The gentle relay from Tracy McGrady was cradled in the palm of Vince Carter's right hand while he soared toward the basket during a scrimmage here yesterday against Puerto Rico.

But Carter's timing was a tad off and his attempted slam of the basketball on the alley-oop play rattled harmlessly off the rim. As a sheepish Carter headed back down court, he held his hand to his head as if he were holding an imaginary gun and pulled the trigger.

The sentiment, though somewhat drastic, sums up the frustrations Carter has endured over the past two seasons where a series of injuries has dented his once pristine image as one of the most dynamic players the National Basketball Association has to offer.

Now, at age 26, the Toronto Raptors' star guard is hoping to recapture the old magic and rekindle his basketball career as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team.

The star-studded squad, bolstered by some of the biggest names in the NBA, including Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady, has been working out here this week at John Jay College in the heart of Manhattan.

The team is preparing for the Americas men's Olympic qualifying tournament, Aug. 20 to 31, in San Juan, where the U.S. will battle nine other countries, including Canada, for three openings into the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

The U.S. will play the Puerto Ricans tonight at Madison Square Garden in its only exhibition tune-up for the tournament, and the game is close to being sold out.

Carter, who has missed a total of 61 games the past two seasons with knee and ankle problems, was the last player added to the 12-man U.S. roster. The leading scorer (14.8 points) with the U.S. Olympic team that mined the Olympic gold medal at Sydney in 2000, Carter was asked to join after Kobe Bryant underwent recent knee and shoulder surgery.