The Curse of Jersey #15 Ends Badly Once Again For The Toronto Raptors
By RaptorTalkFor the Toronto Raptors, its their version of the vaunted Sports Illustrated cover curse.
Its the Curse of Jersey #15!
Only twice in Raptors' team history has a player been awarded uniform #15 and in both instances the relationship between the player and the Toronto Raptors ended badly.
The two players were Jorge Garbajosa and Vince Carter.
We all know how Vince Carter went from being the most revered Raptor to becoming Public Enemy #1 in Toronto in the span of less than a year. While Jorge Garbajosa's saga was somewhat different, it still ended in a manner which had both the Raptors and Garbo agreeing it was best for the parties to part ways.
Of course, both #15's played completely different games. Garbajosa played hard and tough, while VC played soft and easy. But at the end of the day, they both left the Raptors organization in a bad way.
Rob Babcock got fleeced in the Carter trade and the franchise was set back for at least two years as a result. Garbajosa chose to disobey Raptor team doctors and played for Spain last summer which led to further damage to his recently broken leg. The cost to the Raptors was that he missed virtually all of last season, cost the team $4 million and took up a badly needed roster spot.
With the recently agreed Garbajosa buy-out, the Raptors reportedly save about $2 million in cap space and have an open roster spot for next season. However, the fact is that Jorge Garbajosa's overall cost to the Toronto Raptors amounts to a salary number in excess of $10 million for only one single productive season. Hardly what fans were hoping for when the Raptors signed Garbo.
While Garbo was a solid performer in his single season with Toronto, his departure leaves a sour taste with many Toronto fans. At the end of the day, because of his personal selfishness, Garbo will collect in excess of $7 million from the Toronto Raptors for what will amount to a mere 7 games played in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 season.
If Garbajosa wanted so badly to play for Spain in the Olympics and then return the Spanish league, he should have done the right thing and accepted a buy-out for the 2008-09 of $ ZERO.
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