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franchise, player. Surprising they couldn't get along.
Dave Feschuk: Fans rip 'Turkaboo,' Turkoglu rips Raptors
The NBA, in the name of a crackdown on post-whistle whining, is empowering its referees to treat its players with all the tolerance of a Chinese censor. Zebras are slapping dissidents with pre-season technical fouls and accompanying fines for the slightest of sideways glances, shoulder shrugs, dismissive waves, sarcastic smiles.
And for all those purists who are happy about this
— and there is little doubt that the moaning and whining had become epidemic — you sometimes have to wonder if the league is targeting the wrong guys. Instead of fining players for complaining too much, wouldn’t it be a better world if there were a way to penalize the schleps who care too little?
At least, this was a thought that came to mind on Sunday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre, where Hedo Turkoglu, in his first appearance in Toronto since his July shipment to Phoenix, was feted with the expected crescendo of displeasure from an announced crowd of 12,902.
A fan held up a sign that summed up the purpose of an otherwise uneventful preseason walk-around: “TURKABOO,” was the message. The rabble wasn’t exactly in midseason form, even if the Raptors pulled off a 121-100 win. (“(The booing) wasn’t as bad as Vancouver,” said Steve Nash, Turkoglu’s newly-minted teammate, speaking of the reaction of the West Coast throng that took in a Raptors-Suns exhibition 11 days previous).
But Turkoglu reacted exactly as you might have expected. He openly laughed. He actually applauded the crowd during the player introductions. He even led the chorus at one point, checking in at the scorer’s table while expelling a long, “Booooooooo!” In other words, he acted as though he didn’t care — which is exactly how he played.
Turkoglu, to refresh your memory of the ledger, took a $53 million contract from the Toronto Raptors, and he essentially took a season from them, too. In his lone, barren year as a Raptor, he loafed and under-performed for a club that underachieved and missed the playoffs. That doesn’t make him a bad human being; the jolly Turk seems like he’d be a fun guy to have drinks with. It does make him a bad pro, not to mention an unaccountable one.
Turkoglu blamed the coach’s “system” for his poor work — as if Xs and Os prevent anyone from hustling. And then he ripped the organization after it was good enough to grant him his wish for a new address. He stuck to that line of attack on Sunday. And he offered a delusional new wrinkle to the storyline, insisting the fans booed him, in Toronto and Vancouver, because they were upset he left the Raptors.
When told he was being booed because of the widespread perception (and veritable certainty) that he didn’t give full effort last season, he shrugged.
“Listen, I couldn’t (give full effort),” Turkoglu said. A system that didn’t allow him to handle the ball, he said, apparently rendered him unable to run hard and rebound and make jump shots. And then he got back to ripping an employer that gave him the biggest contract of his career. Speaking of the alleged tendency of Toronto’s best players to want out — an erroneous perception in an era of free agency, given that the two best players in franchise history, Vince Carter and Chris Bosh, both re-upped with the Raptors after their rookie-scale deals expired — Turkoglu happily kicked some dirt.
“People have to realize it’s not always the players,” said Turkoglu. “People just got to see what’s really going on and make a judgment after that. I’m not a random guy. Chris (Bosh) was an all-star. Other guys, all-stars, too. You have to ask them what was the reason that they left. Then people will realize . . . instead of just going after the players. (Vince) Carter, Tracy (McGrady), whatever. I know (Bosh), I hope he doesn’t get booed. He gave a lot of good stuff for this organization. I think he deserves to be welcomed in a nice way.”
If the organization has made a mistake, of course, it’s treating the likes of Carter and Turkoglu with kid gloves. And, you know, building 15 years’ worth of mostly-crappy teams.
We’ll have to wait for Feb. 16 to see how Bosh is welcomed here. And Turkoglu won’t get his regular-season dose until Feb. 25.
“I’ve got to come here one more time . . . and get booed again,” he said. “When I came here, people think that I wasn’t paying attention or I wasn’t serious. But this is how I play. And if you look at it in the past, that’s how I do. I enjoy the game, and I go out there and I try to do my best. But here, I guess they misunderstand.”
No, no, people in Toronto don’t misunderstand: Turkoglu played with purpose during a 2008-09 contract year in Orlando, and much less so once he got the money. Slap a technical on Toronto’s fan base for after-the-foul complaining, but understand this: If the faithful in these parts have been guilty of one thing, it’s for making the mistake of expecting a well-paid athlete to actually care about his craft.
franchise, player. Surprising they couldn't get along.
this mother er, i hope he visits Turkey during some holy war and gets tortured to death.
I just hope he shatters his leg while simultaneously contracting AIDS while attempting a dunk.
let's see if what he states it's true in phoenix
Have you ever seen what Tirkey looks like , you ignorant ?
There is zero chance of that happening... Hedo would never attempt a dunk.
lol toronto
everyone rips the Raptors organization. I think there is a reason Vince Carter wanted out, Mourning refused to go, Eric Williams said he wanted to play for the worst team, Bosh left in FA, etc.
Why you foamin' at the mouth brah?
Nash ain't no matter than Hedo. Nash quit on the Suns, poured poison in Bell's & Diaw's ears, trashed Porter, and got him fired. Ipso facto, Sarver has to pay Porter not to coach because of Nash.
Even Rasho had some not so nice things to say about the Raptors after his second stint there.
Hedo is 1-8 in the Suns preseason game right now. I wonder if he's gonna rip the Suns' organization when he sucks here.
Hedo?
do I have to point out the irony?
*deleted*
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