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February 20, 2009
New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn says he did not come close to dealing Vince Carter
Newark Star-Ledger
by Dave D'Alessandro
Vince Carter remains a Net, and team president Rod Thorn claims he was never lobbied pressured by principal owner Bruce Ratner to unload the star player's jumbo salary.
The Ratner factor? He claims there was none, and we've got no reason to doubt this. We asked him directly whether he consulted the owner more than usual, and he said, Nope. And we asked him whether the owner's affection for Carter influenced the inaction, and he issued another Nope.
"Bruce has always been a big fan of Vince, as all of you guys know," Thorn said in a conference call. "As all the rest of us are, too. I wouldn't say that had any effect on anything we did -- or didn't do as the case may be."
...The salary dump? It was discussed. But only for as long as it took the Nets to realize they couldn't get away with it. They had to get something - anything - that would keep them competitive, or at least sell the fans on the delusion.
NoLandGrab: Remember, for Ratner, owning the Nets is "100% about basketball."
More coverage...
Atlantic Yards Report, At trade deadline, Nets keep Carter--but what about this summer?
Posted by eric at February 20, 2009 9:08 AM