This idea’s kind of been hanging around all year and it’s resurfaced this week and will be on people’s minds until the free agency period in July.

Vince Carter to Toronto in some kind of mentorship, backup, makeup, celebratory victory lap or something.

Don’t do it.

Look, there haven’t been many people more supportive of Carter than me, what he did for the franchise and what skills he’s still got left as his Dallas contract runs out.

But there are so many other issues at play, even thinking about bringing him back at this point out-weigh any positives.

First, and I know this from talking to people close to Carter over the last little while, he’s quite happy in Dallas, he’s fit into a nice role there as an old head and backup and I would imagine the Mavs feel that way, too.

But there are other reasons to take a pass that I think are equally, if not more, important.

There shouldn’t be but there are some lingering issues with some fans and Carter and I wonder if that wouldn’t become some kind of distraction for a team on the ascent. What if he doesn’t play well? How would fans react? What if he tires of the attention he’s sure to get and withdraws into himself, as he can? What if a return has some negative impact on delicate chemistry?

I like Vince, an awful lot, and think he’s still got a couple of years of good NBA production left in him. I don’t think anyone can deny that after watching what he did in a backup role with the Mavericks this year.

He can surely help a team with his skills and his smarts, I just don’t think, given all that’s gone on, that it would be worth the risk with this team at this point.

Besides, this is not a business for sentimentality, to tell you the truth, at least not in the rewarding of contracts and the distribution of playing time just because someone was closely associated with a team in the past and might – might – help at the moment.

And listening to Masai yesterday after the Casey thing ( this main story and this little sidebar came out it), I’m pretty sure the thought of some sentimental journey down memory lane I not something he is considering.

Of course, he would not and could not speak specifically of Carter since Vince remains under contract in Dallas until July, but the tenor of remarks was clear.

“Whether we lost Game 7 10 years ago, or whether free agents left here or whatever it was, I have a responsibility now, our team has a responsibility now … we move forward and we try and grow,” he said.

“For me, all of that stuff, I honestly don’t care and it won’t play any part in anything. We study the past, respect the past but I don’t care.”

I do think there will be a way to honour the Carters, Stoudemires, Oakleys, Petersons, Boshes, Davises and Williamses of the franchise sometime in the future, maybe with a Wall of Honour or something like that. I would hope and expect that is under consideration as they approach season No. 20.

Bringing back the best player in franchise history so he can live out his dotage here as some way of saying “thank you” or “we’re sorry” or whatever isn’t it.

What do you think?

-

TOD have won three in a row and I take back all the bad things said about them lately. Until they blow another couple of late leads.

-

So, what else from yesterday?

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Nothing concrete, of course, because the process of figuring out how to make this team better but a couple of interesting tidbits from Masai.

Of the team’s various free agents – restricted and unrestricted – the four he brought up by name were Lowry, Vasquez, Patterson and Nandomania and that makes entire sense to me.

That would be a pretty solid base with the guys coming back but the two dire needs – size and speed on the wings, bulk and shotblocking in the frontcourt – are going to have to be addressed either with signings or trades.

I haven’t had the time or the inclination to go over any free agent lists yet and probably won’t for a couple of weeks because there are long lunches and fun and relaxation in my immediate future because (a) I’m due and (b) I owe it to loved ones.

But there doesn’t seem to be any rush to Ujiri, I think he’s got a list of priorities forming his mind but I also know he’s not going to rush into anything.

He knows what he needs, though. That’s for sure.

-

This is long but I dare you to watch it and not come away even more impressed with Kevin Durant than you hopefully are right now.

This is now the gold standard for awards acceptance speeches to me.

-

As part of the whole decompression after the longest season in quite some time, I’m going to have to blow off the weekly chat tomorrow. But the mailbag is still there if your questions about this year or the summer haven’t been answered; get to askdoug@thestar.ca and drop me a line if you would.

Thanks.

-

Read more about: