Hedo Turkoglu recently told a Turkish TV station that he is actively trying to be released from the Raptors.

Turkoglu was benched late in the season and booed by home fans after reports surfaced that he had been out on the town just hours after missing a crushing loss with a stomach virus. He described the incident as "the most embarrassing moment of my life," and it sounds like he might even negotiate a buyout. "Honestly, I do not want to go back to Toronto," he said. "My lawyers talked to [GM Bryan Colangelo] and I hope that they will come up with a solution soon."

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/hedo-turkoglu-i-do-not-want-to-go-back-to-toronto.php

Hedo Turkoglu: "I do not want to go back to Toronto"

Sat May 29,2010 9:56 AM ET

By Kurt Helin

So there you are, watching Turkish sports television, just like you do every night, when the most hated man in Toronto (well, as much as Canadians can hate anyone) comes on.

Hedo Turkoglu. And the man has clearly had it with Toronto. (J.E. Skeets is everywhere, sees and knows all, and he found the show and a translation for The Basketball Jones.)

When the circumstances turned against me, I lost my enthusiasm for (Toronto). My lawyers have talked to the front office recently. Honestly, I do not want to go back to Toronto. My lawyers talked to Mr. Colangelo and I hope that they will come up with a solution soon.

Turkoglu has not been a great fit in Toronto. They saw the guy from the playoffs, the guy that had been key in getting the Orlando Magic to the Finals, and they thought they signed that guy. What they got was the regular old Hedo. The one that often just hangs out on the perimeter on offense and can't defend a pick-and-roll at the other end. He's a nice player, the Raptors both overpaid and expected too much. His play was about what it was the year before on offense -- his true shooting percentage (points per shot attempt) and just about everything in terms of rebounds and assists per possession used were about the same. He had the ball in his hands less than he did in Orlando (when Jameer Nelson was out) but everything else went to form.

But as frustration with him on the court mounted because he was not meeting expectations. Then came the nightclub incident. In March, Turkoglu missed a game against the Denver Nuggets (a Raptors loss) with a stomach virus, but then was seen out at a Toronto club later that night. The club sat him for a key game against Miami (another loss) and fined him after the incident.

At that point, Raptors fans turned on Hedo, booing him.

Yeah. I've been playing in the USA for 10 years and this is the first time I've been booed by my own team's fans. It's a shocking situation and it made me feel extremely bad after. That was the most embarrassing moment in my life....

After the game, I went back home. Some European teammates called me and said, "Hedo, are you sleeping?" Then they told me where they were hanging out, which is actually 100 meters away from my home. I said, "OK" and when I arrived, all the guys were here. And if you check the camera records, you will see that I left there in 15-20 minutes with Andrea Bargnani. I guarantee it. And if they prove me wrong, I will give back my contract! The day after, the whole controversy erupted....

In fact, these events put me off both basketball and the Raptors organization. Needless to say, the fans started to lose my love. On the other hand, I have always had a good relationship with the fans. Before this incident they were incredibly happy when they saw me around town ... They thanked me a million times for choosing Toronto over other options.

Toronto does not have a lot of options. Turkoglu has four years (three and a player option) left on his deal, starting at $9.8 million next year and going up to $12 million. No other team is going to take that on. Isiah Thomas would think that was too expensive. So what kind of resolution the two sides can reach is unclear, unless Hedo would be willing to walk away from his big payday.

Oh, what a crappy summer this is for Bryan Colangelo. And Raptors fans just get to watch.

Let him stay up north.

The city itself is great so that's not the issue.

Fans in the USA keep blaming the players, but management doesn't want to win period !

http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/2...u_report_done/

After the game, I went back home. Some European teammates called me and said, “Hedo, are you sleeping?” Then they told me where they were hanging out, which is actually 100 meters away from my home. I said, “OK” and when I arrived, all the guys were here. And if you check the camera records, you will see that I left there in 15-20 minutes with Andrea Bargnani. I guarantee it. And if they prove me wrong, I will give back my contract!" said Turkoglu.

"The day after, the whole controversy erupted. They claimed that I intentionally skipped the game. And the worst thing is that the people making the claims were from Raptors’ management and they wanted to suspend me for two games. My attorney settled the dispute and Mr. [Bryan] Colangelo promised me that things would stay between us. The following day, I was fined and did not play against Miami." Turkoglu said in the interview.

"When the circumstances turned against me, I lost my enthusiasm for this city. My lawyers have talked to the front office recently. Honestly, I do not want to go back to Toronto. My lawyers talked to Mr. Colangelo and I hope that they will come up with a solution soon" said the 31-year-old.

playa2 wrote:Some fans don't have a clue on the climate of playing in Toronto. VC had to dog it just to get traded. Once players find out about what the management thinks about winning, they will all want to leave.

The city itself is great so that's not the issue.

Fans in the USA keep blaming the players, but management doesn't want to win period !

http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/2...u_report_done/

After the game, I went back home. Some European teammates called me and said, “Hedo, are you sleeping?” Then they told me where they were hanging out, which is actually 100 meters away from my home. I said, “OK” and when I arrived, all the guys were here. And if you check the camera records, you will see that I left there in 15-20 minutes with Andrea Bargnani. I guarantee it. And if they prove me wrong, I will give back my contract!" said Turkoglu.

"The day after, the whole controversy erupted. They claimed that I intentionally skipped the game. And the worst thing is that the people making the claims were from Raptors’ management and they wanted to suspend me for two games. My attorney settled the dispute and Mr. [Bryan] Colangelo promised me that things would stay between us. The following day, I was fined and did not play against Miami." Turkoglu said in the interview.

"When the circumstances turned against me, I lost my enthusiasm for this city. My lawyers have talked to the front office recently. Honestly, I do not want to go back to Toronto. My lawyers talked to Mr. Colangelo and I hope that they will come up with a solution soon" said the 31-year-old.

Please stop pretending you got the inside on well, anything.

If you did you'd be working the phones and not talking to people on a message board trying to validate your connections of which do not exist.

Just stop.

The Tragic screwed up. They got Vince AND could have kept TurkeyGlue. They chose otherwise. TurkeyGlue was exposed as a Raptor as being a player that has to be in the PERFECT situation to excel.

Well, as a Knick fan, I don't want to take chances on such guys...HOPING they work out. NO THANKS.

F'Canadia, F'Toronto, F'TurkeyGlue.

Match made in heaven. Enjoy your 5 years in igloo heaven. That's what I've got to say about that.

NO THANKS, GET BENT.

scoshin wrote:

Yeah. I've been playing in the USA for 10 years and this is the first time I've been booed by my own team's fans. It's a shocking situation and it made me feel extremely bad after. That was the most embarrassing moment in my life....

Someone should let Turk know he ain't in the USA anymore.

Someone should let Canadian fans know that they are idiots when it comes to basketball.

Toronto sucks. So do the Craptors.

Yet, again, the Tragic were IDIOTS for not re-signing him.

What Finals-Hopeful team trades FOR Vince Carter, has the opportunity to retain TurkeyGlue who was a key player in their success, and then DOESNT?

A Billionaire named DeVoss?

The hell was THAT all about!?

Instead they stick with JJ Reddick. LOL.

Unfortunately some clowns in the Knick fan base think Reddick would be our savior. God help us.

That said, having Gallo and Hedo on opposite wings with Bosh working the middle post and pick and rolls... jeeze that would leave a lot of room for a guy like Wade or LeBron to be a playmaker.

All of those forward types would fit in well with what the Knicks will have for remaining salary to spread around. You could sign a bunch of minimum salary guys who could do one thing well.

djsunyc wrote:

Silverfuel wrote:dj?

what? cosmic's level headed and eloquent anal-ysis wasn't enough?

fishmike wrote:Curry for Turk. Save $2mm on the cap too! I would do that