YES Network.com

EAST RUTHERFORD — Smiles, everyone, smiles is what Mr. Rourke would remind his workers every Saturday on Fantasy Island. It's doubtful Bruce Ratner or Rod Thorn had to urge their employees to do that on Friday the 13th.

Instead of Jason Taking Manhattan, Vince took East Rutherford as the Nets rolled out the red carpet and then some to announce the re-signing of Vince Carter to a guaranteed four-year deal.

"This really is one of the most exciting moments in Nets' franchise history," said Ratner, the team's principal owner. "It really, really is. Vince has been a very significant and important part of this franchise for the last three years and we are thrilled to announce that Vince will remain a cornerstone of our team for years to come. Thank you, Vince."

More smiles, and honestly, there were good reasons for the Nets, their owner and Carter to feel good on this day.

In a made-for-TV "Nets' event" that aired live on YES, the team celebrated the return of its best' NBA scorer and second-best player.

Consider for a moment the alternatives:

Almost three years ago, Thorn addressed the media after the Nets lost Kenyon Martin to Denver for three draft picks. There were no smiles, faces were long and Thorn did his best not to sound as if the team was sinking into the abyss, although he did say, "We're taking a step backward."

Two summers ago, the Nets planned a press conference for Shareef Abdur-Rahim - also set to air live on YES - that was cancelled after finding something in his knee during a routine physical. Smiles were scarce that day.

So on Friday, with a player that has a chance to be the franchise scoring leader and someone who could sell out the Barclays Center in Brooklyn someday, there, healthy and signing one of the richest contracts in franchise history you couldn't blame the Nets for being downright giddy or for throwing a first-class party.

"As we've shown today, I am committed to winning," Ratner said. "This franchise is committed to winning."

Thorn did the negotiating, of course, but Ratner gave him the OK to spend, and perhaps overspend for Carter.

But $66 million guaranteed for an eight-time All-Star doesn't seem that outlandish when you look at Rashard Lewis getting more than $120 million from Orlando for being the second-best player on Seattle and Gerald Wallace receiving $57 million from Charlotte.

"When you look at what Vince has done over the course of his 2 1/2 years with us, he's been one of the best players in the league," Thorn said. "This past year [he averaged] 25 points a game, 6 rebounds a game, almost five assists a game. How many people in the league are capable of doing that? You can count them on one hand. And that's what Vince does for us.

"He's the player that takes the majority of the big shots down the stretch. He's the player that we lean on during times of stress and much more often than not he's come through for us. And when you have that type of player, we certainly would have been remiss had we let Vince get away. Fortunately, it didn't happen."

That's why everyone was smiling. And they smiled and oohed and ahhed when a video montage of Carter's best plays and dunks as a Net aired on the two giant monitors inside the gym. His dunk over onetime Net Alonzo Mourning still gets the biggest reaction, present company included.

Carter couldn't stop smiling either. He also urged people at home to buy season tickets, which may have drawn the most smiles and laughs of the day.

Carter can provide plenty of smiles at practice, during warmups and in the regular season, but now he has to do it in the playoffs for that much money and to quiet all of his detractors. The Nets were, after all, a few Carter moments away from beating the Cavs in the East semis last season.

He said never being out of the second round with the Nets is a big reason he came back.

"My 2 1/2 years here have been wonderful, very exciting," Carter said. "We accomplished a lot of things and we still haven't reached where we want to go yet. I felt like the job wasn't done so I had to come back and finish my duty and my job here."

The Nets have work to do, still. Thorn is trying to secure a big man in free agency, either Mikki Moore or Jamaal Magloire. A trade for Jermaine O'Neal is still a possibility, but at this point not a probability.

The Nets also believe with Nenad Krstic returning and Richard Jefferson healthy — if he's not traded — and Carter back, they can make a run at the wide-open East this season.

"If we can stay healthy going into the playoffs we can beat anybody," Kidd told the YES Network. "Hopefully in '08 we'll have the chance to do that."

No one would have to remind the Nets to smile if that happened.

SO LONG, MR. ROBINSON
As expected, the Nets waived Cliff Robinson on Friday. Had he been on the roster as of July 15, Robinson would have been owed his full salary instead of $500,000 (partial guarantee).

Unlike the last two years when the Nets declined to pick up his option and then re-signed him at a lower price, the 40-year-old big man won't be back.

Robinson was a good guy, a funny guy, and more than serviceable as a player. But he never was the same after needing knee surgery last December. He finally looked his age, so the Nets had to give a young guy like Josh Boone a shot.

Robinson probably will end up somewhere - a team with a chance to win - for the veteran's minimum, plus the half-mill he got from the Nets as a parting gift.