Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 9:00 am  |  24 responses

Vince Carter Returns to The Swamp

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

In what figures to be an emotional night, Vince Carter and the Nets will play their first game of the season in New Jersey. After five years as a Net, Vince will of course be wearing a different uniform tonight.

As they set to face off against their former captain tonight, to a man, the Nets have nothing but good things to say about Carter. In fact, after their humbling loss to Minny in the season opener, they probably miss his services a great deal.

From the Star-Ledger:

“I’m just looking forward to fouling him one good time,’’ Nets point guard Devin Harris deadpanned of Carter. “That’s what I’m looking forward to doing.’’Harris was kidding, of course. He, like all the other Nets players who were on the team last year, loved Carter, who spent four-and-a-half seasons in New Jersey after being traded here from Toronto in December 2004.

“When Vince first came from Toronto there was a cloud,’’ Nets coach Lawrence Frank said, referring to the circumstances surrounding Carter’s orchestrating his trade out of Toronto. “There was never hint (of prima donna behavior). I mean the guy was, from jump street, phenomenal. Accepting different roles. When he came it was Jason (Kidd)’s team. You remember that first year he came, he was an MVP candidate for those 40-something games.”

While the VC story will obviously grab the headlines, it’ll also be Courtney Lee’s first game against his former team (an organization that Lee has vowed to make pay for having traded him.)

If his memorable trips to Toronto are any indication, don’t be surprised if Vince puts on a show in his return to New Jersey tonight.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , ,

  • black pinoy Posted: Oct.30 at 9:03 am
    first

  • maclovenotwar Posted: Oct.30 at 10:00 am
    the nets were pretty unlucky to lose to minnesota. Terrence Williams is for real

  • Z Posted: Oct.30 at 10:08 am
    Lee needs to fall the eff back, really. How is a rookie going to feel slighted for getting traded for a freaking multiple all-star. Maybe you’re a– would still be over there if you hadn’t miss that oop. Not saying it was an easy play (it wasn’t), but that’s what Vince does in his sleep. Fall. Back.

  • Jacqueline Mitchell Posted: Oct.30 at 10:26 am
    This game is a must see for me tonight. It certainly will be interesting to watch who will get the upper hand since Vince and Courtney know a little bit about their former teams plays.

  • meloMan2.0 Posted: Oct.30 at 10:48 am
    Wont be nothing like his returns to Toronto

  • Gerard Himself Posted: Oct.30 at 11:09 am
    Z, relax man. The guy was just disappointed, can you blame him? A lot of young ballers in the NBA have a lot of difficulties being traded early in their careers. I’ve seen Lee play in the preseason and against Minnesota, read interviews with him with Nets beat writers; it’s not like the guy has been moping the last 4 months about being traded. Come on now.

  • Z Posted: Oct.30 at 11:14 am
    Gerard, actually that’s exactly what I read: that he’s been moping for the last 4 months about being traded. If that’s not the case, my apoligies.

  • BETCATS Posted: Oct.30 at 11:15 am
    Courtney Lee is like a phycopathic serial killer that cant kill anybody. The only way he is going to make Orlando ‘pay’ is if he is working at a toll booth when the Magic’s team bus passes by.

  • BETCATS Posted: Oct.30 at 11:16 am
    *psycopathic serial killer

  • LA Huey Posted: Oct.30 at 11:18 am
    Z, maybe its just the morning vigor but there are plenty of nba characters more deserving of that kind of tone, dude. It was definitely naive but still refreshing to see a young player that invested in a franchise.

  • Jer Boi Posted: Oct.30 at 12:19 pm
    I’ll be there!!!!!

  • Hangtime Hec Posted: Oct.30 at 1:06 pm
    FREE CDR!!!

  • Rich Posted: Oct.30 at 1:30 pm
    Lee isn’t going to make ANYONE pay on THAT Nets team.

  • sultan Posted: Oct.30 at 1:33 pm
    Vince Carter returns to the swamp: Nobody really cares, will he ever go to this orginal millenium form? Nobody knows

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Oct.30 at 2:11 pm
    I hope the Nets win so Lee can own the Magic.

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.30 at 3:58 pm
    I’ll definitely be League Pass surfing tonight.

  • Yesse Posted: Oct.30 at 4:23 pm
    Really hope to see what Lee got in his sleeve.

  • thalilbigkahuna Posted: Oct.30 at 5:33 pm
    I hope Courtney Lee goes off. But I actually forgot that he was on the Nets, so my expectations aren’t too high.

  • ENDS Posted: Oct.30 at 8:37 pm
    Hows this for a vc reunion schedule. Tonight nj Sunday Toronto

  • nomde Posted: Oct.31 at 1:53 am
    yeah! it was really a show…VC stepped into DH shoes and was gone for the game…sucks! good thing the magic won…

  • ab_40 Posted: Oct.31 at 9:25 am
    let’s hope his ankle feels good. sunday orlando toronto is gonna be a fun game. if toronto loses this without rashard lewis back in the line up… then orlando has toronto’s number.

  • ktokyo Posted: Oct.31 at 4:15 pm
    I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw “Wince” Carter on the floor holding is ankle in pain. I know it’s a bit cold. But seriously, it’s unbelievable how injury-prone the guy is.

  • Gerard Himself Posted: Oct.31 at 9:40 pm
    ktokyo: you are the reason why I’m not posting on basketball forums anymore. Check how many games VC played every season for the Nets, the report back to me. “Injury prone”…. pshhh…. get your basketball knowledge on, kid

  • Dacre Posted: Nov.1 at 12:17 am
    Hmmm the NBA will be having their own ‘rookie’ ratings. I think we should do something here like that – so many ‘rookies’ posting this season already and most of them don’t seem to have a great knowledge of the game/NBA history/basketball theory….

Comments




The comments section is a place to further discuss the topics in this post. Commenters who seek to accomplish any of the following may be banned: - Personally attack other commenters. - Make derogatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation or religion. - Troll, or comment with the intention of creating problems. Trolling includes, but isn't limited to, baiting people to flame at you, encouraging people to leave the site, spamming and using alternate IDs.