The 35-36 Raptors are clinging to 8th place in the Eastern Conference entering today’s visit to Miami, and with the first quarter nearly complete, underachieving SG Hedo Turkoglu has yet to take the floor for Toronto. The Sun’s Mike Ganter reports yesterday, “Turkoglu walked out of practice early again Saturday looking like he wanted to be anywhere but in a gym.”
That™s a game and a half, a shootaround and two practices now that Turkoglu has missed with what the team is describing as a stomach virus.
œHe just wasn™t healthy enough to continue on here, head coach Jay Triano said.
œIt happened in the game (Wednesday when he didn™t return for the second half) and he couldn™t play Friday night and we weren™t going to get anything out of him in practice either, so rest and get healthy.
Triano said the team had doctors look at him Friday morning, but would not elaborate on the problem or the findings.
œThere™s a fine line between what you can say about a stomach virus without people flooding us and coming in and testing everyone who has been around him and associated with him, Triano said.
Triano was asked point blank if Turkoglu™s illness was legitimate.
œAbsolutely, he said.
Amid whispers that he has been out and about town while dealing with this stomach virus, and with his team in desperation mode, Turkoglu is unavailable.