Vince Carter vs Ref: NBA to Decide

by Marcel Mutoni

The artist formerly known as Vince Carter displayed enough vinsanity two nights ago to get thrown out of the game against the visiting Pistons by referee Derrick Stafford. The easy joke at the time was that Vince simply wanted to get an early-start on his New Year’s Eve celebration. Not so, allegedly.

According to people within the Nets organization, the ref used inappropriate language when addressing Carter. And now, the NBA is going to investigate the matter. The Daily News has the details:

However, accounts of the incident in the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press said Carter appeared to accuse Stafford of calling him “boy,” a term that is considered offensive to African-Americans. Like Carter, Stafford is African-American.

“The official said something to Vince that Vince thought was very inappropriate and he reacted,” Frank said. “Vince doesn’t have a reputation of a guy who’s going to rack up technicals.”

Well, regardless of what the League decides to do, Carter’s bandmates are convinced this is bad news for the Hawks (New Jersey’s opponent this evening):

“He’s going off,” forward Josh Boone predicted, “that’s all you need to know.”

“He’ll be really intense,” teammate Jarvis Hayes said. “He’ll probably want to come back intense. He’ll probably play one of his best games of the year.”

Atlanta defense: Here’s your challenge, should you choose to accept it.