Raptors should announce retiring Vince Carter's jersey soon

[xAIRNESSx]

Vince also rescinded his trade request but Babcock was insistent on trading him for a garbage package.

The organization was a disaster from Peddie to Babcock to Mitchell. There was a lot of pettiness directed at Vince heading into that season.

[And1Skip]

Vince also rescinded his trade request but Babcock was insistent on trading him for a garbage package.

The organization was a disaster from Peddie to Babcock to Mitchell. There was a lot of pettiness directed at Vince heading into that season.

I would call it a lot of "Peddie-ness". And that dude is still petty about Vince today. Richard Peddie almost single handedly ruined the franchise until Stern came in and brought in BC.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/170029/Vince_Carter_wants_Raptors_President_Peddie_Fired

"I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince has no problem at all with (new general manager) Rob Babcock or (new head coach) Sam Mitchell and that he is looking forward to playing for them," said Mississauga businessman Nav Bhatia, a Raptors season-ticket holder who has become so close with Carter that he was one of the few Canadians invited to the player's recent wedding in Florida.

"Vince loves Toronto and he loves the fans of Toronto. He has two condominiums in Toronto and he wants to live here for many, many more years. But he has serious problems playing for an organization that is run by Richard Peddie (the club's president and CEO). He has problems with (consultant) Jack McCloskey and (player-personnel director) Jim Kelly, too.

"Larry Tanenbaum (the Raptors' chairman) is fully aware of this. Larry asked me recently what would make Vince comfortable with the organization and I told him in no uncertain terms -- that he wants Peddie, McCloskey and Kelly gone. Now it's up to Larry and his co-owners to decide what they want to do."

[PerfectJab]

Vince also rescinded his trade request but Babcock was insistent on trading him for a garbage package.

The organization was a disaster from Peddie to Babcock to Mitchell. There was a lot of pettiness directed at Vince heading into that season.

I would call it a lot of "Peddie-ness". And that dude is still petty about Vince today. Richard Peddie almost single handedly ruined the franchise until Stern came in and brought in BC.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/170029/Vince_Carter_wants_Raptors_President_Peddie_Fired

"I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince has no problem at all with (new general manager) Rob Babcock or (new head coach) Sam Mitchell and that he is looking forward to playing for them," said Mississauga businessman Nav Bhatia, a Raptors season-ticket holder who has become so close with Carter that he was one of the few Canadians invited to the player's recent wedding in Florida.

"Vince loves Toronto and he loves the fans of Toronto. He has two condominiums in Toronto and he wants to live here for many, many more years. But he has serious problems playing for an organization that is run by Richard Peddie (the club's president and CEO). He has problems with (consultant) Jack McCloskey and (player-personnel director) Jim Kelly, too.

"Larry Tanenbaum (the Raptors' chairman) is fully aware of this. Larry asked me recently what would make Vince comfortable with the organization and I told him in no uncertain terms -- that he wants Peddie, McCloskey and Kelly gone. Now it's up to Larry and his co-owners to decide what they want to do."

VC sure had a lot of power for a 2x all NBA 2nd team player. Based on his demands you'd think he was a superstar caliber MVP type player.

edit... 1x all nba 2nd team 1x nba 3rd team

[Tha Cynic]

Norm says it best at 5 mins mark

https://youtu.be/4vMu4tSx-RI?si=Jxp3rmInS3M0Jfm0

He's simply wrong.

What does he mean by "without Vince Carter Raptors wouldn't be what they are today?"

Here are the facts: Vince Carter left unprofessionally by deliberately tanking his trade value and playing like horse **** for the first 20 games of the 2004-2005 season. That resulted in an awful trade and set the franchise back for years.

The Raptors are what they are today because of the "We The North' era with Masai, Lowry, Derozan etc. starting in 2014, which made us a powerhouse franchise that competed every year and ended up with a championship. The "We The North" fully put Toronto on the map as a legit top basketball city, and ended the myth of Toronto being only a Hockey town.

This is simply not true. A lot of people became Raptors fans because of Vince Carter. The guy was a basketball icon not just in Toronto but in the entire league. We had Raptors jerseys being worn in rap videos in the US. That's unheard of. I believe in one of his years here the Raptors were the second biggest draw on the road due to Vince Carter. His impact on the growth of basketball is very different than what he did in that last year on the court. He dogged it and intentionally played like crap. But, he is a huge reason why the game took off here

How do you think they "We The North" started? Most of those fans grew up watching Vince Carter and then more came in after. By then the Raptors were already selling out games.

[BetterCallSaul]

Norm says it best at 5 mins mark

https://youtu.be/4vMu4tSx-RI?si=Jxp3rmInS3M0Jfm0

He's simply wrong.

What does he mean by "without Vince Carter Raptors wouldn't be what they are today?"

Here are the facts: Vince Carter left unprofessionally by deliberately tanking his trade value and playing like horse **** for the first 20 games of the 2004-2005 season. That resulted in an awful trade and set the franchise back for years.

The Raptors are what they are today because of the "We The North' era with Masai, Lowry, Derozan etc. starting in 2014, which made us a powerhouse franchise that competed every year and ended up with a championship. The "We The North" fully put Toronto on the map as a legit top basketball city, and ended the myth of Toronto being only a Hockey town.

This is simply not true. A lot of people became Raptors fans because of Vince Carter. The guy was basketball icon not just in Toronto but in the entire league. I believe in one of his years here the Raptors were the second biggest draw on the road due to Vince Carter. His impact on the growth of basketball is very different than what he did in that last year on the court. He dogged it and intentionally played like crap. But, he is a huge reason why the game took off here

How do you think they "We The North" started? Most of those fans grew up watching Vince Carter and then more came in after. By then the Raptors were already selling out games.

The sport would have taken off regardless. I became a fan literally as Vince was dogging it and somehow my fandom only increased each year thereafter despite the clown show that was taking place. Basketball culture in Toronto was not something that was going to stop.

Vince was electric, unique and drew viewers to an otherwise irrelevant basketball city. However, he gets far too much credit for simply being who he is where he is. It's like retiring Kawhi's jersey. Yes, Kawhi was the best player in this team's only championship, but he was just him as a player here. I know Vince had some philanthropic ventures and was ingrained in the community, but at the end of the day he tanked his value and demanded out. Then, he whooped our ass in the playoffs. His legacy is marred.

He happened to be drafted here. He had some success for a franchise that was brand new. But did he go above and beyond as a player for this franchise? I don't think so. Maybe that's because I didn't live through it. That obviously matters.

The only jersey I'm retiring so far is Kyle Lowry. Maybe my standards are too high, I don't know. I understand if/when Vince is retired as well and I think it's reasonable, but to me Kyle is the only one worth retiring. If we retire Vince, I feel like a strong case can be made for DeMar as well.

[TheGeneral99]

Norm says it best at 5 mins mark

https://youtu.be/4vMu4tSx-RI?si=Jxp3rmInS3M0Jfm0

He's simply wrong.

What does he mean by "without Vince Carter Raptors wouldn't be what they are today?"

Here are the facts: Vince Carter left unprofessionally by deliberately tanking his trade value and playing like horse **** for the first 20 games of the 2004-2005 season. That resulted in an awful trade and set the franchise back for years.

The Raptors are what they are today because of the "We The North' era with Masai, Lowry, Derozan etc. starting in 2014, which made us a powerhouse franchise that competed every year and ended up with a championship. The "We The North" fully put Toronto on the map as a legit top basketball city, and ended the myth of Toronto being only a Hockey town.

This is simply not true. A lot of people became Raptors fans because of Vince Carter. The guy was a basketball icon not just in Toronto but in the entire league. We had Raptors jerseys being worn in rap videos in the US. That's unheard of. I believe in one of his years here the Raptors were the second biggest draw on the road due to Vince Carter. His impact on the growth of basketball is very different than what he did in that last year on the court. He dogged it and intentionally played like crap. But, he is a huge reason why the game took off here

How do you think they "We The North" started? Most of those fans grew up watching Vince Carter and then more came in after. By then the Raptors were already selling out games.

Please explain anything that I said which isn't true.

I never denied that VC was a big influence, brought a lot of new fans, and accelerated the speed of the growth, but it doesn't mean that the Raptors would not be what they are today without him...that's just ridiculous. All it means is that the popularity of basketball might have taken a little longer. He is a reason, but this idea that basketball would not have taken off if Vince had not played here is just such a myth.

The "We the North" era is what really took Toronto basketball to a whole new level and easily exceeded VC's time here. The City saw a 50+ win powerhouse for several years, leading to a championship.

And the 'We the North" era started 10 years after VC left...what are you talking about? The Raptors were bad in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

[BetterCallSaul]

He's simply wrong.

What does he mean by "without Vince Carter Raptors wouldn't be what they are today?"

Here are the facts: Vince Carter left unprofessionally by deliberately tanking his trade value and playing like horse **** for the first 20 games of the 2004-2005 season. That resulted in an awful trade and set the franchise back for years.

The Raptors are what they are today because of the "We The North' era with Masai, Lowry, Derozan etc. starting in 2014, which made us a powerhouse franchise that competed every year and ended up with a championship. The "We The North" fully put Toronto on the map as a legit top basketball city, and ended the myth of Toronto being only a Hockey town.

This is simply not true. A lot of people became Raptors fans because of Vince Carter. The guy was a basketball icon not just in Toronto but in the entire league. We had Raptors jerseys being worn in rap videos in the US. That's unheard of. I believe in one of his years here the Raptors were the second biggest draw on the road due to Vince Carter. His impact on the growth of basketball is very different than what he did in that last year on the court. He dogged it and intentionally played like crap. But, he is a huge reason why the game took off here

How do you think they "We The North" started? Most of those fans grew up watching Vince Carter and then more came in after. By then the Raptors were already selling out games.

Please explain anything that I said which isn't true.

I never denied that VC was a big influence and brought a lot of new fans, but it doesn't mean that the Raptors would not be what they are today without him...that's just ridiculous. All it means is that the popularity of basketball might have taken a little longer. He is a reason, but this idea that basketball would not have taken off if Vince had not played here is just such a myth.

The "We the North" era is what really took Toronto basketball to a whole new level and easily exceeded VC's time here. The City saw a 50+ win powerhouse for several years, leading to a championship.

If we don't draft him, maybe we draft a bust. Maybe we draft Dirk or Paul Pierce? Where would basketball culture be if that happens?
He landed at a place that was desperate for him and he was him. It was amazing, but he didn't go above and beyond.

[Tha Cynic]

He's simply wrong.

What does he mean by "without Vince Carter Raptors wouldn't be what they are today?"

Here are the facts: Vince Carter left unprofessionally by deliberately tanking his trade value and playing like horse **** for the first 20 games of the 2004-2005 season. That resulted in an awful trade and set the franchise back for years.

The Raptors are what they are today because of the "We The North' era with Masai, Lowry, Derozan etc. starting in 2014, which made us a powerhouse franchise that competed every year and ended up with a championship. The "We The North" fully put Toronto on the map as a legit top basketball city, and ended the myth of Toronto being only a Hockey town.

This is simply not true. A lot of people became Raptors fans because of Vince Carter. The guy was basketball icon not just in Toronto but in the entire league. I believe in one of his years here the Raptors were the second biggest draw on the road due to Vince Carter. His impact on the growth of basketball is very different than what he did in that last year on the court. He dogged it and intentionally played like crap. But, he is a huge reason why the game took off here

How do you think they "We The North" started? Most of those fans grew up watching Vince Carter and then more came in after. By then the Raptors were already selling out games.

The sport would have taken off regardless. I became a fan literally as Vince was dogging it and somehow my fandom only increased each year thereafter despite the clown show that was taking place. Basketball culture in Toronto was not something that was going to stop.

Vince was electric, unique and drew viewers to an otherwise irrelevant basketball city. However, he gets far too much credit for simply being who he is where he is. It's like retiring Kawhi's jersey. Yes, Kawhi was the best player in this team's only championship, but he was just him as a player here. I know Vince had some philanthropic ventures and was ingrained in the community, but at the end of the day he tanked his value and demanded out. Then, he whooped our ass in the playoffs. His legacy is marred.

He happened to be drafted here. He had some success for a franchise that was brand new. But did he go above and beyond as a player for this franchise? I don't think so. Maybe that's because I didn't live through it. That obviously matters.

The only jersey I'm retiring so far is Kyle Lowry. Maybe my standards are too high, I don't know. I understand if/when Vince is retired as well and I think it's reasonable, but to me Kyle is the only one worth retiring. If we retire Vince, I feel like a strong case can be made for DeMar as well.

I actually did say that I wouldn't retire his jersey because of how he dogged it in that last year after asking for a trade. In terms of basketball, yes it was growing but Vince Carter was the first big reason why fans started watching the game - including me.

I agree with most of what you said, but I do think his impact here on the game was huge. Do I think basketball would have died? No. Basketball grew through the minority population as it was a sport most minorities could relate to over hockey, but there is no doubt the person who brought fans in at the rate that they came in was due to Vince Carter because the media (especially those hockey fans) were doing everything they could to kill the sport here. Vince Carter also did what he could to promote the city and the sport. He tried to get people to come to Toronto and held many ventures here including his charities.

But to retire a jersey you need longevity and the way it ended was just something that takes a lot of it away.

[WetLikeWater]

He's simply wrong.

What does he mean by "without Vince Carter Raptors wouldn't be what they are today?"

Here are the facts: Vince Carter left unprofessionally by deliberately tanking his trade value and playing like horse **** for the first 20 games of the 2004-2005 season. That resulted in an awful trade and set the franchise back for years.

The Raptors are what they are today because of the "We The North' era with Masai, Lowry, Derozan etc. starting in 2014, which made us a powerhouse franchise that competed every year and ended up with a championship. The "We The North" fully put Toronto on the map as a legit top basketball city, and ended the myth of Toronto being only a Hockey town.

This is simply not true. A lot of people became Raptors fans because of Vince Carter. The guy was a basketball icon not just in Toronto but in the entire league. We had Raptors jerseys being worn in rap videos in the US. That's unheard of. I believe in one of his years here the Raptors were the second biggest draw on the road due to Vince Carter. His impact on the growth of basketball is very different than what he did in that last year on the court. He dogged it and intentionally played like crap. But, he is a huge reason why the game took off here

How do you think they "We The North" started? Most of those fans grew up watching Vince Carter and then more came in after. By then the Raptors were already selling out games.

Please explain anything that I said which isn't true.

I never denied that VC was a big influence and brought a lot of new fans, but it doesn't mean that the Raptors would not be what they are today without him...that's just ridiculous. All it means is that the popularity of basketball might have taken a little longer. He is a reason, but this idea that basketball would not have taken off if Vince had not played here is just such a myth.

The "We the North" era is what really took Toronto basketball to a whole new level and easily exceeded VC's time here. The City saw a 50+ win powerhouse for several years, leading to a championship.

And the 'We the North" era started 10 years after VC left...what are you talking about? The Raptors were bad in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Stop the cap bro! Without Vince, the raptors would of followed the grizzlies to the states some where like Nashville. This team was horrendous before Vince came along

[TheGeneral99]

He's simply wrong.

What does he mean by "without Vince Carter Raptors wouldn't be what they are today?"

Here are the facts: Vince Carter left unprofessionally by deliberately tanking his trade value and playing like horse **** for the first 20 games of the 2004-2005 season. That resulted in an awful trade and set the franchise back for years.

The Raptors are what they are today because of the "We The North' era with Masai, Lowry, Derozan etc. starting in 2014, which made us a powerhouse franchise that competed every year and ended up with a championship. The "We The North" fully put Toronto on the map as a legit top basketball city, and ended the myth of Toronto being only a Hockey town.

This is simply not true. A lot of people became Raptors fans because of Vince Carter. The guy was basketball icon not just in Toronto but in the entire league. I believe in one of his years here the Raptors were the second biggest draw on the road due to Vince Carter. His impact on the growth of basketball is very different than what he did in that last year on the court. He dogged it and intentionally played like crap. But, he is a huge reason why the game took off here

How do you think they "We The North" started? Most of those fans grew up watching Vince Carter and then more came in after. By then the Raptors were already selling out games.

The sport would have taken off regardless. I became a fan literally as Vince was dogging it and somehow my fandom only increased each year thereafter despite the clown show that was taking place. Basketball culture in Toronto was not something that was going to stop.

Vince was electric, unique and drew viewers to an otherwise irrelevant basketball city. However, he gets far too much credit for simply being who he is where he is. It's like retiring Kawhi's jersey. Yes, Kawhi was the best player in this team's only championship, but he was just him as a player here. I know Vince had some philanthropic ventures and was ingrained in the community, but at the end of the day he tanked his value and demanded out. Then, he whooped our ass in the playoffs. His legacy is marred.

He happened to be drafted here. He had some success for a franchise that was brand new. But did he go above and beyond as a player for this franchise? I don't think so. Maybe that's because I didn't live through it. That obviously matters.

The only jersey I'm retiring so far is Kyle Lowry. Maybe my standards are too high, I don't know. I understand if/when Vince is retired as well and I think it's reasonable, but to me Kyle is the only one worth retiring. If we retire Vince, I feel like a strong case can be made for DeMar as well.

I was similar to you.

I was pretty young when the VC era started, I remember the Philly series well, but I also remember VC being injured a lot in 2002 and 2003 and being a sulky, whiney loser when he left unprofessionally. I was a Raptor fan but not a die hard at the time.

What really got me invested in the NBA was Steve Nash. A smaller Canadian player in 2004-2005 that suddenly dominated the league and became the most exciting player. I remember staying up in high-school until past midnight to watch the Suns or Mavs on TNT, those were the exciting games.

[Kingsway_fan]

Vince also rescinded his trade request but Babcock was insistent on trading him for a garbage package.

The organization was a disaster from Peddie to Babcock to Mitchell. There was a lot of pettiness directed at Vince heading into that season.

I would call it a lot of "Peddie-ness". And that dude is still petty about Vince today. Richard Peddie almost single handedly ruined the franchise until Stern came in and brought in BC.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/170029/Vince_Carter_wants_Raptors_President_Peddie_Fired

"I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince has no problem at all with (new general manager) Rob Babcock or (new head coach) Sam Mitchell and that he is looking forward to playing for them," said Mississauga businessman Nav Bhatia, a Raptors season-ticket holder who has become so close with Carter that he was one of the few Canadians invited to the player's recent wedding in Florida.

"Vince loves Toronto and he loves the fans of Toronto. He has two condominiums in Toronto and he wants to live here for many, many more years. But he has serious problems playing for an organization that is run by Richard Peddie (the club's president and CEO). He has problems with (consultant) Jack McCloskey and (player-personnel director) Jim Kelly, too.

"Larry Tanenbaum (the Raptors' chairman) is fully aware of this. Larry asked me recently what would make Vince comfortable with the organization and I told him in no uncertain terms -- that he wants Peddie, McCloskey and Kelly gone. Now it's up to Larry and his co-owners to decide what they want to do."

Well said. VC was a generational superstar talent that landed in Toronto... not his fault incompetent management fk Ed up...

GROAT AND 1sr ballot HOF foe the eight time allatar ... scottie has a long way to go before he's even at 40 percent that level.... and I am a scottie fan.

[TheGeneral99]

Vince also rescinded his trade request but Babcock was insistent on trading him for a garbage package.

The organization was a disaster from Peddie to Babcock to Mitchell. There was a lot of pettiness directed at Vince heading into that season.

I would call it a lot of "Peddie-ness". And that dude is still petty about Vince today. Richard Peddie almost single handedly ruined the franchise until Stern came in and brought in BC.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/170029/Vince_Carter_wants_Raptors_President_Peddie_Fired

"I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince has no problem at all with (new general manager) Rob Babcock or (new head coach) Sam Mitchell and that he is looking forward to playing for them," said Mississauga businessman Nav Bhatia, a Raptors season-ticket holder who has become so close with Carter that he was one of the few Canadians invited to the player's recent wedding in Florida.

"Vince loves Toronto and he loves the fans of Toronto. He has two condominiums in Toronto and he wants to live here for many, many more years. But he has serious problems playing for an organization that is run by Richard Peddie (the club's president and CEO). He has problems with (consultant) Jack McCloskey and (player-personnel director) Jim Kelly, too.

"Larry Tanenbaum (the Raptors' chairman) is fully aware of this. Larry asked me recently what would make Vince comfortable with the organization and I told him in no uncertain terms -- that he wants Peddie, McCloskey and Kelly gone. Now it's up to Larry and his co-owners to decide what they want to do."

Well said. VC was a generational superstar talent that landed in Toronto... not his fault incompetent management fk Ed up...

GROAT AND 1sr ballot HOF foe the eight time allatar ... scottie has a long way to go before he's even at 40 percent that level.... and I am a scottie fan.

A superstar level talent that never reached his potential.

An 8 time all-star that didn't deserve to make the team in 2003 because he was hurt for significant chunks of the season, and got in simply due to popularity. The highest that VC was in MVP voting was tied for 11th in 2001. He was never a top 10 vote getter for MVP, he never truly reached superstar level impact.

A superstar talent that led us to the playoffs 2 times over a seven year span and never led us to over 47 wins.

At the end of the day VC was wasted talent...he had 2 great years with us in 2000 and 2001, then was hurt for a significant amount of time in 2002 and 2003, would sulk like a baby, lose his aggressiveness, would settle for outside jump shots, and left unprofessionally.

Dude does not have anything over Lowry except for talent. Lowry impacted the game ways in so many areas that VC never did, which is why we won 48, 49, 56, 51, 59, 58 and 53 games with Lowry leading the way.

[TorontoBaller]

nah, it's more like that hot girl back in high school during summer camp, who decided to make a man out of you scrawny nerdy boy. Then she went back to dating jocks and you never saw her again.

It's a memory you will carry to your death bed.

I don’t know, man.

Raps fans sitting here with the Chip still on our lips and VC never lead any team to the conference finals.

So your analogy is sh*t. I see what you’re trying to say, you just chose the wrong guy. Vince was a beautiful pure athlete, but not a winner. And he left in a huff like a little b*tch. Granted, raps management have blame in that. I’m a fan of his. He seems like a good human, he could really play. But there are lots of great guys who’ve worn raps jerseys.

I’m not for retiring his #.
I certainly not alone…

The championship might be a climax but Vince's highlights were the foreplay - and you don't forget those for that real hot one that got away

I hear you. It was electric!

But not Groat, right?

[HiJiNX]

Vince also rescinded his trade request but Babcock was insistent on trading him for a garbage package.

The organization was a disaster from Peddie to Babcock to Mitchell. There was a lot of pettiness directed at Vince heading into that season.

I would call it a lot of "Peddie-ness". And that dude is still petty about Vince today. Richard Peddie almost single handedly ruined the franchise until Stern came in and brought in BC.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/170029/Vince_Carter_wants_Raptors_President_Peddie_Fired

"I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince has no problem at all with (new general manager) Rob Babcock or (new head coach) Sam Mitchell and that he is looking forward to playing for them," said Mississauga businessman Nav Bhatia, a Raptors season-ticket holder who has become so close with Carter that he was one of the few Canadians invited to the player's recent wedding in Florida.

"Vince loves Toronto and he loves the fans of Toronto. He has two condominiums in Toronto and he wants to live here for many, many more years. But he has serious problems playing for an organization that is run by Richard Peddie (the club's president and CEO). He has problems with (consultant) Jack McCloskey and (player-personnel director) Jim Kelly, too.

"Larry Tanenbaum (the Raptors' chairman) is fully aware of this. Larry asked me recently what would make Vince comfortable with the organization and I told him in no uncertain terms -- that he wants Peddie, McCloskey and Kelly gone. Now it's up to Larry and his co-owners to decide what they want to do."

VC sure had a lot of power for a 2x all NBA 2nd team player. Based on his demands you'd think he was a superstar caliber MVP type player.

edit... 1x all nba 2nd team 1x nba 3rd team

He was also the most popular player in the league at a time when folks wondered if the Raptors would stay in Toronto.

[mieshpal]

I don't understand the need to retire his number. He was a prominent figure for the franchise and yes he created a ton of buzz, but does that warrant a jersey retirement. Winning is what should be the measuring stick and Vince did not win enough here. Bosh was a prominent figure here too, but he did not win enough either. Have to set standards. Lowry and Siakim are the two I would retire

Sent from my Pixel 8 using RealGM mobile app

[And1Skip]

Meh... Dallas Mavericks retired jerseys for Derek Harper and Ronaldo Blackman. Let the Raptors do their thing. I'm certainly not missing that event next season as a SSH and it'll be my most anticipated event since the the ring ceremony.

[Fairview4Life]

He was also the most popular player in the league at a time when folks wondered if the Raptors would stay in Toronto.

No one with any decision making ability was wondering if the Raptors would stay in Toronto.

[Fairview4Life]

Meh... Dallas Mavericks retired jerseys for Derek Harper and Ronaldo Blackman. Let the Raptors do their thing. I'm certainly not missing that event next season as a SSH and it'll be my most anticipated event since the the ring ceremony.

Rolando Blackman. He led them to their first conference finals, played ~900 games with them over 11 years, and was their best player in the 1980's and held the team record for points for a couple decades until Dirk broke it. Similar thing with Derek Harper. He played there for a decade and was part of the team's only good runs including their conference finals trip. They retired their jerseys because they were essentially their Kyle and Demar in the 80's and were there for a long time for a team that had almost no other success until Dirk showed up.

[HiJiNX]

He was also the most popular player in the league at a time when folks wondered if the Raptors would stay in Toronto.

No one with any decision making ability was wondering if the Raptors would stay in Toronto.

The point is flying over your head. The point is that Toronto wasn’t seen as a legitimate franchise in an NBA sports cultural sense before Vince arrived and for some time after he left. I’m not sure why our fanbase keeps downplaying that. We are not at all grateful enough for Vince’s contributions to Toronto. Why? It has nothing to do with his play but how he left. And I hated it, too. But it’s been like 20 years. Time to move on and let it go.

[Kingsway_fan]

Vince also rescinded his trade request but Babcock was insistent on trading him for a garbage package.

The organization was a disaster from Peddie to Babcock to Mitchell. There was a lot of pettiness directed at Vince heading into that season.

I would call it a lot of "Peddie-ness". And that dude is still petty about Vince today. Richard Peddie almost single handedly ruined the franchise until Stern came in and brought in BC.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/170029/Vince_Carter_wants_Raptors_President_Peddie_Fired

"I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince has no problem at all with (new general manager) Rob Babcock or (new head coach) Sam Mitchell and that he is looking forward to playing for them," said Mississauga businessman Nav Bhatia, a Raptors season-ticket holder who has become so close with Carter that he was one of the few Canadians invited to the player's recent wedding in Florida.

"Vince loves Toronto and he loves the fans of Toronto. He has two condominiums in Toronto and he wants to live here for many, many more years. But he has serious problems playing for an organization that is run by Richard Peddie (the club's president and CEO). He has problems with (consultant) Jack McCloskey and (player-personnel director) Jim Kelly, too.

"Larry Tanenbaum (the Raptors' chairman) is fully aware of this. Larry asked me recently what would make Vince comfortable with the organization and I told him in no uncertain terms -- that he wants Peddie, McCloskey and Kelly gone. Now it's up to Larry and his co-owners to decide what they want to do."

Well said. No star, that era and esp now, would put up with the crap VC had to endure with those total incompetents in the Raptor Organization.... disgraceful how they let a generational talent, the face of the Raptors and basketball in Canada Escape like that.... VC is by many fans who were lucky to see him perform the GROAT... it's not even close.

Imagine the Lakers trading prime Kobe??.. yea, there was a time when he asked out... Lakers management was not incompetent like Babcock, Peddie, Mccloskey ... and resisted trading him ... the Kobe legacy endured... VCs number needs to be raised asap by Raptors management... our and Canada's generational superstar.