Did Hedo Turkoglu's wife sway his decision to sign with Toronto?
By Kevin Allenon July 4, 2009 1:37 PM
Hedo Turkoglu, who helped lead the Orlando Magic to its first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1995, shocked anyone who's paying attention to the NBA over the holiday weekend when he agreed to a deal with the Toronto Raptors instead of the Portland Trailblazers.
By all accounts, it wasn't the length of the contract being offered, it wasn't the money and it wasn't the team itself that made Turkoglu balk at Portland's offer. So, what was it?
During these times when we seek NBA wisdom, we begrudgingly turn to ESPN reporter Ric Bucher's Twitter feed, where he writes, "Toronto's shot at getting Hedo: apparently his wife loves the city. Any (happily) married man can tell you how much weight that carries."
And it's not just the spouse he's thinking about. Turkoglu and his wife, Banu, had a baby girl in February. Living in Portland puts the family an extra five hours away from Turkey.
So, let this be a lesson to any team hoping to sign Hedo Turkoglu in the future: If you really want Hedo, you'll move your team as close to Turkey as humanly possible.
But fear not, Trail Blazer fan. As Oregonian reporter Jason Quick informs us, "Thirty minutes after Turkoglu rejected the offer, the Blazers were back on the phone lines."
Any thoughts as to what they were up to druing those 30 minutes of in-between time?
Did Hedo Turkoglu's wife sway his decision to sign with Toronto? - Sports Pros(e)