Carter's Dream Becomes a Reality
By John Denton
October 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 – Last spring, as the Orlando Magic were storming through the Boston Celtics and routing the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to a trip to the NBA Finals, Vince Carter sat courtside and allowed his imagination to run rampant.
`Man, I wish I could be out there to help those guys,’’’ Carter remembered thinking.
Tonight, in the Magic’s regular-season-opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, Carter’s dream will truly become a reality. The kid who grew up in nearby Daytona Beach as a Magic fan and much later longed for a chance to help Orlando chase a championship will be in pinstripes tonight, and quite frankly he couldn’t be happier about it.
Carter is back home, and the homecoming seems to have re-energized the spring in his explosive legs.
``When you first get to the NBA, you first want to make it in the league and then you want to try and play at home if the opportunity is ever presented to you,’’ Carter said. ``I’m proud I’m getting this chance and I want to take advantage of it.’’
Carter, who is three months shy of his 33rd birthday, has been to eight all-star games, he’s won a dunk contest, he’s won an Olympic gold medal, he’s scored plenty of points and made gobs of cash through the years.
But after mostly unfulfilling stops in Toronto and New Jersey, this is truly his first chance to compete for a championship. He knows that winning and winning big in Orlando can fix the loophole in his legacy and reshape how he’s thought of in NBA circles.
For him, his thoughts are consumed by helping the Magic win. It’s all that matters to him at this point in his career.
``It’s all about winning. I’m getting this opportunity to play on a great team and help us get over the hump,’’ he said. ``My goal is to take advantage of each and every moment.’’
Much of tonight will be a celebration of last season what with the Magic unveiling their Eastern Conference championship banner, but for Carter it's all about the potent potential that lies ahead for Orlando.
He is blown away at the Magic’s embarrassment of riches when it comes to their roster. They are stacked at virtually every position, taking much of the load off Carter’s shoulders. No longer does he have to carry the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. He has plenty of help in the form of Magic captains Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson and franchise cornerstones Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus. And as if that weren’t enough, Orlando also boasts arguably its best bench in franchise history.
Carter knows that his job is to provide more firepower from the perimeter. Expecting to get more open shots than he ever has at any point in his career, Carter worked hard this summer on sharpening his shooting range. And at this point he’s healthy, happy and ready for what he thinks will be the most special season of his NBA career.
How locked in is Carter on chasing this championship? His mother, Michelle Carter-Scott, got her tickets on the day he was traded to Orlando, and Vince has told other friends they are on their own when it comes to game tickets. He simply doesn’t want anything to distract him from the golden goal.
``I just want to focus on the season,’’ Carter said sternly. ``I wanted to approach this as if it’s every other season. I didn’t have to worry about ticket requests in Toronto or Jersey. A lot of my friends, they’re pretty much here. I just wanted to keep it simple and stay focused on the task at hand.’’
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 DentonOctober 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 – Last spring, as the Orlando Magic were storming through the Boston Celtics and routing the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to a trip to the NBA Finals, Vince Carter sat courtside and allowed his imagination to run rampant.
`Man, I wish I could be out there to help those guys,’’’ Carter remembered thinking.
Tonight, in the Magic’s regular-season-opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, Carter’s dream will truly become a reality. The kid who grew up in nearby Daytona Beach as a Magic fan and much later longed for a chance to help Orlando chase a championship will be in pinstripes tonight, and quite frankly he couldn’t be happier about it.
Carter is back home, and the homecoming seems to have re-energized the spring in his explosive legs.
``When you first get to the NBA, you first want to make it in the league and then you want to try and play at home if the opportunity is ever presented to you,’’ Carter said. ``I’m proud I’m getting this chance and I want to take advantage of it.’’
Carter, who is three months shy of his 33rd birthday, has been to eight all-star games, he’s won a dunk contest, he’s won an Olympic gold medal, he’s scored plenty of points and made gobs of cash through the years.
But after mostly unfulfilling stops in Toronto and New Jersey, this is truly his first chance to compete for a championship. He knows that winning and winning big in Orlando can fix the loophole in his legacy and reshape how he’s thought of in NBA circles.
For him, his thoughts are consumed by helping the Magic win. It’s all that matters to him at this point in his career.
``It’s all about winning. I’m getting this opportunity to play on a great team and help us get over the hump,’’ he said. ``My goal is to take advantage of each and every moment.’’
Much of tonight will be a celebration of last season what with the Magic unveiling their Eastern Conference championship banner, but for Carter it's all about the potent potential that lies ahead for Orlando.
He is blown away at the Magic’s embarrassment of riches when it comes to their roster. They are stacked at virtually every position, taking much of the load off Carter’s shoulders. No longer does he have to carry the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. He has plenty of help in the form of Magic captains Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson and franchise cornerstones Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus. And as if that weren’t enough, Orlando also boasts arguably its best bench in franchise history.
Carter knows that his job is to provide more firepower from the perimeter. Expecting to get more open shots than he ever has at any point in his career, Carter worked hard this summer on sharpening his shooting range. And at this point he’s healthy, happy and ready for what he thinks will be the most special season of his NBA career.
How locked in is Carter on chasing this championship? His mother, Michelle Carter-Scott, got her tickets on the day he was traded to Orlando, and Vince has told other friends they are on their own when it comes to game tickets. He simply doesn’t want anything to distract him from the golden goal.
``I just want to focus on the season,’’ Carter said sternly. ``I wanted to approach this as if it’s every other season. I didn’t have to worry about ticket requests in Toronto or Jersey. A lot of my friends, they’re pretty much here. I just wanted to keep it simple and stay focused on the task at hand.’’
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.
