Dissecting Hedo Turkoglu's Decision

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Hedo Turkoglu surprised everyone this weekend with an about face, reneging his verbal commitment with the Portland Trail Blazers to sign with the Toronto Raptors.

Comparing the two teams on paper, it's a no-brainer, he should have signed with the Trail Blazers. They have a young, talented nucleus that should contend for the title for the next decade.

Toronto, on the other hand, is a lame duck franchise poised to lose it's franchise player, Chris Bosh, in the next offseason.

I will attempt to solve the Hedo mystery using the various conspiracy theories running rampant on the internet.

Hedo Turkoglu Has Already Won a Championship, Who Needs Two Anyway?

Hedo earned a ring with the talented 2001-02 Sacramento Kings. Oh wait. Huh? They lost to the Lakers that year? Hmm. Scrap this theory.

Hedo's Wife Wears The XXL Pants In The Relationship

It has been reported that she did not even go with Hedo on his official visit to Portland, and they did not even need to take a visit to Toronto. Toronto has a large Turkish population in the metropolitan area as opposed to the virtually non-existent Turkish population in the comparatively smaller Portland.

The couple just had a daughter last February, and Toronto would probably be a better environment for the wifey and the daughter to live in. 

The Contract With Toronto Is More Lucrative

Both contracts have the same amount of years but it is known that the Toronto contract with leave Hedo richer. There are varying reports on how much richer he will be, ballpark estimates are three million more overall.

However, it won't be final until he can officially sign on July 8th. Nonetheless, Hedo chose between 50 million and 53 million, ultimately it is safe to say that money was not the deciding factor.

Hedo Is Scared of Portland's Large Homeless Contingent

He has already met Greg Oden and seen him play; he can't bear to even look at another Portland hobo.

The Trail Blazers May Not Be The Best Situation

Hedo is already comfortable in the softer Eastern Conference, everyone hasn't learned his go to move is his one step fade-away so why bother leaving? Hedo's arrival immediately makes Toronto a playoff team, and debatably a top four team in the conference. The core of the team is young, and Bosh may not necessarily leave Toronto if they have a 50 win team. Is that really worse than Portland, which has to compete in a tough western conference? Toronto also has a more international roster with Calderon and Bargnani starting. 

Truthfully, it is probably an amalgamation of multiple reasons that caused Hedo to withdraw from his agreement with Portland. The bigger story probably is his Boozer-like deceit, but I am intrigued with the Toronto roster and will keep an eye on them next season. 

Are there any possibly reasons I missed that shaped his decision to join the Raptors? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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