Vince Carter to be honored by the Toronto Raptors?

by Wasabi Steak on Nov 2, 2009 3:04 PM EST

This caught my eye in the Sentinel and its been running around the basketball blogsphere and message boards all morning:

Right Here in the Sentinel

Raptors fans with long memories didn't get the chance to boo Magic SG Vince Carter, who was scratched with an injury on Sunday.

But that opportunity might come Nov. 22 at Air Canada Centre when the player who demanded out of Toronto after six-plus seasons will be ... honored by the franchise as part of their 15th anniversary celebration.

The Raptors say they will first ask Carter if he wants to go through with a ceremony, realizing the back-story.

"Everybody wants to know how we can do it, but Vince is part of the history here," Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo told the Sentinel. "Most of the people that he had problems with here are gone."

But it's the fans who have booed Carter each time he has returned since the Raptors dealt him to the New Jersey Nets in 2004.

Oh Canada so forgiving. If the Suns, Raptors and Pistons can honor outcas franchise players will Orlando do the same for the 25th anniversary?

This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.

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I can't see this going well...

If the way we still treat still Shaq here in Orlando is any indicator.

by bluedlu on Nov 2, 2009 3:13 PM EST reply actions

I don't know, I think it could work.

EVERYONE in Orlando doesn’t like Shaq but I know there’s a more mixed reaction in Toronto with VC.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat

by erivera7 on Nov 2, 2009 3:19 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe. They might boo him during the ceremony.

But I suppose the way they left their teams are pretty different too. As far as I know, VC never talked alot of trash about Toronto to the media.

by bluedlu on Nov 2, 2009 3:49 PM EST up reply actions

To answer the question first, I could see the franchise honoring anybody except Shaq, and that only because he’s still trash-talking the franchise. Penny, T-Mac, DScott…I don’t think the fans would have issues honoring any of those guys if the organization felt it was appropriate.

"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"

by The Dark on Nov 2, 2009 3:19 PM EST reply actions

I expect some Boos, but still classy of the Raptors organization to do it.

by thermodynamic on Nov 2, 2009 5:00 PM EST reply actions

Who cares about this?

The Raptors haven’t had enough history to even have such a ceremony.. jeez this is getting out of hand. Lets have a ceremony honoring the fact we’ve done nothing in the NBA for this long

I probably know Judo! How many of you can make the same boast?

by Souwantmyname on Nov 3, 2009 12:53 AM EST reply actions

Let the franchise be, doesn't hurt to honor an all-time great in their team's history.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat

by erivera7 on Nov 3, 2009 1:06 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Yep

by thermodynamic on Nov 3, 2009 1:32 AM EST up reply actions

so youre saying the Heat had no business honouring Alonzo Mourning?

Bleeding Blue Black and Silver for 20 of my 23 years.

by FLYNN47 on Nov 12, 2009 8:15 AM EST up reply actions

sorry- not very clear above...

my point being that new franchises aren’t allowed to honour their history?

Bleeding Blue Black and Silver for 20 of my 23 years.

by FLYNN47 on Nov 12, 2009 8:16 AM EST up reply actions

We should retire Penny's jersey

by derekk on Nov 3, 2009 1:30 AM EST reply actions

And I think its great the Raps are honoring VC, even if they all boo him, that franchise was put on the map with VC just like us with Shaq and Penny. Especially if its a game time, simple honoring ceremony.

by derekk on Nov 3, 2009 1:32 AM EST up reply actions

LOL, we've had this stirring discussion before.

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"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat

by erivera7 on Nov 5, 2009 8:40 PM EST up reply actions