The Tim Thomas Award; Toronto Raptors Hedo Turkoglu

There are some players who feel that by getting to the NBA they are a success. Signing a five year contract means you barely show up for four years then on the fifth you play your heart out and secure another contract.

Why are NBA managers constantly fooled by these cads?

No one fits this image more than Tim Thomas. A guy blessed with incredibly skills but only feels motivated when his lively hood is on the line.

As Ray Allen a former team mate once said, “Tim can be the best player in the NBA if he wanted to.”

Filling in for injured Dirk Nowitki last week, Thomas scored 22 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. The game was an important test for the Mavericks as they beat potential eastern conference finalists Cleveland Cavaliers. More importantly they did this without Nowitski who some believe has been overworked.

If Thomas remains consistent as he has been throughout his career, the Mavericks should do very well with him this season. The forward always seems really focused in the last year of his contract.

He had a solid rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers, and was named to the All Rookie second team.  After a poor start his second year, the Villanova product was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.

As a reserve player his first two seasons, he averaged a solid 12 points a game. After averaging 15 points in the playoffs, Bucks thought they had a diamond and secured it with a 6 year contract worth $66 million. The Bucks then traded starter and leading scorer Glen Robinson, clearing the way for Thomas’ star to shine.

For their generosity they were rewarded with a mediocre effort from Thomas. The Bucks had no choice but to part ways with him.

Fast Forward to 2006, The Suns are doing great in the playoff with significant contribution from journeyman Thomas who just happens to be a free agent after the season.

This time the Clippers took the bait at a tune of $24 million over 4 years. It was two seasons before they realized they had been shown a thoroughbred and sold a mule.

At 32 it is very doubtful that anyone will throw money at Tim Thomas again, but we can create an award for the player most likely to play great in a contract year and then coast his way through a new contract.

This season's front runner is Hedo Turkoglu.

The Turkish forward had the best season of his nine year NBA career last year as the Orlando Magic diced their way into the Finals. Turkoglu's ball handling skills and clutch shooting were key factors as the forward emerged from a role player to a star.

After flirting with the Blazers, he signed a five year contract with the Toronto Raptors worth $53 million. The Raptors are currently below .500 with a 13-17 record. This may not be just down to the 30 year old, but when you commit $10 million a season to a player it would not be futile to expect a significant improvement.

Hitting a game winner reminiscent of last year's finals, the Turkish Sensation ended a four game losing streak, including a 145-115 pounding by Atlanta Hawks, first week December.

This was a one off as the highlights are few and far between for Raptor fans. We are only 30 games into an 82 game season but the 6-10 forward needs to step up.

 He likes having the ball in his hands and with the injuries to Jose Calderon this is the perfect opportunity for Hedo to start running the offense.

One could argue that scheduling has been a factor for Toronto. Their longest losing streak was 5 games. That stretch included Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and the Phoenix Suns. These teams all have winning records.

They won six out of their last ten games however anyone thinking this might be the start of things might be hasty as Houston Rockets were the only team with a winning record.

Should Toronto not improve it is quite clear that the blame will not rest on star forward Chris Bosh. The 6-10 forward out of Georgia Tech is having a career season in what could be his last year in Canada.

Nor is the coach being blamed as the General Manager Bryan Colangelo puts it:

"This is not a coaching issue if you're looking for someone to blame, point the finger at me. I'm the one who put the group together. I have no doubt that these guys can play. I have no doubt about their talent. But talk is cheap. We've got to find a way."

As the Raptors most significant addition this season anyone could easily assume that he is referring to Hedo.