Let’s party!John Hollinger of ESPN is reporting that Hedo Turkoglu will be signing for Toronto. Michael Grange of the G&M is doing the same. Apparently Hedo’s wife really likes Toronto and they didn’t even visit it when on their “free agent tour” because they didn’t even need to be convinced of it. The deal is reportedly in the 5yr/$50M range.
Hedo has reneged Portland after visiting the city. Shawn Marion, who appeared to be hours from a deal worth $36 million will now be forced to hunt for the mid-level exception. According to Hollinger, the Cavaliers, who were working on a sign-and-trade for Anthony Parker, have little chance of executing it. Linas Kleiza will also be off the Raptors radar.
Investing for 5 years in a 30 year old Turkoglu is about the same as investing for four years in a 31 year old Marion. I like the signing because he adds a whole new dimension to the team but at the same time feel that his best years could be behind him and that Orlando nabbed him when he was ripe for the picking, i.e. after a miserable year with the Spurs. Hopefully Colangelo’s not reaching on a has-been product like he did with Jermaine O’Neal. In this year’s playoffs he showed a real knack for using his size to guard the pick ‘n roll and defended Kobe Bryant and Lebron James well enough in stretches. He’s no Marion when it comes to one-on-one defense but he’s nothing to be scoffed at. Also, we finally got a guy that doesn’t start choking his heart out in the clutch.
Having the scoring touch of Turkoglu in the lineup might even allow the Raptors to test rookie DeMar DeRozan as a starter, much like the way the Magic did with Courtney Lee. With a big frontline of Bosh-Bargnani-Turkoglu, an athletic shooting guard and a hopefully injury-free point guard in Calderon, the Raptors starting five looks respectable – at least on paper. The need for a tweener off the bench still remains and suddenly the role of Delfino looks more suited to what’s needed. David Aldridge is reporting that the Raptors might sign-and-trade Delfino to Orlando.
Finally, someone worthy of the #15 jersey. I loved Jorge, but not so much…
Hedo averaged 5.3 rebounds last year which was an acceptable number since he was playing with Dwight Howard. However, playing with a rebounding-allergic and perimeter-oriented Bargnani is a different matter and leads me to believe that he’ll have to see some time with Reggie Evans just so the defensive boards are attended to. The strength of this acquisition lies on the offensive side with Hedo initiating the pick ‘n roll with Bosh or Bargnani while having the ability to finish over help defense or kicking it out over stretched arms to shooters – just like he did to Rashard Lewis.
Much like the Jermaine O’Neal trade, whether or not this is a good move will be determined by what follows it. We followed O’Neal with Will Solomon and Hassan Adams, right now we have assets in Marion, Delfino and Parker that could yield some serviceable NBA talent. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Hedo Turkoglu is 30 years old, stands 6′ 10″ and weights 220 lbs. He was selected 16th overall in 2000 by the Sacramento Kings. Toronto will be his fourth NBA team after Sacramento, San Antonio and Orlando.
147 Raps
Any word about the exact amount of the deal, theres talk of it being between 53 and 60 million over 5 years
from what I heard (and this is by no means official) it was closer to the 50 mil for 5yr deal
Now this is official the deal is 5 year deal worth 53 million
BC must have something up his sleeve. Its either sign and trades using Parker, Marion, maybe even Delfino. That seems unlikely, though, given that most teams could just sign them outright, and sign and trades never get much in return.
Instead, I think he has a trade lined up with Bosh. Maybe a version of the Amare trade with Golden State that fell through, maybe something with Chicago.
Either way, the Turk signing is a bad idea.
theres no more cap room left
Toronto… “where signing semi-washed up Euros happens”…”and the fans are happy about it”. 44 wins & the 6th seed, let’s get ‘em baby!
Rap of the Day!
That’s the funniest thing I have read in a while.
yeah Hedo sure looked washed up this year didn’t he………
+1
Hedo was ace during the playoffs.
Plus, I don’t really get the canadians sometimes…they’re always complaining about the fact that US players don’t want to play in TO, and then they’re bitching all the time about the Euro players…they’re weak, they can’t defend, they don’t hold clutch instinct. etc. Just let aside the fact that players like Gasol, Ginobili, Turkoglu, Parker etc. are all standing up at the top of the NBA action, but that kind of attitude sounds a little bit like coming from the outskirts of an empire…which is kinda sad.
Bravissimo!
Touche!
I think the Hedo deal has sense (if it has some at all…) if the Raps are to trade Bosh right away this summer…which probably means to get a rebounding center and bench depth in return, switch Bargnani to the 4 spot, and having a good rebounder at the 2 spot. Hedo doesn’t look like a great defender or rebounder, but the latter is to be checked into a different team set-up than the Magic.
Lee from the Knicks could be another move in that sense, if we want to keep Bargs at the 5 spot….
Agreed…if we got Biedrins, Belinelli, and/or Azubuike (as was rumored in the Amare trade…never mind the draft pick) that would be STELLAR.
We’d have our rebounding centre in Biedrins, Bargnani goes to the four, Hedo, DeRozan and Belinelli/Azubuike sharing time at 2/3, with Calderon at the point…thats pretty solid. Roko can backup Jose (and be on the court with Hedo, who can help run the show to cover up Roko’s learning curve), we have our wing platoon, and Hump/Evans (maybe even Pops?) are the bigs off the bench. I’d pull the trigger on that deal.
Bargnani can’t defend the 4 spot AT ALL. I cringe to think of him as our power forward for years to come.
He most certainly can guard the 4 spot mon frere.
Bargnani is the PF of the future for this team, as it is quite evident Bosh shall be playing elsewhere in no time.
Bargnani’s not that good at defending at the 4-spot at all, but considering what happened last year…at least Bargs shows he got some balls to stand up to big guys, even if he is not that good at all.
First of all, how many times have we seen Bargs defend the 4? Second of all, he was playing the 3 for a period of time, and had to cover even faster players. So, he has experience playing 5’s in the post and 3’s on the wing, I’m sure he can handle 4’s.
Yup … with the Hedo acquisition, Bosh now becomes a trading chip for several younger and more promising players. Now we wait for the other shoe to drop …. bye bye Bosh ???!!!!
can we at least get to training camp and see them play before idiots start crying its a bad move and it wont work….i for one love this move.
1.positive press for a change.
2.toronto as a free agent destination.
3.according to bosh’s twitter hes very happy.
4.we finally have a legit sf.
bc is showing why he is an astute gm and that he has a very high basketball acumen unlike some of the wannabee gm’s in here.
out=joey,ap,marion and his waning athleticism/horrid shot and a delfino we didnt have last season.
in=REGGIE EVANS AND HEDO TURKOLU
bc ftw.
we already had marion, he’s legit
have you seen him shoot?
are you not concerned hes missed games due to injury?
marions game is predicated on sheer athleticism. his horrible cringe worthy shot is offset by garbage buckets. what happens if he loses a step? hedos game is based on skill and savvy moves. he doesnt rely on athleticism…..hedo>marion……and lets not forget how huge a wanker marion is.
Bravo!
FUCK Yeah!!! Keep it positive! Make the 30 year old bitches in their parents basement cry..
BTW if I was a Magic fan i’d be super pissed. They had the chance to be the best team in the league by resigning hedo and gortat but they chose not to. They wouldve been a lock for the title.
They couldn’t afford to do that. Also, the money Hedu wanted, you don’t pay him that and play him as your 6th man. That, and he wouldn’t want to be a 6th man. Gortat they should have kept, that was a bonehead move. But there is talks of Rasheed Wallace heading there, so it wont be so bad.
Ya see…. Giving Rashard Lewis THAT MUCH MONEY (NOW $18 Million/year!!!!) will screw their future progress BIG TIME… RASHARD Lewis is $15 Million/year MAX not some who will go up to 20 MILL, you give that money to DWIGHT HOWARD after he suddenly shoots 80% on the FT LINE!!!
Welcome Back Arse.
If we can manage to improve our depth over the coming days, I am willing to give this move a chance. Hedo can play point forward to spell Jose, Jose’s usage rate is low enough to allow Hedo time to initiate, Hedo is outstanding in crunch time and with games on the line, this gives us more ball movement, and Hedo has averaged 4-5 assists a game for years.
For all the talk of his poor defense, in crunch time, Hedo blocked shots, and defended well in the playoffs. Our depth isn’t great right now, but lets give Bryan time to fill out the roster before we freak out.
Mrs. Turkugly decided her husband was going to play for the Ratpors .. because Toronto is more of an international city .. with a decent Turkish population and direct flights to Turkey.
It appears that Hedo went for the money and 5 years to ostensibly finish off his NBA career with the Ratpors … him being 30 years old. Hope his bod holds up that long.
It’s also reported that the Ratpors must ‘renounce’ any deals with Marion, Delfino and Parker if they sign up Hedo … why??
Looks like the Ratpors may become the whitest team in the NBA (Nothing But Africans – per John Salley …LOL)
With Bargs lofting 3’s .. Hedo doing the same .. Bosh with his mid-range jumpers .. Jose on the pick’n roll … and DeDe crashing the boards ‘vince-style’ … the Ratpors will have to be reckoned with … if the bench can contribute something.
Wonder what will happen on defence ….???!!!
Or will Bosh become redundant with Hedo signing on with the Ratpors?
BC could then trade Bosh for some decent players like Beidrins or Lee …!!!!
Interesting … eh ..??!!!
Portland is apparantly signing Lee to a contract. Hedu does not make Bosh redundant at all, they play different positions. With the Hedu signing, Bosh doesn’t necessarily become the one to be traded. I would rather trade Bargnani personally.
Trading Bosh to the NYKs or GS could fetch the Raptors a couple of decent young player and even future draft picks … which would be an instant rebuild of the Raptors.
I don’t think they could get much for Bargs who is still a project. Bosh is the only attractive trading chip for other teams, as was recently reported on hoopshype.
FAQ,
I don’t understand it all myself, but they had to “renounce” those deals to get under the cap, so that they could sign Turk to the figures being mentioned. Before, they were over the “cap” but under the “tax,” and all they could offer was the Mid-level exemption. Renouncing those deals basically clears the space for Turk, but the problem is, as I understand it, getting under the cap to sign Turk means they CAN’T use the mid-level exemption to get a Kleiza/Delfino type.
Here’s why i love this signing, and it has nothing to do with talent or money or whatever.
Shawn Marion declined (apparently) a 3-4 year deal worth about $8M per season.
He continues to be a moron.
Now that is the Rap of the Day. hahahahhaha
I’m just concerned about Hedo’s perimeter defence. He seemed lazy at times in the NBA finals.
I would LOVE to get Biedrins. We need a guy like that. But then Bargs might have to play PF, and that may not suit him well.
Don’t tell me you didn’t think Marion was lazy at times too?
Fact is nobody plays zoned in defense all the time. Marion has a quickness advantage but Hedo is a bigger player and can afford to give space and still contest the shot, something Marion can’t afford to do (didn’t someone hit a game-winner over him late in the season just for doing that??).
We also gain a ball-handler who can make the pass on the pick ‘n roll and finish when needed to. I think this will open up our offense and make it more drive-oriented, especially late in games.
Let’s see what BC does with Marion, Parker and Delfino. So far so good.
Arse, I believe it was Caron Butler who hit that game-winner over Marion. And I’m starting to really like this signing more and more.
It all now depends on our !SYSTEM! to create opportunities with TurkeyGLUE… Will it be something creative that Triano call pull off or just mo-SHATS ??? If Joey officially GTFO from our team…it is time for the DeRo to do something this season. I agree with how in the hell will we rebound the goddam ball??? I also JUST don’t FRIGGIN get it, why is NEW YORK giving up on David Lee?? He should be staying with the Lebron-A-Thon, Lebron would really like him on his “new” team?
I thought Hedo played great D in the playoffs. He was responsible for covering Pierce and LBJ when Pietrus wasn’t in. That in itself is no easy task. Shows how much confidence Van Gundy had in his D.
I am happy with the trade for a simple reason that its much better to have a guy who really wants to be here (Hedo) than to have someone who doesn’t want to be and proves to a locker room cancer (a la Carter). Raptors will be way better off with a happy Hedo than a grumpy Marion (somebody on this blog pointed out that this was going to happen and i agreed with their assessment).
Hedo can easily play at high level for three years and then provide veteran leadership for the fourth year. After than we can trade him as an expiring contract.
Lets wait and watch. Hopefully we can get some decent backups at PG, SG, and SF.
well said…. you get more desire and passion from a happy player than a disgruntled one. I’d much rather have a player who wants to be here than one who’s primary concer is $.
I would also argue that since Hedo relies more on basketball IQ than athleticism he may still be able to play at a high level right to the end of his contract. I know 30+ seems old in the world of sports… but we’ve seen many players that can still compete at a high level in their mid 30s.
I’m worried about his age, but as arese pointed out it, the raps would end up with either a 35 year old turk, or a 35 year old marion. Marion relies far more on his athleticism than Turk, cannot create or initiate the offense, and does not fill that small forward need everyone and their moms was bitching about last year.
Also…can anyone help me on this…has Toronto ever had a player who, arguably was the most important player on a finals team the previous year, sign with them? Winning counts – VC don’t have it, and I thought that was a poor decision on Orlando’s part – Turk does.
At first, I wasn’t feeling this, but after considering it a wee bit, I don’t feel to bad. I actually feel kind of good.
I’d rather have Carter then Turkoglu anyday. VC scores and creates better then Hedu, he passes just as well, and plays defense at the same clip. Orlando’s mistake was not resigning Gortat, not upgrading Hedu with Carter.
I have to disagree here. VC is a better scorer yes… but he does not come close to passing and creating at Hedo’s level. Not saying Carter is bad at it… but Hedo is definetly superior.
sorry just want to clear this up…. not a superior player…. but a superior playmaker/passer.
I hope the negativity vibe of Carter will outweigh the positivity vibe of Orlando, so the entire team might crumble early in the playoffs.
I disagree as well. While Carter certainly has more raw talent and ability, Turkey’s got a far better attitude and is just more of a winner than Carter will ever be.
I think this move will bite Orlando in the ass.
I disagree with this a little bit. Hedo is a proven winner and proved himself as a clutch performer in the playoffs. Orlando didn’t need an upgrade, they made the finals (with Hedo) and could have won if Courtney Lee made that shot or if Jameer Nelson played defense on Fisher. I don’t know why you would disrupt a proven product by bringing in a guy who is notorious for his laissez-faire attitude towards the game.
[moving my comment from the previous thread]
I found myself really put off with marion wanting more and found myself enamored of the fact that turk’s wife wanted to be here.
in life, happy = successful and I am excited about this team maybe being both. I had reached the point where I was nervous/worried about marion coming back and moping. and my son has a #31 marion game jersey! :-)
if BC can find a small piece or two this could work beautifully and I think it gives us a top 4 that can compete with clev/orl/bos!
CB on twitter: “IF IT’S TRUE..Let’s get it cracking H Turk!!!”
nice! :-)
big mistake
rather give that money to someone younger
but at least it isn’t VC’s contract
Just curious… where does this leave the Raps financially? ie. what $ remain to be spent. I can’t imagine this is the end of the Raps moves this year…. even if its small signings I would think there is still more to come no?
leaves us in a tough spot. we lost our mid-level exception, and have no more money to sign anyone with. I think we may still have the veterans minimum, but I’m not sure.
Unless we trade Bosh, we’ll have to re-sign Hassan Adams and Will Solomon. lol
BC again swung for the fence. But this time he had too: Marion was playing hardball and was hesitant to re-sign because of Bosh’s uncertainty; Parker was already as good as gone and Delfino isn’t going to be any better than Raja Bell.
Turk wants to be here regardless of Bosh and adds Turkish spice to our melting-pot roster.
Imagine Raptor team potluck O_O
BC could pull the trigger and trade Bosh for several decent young athletic players plus draft picks. Bosh is as good as gone, so might as well max out his trade potential .. and have an instant rebuild of the Raptors.
Chisholm on TSN states in his article that the Raps will have their mid-level…in which case the Hedo move makes a whole lot more sense.
And I’m getting to like the signing. Really, $10 mil/yr for a player of Hedo’s caliber is not bad (consider VC’s contract that Orlando is eating right now). As long as we are not tied down and unable to add any other pieces, than I think its all good.
And I still think BC should be shipping Bosh to GS…
Keep in mind that nothing is signed yet – let’s not ignore the possibility that this is all just more posturing from agents to squeeze more money out of Portland. Toronto may just be going along with the charade to put pressure on Marion, who knows.
Let’s hope there’s no tryptophan in his Turkish blood that slows him down.
Nice move
Could there be a bigger contrast between the two top pictures from the two last posts? Was this intentional?
Marion all pimped out in a tropical paradise and Turkey having a nice quiet dinner with his wife.
Who would you rather have on your team?
I’m happy with the move. Good signing.
Here’s a thought:
When DD’s rookie deal is expiring, you’re going to potentially be paying Bosh, Hedo, Calderon and (in all likelihood) Bargnani a huge chunk of your money. Is there going to be any left for DeRozan when the time comes?
resigning your own player at higher payroll is actually the only way to start going over the luxury tax
I think by looking at the results that happened now is that we traded Kapono for DeRozen, or Joey for DeRozen, is that right?
Let’s cross that bridge when we get there.
Lee + Gallinari + Milicic .. for .. Bosh + Banks …????!!!!
That would give NYK half the Bosh/LeBron duo … ya think ??!!!!
I’d rather have Kleiza for 5 years at 20-25 mill then turk at 5 year 50 million, that is overpaying a ton for him in the long run.
Bring back Voshkul, sign Delfino and trade bosh for a stiff…then offically we be called Team Cottenelle…soft and white
Lol love that
This is GOOD! Dummies..this is good…now they need to get Matt Barnes or Von Wafer if they can’t keep Delfino. Turkoglu is a clutch player, big and versatile.
The contract that is terrible is still Marcus fucking Banks and his 4 mil or so this year and next…they had better have warned that lump that he had better show up ready to contribute!
This is GOOD..the Raptors were going to have to overpay to get the kind of talent they need and this is the kind of talent they need.
Orlando overpaid for Lewis…compared to that deal this is a fucking bargain…..
Hedo and DeRozan can both rebound and DeRozan will supply the athleticism that Marion brought.
Now…get Matt Barnes or Von Wafer for cheap!!!
This is GOOD!
If we get Matt Barnes…expect a lot of potent suspensions if Reggie and Barnes are on the floor…LOL!
Can the Raps buyout Banks to get under the cap this year??? Or does the buyout count against the cap?
A buyout counts against the cap — the buyout figure is used instead of the contract figure (normally only a small difference). The buyout figure is spread throughout the contract in proportion to the original contract.
i like this move.. we all wanted bc to do something and he did. he got the best free agent of the summer. i also dont think hes done. he cant be. they’re working out a deal with delfino as we speak and there has to be something else as well. hes obviously well aware of the lack of depth on the raps and must be working on something else…
im just curious as to weather or not this was a move to keep bosh or to give the raps and fans a go to guy once he trades bosh???
i like the golden state idea.
Hedo Turkoglu aka: “Turkish Delight”
at hedo has a hot wifey . i’ll bang her if hedo failed to produce a big bang this coming season !
Edit: What a fucking stupid joke – you are a true cunt. Arse.
Really a tasteless and bad joke!
Totally warming up/swinging the excitement back towards hedo. He do!
Especially the way arse put it in regards to Marion. Speaking of which….what a supreme douche.
I think it’s weird someone called him washed up. He seems like he’s got a couple good years left in the tank and I think we should enjoy the short term of it (while bosh is still here).
My bigger concern is the defense, not because I think hedo is a terrible defender, but I’m sure he looked a little better because Dwight was protecting the paint.
Offensively it looks great. Weren’t we begging for someone to create/finish the 4th quarters?
I hope bc has more up his sleeve and for once in the last 6 months I kinda hope it doesn’t involve bosh.
D-12 in the lane is definetely a presence for any player…. and that is something that the raps don’t have. Although I have been (relatively) impressed with Hedo’s defense, D-12 may have had more to do with it than anything.
All said… I always felt this was the biggest crutch to the Raps D all year. Players not being afraid to take it to the hole…. fix that and everyones D can look alot better.
The only way Hedo’s signing is justifiable is if LeBron made it a condition of upping with the Raps next year, otherwise its just dumb to give $10+ for 5yrs to a player who does not fill the need of an athletic slashing defender on the wing the Raps so sorely missed last year.
P.s. Does anyone else find the hilarity in Henry abbot jumping the gun on the hedo to blazer news?
His first big break as a reporter and he botches it.
I wonder if this means he’ll be bitter and cover the raptors even less on truehoop?
This signing has disaster written all over it.
This is certainly the case, if Bosh is still here at the beginning of training camp. Again, not blaming him. But the organization is painted into a corner. It continues to appear they probably will not recover. But they get closer and closer. If they can just get something now that works in exchange for Bosh. Again, not blaming him. But that too, is reality, as Bargs isn’t going anywhere.
Welcome back arse! Missed you and love you lots.
Upon further reflection, not only do I really like this signing for the Raptors, I think it shows Colangelo has built something here that calls out to the players most likely to want to come to Toronto.
Yes, I know, we’ve been making fun of the “Euro Raps” for some time, but lets get frank. Americans generally want to play in America. Thats how it is in the NBA, and more, they want to be in Boston, Chicago, LA, or NY. However, we’ve made ourselves the preferred destination for Euro Talent, both with our Assistant GM, and our treatment of European players. That set up, plus the nature of Toronto itself, has finally paid off big.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but when the Ricky Rubio’s and what not hit UFA, I’m excited to be a city where we’re actually a preferred destination.
I think Hedo improves our starting five significantly. I do not believe his defense is a huge detriment. I watched Orlando in the playoffs in every game they played, and Hedo kept Lebron and Kobe in front of him for the most part, is quick enough to show on the pick n roll. He blocked Kobe more than once down the stretch of NBA finals games. If this is poor defense, I want more Raptors playing it.
I want us to improve our depth as well, of course, but I have to admit, I am excited by this move. The more I consider it, the better it sounds.
didn’t pietrus usually guard those guys in all key situations? Double D better be up to the challege.
This is a solid signing by the Raps, considering the free agent class we had to work with, but I’m just wondering if Hedo and Andrea will be able to coexist? They both do basically the same things (tall mismatches who can shoot and drive), so it might become a bit like JO and CB all over again. Also, the signing of Hedo doesn’t help the absence of rebounding ability in our starting five, or our defense particularly. If Andrea and Hedo click, though, our starting five would have great offensive potential. I’m also very worried about our shooting guard situation. Even with solid players to take the heat off of him, I can’t see Demar Derozan as being an effective starter at all. Some people have said his situation may be like Courtney Lee’s in Orlando (a rookie surrounded by so much talent that he was able to grow effectively), but Courtney Lee was a senior out of college. And Delfino would be nice, but again that would make our starting five absolutely devoid of athleticism. I’m hoping BC has another move ready…
And what does all this mean for Orlando? What exactly are they doing? They trade Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, and Tony Battie, let Hedo walk, and will most likely lose Gortat. They gave up a lot of significant role players for VC, who I’m not sure is quite what they needed. I know Orlando is most likely not done, but is it possible that they have taken a step back this off-season?
First time posting here. I’m a bit surprised at some of the responses here…how can you guys not like this move? Did you not see what he did for orlando’s offense over the past two years? Pick and roll with him and Bosh/Bargnani is going to be impossible for other teams to guard.
Defensively, Hedo is extremely underrated. Long, high basketball IQ (forces people into taking bad jumpers, w/o fouling), good footspeed. Finally, his game doesn’t really rely on athleticism, so he will probably still be a good value even in the last two years of his contract.
I think all you guys need now is a good backup at the 2/3 spot, and you are pretty much set.
Seriously, how is this team not comparable to orlando from the past two years?
Bargnani <> Shard
Hedo = Hedo
Derozan ~= C Lee, Pietrus
Healthy Calderon > Jameer
Ok, end of previous post got messed up for some reason, i meant to say:
Bargnani <> Shard
Hedo = Hedo
Derozan ~= C Lee, Pietrus
Health Calderon > Jameer
Hedo’s a pretty good offensive player, but we lost easily our best wing defender, and this starting lineup is gonna get clobbered on the boards. Whatever transition game we hoped to have is now even less realistic. Since Hedo shoots a high volume of low percentage shots, Bosh will need to be working overtime on the defensive and offensive glass, because lord knows Bargnani can’t help out. On the bright side, at least we have someone to handle the ball in the clutch if need be.
We’ll see what rabbits BC can pull out of a hat to shore up our d-league bench now that our cap space and MLE is gone.
I don’t know about this signing. For some reason I have this feeling this isn’t done quite yet…Could be wrong but I don’t know renouncing all your signings for one guy is kinda going over the top. Like with O’Neal last year…Thin bench and two many power forwards in the starting lineup.
I have a feeling there is more to this signing then we are seeing.
I’m excited for this deal for way more reasons than I’m wary of it. Firstly, Turk wants to be here and that is best part. He co-existed with a perimeter focused Lewis so I think he’ll be fine with Bargs. He can teach Bosh how to pick and roll properly. He can create his own shot and can take the last shot at the end of the clock or at the end of a game…something we have been severely lacking since Wince left. It gives us someone else to build around (along with Jose and Bargs) in case Bosh does leave town. It gives Bosh a true creator on the wing to help take the burden off him and open the interior for him. It shows Bosh the Raps are committed to winning and surrounds him with good level of talent. It shows NBA players that people DO want to come here. It’s great marketing. It brings in even more fans from the TO melting-pot community. It allows DeRozan to just cut to the basket to drive and board and develop with 4 other guys that carry the burden of scoring. And Turk basically solves our 2nd ball handler issue so no need to worry about the backup PG issue and hopefully Roko has progressed a bit anyway. And it gives us a legit outside shooter who will ACTUALLY SHOOT!
Obviously the thin bench is a BIG concern but lets see how BCs plan unfolds. Also, I’m trusting that a new level of commitment will be reached by our current players due to the excitement and promise this move brings. I’m also trusting that a training camp and constant practices with Ivaroni will instill a good defensive system, while the same applies for Triano’s offensive scheme.
Overall the promise of having 4 potential all-stars in the lineup is quite exciting….and yes in the Eastern Conference Jose, Turk, Bargs could all be considered potential all-stars.
GO RAPS!!!
Agree, there’s definitely something else coming up. Like it or not, we have one of the most creative GM in the league, who doesn’t mind to gamble at all. Anyway, Bosh traded or not, it’s bench depth the real issue at this point, but there’s enough stuff happening on the market to have space for some creative trade, maybe not just right away, but during this summer.
I am also wondering if the cash could help with a player as not only is there still the $3m from the miami trade, this trade also will see them not able to spend to $66m as signing marion, et al would have.
so how about banks + cash for an avg $4m player of hump + cash for a pretty good $3.3m player? could be the way to pick up that one more 2/3 they need.
Banu to Hedo: “I don’t want to move to rainy, dreary Portland in the middle of nowhere, and I want the children to learn the metric system too, so when they visit Turkey, they will be able to live there. Also, you know I don’t like the NBA “culture” and I don’t socialize well with the U.S. player’s girlfriends and wives. If you play for Portland, I will take the children to live in Toronto as our home base and that’s final. At least I will have some Turkish friends and culture there.”
Hedo to Banu: “Okay.”
……………………………………………………..
Bosh to BC: “Hey Bryan, I don’t really want to play for Toronto after 2010, and I will be leaving sooner or later, depending on what you do. You know I want to get max money, and I doubt the MLSE will go for that after the Hedo signing. You just won’t have enough money for me and other players and that’s obvious. If you want to trade me now, here is a list of teams I would prefer to play with.”
BC to Bosh: “Yeah, that’s the way it’s developing now and I had assumed you would not be returning. I will help you get traded by floating the line that you will not be traded, but I will send out feelers for an acceptable trade that will be mutually beneficial. You’ve had a good run in TO, and you deserve a shot on a playoff team maybe with LeBron.”
Bosh to BC: “Thanks, BC … and if I must stay another season you can expect a 110% effort from me. There is also the mid-season trade option, but I leave that up to you.”
BC to Bosh: “Okay.”
The people on the Raptor’s page on Facebook are hopeless
they keep insisting we still are under the cap
its driving me crazy
Makes you wonder if Bargnani doesn’t become the odd man out since him and Turko pretty much play the same perimeter style game. Actually when you think about, Bargnani always becomes the odd man out because he can’t rebound at centre or be effective as a SF.
If the Knicks are calling about Bargnani for Lee swap, I think it will be much harder to turn them down now.
B-Co will never ever in a million years give up on Bargs.
why would anybody give up on a 7 footer with mad skills.only a moron would….the only similarities hedo and bargs have is that they are tall,euro,white and skilled….people need to get a fucking life.
Well maybe in a year or so BC-Co won’t be the one making the calls if the team fails to make the playoffs again and Bosh bolts Toronto without proper compensation.
This is Bryan Colangelo’s biggest year to prove himself and he already shown he is willing to take risks and make sacrifices so you never know what he is going to do if the team comes out of the gate flat.
I am just waiting for monday’s press conference where Bryan tells everyone not to worry about the depth situation (again), while painting a rosy picture for the upcoming season(again).
negative much?…its so much easier to be a wack skeptic and poop on everything rather than be positive…maybe you can look into your crystal ball and call bc to tell him which players he should be signing and going after so he can prove himself to you.lol…..im sure the raptors braintrust wants to win and after carefull prolonged consideration are making moves….if things dont pan out you reload and try again.
is your name Jerry Colangelo??!!
Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu coexisted fine, Lewis and Bargnani are as similar as Hedo and Bargnani.
That team just went to the finals, so I don’t get this “Not enough room on the perimeter” talk.
im sure bc will fill out the roster with a vets minimum or some other exception that doesnt go against the cap.solid players that will come in and give quality minutes and give our starters a breather….ive never doubted bc…some idiots like to talk shit about him like being a gm is easy.only one team a season wins the championship the rest are deemed losers by idiots in their fanbase like we have here…it isnt easy putting together a championship basketball team.
Like how he filled this team last year with cheap quality players. With great signing like Will Solomon and Hassan Adams. The ByCo apologists like you need to open their eyes and see the man isn’t a saviour.
oh yes…. because every team doesn’t have their 14th and 15th bench sitters. How many minutes did Adams get again? How quickly did SOlomon loose any playing time and then get traded?
Every team has players that suck. We will this year again to… and next.. and next.
BC haters need to open their eyes and realize he’s not the devil.
thank you.its a freaking joke.brian cardinal anyone?…you have to have guys at the end of the bench to fill the league mandate of bodies…according to idiots,its so easy being a gm…talking shit about bryan colangelo is the latest rage for fucking dummies….they should write a book,”nba gm for dummies”…lol,actually,khandor can write it.
did we overpay him? yes.
but if you want good bb players, with lots of skill, guts, and winning experiences, you have to pay them…
Not at the expense of completely gutting our already rail thin bench, which is what this signing has essentially guaranteed.
And then there is the fact that Hedo just isn’t that great to begin with, especially in a lineup featuring Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani.
Colangelo needs to go.
Is it guarenteed that we lost our MLE? Also, do we not have room between the luxury tax and the salary cap? I don’t understand that, but if we are pulling a Jermaine O’neal yet again (gutting our roster to sign an only okay player) then what is Colangelo thinking?
If that’s the case, that guy is stupid.
time to improve the point guard spot. i still dont trust our backcourt. i’m still not impressed with calderon. among the backups, roko is the only one worth keeping, as he is the least crappiest of them all.
i think this is a better deal compared to the JO deal. plus, this is sort of a new start, as we missed the playoffs, and now we have one system. the GM and coach are on the same page. Bosh would probably play his contract year here. 43 wins, hopefully second in the atlantic, 6th seed perhaps? i can dream.
You what is going to happen. BC is going to get a couple steals with a sg and pg addition and i can see. Wait for it.
MAGIC VS. RAPTORS —– 1st round playoffs. Raptors winning in 7.
Reg. Season–
1.Cleveland,2.Atlanta, 3.Raptors,4.Boston, 5.Philadelphia, 6.Orlando,7. Detroit,8. Chicago
How about that for karma.
Nice. A first round win and then the wheels fall off. It’s too bad it plays so well in Toronto. The modus operandi repeats itself. Either that or Bosh is gone now.
The Magic say they will not be involved with any sign and trade with Hedo.
Unfortunately.
If you like this deal, you gotta thank Hedo’s wife big time – she was instrumental in him coming here. She didn’t even go out with him to check out Portland and even give it a chance, she badly wanted to live in Toronto.
41. FAQ says: Jul 4, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Banu to Hedo: “I don’t want to move to rainy, dreary Portland in the middle of nowhere, and I want the children to learn the metric system too, so when they visit Turkey, they will be able to live there. Also, you know I don’t like the NBA “culture” and I don’t socialize well with the U.S. player’s girlfriends and wives. If you play for Portland, I will take the children to live in Toronto as our home base and that’s final. At least I will have some Turkish friends and culture there.”
Hedo to Banu: “Okay.” (Banu is Hedo’s wife …)
Maybe BC should contact several more wives of international players in the NBA …. ya think ..????!!!!!
How good are the Raptors now?
Starters: Jose Calderon, DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani
Key Bench Players: Reggie Evans
Other Bench Players: Roko Ukic, Kris Humphries, Patrick O’Bryant, Marcus Banks, Nathan Jawai
The team only has minimum contracts left to offer free agents. Four empty roster spots, all of which look like they need to be rotation players. Humphries could be a rotation player (good fourth big), but Triano wouldn’t play him last season so he likely won’t be next season either.
Are the Raptors even a playoff team at this point?
If and this is a big IF, Colangelo can find decent sg/sf reserves, and I mean like 20 min per game role players, who can score 8-10 points a game, then we are fine.
But considering we only have the mininum, I very much doubt it, I’m also not sure how to biannual exception works, do we still have it now that we have lost the MLE due to being under the cap?
Unfortunately, the Raptors do not have the MLE or LLE (bi-annual).
You either have cap space, or exceptions given to teams over the cap (MLE, LLE). You can’t have both, it’s one or the other.
The Raps are only left with minimum contracts now.
If you can only have cap space or exceptions and they don’t have exceptions, does this mean they’ll have cap space to spend up to the cap and then exceptions once they exceed the cap?
I’m not following the “this negated our exceptions” line….
We had cap space, we used it to sign Turkoglu. Now its gone.
Exceptions are added to a team’s salary. In order for the Raptors to get below the salary cap line, the Raptors had to waive their rights to those exceptions.
Four minimum contract role players … my ideal choices:
(1) Backup Guard — Flip Murray. Murray’s future depends on what Atlanta do with Mike Bibby, and whether or not someone offers him more money, so he may not actually be available. Second choice would be a Ronnie Price or Royal Ivey.
(2) Backup Wings — Two of the following: Keith Bogans, Ime Udoka, Rodney Carney, Desmond Mason, Kareem Rush, Walter Herrmann. Bogans would be my favourite of the group, but I expect he’s hoping for an LLE offer.
(3) Backup Big — Rasho Nesterovic or Fabricio Oberto. Rasho likely gets more than a minimum contract though. Second choice, a Brian Skinner type, Austin Croshere perhaps?
I’d like to see the Raptors waive O’Bryant and/or Jawai, in order to free up one or two more roster spots. It would be nice to sign two wings and then get a combo forward like Herrmann.
Contenders have a big advantage in getting the best minimum contract guys … but hopefully there is some quality available there.
(1) FLIP FOR THE minimum,
can i get a “are you kidding me”
(2) Keith Bogans would be nice, actually all the names you mentioned would be alright but WOULD THEY PLAY FOR THE MININUM?
(3) Rasho would be good, but we cant sign him.
- He made like 7 mil last year, why would he go for the mininum this year?
what about joey for the minimum.
That is very possible
I’m not a Joey Graham fan. I was hoping I’d get to see the back of him this summer.
Ah well, (deep sigh), Joey might be back for another go around. He’s a good option for the minimum and could provide some decent bench play. Good call.
“I was hoping I’d get to see the back of him this summer.”
Ok, OK, we get it; you’re disapointed that Joey didn’t show any advancement over his 4 years in the league, and you think he’s squandered his incredible size and strength, but that doesn’t mean that you get to sodomize him during the off-season!
moon would have been nice for the min b/c he may have been able to play the 2 defensively and go back to limited role off the bench… has he been signed yet?
I’m not sure joey’s as good a fit.
Damtay jomes would be great. any chance of that happening?
without a player who can play a role defensively there will be a lot of pressure on derozan.
Say what you will about Colangelo and I’m not even exactly sure that I like this deal but dude is quite the proactive GM, no?
In less than 12 months we’ve seen Jermaine O’Neal, Shawn Marion and now Hedo Turkoglu come here to play. We’ve come a long way from the Zan Tabak days…
Too true.
Don’t be dissin the Zan man!
I think this is a very good move. You add a guy who can play efficient transition basketball, phoenix suns style. The Bosh/Turkoglu screen-roll/pick-and-pop game is going to be unstoppable. Seven seconds or less, eh?
This smacks of the Jermaine O’Neal trade. So unless Bargnani or Bosh gets dealt for rebounding or bench help, I think it’s a bad move for next year. It might not be so bad in 2 years if Turkoglu continues to play at the level he’s at now and the team adds pieces. Seems to me like a deal for a future without Bosh but I can see how Hedo and Bosh could work together.
But it also seems like Plan Z – i.e. Turkoglu fell into Colangelo’s lap and he couldn’t say no. It just doesn’t feel like there’s a plan to add complementary pieces after Turk signs. Who will be this year’s Will Solomon and Hassan Adams? Are those guys still available?
Smacks of the JO trade? I think it’s a kind of useing Bosh’s future to gamble. We don’t have to say too much if Hedo and the rest of Raptors working well on the coming season, but if we think about the roster if we missing CB4 on 2010.
1. Calderon
2. Demar
3. Hedo
4. AB7
5. ?????
Most of ppl say that Raptors doesn’t have any #4, #5 ppl to play inside ball game, maybe……just maybe, if Bosh out, and Hedo in, it could create a chance for us to fix the “cornerstone” problem of Raptors.
I’m thinking:
(1) Short Term (next season) — Bad
(2) Medium Term (years two and three) — good
(3) Long Term (years four and five) — unknown, too far away to tell. Depends on what other moves Colangelo makes over the next three years, and how well Hedo Turkoglu ages. This could go in many directions, although I do think there is reason for hope.
The best option for the team next season alone … was resigning Marion, Delfino, Parker and spending the MLE. That gave the Raptors their best possible team … short term gain, long term pain, though or at least I think that’s the way it would have played out. I’m very happy Colangelo didn’t go in this direction, I think it was by far the worst choice in the medium and long term.
Honestly all the angst about Bosh not coming back next year should stop. Seriously if we don’t trade Bosh during the season and he walks it’s not that big of a deal because of all the other free agents available. So maybe we loose Bosh but we can use the money to sign any of Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudamire, Yao Ming, Manu Ginobili or Joe Johnson plus probably Steve Nash… Just saying this now because I know people will repeat it ALL season long and it’s irritating to hear about over and over. Enjoy Bosh while he’s here and whatever happens after happens!
Oh, really, we get a chance to sign those guys?
Dirk- soon to be starring in the re-make of the Michael Keaton classic, “Mr. Mom”
Amare- Ol’ One Eye sure has done a lot to further his team at the expense of his personal stats over the years…..NOT!!!
Yao- The Great Wall of China is crumbling.
Manu- Another International player for BC’s stable. Oh, and this one has chronic ankle problems!!
JJ- Nothing even remotely funny to say about JJ. He’s got game, he just won’t be signing here.
Nash- Canada’s favorite son is NY bound.
Why didn’t you just mention LBJ and Wade? They’ll be free agents too, didn’t you hear?
200% support you. Honestly, Bosh’s market value is greater than his actual value. Raps Fans keep force BC to trade Bosh, it really limit our chips on hands. So, why don’t we just relax and let BC drive the bus. I still believe, the reason we got JO,one of the reasons was Raps Fans rushed BC to trade TJ away. Raps Fans and media sometime just too crazy to make noise.
At the other hand, I never think about Bosh is that good, he should not a 20M+ player, I always think that, those US medias try to create some spark or trouble in toronto, either force Bosh to leave or force toronto overpay Bosh.
We could trade anyone, just no rush to do it!
The blog posts and comments in this website are so far superior to any other media that I thank the basketball gods for pointing me here.
why is everyone so pissed that they have to renounce parker/ marion/ delfino?
parker dropped off noticeably this year due to age, and will likely drop off a little more this year.
Marion is a good player, but was holding up the Raptors for more money- if they kept waiting on him, there would be no free agents left and he would hold that leverage over them for more money-
delfino is versatile, but also wildly inconsistent and can go scoreless for long stretches while taking terrible shots and 3 pointers early in the clock.
Now, the Raptors have screwed over another team instead of being the team that is screwed, for a change.
Now, they look like a team on the rise again, and that may play a role in attracting some bargain, minimum salary talent to round out the roster.
And for once, the city is cited as a prime reason for a FA choosing Toronto. All good things.
Relax……..we just worry about it. behind the starter 5, we are very very thin.
delfino would have complemented hedo
I’m sorry, but your analysis is inaccurate. Investing five years into Turk is not the same as investing four years in Marion. For one thing, you fail to take into account that Turk’s investment comes at almost twice the cost of what Marion’s would have been, making it harder to bail out if Turk breaks down in the latter years of the contract. Also, Marion has a longer track record of consistent success, which makes him a safer bet for a contract at 35. Finally, the opportunity cost of Turk’s deal is not only Marion but also Parker and pretty much any other free agent they had hoped to pursue. On a thin roster like the Raptors have, the smarter choice would have been to sign Marion for the mid-level exemption and then pick up a few free agent bargains to help deepen the bench.
Turkoglu is an ass-hat, send him back to Turkey.
Canuck