knows? Toronto must get back a gate attraction, star power, or shut it down, I'd think. Move to St Louis, or timbuktu. For Kidd? That's serve them both right!
I agree, if they dont get a gate attraction they are in trouble. With that said, I just dont see anyone out there that is available that they could get for Cater that fits that description. And you are right, if they dont get a gate attraction then the frachise could be in trouble. Word is Kansas City is building a new arena and looking to attract an NBA franchise. So your St. Louis idea isnt too far off.
If I'm Thomas, I'd swap Starbury for Carter in a heatbeat. Knicks can still make the move for Dampier, and pick up a point somewhere later. They'd have Damp K. Thomas/T. Thomas Carter/T Thomas A. Houston/Shanderson ? / Frank Williams/The Moochinator So, bruisers up front and scorers at the swing spots. A shooter and a driver. They still have enough big contracts to pick up NVE for T. Thomas or Shanderson or Crawford for same, if they help the other team unload some crap, too. Add in whatever point, and they've got a team that can get out and score, and play some physical d. Carter is an international star and stars shine brightest n the big apple. Starbury is never going to lead a team anywhere.Let him wrestle with Rose for shots in Canada. Carter has at least helped his team advance to a conference title round. He at least plays team ball. It's an easy decision.
Remember back when it was unusual for a player to demand, let alone just ask for a trade? When the hell did the balance of power between owners and players shift so dramatically?
In the NFL, we see hold outs and trade demands are fairly common for a long time, because they know they get no loyalties from owners so they don't show any themselves. What we are seeing with the new CBA in place is the similar thing. Players in the past knows if they are "good citizens", they can get might get a really big contracts, Allen Houston and KG, 20+ mil per, Shaq, and Jordan 30 per, or even your moderate allstars can get like 15 + per year with the right agent and situation. There's a real financial incentives to play nice ball with the owners and franchises. Now, with the cap on the max a player can get, that attitude goes out the door. The true max players, guys like T - Mac, Vince and Kobe knows that they will get the max based on abillities alone from any team out there, and since there's no reward for being a good citiczen, there's no point in trying to be one.
Here's what I like: Right. The second Vince says one thing, he's going to be painted black all over town. He knows better. This isn't LA, where the Lakers made moves that justified O'Neal's demand. The Raptors sin was not letting Vince call the shots, or more likely, not being a contender or a big market. If I'm Isiah, I don't even think about moving Marbury. Carter has the least amount of heart of any big name player around, a rep for being a poor worker, and knee problems as an added plus. The idea of shipping Carter for Kidd might not be a half-bad idea. Raps might be dumb enough to do it. Evan
