Smith: The goods on Carter and Raptors
Posted March 11, 2012 11:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Raptors point guard Jose Calderon was injured in the second quarter of the Raptors 105-86 loss to the Pistons.
Calderon stepped on the foot of Pistons guard Brandon Knight (who was trying to track down Calderon from behind as the Spanish guard was bringing the ball into the front court for the Raptors) and went down in a heap.
Calderon was diagnosed with a sprained right ankle and then sent for x-rays at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The x-rays were negative but Raptors coach Dwane Casey was forced to hand the keys to the offence to Jerryd Bayless and Gary Forbes. And that will be the case for the foreseeable future, as long as Calderon is sidelined (no timetable has been determined yet).
This raises the question: What about veteran point guard Anthony Carter?
Many in Raptorland believe he has been waived by Toronto already. However, that is not the case.
Carter is not with the team. He has gone back home to Denver but he has not been officially waived by the Raptors.
Carter’s agent, Bill Duffy, is looking for a new team for his client to play for — he’s looking for a club that may be interested in a veteran guard to add depth for a playoff run.
If Duffy can find a taker, one of three scenarios will unfold with Carter:
– he’ll be waived before the trade deadline.
– he’ll be waived right after the trade deadline.
– he’ll be included in a trade (either on his own or with another member of the Raps).
The question could be asked: Now that Calderon is hurt and point guard depth is an issue – with Bayless, Forbes and, possibly, Leandro Barbosa, being the only options – could Bryan Colangelo tell Carter to get back to Toronto to help the club out?
The answer to that question is not easy. But the simplest answer may be: Yes, Colangelo could do that — but in all likelihood Duffy would probably say that his client is not going to report and he’d essentially force the Raptors to suspend Carter and then, ultimately, waive him.
Chances are the Raps will eventually let Carter go and use the open roster spot to sign someone to a 10-day contract.
