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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, the right to waive Alonzo Mourning and a draft pick that would later become Joey Graham.

As the Raptors continue to celebrate their 20th anniversary campaign they are also approaching the 10-year mark of the single most glaring blemish in franchise history: the Vince Carter divorce.

On December 17th, 2004, nearly a decade ago, Toronto officially cut ties with its best player, sending the disgruntled Carter to New Jersey for pennies on the dollar in what will go down as one of the biggest heists the league has ever seen.

The artist formally known as 'Air Canada' has returned to the scene of the crime, playing 16 games as a visitor in Toronto - including playoffs - with four different teams. Although the venom has dissipated in recent years, he has been greeted by boos, to varying degrees, in each appearance.

Wednesday marks a new chapter in the saga and perhaps the next step in repairing a fractured relationship between the Raptors - the franchise, city and its fans - and their most important figure.

How will it go? No one can possibly know for sure.

With Carter and his new team, the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies, in town for a match-up of unlikely conference leaders, the Raptors will honour VC in a video tribute sometime during the first quarter as part of their continued 20th anniversary celebrations.

It's a decision that's sure to spark controversy and awaken an ongoing, decade-long debate in and around Toronto: Does Carter's Raptor legacy merit any kind of salute? And if so, to what extent and at what time is it appropriate?

The breakup was unquestionably ugly, something that neither party is especially proud of, although no one has fully embraced their share of the blame.

The franchise mishandled Carter for most of his tenure, especially towards the end. They failed to build a contender around him and alienated him with botched draft picks and the hiring of Rob Babcock.

And Carter? Whether he relented or not, at some point he asked out of Toronto. He was accused of tipping plays to the opposition and would later admit to giving less than a full effort prior to the inevitable split.

That said, his Raptors resume speaks for itself. A five-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, member of an All-NBA second and third team and winner of the iconic Slam Dunk Contest that put Toronto on the basketball map. He's the team's all-time leader in points per game, second in scoring, fourth in assists and fifth in rebounds. Most importantly, he took the Raptors to heights they had never reached and have yet to reach since.

"He is the face of basketball when you think of basketball in Canada and when you look at the Raptors," said Sam Mitchell, currently an assistant with the Timberwolves and formerly Carter's head coach in Toronto, who guested with Bryan Hayes on TSN Radio Tuesday afternoon.

"He was a great ambassador for the game and played extremely well for the Raptors. I would hope people would remember those things, not just how he left but remember how he came in and what he did while he was there."

Unaware of the plan to honour Carter in Wednesday's game, DeMar DeRozan was asked if it's an appropriate time to pay tribute to the former Raptors' star.

"I think it would be better once he's done because you still get the boos and the mixed emotions when he comes here to play with another team," said DeRozan, now directly behind Carter on the team's all-time scoring list. "So I think it would be best when he's done. When [his career is] all said and done everybody can realize everything he's done for the city."

While a post-retirement tribute would seem to make the most sense, for the very reasons DeRozan cited, the team's anniversary festivities may have forced their hand in that regard.

They have already honoured former players Alvin Williams and Antonio Davis with video montages in a game against the Washington Wizards earlier this month. Last week they did the same for longtime play-by-play voice Chuck Swirsky and will continue to pay tribute to former players and personnel throughout the season.

Meaning no disrespect to the contributions of those they have celebrated, or will continue to celebrate, none of them come close to matching Carter's overall importance to the franchise's first two decades or the growth of basketball in Canada.

"It's been way too long," said Williams, asked if it's time for Toronto to forgive and forget when he was in town on Nov. 7. "He's done a lot, not only for us as a team but just for this country. You see the Canadian basketball players that are growing up and it's a testament to him. That shows what he did not only for the Raptors but what he did for this whole country."

"I talk to Andrew [Wiggins] and I talk to Anthony Bennett," said Mitchell, who now coaches both Canadian first-overall picks in Minnesota. "And without a doubt they identify with the Vince Carter era. They remember buying those seven dollar tickets or nine dollar tickets, sitting up in the nosebleeds, taking the train down to the ACC to come watch Vince Carter play."

So, during a year in which the Raptors are looking back and paying homage to their past, could they really have disregarded the man who has more or less defined it, for better or for worse?

That doesn't mean fans have to embrace Carter or even applaud him on Wednesday. Some will, some won't and it's impossible to argue that either side is definitively right or wrong in the stance they choose to take.

Carter's tenure in Toronto can be remembered for the good, for the bad or for the ugly. Has enough time elapsed to heal those wounds?

"Regardless of how you may feel about Vince when he left, I would encourage the fans to think about the times when Vince was there," Mitchell pleaded. "How he played and the excitement and the notoriety that he brought to the Raptors and to that country, Canada as far as basketball."

"As you get older and you learn, we all grow," he continued. "I'm sure Vince would like to have done some things different, we all would like a do-over in certain areas of our life, but you still can't negate what he did for basketball in Canada. He brought it to life and he gave it a face. For that, I think the people in Toronto should be eternally grateful."