The Nets filled some needs when they traded Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson to Orlando on draft night -- plus they gave themselves considerable cap flexibility for the free agent summer of 2010.
Yes, the Nets filled some needs. And created more holes. There is the question of replacing 21 points a game by Carter. But perhaps more importantly, they will miss Carter's impact on the younger players on the team. Often maligned as soft or self-centered, Carter was a workhorse (he missed 11 games in his last four full seasons as a Net) who valued his role as a team leader. He imparted insights to the younger players without prompting.
One of the key moments last season came in pre-season. Carter grabbed rookie Brook Lopez on the court during the pre-season game in London and drove home to the center that he needed to play like a 7-footer. It was stern, forceful, helpful without a dressing-down attitude.
"Obviously, he was our leader. He was always there for us. A great teacher for me, definitely made the transition easier," Lopez said. "Obviously he's going to be missed but I'm happy for him. He's in a good situation."
Carter even continued being a Net advantage after the fact. During the Orlando Summer League, Carter stopped by to watch his new employer's entry. But he still made time to chat with a member of his old crew, Chris Douglas-Roberts, who Carter took under his wing last season.
"We talked a lot," Douglas-Roberts said. "He said this is a business and you have to be really familiar with the business side. And he said you have to police yourself sometimes. He said he policed himself a lot in his career and that's what I have to do."
Carter was talking about in-game adjustments. About letting the game come to you and adapting, not forcing. And his messages weren't just for the Nets' kids.
"I'm happy for him, he will have a chance to win a title in Orlando," said veteran point guard Keyon Dooling. "However, I will really miss him on and off the court."
And Carter's departure made Josh Boone, with all of three seasons, the longest-tenured Net.
"I am obviously disappointed because Vince was one of my better friends on the team, as was Ryan," Boone said. "But that's the way that this business is. I'm happy for Vince because he gets to go back home."
And no one can be overly happy for the cost-cutting Nets, who may have filled one hole only to create another.
