Virtually every day since the conclusion of the season, Vince Carter has been at the Nets' practice facility, conducting himself like an employee who figures to stick around for a very long time.
Based on those observations, a Nets official, who requested anonymity so as to not compromise the team's bargaining position, has already reached an inescapable conclusion:
"What it says to me is VC wants things to work out and stick around for a long, long time," he said. "Put it this way: When Jason (Kidd) became a free agent (in 2003), his locker room was cleaned out the next day. Not Vince. He's not shying away from the organization one bit. There's no difference in Vince's feeling about the organization from two years ago, when he was overjoyed."