SLAM #88

Originally published in SLAM 88 The 6th Man: There are three separate outcomes in the Vince Carter Relocation & Rejuvenation Project. The first is long-term, and it’ll be a while before we know how things work out there—will Vince stay in Jersey the rest of his career? And will he have Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson along for the ride? The second is short-term, and by the time this issue sees daylight, you’ll know if his arrival was enough to get the Nets into the playoffs. And the third, well, it’s even more short-term than the short term. I’m talking about immediate impact, what happened when he first landed in the Meadowlands. And what happened, by most accounts, is that Vince Carter was reborn. Maybe it was as simple as a change of scenery, but whatever the reason, his Stateside return seemed to bring VC a new lease on his basketball life. He was smiling again, excited about the game in a way he hadn’t been in years, and it showed. This was great news—too bad it wasn’t the...