Vince Carter's strained left Achilles tendon will keep him out of the Raptors lineup for at least five games and the five-time all-star acknowledged he hopes the particular problem is solved once and for all. "I don't know what the technical term for it is, I just know it has been a pain in the (butt) for a while," Carter said about 45 minutes prior to the opening tip of last night's game at the Air Canada Centre versus the Denver Nuggets, which Denver won 101-87.
"It's something that has been bothering me for three years. I have to let it settle down, and hopefully it gets better instead of just nagging, then go away, nagging, then go away, for so long."
The Raptors placed Carter on the injured list and activated forward/centre Pape Sow.
Carter watched last night from the Raptors bench clad in a tan suit and he will be a spectator again for at least the next four games, as dictated by his placement on the injured list. The 27-year-old is eligible to return to the Toronto lineup on Dec. 20 in Houston against the Rockets.
Carter appeared in 20 of the Raptors' first 21 games and led the team with 15.9 points a game before he suffered his most recent injury on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.
After undergoing treatment yesterday -- rest and icing down the injury are the best remedies, Carter said -- with the club's doctors, Carter met reporters.
"I can walk, so it's not that bad," Carter said when asked whether he is in much pain. "I am not going to try (to run on it any time soon)."
When it was suggested to Carter that it must be "killing him," to be out of the lineup, Carter shrugged.
"I'm fine," Carter said. "It's not killing me, man. Injuries happen. It's an unfortunate situation. I would love to be out there on the court, love to be able to play, but it happens. With rest, anything can heal, so we'll go with this five games and see what happens."
Carter intimated that he is somewhat perplexed by the injury, simply because it's one that has hung around for a while.
"There have been some rough nights where I didn't know if I would be able to go," Carter said. "But it's always settled down and you can play. I want it to heal because once your Achilles goes, it's a tough comeback. I want to make sure it is healthy so this will never be a problem again."
