Miami Heat coach Pat Riley constantly tells his players, "You're either in or out," meaning there's no in-between on commitment.

NBA teams are that way, too. The Hornets faced that moment of truth in 1995, deciding they couldn't afford to keep Alonzo Mourning. The Toronto Raptors' moment came last summer, and $258million later, they have their superstar and a worthy team to surround him.

Vince Carter plays for the Raptors tonight against the Hornets, and based on his new contract, he'll stay a Raptor the next six seasons.

That was a surprise. You couldn't flip on sports-talk radio the past two years without hearing some pundit swear Carter would bolt out of Toronto the minute his rookie contract expired.

"Fortunately, what people in sports-talk radio think doesn't matter," said Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald. "What Vince Carter thinks matters."

Arguably the best young player in the NBA, Carter wanted to stay. Despite the cold weather and heavy tax bite, Toronto felt comfortable. He's often said Canadians are more respectful of his privacy. And he's intrigued by doing for basketball in Canada what Wayne Gretzky did for hockey in the United States.