Turkoglu Wants Out of Toronto

Just a year after signing a 5 year, $53 million contract with the Toronto Raptors, Hedo Turkoglu has stated that he wants out. Turkoglu had a miserable first season in Toronto, failing to live up the status of his contract and running into some discipline problems with Jay Triano, the Raptor coach. He was a DNP-CD ("Did not play - Coach's Decision) in a game after he was reportedly partying the night after missing a game with a stomach virus. Turkoglu is now trying to force his way out of his contract.

To this demand I say: really? Really?! This is the type of athlete that drives me crazier than any other type of athlete; the one who freely chooses to sign with a given team and then immediately starts pissing and moaning. Hedo Turkoglu was a free agent and therefore free to sign with whatever franchise he so chose. Of course, like all athletes, he chose the one that offered the most money, even spurning the Portland Trail Blazers with an 11th hour deal that left Portland scrambling. He would have fit a lot better in Portland but that didn't matter when Toronto offered a few more bucks. Fine, that's the athlete's prerogative. But it is NOT his prerogative to then complain about the team he chose to sign with. He knew everything he needed to know about this club and decided what he really cared about was the money. It doesn't matter if the complaint is his role, the coach, the city, or any other issue, he chose to take that team's $53 million, period. All rights you have to complain about your situation go out the window when you sign that contract. In a couple years if the team is going downhill and a new coach is calling the shots, then you can start to talk if you so choose, but not now and not in these circumstances.

You're a tool, Hedo Turkoglu, and you better hope the basketball gods aren't paying attention to your insolence. Boo.