Just a few quotes from a article by Adam Proteau from ESPN.com <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">To his credit, Vince swallowed a whole lot more than that during his Toronto days. He watched his coach morph from hyper-controlling drill sergeant (Butch Carter) to absentee landlord (Lenny Wilkens) to wild child grudge-holder (Kevin O'Neill) to take-no-guff master of sarcasm (Sam Mitchell). He watched them draft memorable disasters such as Aleksandar Radojevic, Ramon Van de Here, Michael Bradley and DeeAndre Huelett. He watched them let Tracy McGrady walk off to Orlando in exchange for bupkis. He watched them get fleeced on the free agent market by an aging center whose name rhymes with Wakeem Ho-pa-lu-wan. He watched them overpay like a Madison Square Garden executive to re-sign the Raptors' own free agents. But Carter never complained -- at least, not publicly. He'd always hoped there was a plan in place, that the braintrust at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment would eventually summon up a combination of steering and skill. He was even willing to be part of the perpetual rebuild as late as last summer, until the franchise took things one step too far. That happened when Raptors president Richard Peddie promised Carter he'd have significant input into the GM position vacated when Glen Grunwald had the proverbial can tied to him last spring. Carter favored NBA legend Julius Irving for the position, but Peddie and the rest of the Raptors Star Chamber involved with picking a new GM barely glossed over Dr. J.'s application before deciding on Rob Babcock</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">But all of his problems didn't mean Carter couldn't keep giving back to a community he so clearly cares for. Since the trade demand was made, he has visited the Sick Children's Hospital, and donated a $150,000 recreation complex to one of Toronto's disadvantaged districts. I don't imagine he'll stop being part of the city, on one level or another, for the rest of his life. Carter was the first star to truly embrace the place, and he's said his feelings won't change just because he doesn't have faith in the current ownership group. And I think he'd be the first to admit he'd rather have had things work out here than anywhere else. That didn't happen, and we're poorer in Toronto for it now that he's gone. Unfortunately, when Carter comes back wearing a Nets uniform, he'll undoubtedly follow in the great tradition of former Raptor stars: booed every time he touches a ball on Air Canada Centre ground, booed in the pregame introductions, booed on the talk radio shows, booed in print and in cyberspace. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">But Vince? He deserves nothing less than a standing ovation the next time he's in town, whether in street clothes this Sunday, in uniform on April 15, or later on down the road. He embraced us for embracing him. He gave back to the community, whether the cameras were there or not. And he gave Toronto some of the greatest basketball memories it will ever have.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Things changed because Carter almost single-handedly made them change. His dunks damn near tore the lid off the league, and got Canadians hooked on a game they'd have once passed over to watch curling. His ever-present smile and easygoing nature put the lie to the notion that elite NBAers could only be discovered by scraping the underbelly of the ghetto.</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BC:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't understand why the Raptors organization would want to retire the jersey of a player who complained and whined and demanded to be traded. </div>BC just gave you the reason why VC's number won't be retired. Until the team is sold to new owners, his number has no chance of being retired.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">BC just gave you the reason why VC's number won't be retired. Until the team is sold to new owners, his number has no chance of being retired.</div> Nobody has a good reason to ask for a trade, but he did have an excuse. One of the Top Executives of MLSE (The Company that owns The Raps and Maple Leafs), Richard Peddie, made Vince a promise. The promise was supposedly to go after Magloire and FA Steve Nash, very hard. Not sure what happened, but as you can see he did not go after them, and VC responded. Peddie openedly admitted his fault as well. I think I would do the same thing if I was in VC's situation and one of the top executives played me like that.
^ OK Banks, I know for a fact you are not stupid. Do you think the Raptors had a chance at acquiring Magloire and Nash considering those two's value in the market and how much cap space we had? Besides, the broken promise that ticked Vince off was that Peddie promised him that Dr.J will get a fair assesment, and Vince will be updated and consulted throughout the process, which didn't happen.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Purple Fever:</div><div class="quote_post">^ OK Banks, I know for a fact you are not stupid. Do you think the Raptors had a chance at acquiring Magloire and Nash considering those two's value in the market and how much cap space we had? Besides, the broken promise that ticked Vince off was that Peddie promised him that Dr.J will get a fair assesment, and Vince will be updated and consulted throughout the process, which didn't happen.</div> I knew that their was no way we were getting any of those players...But VC had a verbal commitment by Peddie that he would. And he broke his word, but not even trying. So I could understand why Vince would ask for a trade.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Banks:</div><div class="quote_post"> Nobody has a good reason to ask for a trade, but he did have an excuse. One of the Top Executives of MLSE (The Company that owns The Raps and Maple Leafs), Richard Peddie, made Vince a promise. The promise was supposedly to go after Magloire and FA Steve Nash, very hard. Not sure what happened, but as you can see he did not go after them, and VC responded. Peddie openedly admitted his fault as well. I think I would do the same thing if I was in VC's situation and one of the top executives played me like that</div> Regardless of whether he deserves it or not, the management makes the decision, so I don't see it happening. Oh, and don't get me wrong, I do agree with you 100% that his number deserves to be retired. He has been the only face of the franchise for its entire existance. He made the Raptors matter. Before him they were simply a joke.
