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12-02-2004, 11:30 AM
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Dec 1, 10:28 PM
Magic took a pass on Carter
BY JOHN DENTON
FLORIDA TODAY
ORLANDO-- A Vince Carter return to his Central Florida roots was apparently an option this summer, but the Orlando Magic flatly rejected any trade involving the disgruntled star guard.
In the weeks following the Magic's blockbuster seven-player trade with the Houston Rockets that involved Tracy McGrady, Toronto Raptors' executives called the Magic to inquire about the availability of point guard Steve Francis. Magic general manager John Weisbrod said that Carter, a native of nearby Daytona Beach, was offered up in a trade, but the Magic had little to no interest.
Carter demanded a trade out of Toronto this summer and has sulked through most of the Raptors' games so far. He had just five points in 28 minutes Tuesday against Miami, the third time this season that he's scored five or fewer points. His 16.1 scoring average is by far the lowest of his career.
"We're done talking about where Vince fits in," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "He's been in Toronto seven years and I deal with him every day and he's fine in Toronto. We're not trying to fit him in because he's a fixture. He's a superstar player. Unless he tells me something different, I'll assume he's happy."
Cat is back.Cuttino Mobley was back in uniform Wednesday night, a promotion that was moved up after Pat Garrity was placed on the injured list with a sprained foot.
Mobley, the expected starter at shooting guard, missed the past nine games with a strained groin muscle. After Mobley suffered a setback with the injury last week the Magic originally projected that he wouldn't return until Dec. 6. But he was inserted into the game in the first half Wednesday and was expected to play 8-10 minutes.
"The plan is just to make sure he's back to full usage by Friday in New York," Weisbrod said. "The issue anymore isn't so much the injury as it is conditioning. He'll probably be sucking wind from having not played in so long."
Don't like Mike.Coming out of training camp, Magic coach Johnny Davis and Weisbrod both predicted that reserve forward Michael Bradley would eventually emerge to be a surprise player for the Magic. But a month into the season, Bradley has spent most of his time stashed away on the injured list.
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound power forward was active for the first five games of the season, but logged just six minutes of playing time in three appearances. He was then put on the injured list and was angered when the team initially listed his injury as a knee problem. It was later changed, for semantics sake, to a hamstring strain.
Bradley was hoping to be activated Wednesday when the Magic put Pat Garrity on the injured list because of a sprained foot. But instead Orlando opted for Stacey Augmon. Needless to say, Bradley is a little miffed at what has gone on.
"It's frustrating to just sit on the injured list when you're healthy," he said. "I guess I'm a little surprised because I thought I'd have more of an opportunity to show what I can do. I went on the injured list after five games and I only played two.
"I'm obviously looking to play, so if I'm going to be on the injured list all year then at some point I'd talk to (Magic management). But I want to play here because we have a great team and I think I can help. So I obviously don't want to look down that road yet. I want things to work out here."
Extra points.Johnny Davis said his Magic spent an extended period watching Monday's 117-101 loss to the Boston Celtics. Said Davis: "It was a horror film. And all of our guys had a front-row seat for it."
Contact Denton at [email protected].
Email this page to a friend.
Dec 1, 10:28 PM
Magic took a pass on Carter
BY JOHN DENTON
FLORIDA TODAY
ORLANDO-- A Vince Carter return to his Central Florida roots was apparently an option this summer, but the Orlando Magic flatly rejected any trade involving the disgruntled star guard.
In the weeks following the Magic's blockbuster seven-player trade with the Houston Rockets that involved Tracy McGrady, Toronto Raptors' executives called the Magic to inquire about the availability of point guard Steve Francis. Magic general manager John Weisbrod said that Carter, a native of nearby Daytona Beach, was offered up in a trade, but the Magic had little to no interest.
Carter demanded a trade out of Toronto this summer and has sulked through most of the Raptors' games so far. He had just five points in 28 minutes Tuesday against Miami, the third time this season that he's scored five or fewer points. His 16.1 scoring average is by far the lowest of his career.
"We're done talking about where Vince fits in," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "He's been in Toronto seven years and I deal with him every day and he's fine in Toronto. We're not trying to fit him in because he's a fixture. He's a superstar player. Unless he tells me something different, I'll assume he's happy."
Cat is back.Cuttino Mobley was back in uniform Wednesday night, a promotion that was moved up after Pat Garrity was placed on the injured list with a sprained foot.
Mobley, the expected starter at shooting guard, missed the past nine games with a strained groin muscle. After Mobley suffered a setback with the injury last week the Magic originally projected that he wouldn't return until Dec. 6. But he was inserted into the game in the first half Wednesday and was expected to play 8-10 minutes.
"The plan is just to make sure he's back to full usage by Friday in New York," Weisbrod said. "The issue anymore isn't so much the injury as it is conditioning. He'll probably be sucking wind from having not played in so long."
Don't like Mike.Coming out of training camp, Magic coach Johnny Davis and Weisbrod both predicted that reserve forward Michael Bradley would eventually emerge to be a surprise player for the Magic. But a month into the season, Bradley has spent most of his time stashed away on the injured list.
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound power forward was active for the first five games of the season, but logged just six minutes of playing time in three appearances. He was then put on the injured list and was angered when the team initially listed his injury as a knee problem. It was later changed, for semantics sake, to a hamstring strain.
Bradley was hoping to be activated Wednesday when the Magic put Pat Garrity on the injured list because of a sprained foot. But instead Orlando opted for Stacey Augmon. Needless to say, Bradley is a little miffed at what has gone on.
"It's frustrating to just sit on the injured list when you're healthy," he said. "I guess I'm a little surprised because I thought I'd have more of an opportunity to show what I can do. I went on the injured list after five games and I only played two.
"I'm obviously looking to play, so if I'm going to be on the injured list all year then at some point I'd talk to (Magic management). But I want to play here because we have a great team and I think I can help. So I obviously don't want to look down that road yet. I want things to work out here."
Extra points.Johnny Davis said his Magic spent an extended period watching Monday's 117-101 loss to the Boston Celtics. Said Davis: "It was a horror film. And all of our guys had a front-row seat for it."
Contact Denton at [email protected].