Hedo Turkoglu's decision to have his wife spend her winters in Toronto was a blast of north-of-the-border frigid water in the kisser to general manager Kevin Pritchard and the Trail Blazer organization.
Turkoglu, 30, passed on Portland's five-year, $50-million free-agent offer to sign a five-year, $53-million contract with Toronto. It was a win for Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo, but it also may be a blessing in disguise for the Blazers. Turkoglu needs the ball in his hands a lot to be effective, and it's unclear how he would have fit into a lineup dominated by Brandon Roy. The price tag was steep, too, for a very good player but a zero-time All-Star set to enter the downside of his career. Turkoglu may have saved the Blazers from themselves.
Even with Chris Bosh and Turkoglu, the Raptors will be fortunate to make the playoffs next season. In the end, it was clear that being part of a team with championship potential wasn't all that important.
"If it isn't right for him, it isn't right for us," Pritchard said, while admitting to deep disappointment at Turkoglu's snub. "We're after players who are about winning, about being successful and being unselfish. It didn't fit, and I'd rather know now than later."
