So it looks like he agreed to join us before even coming to Portland in the first place, and then chose to waste our time for 2 days.. His agent also admits they backed out of the agreement.. I know it's we should move along now from Hedo, but still interesting to find what happened.. http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/15890497
Anyone else felt used? Yeah. Fuck you, Hedo. Artest would be lookin pretty nice in that #96 Blazers' jersey.
If nothing else, this whole situation gives us rabid fans another player to vilify and hate. Ariza and the Rox. Artest, Rapist and the Fakers. Birdshit and the Thuggets. Now Turk and the Raps. Refs... Better warm up those vocal chords Blazer fans! There's gonna be alot of booing next season!
We'll see. Artest could potentially be the additional chemical being added to a volatile mixture that blows it up. I don't buy all this Kobe is a great leader now garbage. There is no questioning Kobe's skill, drive and competitiveness. Other then that I think he has gone from one of the worst locker room presences in the league (2 and 3 summers ago Bynum sucks, trade me! etc.) to average veteran leadership with near godlike talent. I still think underneath the surface is Kobe's monstrous ego waiting to explode Artest might just be the additional volatile presence the blows things up. It's a nice dream anyways. I would have rolled the dice on Artest, not Marion though.
I don't feel used at all, and the Blazers shouldn't either. If the article is right, and I think it is, Hedo agreed an came to Portland. His wife probably bitched, and Hedo saw that while a cute city, it's nothing like Toronto. Toronto, by the way, is awesome. If you think you will be happier somewhere else, then go there.
After blocking a shot against us he preened and posed for far too long in Denver... Only to get swatted, then posterized by Aldridge seconds later. Since, Portland fans LOVE to hate him. (Though I also suspect they'd love to love him if he were to don a Zers Jersey.)
lol so he swats a blazer and then poses... and that makes him hated by everyone? I would love to have a player on the blazers that would do that. He didnt do it to diss the blazers, thats just the player he is, he likes to have fun with his fans.
I don't see how this can be hanged on Pritchard with this news coming to light. Guy backed out on his word because he had a change of heart.
I hate that whole thuggets team.. except Billups.. That whole gel through air thing birdman did after blocking Rudy pissed me off
No. Being "used" would imply that he never intended to sign with Portland, he just negotiated with Portland to drive his value up for another team. The article posted completely contradicts that, saying that Turkoglu planned to sign with Portland and then changed his mind.
Ultimately, Hedo and his agent used KP's offer as leverage to get more from Colangelo. At least, that's my understanding.
That's a pretty trivial definition of being used, as that's sort of the point of auctions...using each offer as leverage among interested bidders for a larger offer. The standard meaning of being used, in a bidding situation, is that the free agent had no interest in signing with you, that his interest in negotiating with you was deceptive...just a ploy to create leverage with another team. That, according to the article, was not the case here. Turkoglu negotiated with Portland with an interest in signing if they gave him an offer he deemed suitable...he simply changed his mind on accepting that offer at the last minute.
Well, statements like "front office initially was irate with Turkoglu's misdirection", "the word "reneged" to characterize Turkoglu's decision", and "(Blazers) are feeling somewhat aggrieved," make me believe there was some sort of deception from Turk's camp.
Well, he backed out after apparently suggesting he was going to sign. I'd be upset, too, if I were the Blazers' front office. I just don't think they were used. They were betrayed, in some sense.
"This has been a difficult process for Hedo and his family," Babby said Saturday. "He gave Portland a commitment that he would sign there and he went to Portland with every intention of doing so...Portland, both the team and the city, did everything we asked them to do, and it's perfectly understandabe if they feel a bit aggrieved." Turkoglu had been expected to come to terms quickly with the Blazers, after spending Wednesday night with Portland Coach Nate McMillan in Orlando, then flying to Portland for meetings with team management Thursday and Friday. The Raptors, who wanted Turkoglu as well, had been reluctant to renounce their rights to the numerous free agents on their team that would have been necessary to clear enough room under the salary cap to exceed Portland's offer. But Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo changed his mind. Friday morning, Babby said, the Raptors called him and said they were ready to do whatever they had to to get Turkoglu signed. That will mean renouncing their rights to several players, including free agents Shawn Marion, Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino. "I said 'we've gone pretty far along with Portland,' and he said, 'well, you have to hear me out,'" Babby said. After Babby relayed Toronto's proposal to Turkoglu, the 30-year-old began having second thoughts about Portland. He and his wife both enjoy Toronto, a city with both a large international population and a sizeable Turkish community, both of which appeal to the Istanbul-raised Turkoglu, who's played all over the world since he was a teenager. And the Raptors have a roster full of international players, including Spanish point guard Jose Calderon, Italian center Andrea Bargnani, Croatian guard Roko Ukic and U.S.-born players Chris Bosh, Reggie Evans and rookie DeMar DeRozan. -NBA.com
The version from nba.com makes the most sense. That in the back of his mind, Turkoglu preferred Toronto, because it's bigger, has a bigger international community, and actually has people from Turkey. So, when Colangelo called Babby and basically said "we're moving the earth to get your guy here," and it was his top choice anyway, it was going to be pretty hard for Hedo to make any other choice. Personally, I don't take this as a slight against Portland, although nationally, that may well be the outcome. Portland is a fantastic city. So is Toronto. Critics can always say that "Portland is pretty white, small, and rainy." All of that is true. But I could just as easily point out that "Toronto is in Canada (so income taxes will be higher) and it's cold as hell in the winter, and its team has never won anything." Frankly, I think there might be few cities in the US that could have outbid for Turkoglu, if Toronto, and its "international flair" were what he was after. Certainly places like Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, Memphis, and probably a handful of others would've done no better. Have to admit, this stings a little. Of the alternatives, I like going after David Lee. But I wonder if being publicly scorned by a high-profile free agent is going to undermine Portland's chances of signing anyone this summer.