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There are many teams now calling the Toronto Raptors in regard to obtaining Vince Carter, whom I coached for three years (1998-2001) when I was a member of the Raptors' staff.

One rumored trade proposal involves the Portland Trail Blazers landing Carter, with forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim going to Toronto. There might be other players involved to make this trade work, but Carter and Abdur-Rahim would be the focal points. Let's analyze how each player might fit in on the other's team.

First of all, I might be Carter's biggest fan. But injuries to his legs and the Raptors' rotation of three head coaches in three years have taken their toll. So has the team's failure to make the playoffs the last two seasons after making the postseason the previous three seasons.

Twice already, Carter has been benched during Raptors' fourth-quarter rallies. In Carter's first six seasons, this would have been unthinkable. Obviously, he's not playing with the usual fire, especially offensively.

Here's the scouting report on Carter:

Carter can get by defenders on the dribble drive going either left or right. He has an explosive crossover and step-back move to get his shot off. He has a quick release on inside moves and an assortment of "floaters" in and around the lane that always seem to go in. Of course, he's known for his acrobatic dunking skills.

His post-ups used to be dangerous but have not been part of his game recently. He has settled on too many 3-point shots of late, shooting only 29.4 percent thus far this season, but he makes them when they count many times.

If you surround Carter with toughness, he will follow suit. Defensively, he needs to focus more, fight through every screen, and take it as a challenge to be the best defender he can be.

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