Rob Babcock may only be six months into his tenure as general manager of the Toronto Raptors, but his job security could very well rest with how he eventually handles the never-ending Vince Carter saga.

 Problem is, Babcock appears to be in a no-win situation when it comes to dealing the one-time high-flying franchise cornerstone.

 The rookie GM must be given a tremendous amount of credit to this point for his insistence to stand pat and not simply cave in to Carter?s trade demands, even though it has become readily apparent Carter?s uninspired play this season is a main reason why Toronto is off to a disappointing 7-13 start.  

 However, at the same time, not only does it appear likely Babcock will be able to get equal value in return for Carter, once considered one of the league?s premier players, but the longer he waits to pull the trigger on a deal, the further his team languishes in obscurity.

 Simply put, the Raptors are a mess right now. Not only are Toronto losers of four straight and seven of their last ten games, but in addition to Carter, point guard Rafer Alston, arguably the team?s top performer this season (13.7 PPG, 6.7 APG), is unhappy as well, recently threatening to retire from the league altogether.  Rookie head coach Sam Mitchell is at odds with many of his players, including Alston and center Loren Woods, whom Mitchell recently benched after both received technical fouls versus Boston on Dec. 3, while veteran swingman Jalen Rose, who?s likely to be sent packing with Carter in any potential deal, has gone on record as saying his days in Raptor purple are numbered.

 ?Do I feel like there?s going to be a trade?  Yes, I do,? Rose said recently in a Toronto newspaper.  ?There?s probably going to be a trade and I feel like there?s going to be a trade soon.?

Not exactly what you would call a focused player.  But how can you blame Rose?  The Raptors are in dire need of some closure on the Carter front, especially when, despite all of their troubles, Toronto is still very much alive in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt, currently sitting only 2.5 games behind the New York Knicks for first in the weak Atlantic Division- a division that does not have a team playing .500 ball.

 Ideally, Babcock would like to acquire some much-needed salary cap space in any deal involving Carter, which would explain why Rose is rumored to be on the block, as well (Rose still has three years and $47 million remaining on a seven-year, $93 million deal he signed during the summer of 2000).   The extra cap relief would allow Babcock to truly put his stamp on the Raptors by bringing in players that would best fit Mitchell?s up-tempo style of game.  

 However, last I checked, Toronto was not exactly a NBA hotbed for free agents, and thus it may not ultimately matter how much room under the cap Babcock has if he can?t lure players to the Ontario, Canada capital. And besides, having money to play with in the NBA does not necessarily translate into success on the court.  

 Just ask the Chicago Bulls.

 Instead, what Babcock will likely receive for both Carter and Rose are players who do not equal talent-wise and won?t necessarily make the Raptors a better ball club.  

 How about Allan Houston (whose contract is even worse than Rose?s) or Penny Hardaway and Tim Thomas from the Knicks for Carter and Rose?  Not all that enticing, and why would Babcock even trade within his division (well, maybe because, apparently, Knicks GM Isiah Thomas is the only who will take on Rose?s contract along with Carter), especially when both Hardaway and Houston are injury-prone?  

 Or perhaps the combination of Bonzi Wells and Mike Miller from the Memphis Grizzlies for Carter would tickle the fancies of Raptors fans?  Again, unlikely.  

 At this point, Babcock?s best bet would be to deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, who have expressed interest in Carter but not Rose.  

 Portland GM John Nash had his sights set on acquiring Nets point guard Jason Kidd, but with Kidd reportedly uninterested in playing for Portland, the door may once again be open for Babcock to strike a deal with the Blazers, a deal that would likely see Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Nick Van Exel and Derek Anderson Toronto-bound.

 In any event, the time is now for Babcock to make a deal while the season is still salvageable.  The Raptors, though not considered an Eastern power by any stretch of the imagination, are nevertheless too talented a team to be struggling so mightily through the quarter mark of the NBA season.