Ready to fly again
New Net Carter out to quiet his critics
By OHM YOUNGMISUK
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
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Vince Carter [/size]TORONTO - There was his performance in the 2000 All-Star slam dunk contest, one which people still talk about.
"He was probably more spectacular with two of those dunks than anyone who has ever dunked a basketball," Julius Erving said afterward.
There was also his slam heard around the world when he scaled 7-2 Knick bust Frederic Weis in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, leaving Jason Kidd breathless.
"That was probably the greatest play in basketball I've ever seen," Kidd said then.
At that time, Vince Carter was one of the most exciting stars in basketball, seemingly capable of jumping over entire teams. He was young, brash and talented. After just missing a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer in Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia, Carter inked a six-year, $94 million extension with the Raptors. Air Canada was the Air Apparent.
But the highlights ended there. The following three-plus years were filled with scenes of Carter writhing in pain on the floor after suffering one of many injuries. Carter's desire and toughness came into question and his mother, Michelle, even made occasional headlines as well.
"Vince's mom runs the team - she's the GM," former teammate Charles Oakley once said.
Still, the first reaction by many around the league on Friday was that the Nets fleeced the Raptors by trading Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, Alonzo Mourning and two conditional first-round picks for Carter. It was as if the Nets got the "Vinsanity" of 2000 and not the Carter of the last couple of years.
"That's a steal," one opposing Eastern Conference guard said of the trade. "It is going to make Richard (Jefferson) and Vince even better. All they need is a serviceable big man."
The Raptors, though, could not have sounded more pleased with the trade even if Mourning, who wants to play for a contender, never plays a minute for the Raptors.
"The Nets better be careful for what they wish for," one agent said.
While the Nets are getting a marquee box-office name - Carter leads all forwards in the Eastern Conference All-Star voting - they are taking a calculated gamble in acquiring an injury-prone star whose desire has been criticized.
And while the Nets may not have surrendered any All Stars in the deal, they did give up most of their height and bulk. They now will start Brian Scalabrine at power forward and have just Jason Collins, Nenad Krstic and Jabari Smith (currently on the injured list) as their remaining big men. The Nets are scouring the league for size up front (Karl Malone is available, but unlikely to sign in New Jersey) and are armed with two valuable trade exceptions for teams looking to slice salary cap.
Meanwhile, the Nets added Carter and the $45.2 million he is owed over the next three seasons. Carter's health has always been an issue. He comes to the Nets on the injured list and will not play today against Toronto with an Achilles injury. Carter, who may not make his Nets debut for a few more games, has not been the same player since averaging 27.6 points in 2000-2001.
Some wonder if he has the drive in him to excel and if his fragile body can hold up.
Carter missed 70 games in his previous three seasons with a myriad of injuries. Some Toronto critics gave Air Canada a new nickname: "Wince."
The Nets, though, see the positives. Carter is only 27. He is a five-time All-Star and one of the most exciting players in the league when healthy, not to mention one of the most popular. And they are banking on a change of scenery injecting new life into Carter much like it did with Kidd in 2001.
Like Kidd, who was exiled from Phoenix after a domestic abuse incident with his wife, Carter was pretty much done in Toronto. The city, which once embraced him, had turned on Carter, booing him at home games. Critics questioned the priorities of a man who flew to North Carolina for his college graduation on the day of the biggest game of his career (Game 7 against Philadelphia in 2001).
"It is nothing like bad blood," Carter said of his relationship with Toronto. "I love Toronto and everything it had to offer. The organization was good to me and helped me grow and make a name for myself. I wouldn't be where I am without that opportunity. Where it went wrong? I don't know. I guess it got to the time where it was time to move on."
Carter says he is ready to move on. Unlike in Toronto, where he had to be the man every night, Carter won't have that kind of pressure on him playing beside Olympic teammate Kidd and good friend Jefferson. The Nets hope Kidd will bring the best out of Carter and that Carter will do the same for Kidd, who wanted out after the team traded Kenyon Martin in the offseason.
Kidd says he will hold the 6-6 flyer accountable for playing hard every night - something he didn't have to worry about with Martin.
"He has unbelievable talents," Kidd said. "We've all seen ESPN highlights and dunk contests. It's just a matter of holding him accountable and holding him in a high light to be that star night in and night out. Playing with guys who play at a high level too, sometimes you don't want to stick out like a sore thumb. You don't want to be that weak link. That would be the case here."
Not long after Friday's trade, ESPN was already showing a video montage of some of Carter's greatest dunks and Kidd's best alley-oop passes.
Sportscasters around the country are practically salivating at the highlight reels Kidd, Carter and Jefferson should produce in the near future. Nets fans can only hope that they will be seeing plenty of dunks and alley-oops and not scenes of Carter on the bench in a suit. "I just think I can bring another dimension to this team," Carter said. "We all know what Jason can do and what Richard has been doing since Jason was out. I'm trying to help. I am not trying to cause anything different. It is a new start for me, a new dedication."
than on it. He has no heart and as soon as things didn't go his way he stopped playing and took Jalen Rose down with him. The Raptors historically have played better without him in the lineup than with him in it. 
