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Monday, February 14, 2000
Turning up
the A.C.
Former Rainbow guard
By Pat Bigold
Anthony Carter has raised his NBA
stock with a solid first half of the
season with the Miami Heat
Star-BulletinMiami Heat rookie Anthony "AC" Carter has reached the point of no return.
"He's no longer an unknown commodity," said Miami assistant coach Stan Van Gundy.
"The other teams will have plans for him. He's met virtually every challenge but he has some learning to do and 36 games to go."
There's little doubt that the former Rainbows backcourt star will be signing a seven-digit contract at the end of this season with the Heat.
Besides Miami, with whom he's established himself as a bona fide NBA point guard, Carter and his agent, Bill Duffy, could be fielding bids for his free agent services from needy teams like Chicago, Toronto, Indiana and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Solid, reliable backup point guards are at a high premium in the NBA, and the former Rainbow has come through in one of the most daunting situations a first-year player can face.
The lowdown on Anthony Carter: HEAT SPARKPLUG
Position: Point guard.
The Heat signed Carter after having lost reserve Terry Porter to free agency. Before Carter knew it, Heat starter Tim Hardaway, possibly the NBA's best point guard, was injured.
Carter stepped into the starting role for 26 games and had 11 double-digit performances. He averaged more than five assists per game and stood up to the league's best.
But the second half of the season will be played against teams that have done their homework on him.
"I know teams will know me now but I have to be up to the challenge," said Carter. "I have to be more mature and more aggressive."
Carter paused and added, "But you can never relax with this team because everybody is coming after you."
Miami, perennial Atlantic Division champion, held a one-game lead on New York at the All-Star break.
"AC has had a heck of a year and he has played a significant role on a contending team," said Van Gundy, brother of the NBA All-Star East coach, Jeff Van Gundy.
"He's been under more pressure and expectations than other outstanding rookies. Well, Quincy Lewis has had a good year at Utah but he didn't play as many minutes (25.9 per game) as AC. At Miami we don't care if you're a rookie or a fifth-year player.
"Guys like Steve Francis (Houston Rockets) can just play hard and have fun. But to run a team like Miami for 26 games is a lot different. He filled in for a guy who is All-NBA on a team that was built around him and Alonzo Mourning. I don't really see much about his play that is like a rookie."
Carter hit for 20 points in a 92-85 OT loss to Chicago on Jan. 18, and 18 points and five assists in a 90-89 loss to New Jersey on Jan. 8.
But most memorable to Carter was his 20-point (9-for-13 shooting), five-assist game in a 99-91 win on the Los Angeles Clippers' court in December.
It was his first double-digit night as a member of the Heat and he did it with his college coach, Riley Wallace, and the 1999-2000 Rainbows team, in attendance.
Carter and Wallace speak on the phone weekly.
Van Gundy would like to have Carter stick around but he knows the Heat will be in stiff competition. There is speculation that Miami's salary will limit what the Heat can offer Carter, but Van Gundy said, "We're not as limited as people think."
Dallas Mavericks assistant Donnie Nelson coached Carter in summer league play and expressed a desire to grab him after his contract with the Heat runs out.
But Nelson said the other day that the Mavs' point guard situation is now too deep to allow that.
"We love him to death but we just don't have a need right now," Nelson said. "But he will be sought after."
Duffy and Van Gundy both said Carter has earned the respect of general managers throughout the NBA.
"He will be a very wealthy young man," said Duffy. "He can be a starter. He's proven that. He just has to work on his jumper."
Carter is averaging 7.5 points after 44 games.
Van Gundy said Carter's greatest contributions have been his defense, his ability to push the ball on the break and his ability to penetrate and dish.
He thinks Carter's best defensive performances were in both games against Jason Williams of the Sacramento Kings.
On Nov. 29, he held him to 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
But on Dec. 10, Williams, who averages 13.3 points, got only three points on 1-for-11 shooting.
Van Gundy said that Carter has not been as consistent since Hardaway returned to the starting lineup last month. It seems the ex-Rainbow has gotten used to starting and having the ball in his hands most of the time.
"My job now is to come in and step up the pace," said Carter, who had three subpar games before the All-Star break because of the flu.
As for free agency and the prospect of being a millionaire, he said he isn't even thinking about that.
"I love it here and I love playing for Pat Riley," said Carter. "He gets everything out of you."
Asked which Riley yells louder in practice, Pat Riley or Riley Wallace, Carter chuckled and said, "Riley Wallace. Make sure you get that in, too."
