I know it's long but it's a very good read.from the To star.
GM kissed off Vince's plan
Carter dealt away day after proposal to revive Raptors
`I'm confident we did the right things': Babcock
DOUG SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
A day before making the worst trade in franchise history, Raptor general manager Rob Babcock refused an offer from Vince Carter to change the all-star's playing time in an effort to rejuvenate both Carter and the free-falling team, multiple sources have told the Star.
Carter first made the proposal to coach Sam Mitchell in a conversation Dec.16 in Indiana, suggesting he play more with point guard Milt Palacio than with starter Rafer Alston, a move Carter says Mitchell fully endorsed.
Several sources contend Mitchell took the information to Babcock that night, imploring him to hold back on any Carter trade to see if the move worked but the general manager resisted.
A day later, Babcock traded Carter to the New Jersey Nets for Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Mourning — none of whom had any significant impact on the Raptors — and two future first-round draft picks.
"I sat down with (assistant coach) Jim Todd and Sam and talked about it," Carter told the Newark Star-Ledger. "After that day, I was traded. I don't know what happened after that. But I made the offer."
Mitchell refused to comment on what he may have told Babcock after listening to Carter's suggestion, saying it was a private conversation between him and his boss.
Babcock did not return a phone message seeking comment on the specifics of the Carter deal; earlier yesterday, the general manager defended all his moves.
"I have no regrets," he said. "I've gone back and looked over everything ... we thought out everything we did and I think we made the right decisions with what we had, the environment and situations we had."
Carter hatched his plan after it became widely evident early in the season, that the mix of Alston, Jalen Rose and Carter as starters was not working, with each player suffering through long stretches of unproductivity.
Carter's idea was to start each game, along with Rose and Alston, but come out after five or six minutes of the first quarter. He would then return to the lineup, replacing Rose, at the start of the second quarter, the same time Palacio would replace Alston.
If Rose and Alston returned late in the quarter, for two or three minutes, Carter would be already be in the flow of the game offensively and be able to more easily adjust to his teammates.
"I thought it would help the team," Carter said. "I was sitting in my room one day — and I wasn't playing (much), either — I was thinking, `I can see how things are going, so I don't mind — it's not a problem, if we staggered the minutes another way.'"
There is no way to know if the plan would have worked to improve either Carter's play — he was averaging fewer than 16 points per game — or turn around the fortunes of the team.
However, by at least letting it unfold for a couple of weeks, Babcock could have either seen Carter's stock rise and make him more valuable on the trade market or he could have seen the team turn its fortunes around. And if neither of those things happened, there were bound to be more offers for Carter — who was injured when he was traded — between the Dec.17 deal and the Feb.24 trade deadline.
In his end-of-the-season address to the media yesterday morning, the general manager said he would do nothing different given the chance.
"Obviously, I'm not pleased with the way some of the things have gone this year but going back, I'm confident I did the right things," Babcock said. "You guys will rehash (the drafting of Rafael Araujo) and the Vince Carter trade for years possibly, but I go back and look at both of those and I think they were the right decisions at the time. I stand by those."
Carter was taken aback by a suggestion that Babcock either didn't believe he was genuine with his offer, or didn't care enough to let it unfold.
"It's unfortunate," he said. "It goes back to how people just see one side of it, and it's not usually my side. And like I said last week (when he made his return to Toronto with the Nets), it's still painful to think that people think I tanked the season. I was trying to do the right thing."
But regardless of the Carter situation, the general manager is facing a formidable task of rebuilding a franchise that's now missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
He acknowledged there is a leadership void in the locker room.
"A lot of leadership is developed through experience and time," he said. "I think we have a lot of young players who have leadership ability and I think can grow into those roles. But they need experience and time to feel comfortable doing those things."
He admitted team chemistry is an issue not easily solved.
"Those are issues we have address but there are ongoing issues you have to keep addressing," he said.
"You just don't talk one time and say kiss and make up and everything will be all nice and dandy ... the encouraging thing is those guys want to win, they want to work together and I've seen no signs otherwise."
But through it all, he contends it wasn't a bad year.
"Despite all the issues and challenges we had, to me it's been an enjoyable season," he said. "Every season I've every had in basketball, as a player, coach, scout, director of player personnel up to here, I've enjoyed it because it's basketball and it's what we do and it's enjoyable."
GM kissed off Vince's plan
Carter dealt away day after proposal to revive Raptors
`I'm confident we did the right things': Babcock
DOUG SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
A day before making the worst trade in franchise history, Raptor general manager Rob Babcock refused an offer from Vince Carter to change the all-star's playing time in an effort to rejuvenate both Carter and the free-falling team, multiple sources have told the Star.
Carter first made the proposal to coach Sam Mitchell in a conversation Dec.16 in Indiana, suggesting he play more with point guard Milt Palacio than with starter Rafer Alston, a move Carter says Mitchell fully endorsed.
Several sources contend Mitchell took the information to Babcock that night, imploring him to hold back on any Carter trade to see if the move worked but the general manager resisted.
A day later, Babcock traded Carter to the New Jersey Nets for Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Mourning — none of whom had any significant impact on the Raptors — and two future first-round draft picks.
"I sat down with (assistant coach) Jim Todd and Sam and talked about it," Carter told the Newark Star-Ledger. "After that day, I was traded. I don't know what happened after that. But I made the offer."
Mitchell refused to comment on what he may have told Babcock after listening to Carter's suggestion, saying it was a private conversation between him and his boss.
Babcock did not return a phone message seeking comment on the specifics of the Carter deal; earlier yesterday, the general manager defended all his moves.
"I have no regrets," he said. "I've gone back and looked over everything ... we thought out everything we did and I think we made the right decisions with what we had, the environment and situations we had."
Carter hatched his plan after it became widely evident early in the season, that the mix of Alston, Jalen Rose and Carter as starters was not working, with each player suffering through long stretches of unproductivity.
Carter's idea was to start each game, along with Rose and Alston, but come out after five or six minutes of the first quarter. He would then return to the lineup, replacing Rose, at the start of the second quarter, the same time Palacio would replace Alston.
If Rose and Alston returned late in the quarter, for two or three minutes, Carter would be already be in the flow of the game offensively and be able to more easily adjust to his teammates.
"I thought it would help the team," Carter said. "I was sitting in my room one day — and I wasn't playing (much), either — I was thinking, `I can see how things are going, so I don't mind — it's not a problem, if we staggered the minutes another way.'"
There is no way to know if the plan would have worked to improve either Carter's play — he was averaging fewer than 16 points per game — or turn around the fortunes of the team.
However, by at least letting it unfold for a couple of weeks, Babcock could have either seen Carter's stock rise and make him more valuable on the trade market or he could have seen the team turn its fortunes around. And if neither of those things happened, there were bound to be more offers for Carter — who was injured when he was traded — between the Dec.17 deal and the Feb.24 trade deadline.
In his end-of-the-season address to the media yesterday morning, the general manager said he would do nothing different given the chance.
"Obviously, I'm not pleased with the way some of the things have gone this year but going back, I'm confident I did the right things," Babcock said. "You guys will rehash (the drafting of Rafael Araujo) and the Vince Carter trade for years possibly, but I go back and look at both of those and I think they were the right decisions at the time. I stand by those."
Carter was taken aback by a suggestion that Babcock either didn't believe he was genuine with his offer, or didn't care enough to let it unfold.
"It's unfortunate," he said. "It goes back to how people just see one side of it, and it's not usually my side. And like I said last week (when he made his return to Toronto with the Nets), it's still painful to think that people think I tanked the season. I was trying to do the right thing."
But regardless of the Carter situation, the general manager is facing a formidable task of rebuilding a franchise that's now missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
He acknowledged there is a leadership void in the locker room.
"A lot of leadership is developed through experience and time," he said. "I think we have a lot of young players who have leadership ability and I think can grow into those roles. But they need experience and time to feel comfortable doing those things."
He admitted team chemistry is an issue not easily solved.
"Those are issues we have address but there are ongoing issues you have to keep addressing," he said.
"You just don't talk one time and say kiss and make up and everything will be all nice and dandy ... the encouraging thing is those guys want to win, they want to work together and I've seen no signs otherwise."
But through it all, he contends it wasn't a bad year.
"Despite all the issues and challenges we had, to me it's been an enjoyable season," he said. "Every season I've every had in basketball, as a player, coach, scout, director of player personnel up to here, I've enjoyed it because it's basketball and it's what we do and it's enjoyable."
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