Carter is happy, wealthy, wise.(Toronto Raptors basketball player Vince Carter)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

There's a sweet side to the tale of Vince Carter, an aspect that allows us to see him as the Man who Saved the Toronto Raptors.

Last week, before Carter signed the contract extension that keeps him with the Raptors through 2008, a team meeting was called at the Air Canada Centre. The meeting was called by Raptors president Richard Peddie, not coach Lenny Wilkens.

Carter was the only player in attendance. The rest were members of the Raptors' worker-bee crew: receptionists, delivery drivers, mailroom clerks and ticket salesmen. Carter wanted to thank them. They wanted to thank Carter. How's that for sweetness?

There's more. The day before he signed his extension, while chumming with kids at his basketball camp, Carter was besieged with pleas from the group of innocents. "Stay, Vince, stay," they said. He says he was like a big brother who knows what his little brother is getting for his birthday--he had to struggle to keep the secret from his little buddies. "But it was pretty neat," Carter says, smiling. Aww.

When Carter's signing was confirmed, Toronto mayor Mel Lastman &dared Vince Carter Day in the city. Rumor had it Carter would change his last name to Cartre as a sign of Canadian fraternity.

That's the sweet side of Carter's new contract. He enjoys being in a city where he can walk the streets without harassment or fear. He enjoys the culture and diversity of Toronto. Though many thought Carter would leave Canada as soon as the opportunity arose, the simple fact that Toronto likes Carter and Carter likes Toronto was underestimated.

"It's different from American cities," says Raptors radio broadcaster Chuck Swirsky. "It's more European. Someone like Vince, as recognizable as he is, can still go to a restaurant or a movie and not be harassed. People here respect his privacy. That does not happen in Chicago or Los Angeles."