The swingman was all set to join the Raptors but backed out of the deal.
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/75657.html
As long as the Toronto Raptors were headed this way, John Salmons knew the question wasn't too far behind.
"I knew that one was coming," the Kings swingman says with a shrug and a smile. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it."
It was, Salmons says, the hardest thing he ever went through, an admission that won't spark sympathy from the Raptors or -- for that matter -- the Phoenix Suns.
Salmons was supposed to enter Arco Arena for the first time tonight, the Raptors' newest $23 million addition who had agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with his former Philadelphia club. This came, of course, just after all appearances were of Salmons joining the Suns, whose $22 million offer was bypassed at the 11th hour by the fourth-year player.
Salmons committed to Toronto, then contemplated, with three summer days going by before his soul and spirit were telling him something wasn't right. A Baptist since his best friend brought him to a Philadelphia church at the age of 12, Salmons said he made the rare mistake of ignoring his faith.
"When I felt like it wasn't the right (situation), it was like If this isn't it, then what else am I going to do?" Salmons said. "I made the decision (to go to Toronto), and then there were like seven days. There was something they had to do before I signed. Then like three days later, I felt like I couldn't do it. I felt like I couldn't go against my faith."
Then and now, Salmons won't offer any explanation other than his faith, be it the prospect of playing time or roster mix or basketball philosophy.
"It was just my faith," he said. "I'm a religious person, and I just felt like that wasn't where God wanted me to be at. I can't really explain it. It's just one of those things where you can't doubt a man's faith. I doubted my faith under pressure."
And in turn, the doubts came hurling his way. Toronto was justifiably upset, having been played at a multimillion dollar level in a way that rarely happens in the NBA. Even Phoenix thought it had landed Salmons before mixed signals led to a change of events. By all accounts, Salmons was lucky, with the Kings arising with their five-year, $25.5 million offer only after he called off the first two offers and put his agent, Joel Bell, back on the phones to seek interest. The Kings felt lucky, too, considering their negotiations with Bonzi Wells had deteriorated and they were looking for alternatives on the free-agent market.
Nearly four months later, Salmons said he wishes he had handled the situation differently.
"I was in a situation where I made a mistake, and I learned from it," he said. "I wish it didn't happen, but it did ... (The Raptors) are probably not going to look at me too favorably right now. I apologize for the situation, and there's not really much more I can do."
The Raptors didn't come out of the offseason empty-handed, signing guard Fred Jones (formerly of Indiana) to a three-year, $11 million deal just days after Salmons reneged.
"When we realized that we had a chance to get Freddie, we felt very fortunate," Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said. "We all talked to John, but at the end of the day he's just got to do what's best for John. If he felt like this was a better situation for him, then more power to him."
As for bad blood coming from Canada, Mitchell said there is none.
"There's no hard feelings," he said. "We're glad he told us, because we would've hated for him to come and then be unhappy. ... I just thank him for being honest with us. You live and learn. He's a young man, and you don't nail people to the cross when they make a mistake."
The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com.
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/75657.html
As long as the Toronto Raptors were headed this way, John Salmons knew the question wasn't too far behind.
"I knew that one was coming," the Kings swingman says with a shrug and a smile. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it."
It was, Salmons says, the hardest thing he ever went through, an admission that won't spark sympathy from the Raptors or -- for that matter -- the Phoenix Suns.
Salmons was supposed to enter Arco Arena for the first time tonight, the Raptors' newest $23 million addition who had agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with his former Philadelphia club. This came, of course, just after all appearances were of Salmons joining the Suns, whose $22 million offer was bypassed at the 11th hour by the fourth-year player.
Salmons committed to Toronto, then contemplated, with three summer days going by before his soul and spirit were telling him something wasn't right. A Baptist since his best friend brought him to a Philadelphia church at the age of 12, Salmons said he made the rare mistake of ignoring his faith.
"When I felt like it wasn't the right (situation), it was like If this isn't it, then what else am I going to do?" Salmons said. "I made the decision (to go to Toronto), and then there were like seven days. There was something they had to do before I signed. Then like three days later, I felt like I couldn't do it. I felt like I couldn't go against my faith."
Then and now, Salmons won't offer any explanation other than his faith, be it the prospect of playing time or roster mix or basketball philosophy.
"It was just my faith," he said. "I'm a religious person, and I just felt like that wasn't where God wanted me to be at. I can't really explain it. It's just one of those things where you can't doubt a man's faith. I doubted my faith under pressure."
And in turn, the doubts came hurling his way. Toronto was justifiably upset, having been played at a multimillion dollar level in a way that rarely happens in the NBA. Even Phoenix thought it had landed Salmons before mixed signals led to a change of events. By all accounts, Salmons was lucky, with the Kings arising with their five-year, $25.5 million offer only after he called off the first two offers and put his agent, Joel Bell, back on the phones to seek interest. The Kings felt lucky, too, considering their negotiations with Bonzi Wells had deteriorated and they were looking for alternatives on the free-agent market.
Nearly four months later, Salmons said he wishes he had handled the situation differently.
"I was in a situation where I made a mistake, and I learned from it," he said. "I wish it didn't happen, but it did ... (The Raptors) are probably not going to look at me too favorably right now. I apologize for the situation, and there's not really much more I can do."
The Raptors didn't come out of the offseason empty-handed, signing guard Fred Jones (formerly of Indiana) to a three-year, $11 million deal just days after Salmons reneged.
"When we realized that we had a chance to get Freddie, we felt very fortunate," Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said. "We all talked to John, but at the end of the day he's just got to do what's best for John. If he felt like this was a better situation for him, then more power to him."
As for bad blood coming from Canada, Mitchell said there is none.
"There's no hard feelings," he said. "We're glad he told us, because we would've hated for him to come and then be unhappy. ... I just thank him for being honest with us. You live and learn. He's a young man, and you don't nail people to the cross when they make a mistake."
The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com.
