Vince Carter left New Jersey with one primary regret: The Nets fell short of the playoffs last season.
Throughout the campaign, Carter continually insisted the Nets could land in the playoffs. Many smiled, removed sharp objects from Carter's reach and listened as he continued to plead his case. While they did fall short, the Nets were in the playoff chase far longer than outsiders expected. "I felt we had a pretty good team and we had a shot - not top five in the league, I knew that, at least a seven or eight seed," said Carter, whose worries, but not his connections, with the Nets ended when he was traded to Orlando on draft night.
"That's why it's hard. I mean I worked my butt off to gain the trust of each and every player here and every staff member and really to instill the mentality and belief that we could win. I don't think we were expected to win as many games as we did," Carter said at his youth summer Basketball camp at the Nets' facility yesterday.
"If we had another month I think we would have gotten in the playoffs."
The 2009-10 Nets are very young (six roster players with two years or less). They lack a rebounding horse. They will miss Carter's scoring and, especially, his leadership and expertise with teammates.
But Carter can see that last part coming from Devin Harris, the leading scorer a year ago.
"It's an opportunity; it's just who wants it," Carter said. "I mean, Devin can do it. He has seen it done and he's been around, it's just if he wants it. He has definitely established himself in the NBA as a player and that's the next level for him."
