Vince Carter Wants Hall of Fame Consideration

Vince Carter’s career began in what seemed to be an unimpeded (and wildly spectacular) march towards the Basketball Hall of Fame. Injuries, lackadaisical play, and multiple NBA stops have since brought all of that into question. When it’s all said and done, VC thinks he belongs in the Hall. Per Fox Sports: “Of course, that’s a goal,’ Carter, said. ‘You hope [Carter’s career is] good enough. It would be a definite honor to go down into history with the greatest. I would love to be considered for the Hall of Fame … but I’m still trying to finish my career.’’ Carter, who turns 36 next Saturday, is in his 15th season, having reached a goal he once set for longevity. Carter, who has a team option on his contract next season for $3.18 million, didn’t want to speculate on how many more seasons he would like to play but said he definitely plans to be around for 2013-14. ‘I just go year-to-year, contract-to-contract,’ said Carter, who is averaging 12.3 points to drop his career average to 21.1. ‘My ultimate goal coming into the NBA was to play 15 years, so here I am, Now, we’ll see what happens.’ [...] Using history as a gauge, Carter probably will make it to Springfield. He’s made eight NBA All-Star Games. The only eligible player to have that many selections without a Hall of Fame call is Larry Foust, a center who played from 1950 to 1962 and averaged 13.7 points and 9.8 rebounds. [...] While Carter isn’t the scorer he once was, those on the Mavericks say he’s become more savvy and has improved his defense. While his 4.0 rebounding average over 24.9 minutes might not jump out, Carter this season actually is is on pace to average a career high in boards per minute. ‘I still feel great, that’s for sure,’ Carter said. But with the Mavericks in transition, time is running out for Carter to get to his first Finals. With Carter a candidate to be traded by the Feb. 21 deadline and with there being a reasonable chance his team option won’t be picked up this summer, Carter is likely to at least play for a sixth overall NBA team and fifth since 2008-09. ‘That’s something I want to do. I want to play for a championship,’ Carter said of being willing to hang on as a player to reach that goal.”