Vince Carter’s attitude had been impugned more often than Condoleezza Rice’s integrity, from his old teammates to his brother-in-law. But to a man, the Nets say their new star is a willing passer and selfless player, and his all-around, 33-point, nine-assist, nine-board clinic Wednesday backed that up.
The Nets say Carter isn’t a chucker nor a malcontent, but a winner who plays the game the right way. If the Nets, who play host to Boston tonight, have any hopes of an unlikely playoff run, Carter will have to play the game the way he played it Wednesday night against the Bucks.
“I didn’t realize he was nearly this good of a passer. It’s shocking,” Lawrence Frank said. “He has such vision and delivers. He really sees the floor. When you see him every day, you start to really say, man.”
Frank is a firm believer the Nets have won in the past because their best player (Jason Kidd) is their hardest-working and most selfless. Frank said Carter was following Kidd’s lead and not trying to take over games until he has to.
“There’s going to be times where you try and get your teammates involved, and there’s times where you just seize it,” Frank said. “Jason and Vince, they have a feel for when it’s their time.”
After averaging a career-high 4.8 assists last season, Carter slumped to a career-worst 3.0 this season before being dealt. With the Nets, he’s back up to 4.4.
“When I look at a stat sheet, the first thing I look at is how many assists did I have. People know I can dunk, I can score; but I knew in time everybody would see the rest of my game,” said Carter, who added that Kidd’s presence has made him a better passer.
“Of course, it helps. I set a goal to try and keep up with him. Not his 60 triple-doubles, but . . . he’s a guy who can score, rebound and pass. I’m just trying to keep up with him and be that type of player. With the attention I bring with teams helping [on defense], I need to be able to do the same.”
At 14-24, the Nets were four games out of first in the Atlantic Division heading into action last night. To make headway, Kidd said Carter will need to reprise Wednesday’s performance.
“It was a typical game that we want him to have, where he can score but also find the open guy and help out rebounding,” Kidd said. “He comes from a good background of understanding how to play the right way, and understanding what it takes to be successful.”
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Richard Jefferson had surgery yesterday to repair a ruptured ligament in his left wrist; he’ll be in a cast for two months and rehab for two more. Dr. Charles Melone performed the procedure at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan . . . The Nets signed 29-year-old guard Billy Thomas to a 10-day contract. He played with their summer league team in 2002 and 2003 and was averaging 20.8 ppg for the CBA’s Dakota Wizards this year.
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CELTICS at NETS
Tonight7:30 – YES; WFAN (660)