Denton: Magic's Carter Happy, But Hungry
By John Denton
December 28, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – It’s always good to be `The Man,’ except for when you have to be `The Man’ every single night. Then, it’s good to share some of that load from night to night. Unloading that pressure can be, in a word, liberating.
That realization has certainly hit home this season with Vince Carter, who now as a member of the deep and loaded Orlando Magic has never been happier in his 12 NBA seasons. Unlike the previous 11 years where Carter was so often looked to as the franchise player and had to have a big night or his team usually faltered, Carter is at peace with simply being a cog in the Magic machine.
Playing alongside of all-stars Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson, Carter has been able to better pick his spots in this his first season in Orlando. He’s still the Magic’s closer in almost every way and even if he’s struggling with his shot coach Stan Van Gundy puts the ball in his hands at the end of games.
But avoiding the daily grind of having to carry the team has helped lighten the mood somewhat with Carter. The scowl that he so often played with in the past is mostly gone now. His dour demeanor has been replaced by one where he’s often bubbly and boyishly playful.
``It’s something that I’ve been accustomed to for 11 years now and I still have the same mentality as far as being aggressive and staying in attack mode,’’ Carter said of being `The Man’ in earlier stages of his career. ``But here it’s good to play with a core of guys where they all can score 25 points on any night. It just makes the team better when the whole team can coexist and you don’t have to do so much yourself.’’
The ability to share the load has paid off for Carter, who has spent much of the season as the team’s leader in scoring and assists. His shooting percentage has frustratingly dipped below 40 percent, but has vowed that the stretch of poor shooting won’t shake his confidence.
Now not, not on a team where he finally has so much support around him.
``I just want to make plays because we have so many great players on this team who can make plays and I’m not going to get down on my game at all,’’ Carter vowed. ``I’ve been around too long to beat myself up because I know my abilities. I’ll get my rhythm back and when my confidence comes all the way back it won’t be a guessing game so much with my shot. Until then, I just have to keep trying to get to the line.’’
HOMETOWN HERO
Carter, 32, is at such peace with himself and his game because he’s playing back in the area where it all began for him. A native of nearby Daytona Beach, Carter blossomed into a prep superstar early on at Mainland High School.
And his ties with the Magic followed not long after that, as he became an offseason workout partner with former Magic players Nick Anderson, Morlon Wiley and Literal Green. And before he headed off to the University of North Carolina as one of the nation’s most coveted prep players, Carter won a halftime dunk contest at the then-Orlando Arena.
Though Carter spent the past 11 years playing in Toronto and New Jersey, he never really left his Central Florida roots behind. Carter annually hosts kids camps in Orlando and Daytona and in 2002 he donated $2.5 million to help build the Vince Carter Athletic Center at Mainland High School. In 2007, a statue of Carter dressed in a suit and holding a basketball was erected outside of the facility. Also in 2007, Carter donated $1.6 million to build the Vince Carter Sanctuary, a drug-and-alcohol treatment center in Bunnell.
As delighted as Carter was about returning to Orlando – he danced around the court at his kids’ clinic the day he was informed he had been traded by New Jersey to Orlando – playing so close to home did give him some trepidation.
His mother, Michelle Carter-Scott, ordered her fourth-row tickets the day her son was traded to the Magic. And Carter informed his friends early on that they would be on their own for tickets because he didn’t want his focus to stray from the task at hand of trying to win a championship.
He said this point in his career, 11 years into the NBA, is much better than if he would have played here as a youngster.
``I wasn’t going to let coming back home put any extra pressure on me and really I think it’s come at the perfect time for me at this point in my career,’’ Carter said. ``When I was younger and maybe trying to find my way, I might have let that pressure of being around friends and family get to me. But now if they get mad, they just get mad. That’s just part of life.’’
But there are plenty of positives that come with being back home too, Carter said. Everywhere he goes, especially around Daytona Beach, fans wish him good luck playing with the Magic and talk about the days when he was the king of Daytona Beach basketball.
And the comfort of being back home in Central Florida hit him recently when he popped into a local high school gymnasium to see his childhood friend, Joe Giddens, who is the head boys basketball coach at Spruce Creek High School.
``I surprised him by dropping into his game and it just so happened that he was being honored that night as well,’’ Carter said. ``Things like that in the past, I didn’t have the opportunity to do them. When you’re playing in other places like New Jersey and Toronto, I could have gone to high school games, but it would have been different. Here, I can go and don’t have to worry about people bothering me because I know the security guards and the coaches and the people at the games.
``I hear it all the time, `We’re so glad to have you back!’ I enjoy just being around home and so close. I can go back to my restaurant and The Sanctuary and see all of those things come to fruition. I can visit with my brother and my family almost any day that I want after practice because I’m 30 minutes away,’’ Carter continued. ``There’s just something really cool about being able to do that whenever I I want.’’
CHANGING HIS LEGACY
What Carter really wants most, of course, is a championship. And he really wants to play in games that matter again.
Because he’s played on mostly bad teams in Toronto and New Jersey, Carter has never played on a team that won 50 games in the regular season or made it out of the second round of the playoffs – marks that should fall this season with a Magic team that many feel is good enough to make it back to the NBA Finals.
Carter knows that the Magic traded for him with one thing in mind: Winning a championship. And playing on a team where there are so many weapons and one that has a legitimate chance to contend for a title seems to have re-energized him.
``The goal to win it all is greater now than it ever has been for me,’’ said Carter, who is a month shy of his 33rd birthday. ``I know what I’m playing for now and there’s no confusion. Earlier, I’d talk about (winning a championship), but I just had to hope that the team was good enough. But this situation now with the Magic, we all know that (winning a title) is a very possible reality. None of the outside stuff doesn’t bother me or distract me.’’
Carter was sitting courtside much of the Magic’s run through the playoffs last spring, watching his hometown team and silently wishing he could play in meaningful games like this. Now he has the chance to play for the Magic, and in turn, an even bigger chance to change his legacy.
He’s scored thousands of points, won a dunk contest, appeared in eight all-star games and been ``The Man’’ in Toronto and New Jersey. Now, he wants another title: ``Champion.’’
``When it’s all said and done and I’ve played 15 or 16 years if I’m a champion then I’m in an elite group then,’’ he said wistfully. ``Some of the great players didn’t have the opportunity to either think about a championship or even play for one. I want to be one of those guys who gets a chance to hold that trophy up over my head.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonDecember 28, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – It’s always good to be `The Man,’ except for when you have to be `The Man’ every single night. Then, it’s good to share some of that load from night to night. Unloading that pressure can be, in a word, liberating.
That realization has certainly hit home this season with Vince Carter, who now as a member of the deep and loaded Orlando Magic has never been happier in his 12 NBA seasons. Unlike the previous 11 years where Carter was so often looked to as the franchise player and had to have a big night or his team usually faltered, Carter is at peace with simply being a cog in the Magic machine.
Playing alongside of all-stars Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson, Carter has been able to better pick his spots in this his first season in Orlando. He’s still the Magic’s closer in almost every way and even if he’s struggling with his shot coach Stan Van Gundy puts the ball in his hands at the end of games.
But avoiding the daily grind of having to carry the team has helped lighten the mood somewhat with Carter. The scowl that he so often played with in the past is mostly gone now. His dour demeanor has been replaced by one where he’s often bubbly and boyishly playful.
``It’s something that I’ve been accustomed to for 11 years now and I still have the same mentality as far as being aggressive and staying in attack mode,’’ Carter said of being `The Man’ in earlier stages of his career. ``But here it’s good to play with a core of guys where they all can score 25 points on any night. It just makes the team better when the whole team can coexist and you don’t have to do so much yourself.’’
The ability to share the load has paid off for Carter, who has spent much of the season as the team’s leader in scoring and assists. His shooting percentage has frustratingly dipped below 40 percent, but has vowed that the stretch of poor shooting won’t shake his confidence.
Now not, not on a team where he finally has so much support around him.
``I just want to make plays because we have so many great players on this team who can make plays and I’m not going to get down on my game at all,’’ Carter vowed. ``I’ve been around too long to beat myself up because I know my abilities. I’ll get my rhythm back and when my confidence comes all the way back it won’t be a guessing game so much with my shot. Until then, I just have to keep trying to get to the line.’’
HOMETOWN HERO
Carter, 32, is at such peace with himself and his game because he’s playing back in the area where it all began for him. A native of nearby Daytona Beach, Carter blossomed into a prep superstar early on at Mainland High School.
And his ties with the Magic followed not long after that, as he became an offseason workout partner with former Magic players Nick Anderson, Morlon Wiley and Literal Green. And before he headed off to the University of North Carolina as one of the nation’s most coveted prep players, Carter won a halftime dunk contest at the then-Orlando Arena.
Though Carter spent the past 11 years playing in Toronto and New Jersey, he never really left his Central Florida roots behind. Carter annually hosts kids camps in Orlando and Daytona and in 2002 he donated $2.5 million to help build the Vince Carter Athletic Center at Mainland High School. In 2007, a statue of Carter dressed in a suit and holding a basketball was erected outside of the facility. Also in 2007, Carter donated $1.6 million to build the Vince Carter Sanctuary, a drug-and-alcohol treatment center in Bunnell.
As delighted as Carter was about returning to Orlando – he danced around the court at his kids’ clinic the day he was informed he had been traded by New Jersey to Orlando – playing so close to home did give him some trepidation.
His mother, Michelle Carter-Scott, ordered her fourth-row tickets the day her son was traded to the Magic. And Carter informed his friends early on that they would be on their own for tickets because he didn’t want his focus to stray from the task at hand of trying to win a championship.
He said this point in his career, 11 years into the NBA, is much better than if he would have played here as a youngster.
``I wasn’t going to let coming back home put any extra pressure on me and really I think it’s come at the perfect time for me at this point in my career,’’ Carter said. ``When I was younger and maybe trying to find my way, I might have let that pressure of being around friends and family get to me. But now if they get mad, they just get mad. That’s just part of life.’’
But there are plenty of positives that come with being back home too, Carter said. Everywhere he goes, especially around Daytona Beach, fans wish him good luck playing with the Magic and talk about the days when he was the king of Daytona Beach basketball.
And the comfort of being back home in Central Florida hit him recently when he popped into a local high school gymnasium to see his childhood friend, Joe Giddens, who is the head boys basketball coach at Spruce Creek High School.
``I surprised him by dropping into his game and it just so happened that he was being honored that night as well,’’ Carter said. ``Things like that in the past, I didn’t have the opportunity to do them. When you’re playing in other places like New Jersey and Toronto, I could have gone to high school games, but it would have been different. Here, I can go and don’t have to worry about people bothering me because I know the security guards and the coaches and the people at the games.
``I hear it all the time, `We’re so glad to have you back!’ I enjoy just being around home and so close. I can go back to my restaurant and The Sanctuary and see all of those things come to fruition. I can visit with my brother and my family almost any day that I want after practice because I’m 30 minutes away,’’ Carter continued. ``There’s just something really cool about being able to do that whenever I I want.’’
CHANGING HIS LEGACY
What Carter really wants most, of course, is a championship. And he really wants to play in games that matter again.
Because he’s played on mostly bad teams in Toronto and New Jersey, Carter has never played on a team that won 50 games in the regular season or made it out of the second round of the playoffs – marks that should fall this season with a Magic team that many feel is good enough to make it back to the NBA Finals.
Carter knows that the Magic traded for him with one thing in mind: Winning a championship. And playing on a team where there are so many weapons and one that has a legitimate chance to contend for a title seems to have re-energized him.
``The goal to win it all is greater now than it ever has been for me,’’ said Carter, who is a month shy of his 33rd birthday. ``I know what I’m playing for now and there’s no confusion. Earlier, I’d talk about (winning a championship), but I just had to hope that the team was good enough. But this situation now with the Magic, we all know that (winning a title) is a very possible reality. None of the outside stuff doesn’t bother me or distract me.’’
Carter was sitting courtside much of the Magic’s run through the playoffs last spring, watching his hometown team and silently wishing he could play in meaningful games like this. Now he has the chance to play for the Magic, and in turn, an even bigger chance to change his legacy.
He’s scored thousands of points, won a dunk contest, appeared in eight all-star games and been ``The Man’’ in Toronto and New Jersey. Now, he wants another title: ``Champion.’’
``When it’s all said and done and I’ve played 15 or 16 years if I’m a champion then I’m in an elite group then,’’ he said wistfully. ``Some of the great players didn’t have the opportunity to either think about a championship or even play for one. I want to be one of those guys who gets a chance to hold that trophy up over my head.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
