Most people with a vested interest in the fortunes of the Toronto Raptors were ecstatic to see TJ Ford traded last June; his constant whining about playing time, and Jose Calderon’s emergence pretty much guaranteed a one-way ticket out of town.
As a member of the Indy Pacers now, Ford is free to speak openly about his time in Toronto, and the way TJ sees it is that he took the blame for much of what went wrong in the T.Dot, and pointed an accusatory finger at the local media.
From the Toronto Sun:
“It wasn’t one party the way it was made out to be,” Ford said prior to his return to the ACC last night. “I got the blame for so-called messing things up, not being happy, whatever it was. But, as you see, I wasn’t the only problem.”
“You guys have to do your jobs. (The media) made a controversy and I was the guy they chose.”
Though the media surely played a role in TJ’s exile from Toronto – many of the basketball writers made it clear that they wanted him gone – I’d like to think that it was painfully obvious to GM Bryan Colangelo (and everyone else) that it was in the team’s best interest to get rid of Ford.
But, hey, whatever helps you sleep at night, TJ.
