Raptors’ Hedo Turkoglu caught partying in Yorkville when he should have been vomiting at home

Raptors’ Hedo Turkoglu caught partying in Yorkville when he should have been vomiting at home

Apparently Hedo Turkoglu’s parents didn’t teach him that if one is too sick to go to school, one is too sick to go out. We assume it wasn’t just our parents, since Torontonian tattle-tales were likely the cause of the forward’s unceremonious benching during the Raptors’ disappointing 97-94 loss to the Miami Heat last night. The Star reports:

The benching came in the wake of reports that Turkoglu was out in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville district after the Raptors’ crushing loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, a game he didn’t play because of a stomach virus that caused him to leave at halftime of the Raptors’ loss to the Utah Jazz last Wednesday.

Apparently Raptors fans saw Turkoglu out in Yorkville, looking distinctly unaffected by any stomach virus, and alerted the team’s brass.

When asked if Turkoglu’s time out was a result of management-inflicted punishment or because of health reasons, coach Jay Triano curtly answered, “Both,” failing to add, “Go to your room and don’t give me that look or I’ll give you something to really sulk about.”

Lessons have to be learned, but the Raps really could have used some offensive muscle last night, especially in the last few minutes as they watched their 13-point lead fade to bupkis. Sure, Turkoglu didn’t make the best decision, but we put the blame squarely on the Wall Street Journal.

• Hedo Turkoglu sits as Raptors wilt [Toronto Star]
Turkoglu benched after reports of late nights [Globe and Mail]