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Caulton Tudor On Vince Carter & The Lockout
Caulton Tudor is one of the best sports columnist around, but because
he's
located in Charlotte, national media buzz has passed him by.
Charlotte, NC
The News & Observer on the Web
8/17/98
Caulton Tudor: Lockout has Carter undecided
Almost two months after the NBA draft,
some of Vince Carter's future is beginning to
come into focus.
It's fairly certain that North Carolina's wing star
of the past two years will play next season for the
Toronto Raptors.
That's assuming, of course, there is an NBA season
and barring the occurrence of another strange trade. If
you recall the specifics of the June 24 draft, Carter
officially began his pro career as property of the Golden
State Warriors. Ten minutes or so later, his rights were
swapped to Toronto for those of Carolina teammate Antawn
Jamison.
And by about noon Tuesday, Carter will be a step --
certainly a shoe -- up on most of the NBA rookie class
when he formally begins a lucrative endorsement contract
with Puma. The shoe money can be deposited immediately
whether the NBA season eventually is on or gone.
At a time when shoe companies are retreating from
NBA players at a fast-break pace and none of the
first-year players have been signed to contracts by the
teams, endorsement deals are difficult to swing.
"I feel very fortunate to be in this position.
That's for sure," Carter said of the contract during a
telephone interview last week.
Otherwise, almost nothing is for sure, even the next
day or two.
In what may be the most unexpected turn of events
since the draft-night trade, Carter later this week may
enroll as a senior-year student at Carolina. The nature
of the contract negotiations deadlock between the NBA
owners and the players union is such that Carter, like
other rookies, isn't sure where to be, what to do or
which way to plan on any given day.
"I feel lost," he said. "It's not like I'm
second-guessing my decision to come out, but there's no
way to make any definite plans on what's best."
Having promised himself, his family and Carolina's
coaches that he would graduate as soon as possible,
Carter would like to stay in Chapel Hill, work out on his
own and attend classes in the event that the season
doesn't start on time.
On the other hand, he can see the need to go ahead
and relocate to Toronto, hone his skills out there and be
in position to contribute to the team immediately should
the lockout end during the next few weeks.
"This could be craziest feeling I've ever had," he
said. "If I go ahead and start classes and I'm not out
there getting ready for a season with the Tar Heels, I
know I'll feel lost. I can't even think about what
something like that would be like.
"But if my teachers will let me go ahead and start
classes and get some credit for the work I do until the
pro season starts, then I guess that's what I'll do. The
coaches are trying to help me decide what would be best,
but it's hard for anyone to know what's best."
Although Carter has stayed busy most of the summer,
he said the period since the draft basically has been
like waiting for something to happen in a vacuum. He and
Jamison, who also would have been a Carolina senior in
'98-'99, shared an apartment and attended summer school.
Former teammate Shammond Williams, who graduated in May,
moved to Atlanta and began private workouts in hopes of
landing a spot on the Hawks roster. Another '98 senior
with NBA hopes, center Makhtar Ndiaye, has returned to
his home in Africa to spend time with his family.
"The last game that counted any of us played was
that [national semifinal] loss to Utah in San Antonio,"
Carter said. "I think we're all anxious to get the rest
of ours careers moving. It still hurts thinking back to
that game, and that seems like what we're talking about,
too.
"Plus, everywhere I go -- home in Florida, home in
Chapel Hill, in Toronto, just about everywhere --
everybody I talk to is asking me what in the world
happened to us and all I can say is, 'It just wasn't our
night.' But it's just frustration to go with the
frustration of not being able to get going with the
Raptors."
The most unsettling scenario of all, Carter said,
would be if he finds himself sitting in the Smith Center,
as an over-qualified student observer, when Carolina
starts its season Nov. 13 against Appalachian State.
"I'm guessing I can get a ticket if that happens,"
he said. "I assume I can get one, but that's something
else I guess I'll have to check on. I've got a lot of
things I want to do, but I'm not sure whether to do them.
I'd like to go to one of those meetings between the
players and owners and find out what they talk about,
too. I don't know whether something like that would be
out of order or not."
But if this period is frustrating for Carter, it has
the potential to be even more so for Carolina fans. Can
you imagine the level of torment Smith Center patrons
would experience if there is no NBA season and two of the
guys sitting behind the UNC bench during a close game
would be Carter and Jamison? It could happen.