TURKOGLU RENEGES ON BLAZERS DEAL, WILL HEAD TO TORONTO

When a professional athlete tries to rationalize a decision as ‘not about the money’ you can be certain of one thing:  it’s about the money.  The latest example is NBA forward Hedo Turkoglu, who played last season with the Orlando Magic.  After verbally committing to sign with the Portland Trailblazers on Friday, he reneged on that agreement to take more money in Toronto.  He’ll be introduced to the Toronto area media on Wednesday, the first day that teams are allowed to officially sign free agents.
Though his agent attempted to rationalize his client’s decision with the usual platitudes—suggesting that Toronto is a more ‘international’ city and that Turkoglu is a ‘better fit’ on the Raptors, few were buying these explanations.  Basically, Turkoglu opted for a $53 million contract with a lottery team going nowhere in Toronto over a $50 million deal with a talented young Portland team that won 53 games last year.   Turkoglu’s agent, Lon Babby, provided this mealy mouthed platitude to the Portland media:
"Portland did everything we asked them to do, and they would be justified if they feel aggrieved. He simply decided Toronto was a better fit.”
Blazers’ management was understandably livid over Turkoglu’s ‘bait and switch’, having spent considerable time and effort trying to lure him to the Rose City.  The Blazers have about $9 million under the salary cap, and their main objectives during the offseason are to upgrade the starting lineup at small forward and pointguard.  They made an abortive run at Shaquille O’Neal, though his decision to play alongside LeBron James in Cleveland is certainly understandable.  The Blazers are reportedly going to take some time and consider their options, though there has been some speculation that they’re interested in New York Knicks free agent David Lee.  Adding insult to injury for the Blazers was the fact that they stayed on the sidelines while Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza signed deals elsewhere to demonstrate their commitment to Turkoglu.
Toronto may pull off a ‘sign and trade’ deal for Turkoglu, and there’s a possibility that under such a scenario he could end up back in Orlando.  More likely, however, is that the Raptors are going to make a futile attempt at piecing together a contending team around Chris Bosh in hopes that he’ll resign after the 2009-2010 season.
Back in Portland, there was a mixed reaction from the Blazers’ fanbase.  While many of the notoriously provincial Rose City homers were miffed that Turkoglu didn’t want to come play for the Blazers, a majority were expressing relief that the team didn’t overpay for a small forward with a reputation for being ‘soft’.  The predominant feeling is that the team is better off with the tandem of Travis Outlaw and Nicolas Batum at small forward and more financial flexibility with the $9 million worth of salary cap space.