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.
