Vince Carter wasn't available for Tuesday night's game at Denver and Wednesday's game at Portland because he's being sued by William "Tank" Black for breach of contract.

Legal proceedings were scheduled to begin Tuesday in Columbia, S.C., but the judge wasn't available, delaying the start for a day. Black, who was sent to prison for five years in 2002 for bilking about a dozen NFL players out of millions, is seeking $14 million from Carter. Carter is countersuing.

"The timing of this is unfortunate because I want to be with my teammates preparing for the season, but it's something I don't have control over," Carter said in a statement. "This has been an issue that has hung over my head for a number of years and I'm going to take care of it once and for all this week."

Carter hopes to return for Toronto's final preseason game against Cleveland on Friday.

Black was Carter's agent from June 1999 to March 2000. Carter cut ties with Black shortly after Black was charged. Black's clients included Fred Taylor, Ike Hilliard and Duce Staley.

As the Chicago Bulls post-Jordan struggles continue, one of the team's failed experiments wishes he had more time in the Windy City to try to turn things around.

Jalen Rose was a member of the Bulls for a season and a half before being shipped out to Toronto only three weeks into the 2003/04 season.  Expected to be the Bulls go-to player, Rose believes that he and his teammates were not given the time necessary to grow as a team.

"We didn't get a chance to do anything," Rose said. "The good teams are the teams that play together for a couple of years and you understand what a guy likes to do and where he's going to be and you gain that trust for one another."

Rose also had some observations on the Bulls latest experiment; replacing the 6-5 Jamal Crawford at shooting guard with smaller rookie Ben Gordon, who stands only 6-3 and has struggled badly thus far in the preseason.

"They thought they were going to bring him in to be like a scoring two guard to kind of replace Jamal," Rose said of Gordon. "He's not going to be able to do that, it seems like so far.

The Toronto Raptors released forward Ousmane Cisse and guard Norm Richardson on Friday.

Cisse had two points and one rebound in one preseason game. Cisse became the first high school player in Alabama to be drafted in the NBA when he was chosen by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2001 draft. He played in the NBDL last season.

"He's a prime example of a player that came out of high school and wasn't ready," Toronto general manager Rob Babcock said. "Had he gone to college he would be going into his senior year, and he'd be a much more advanced player than he is now."

Longtime Toronto Raptors assistant coach Jay Triano was dismissed as the head coach of Canada's senior men's national basketball team today, Executive Director Fred Nykamp announced.

Triano, a Raptors assistant since 2001, had been the National Team's head coach since 1999. He believes the team dismissed him in part because of his inability to focus his attention full-time on Team Canada.

"They thought it would be better for me to devote my full time to the Raptors, and to have a little bit more family time," Triano said. "I appreciate them looking out for me."

Although the Canadians finished in seventh place in the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, they did not qualify for the 2004 games in Athens.

"Canada Basketball is appreciative of the success Jay Triano has brought to our organization," Nykamp said. "But at this time we cannot move forward and achieve our strategic goals under the current arrangement."

Things just cannot seem to go right for Raptors guard Alvin Williams, who has a degenerative knee with almost no cartilage between the bones, causing them to painfully rub together when he moves.  The problem has been an ongoing one for Williams, and while the season hasn't even started the Raptors have to wonder how their point guard is going to get through.

"I don't know what's going to happen, to be honest with you," he said. "I don't know. Right now I'm just trying to get my leg right and try and be healthy."

But if he doesn't get his leg right, and can't be healthy? Then what?

"That's not an option," Williams replied. "I guess I could get surgery. But I don't know. Right now the ambition is to get my leg strong so hopefully the pain will go away."

He was asked if he ever thought about retiring: "No. No, man."

For a long time now Jalen Rose has thought that his best position on the court was point guard, even though he stands six feet and eight inches tall.  He has played the position in high school, college and the NBA, and for multiple teams on the latter.  It was a chance to return to this position after playing shooting guard and small forward in Chicago which had Rose excited about his move to Toronto, but as he heads into his first full season in Canada Rose will now be doing so in a new position on the court.  Whether he likes it or not Rose is once again set to become an NBA small forward.

"I wear a lot of hats and I'm asked to do a lot of things, whether it's guarding the best offensive player on the other team, whether it's being a playmaker, whether it's being a scorer, whether it's being the guy that can score baskets in the post, the guy than can run the fast break, rebound, leadership ? I'm asked to do a lot of things," Rose said.

"I play whatever position I'm asked to play. It always depends on the other four guys, and I'm moving back to the wing this season. It's a new challenge."

Except it's not, as Rose himself pointed out in his next breath.

"I've had production at playing one (point guard), I've had production at playing two (shooting guard), I've had production at playing three (small forward), so I'm ready for the challenge," he said. "The thing is, I'm into playing, period. As long as I get the opportunity to play my game, I'll play one, two, and three and average 20 points."

Free agent signee Rafer Alston is expected to be the player to pick up the point duties for the Raptors as Toronto employs a new, quick offensive set.

According to a source close to Peja Stojakovic, there is no way that he will resign with the Kings when his contract expires, but he expects to be traded by the February 15th deadline.

There has been talk of a possible trade scenario where Peja would be exchanged for Vince Carter, but that appears increasingly unlikely, as Carter's value is at an all-time low.

Other trade reports involving Stojakovic have involved Ron Artest.  Artest is the reigning defensive player of the year and would sure up a suspect Sacramento defense.  Both the Pacers and Kings have denied discussing such a deal.

Stojakovic has reported to camp, but has not backed down from his interest in playing for a new team.  Sacramento appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach, hoping that things can be resolved before they dismantle a team that has been very close to reaching the NBA Finals.

It looks like it is going to be another long season for Alvyn Williams and the Raptors with the starting point guard already looking worn out and worn down not even a week into training camp, the Toronto Sun is reporting.

Williams has been plagued with knee and ankle injuries for the past three seasons and things are not getting any better, and the vigors of two a day practices which are so common in training camp certainly are not helping matters.

The sitation as a whole has the Raptors' coaching staff worried.

"We're concerned," Sam Mitchell said yesterday morning. "You're heart goes out to him because his body's kind of letting him down. But the guy competes every day and he tries to do everything the right way and hopefully, he can fight through it and help us. It's a day-to-day thing with Alvin.

But because he is who he is, and because he plays as hard and as consistently as anyone who's ever worn a Toronto uniform, Williams will get the benefit of time.

"I'm not going to try to determine Alvin Williams' career for him in five practices," Mitchell said. "That's something that time is going to tell."

Has Vince Carter changed his mind on his recent trade demands and decided that Toronto is the place for him after all?

According to Robert MacLead of the Globe and Mail two weeks ago the probability of seeing Carter in a Raptors uniform for the upcoming season was remote, but now the high flying forward not only appears to be having second thoughts but he is actually looking forward to the start of training camp next week.  But why the change of heart?

In Toronto yesterday for the first time since his demands for a trade went public Carter had a meeting with Larry Tanenbaum, the minority owner and chairman of the board of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., the company that owns the Raptors.

Tanenbaum said he came away from the three hour meeting "very optimistic" that Carter's future may still rest with the Raptors.

"He wants to be in a Raptors uniform right now," Tanenbaum said in an interview.

"Vince is really looking forward right now to training camp and getting started," Tanenbaum said. "Vince and the entire organization really share the same goal of wanting to win, to build towards a championship team.

"And the truth of the matter is that he loves the fans of Toronto. He wants to get the events of this past summer behind him.

"He truly just wants to focus on playing basketball with the Raptors," Tanenbaum said

Tanenbaum was asked directly if Carter's trade demand was still on the table.

"I'm not going to get into the details of what the conversation was," he said. "But he is eager to get back on the court next week. And he wants to just focus on playing the game he loves."

Carter has been unhappy with many of the team's offseason changes, most notibly yet another new coach and a new GM.

"Vince was very frustrated with what has gone on here," Tanenbaum said.

"You've got to believe with three coaches in three years, a new general manager, Vince, and most people, are uncomfortable with instability.

"Nobody wants to be in that kind of situation."