NEW YORK -- A symbolic Olympic torch wasn't passed. No jingoistic message was relayed over the phone or through e-mail from one All-Star shooting guard to another.

Fact is, Vince Carter needed no words of wisdom or encouragement from Kobe Bryant after taking the injured and embattled Los Angeles Lakers star's place on the roster of the United States men's basketball team.

	Carter not only took Kobe Bryant's roster spot but he'll wear his No. 8, too.

Having won gold before, Carter knows the importance of his role and the U.S. squad's task at hand.

"I'm just thankful that they've given me the opportunity to be a part of this team and do something special," said Carter, a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2000 Sydney Games. "And that's to get us where we belong in the next Olympics."

Shoulder and knee surgeries are the official reasons why Bryant had to be replaced on the team that will try to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Bryant won't be present in body at the August 20-31 tournament in Puerto Rico, but his No. 8 will show up on the back of Carter.

Carter avoided discussion of Bryant's sexual-assault charge in Colorado almost as adroitly as he leapfrogged Frederic Weis to thrown down the signature dunk of the 2000 Games. In his only direct reference to Bryant's absence after Sunday's practice, Carter called the circumstances "unfortunate."

"I'm here. I'm a member just like everybody else," Carter said. "It doesn't matter how I got here. It's unfortunate. But I'm just happy they thought of (me) and said, 'Hey, we want to ask Vince. He's qualified to be here and he's been there before, he understands what it takes.' I'm just glad to be here and I'm going to make the best of it."

Carter said he wished Bryant could be in New York this week for practices at John Jay College and Friday night's exhibition against Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden.

"Of course, by far. He's one of the best players in the league today," Carter said. "So why not have one of the best players out here?"

Carter hopes to use the qualifying tournament to reestablish himself as one of the game's premier players.

	“	It doesn't matter how I got here. It's unfortunate. But I'm just happy they thought of (me) and said, 'Hey, we want to ask Vince. He's qualified to be here and he's been there before, he understands what it takes.' I'm just glad to be here and I'm going to make the best of it. ”
		— Vince Carter

Once the face of the NBA's future, Carter has seen his reputation take hit after hit since the Raptors' freefall from their seven-game semifinal loss to the 76ers in the Eastern Conference playoffs, mainly for not taking more of a leadership role. In particular, Carter's commitment was criticized when he attended his college graduation at North Carolina before playing a crucial Game 7 in Philadelphia.

"I think this is a great opportunity for (Carter) and I think he is going to do great," said Team USA head coach Larry Brown, the lead assistant on Rudy Tomjanovich's Team USA staff in 2000, during a conference call last Thursday.

"When I spoke to him about being selected, he was so appreciative and so excited that I just think he is going to benefit from this experience, as will our team. If you ask most of the players and coaches in the league I think they feel as I do: He's as good as anybody playing our sport."

Carter likely won't lead the U.S. in scoring like he did at the 2000 Olympics. Tracy McGrady, the NBA's leading scorer last season, and Allen Iverson, who played for Brown in Philadelphia the past six years, figure to get more minutes and shots at shooting guard than Carter.

"This is a new experience every time. My first time in 2000 was special. But this is special in its own way," Carter said. "I get to play with Tracy again and we can have a good time and get back to our laughter. You're going to see a lot of laughter and joking with all of us. It's happened already. I look forward to it."

Joe Lago, who writes the "Morning Shootaround" every Wednesday during the regular season, is the NBA editor for ESPN.com.