Since officially signing with the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week, Vince Carter has yet to participate in any contact drills out of concern for his knees, which have functioned as shock absorbers during his 13-year NBA career:
espn_macmahon Tim MacMahonVince Carter still hasn't done contact work w/ Mavs due to knee tendinitis. Not major concern, but he needs reps w/ new team.
With the NBA season starting in less than two weeks on Christmas Day, Dallas will not have time for their new players to develop chemistry, especially with older players like Carter who can't practice too much.
While Jason Kidd, Brendan Haywood and Dirk are guaranteed starting spots, the two wing positions are wide-open, as any combination of Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom, Delonte West, Carter, Jason Terry, Rodrigue Beaubois and Dominique Jones may see time there this season.
The good news is that Carter, a future Hall of Famer and one of the most skilled players in the NBA, should have little time adjusting to the Mavericks' offensive sets, the bad news is that this precautionary measure could be a signal for the problems an aging Dallas team may face in a compressed season.