Denton: Magic Prepare to Take On Turkoglu
By John Denton
October 31, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
The call came late on a Sunday night back in early July, just hours before Hedo Turkoglu was about to board a plane back to his native Turkey and just a couple of days after he had officially left the Orlando Magic.
``Turk,’’ as fans in Orlando affectionately knew him for five seasons, wanted to get out the message that he was sad about leaving the Magic. He was ecstatic about landing a five-year, $53 million free-agent contract, but some of that enthusiasm was tempered the fact that Turkoglu wouldn’t be playing with the Magic any longer. Some of his greatest professional and personal moments came in Orlando, and Turk wanted the fans in Central Florida to know that he was grateful.
``Please tell all of the fans in Orlando that I appreciated so much being a fan favorite all of those years,’’ Turkoglu said. ``I loved my time with the Magic and I know that I will miss people in Orlando.’’
Turkoglu, the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2008, will face his former Magic teammates Sunday for the first time when Orlando (2-0) plays in Toronto (1-1) at 1 p.m.
Turkloglu was a major piece of the Magic’s drive to the NBA Finals last spring, averaging 15.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 24 games.
Turkoglu was never better than in Game 7 against Boston in the second round of the playoffs when he had 25 points, 12 assists, five rebounds and four assists. And in the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland, Turkoglu averaged a team-best 6.7 assists to go with his 17.2 points per game. In The NBA Finals, Turkoglu was Orlando’s leading scorer at 18 points per game while shooting a solid 49.2 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from 3-point range.
But when the Magic couldn’t agree on contract terms with Turkgolu following the season, he opted out of the final year of his contract and became an unrestricted free agent.
``It’s sad to leave, but this is what is best now for me and my family,’’ Turkoglu said last July. ``I’ll never forget all of the great times we had in Orlando.’’
The Magic traded for Vince Carter on draft night in late June, all but ending Turkoglu’s time in Orlando. The Magic were leery of giving Turkoglu, 30, a five-year deal and had no desire to pair him with Carter. The feeling was that both players need the ball in their hands to be successful and their talents would have been repetitive.
Carter, who suffered a mild ankle sprain in Orlando’s 95-85 win in New Jersey on Friday, is questionable for Sunday's game in Toronto. He made five of seven shots and had 16 points in 15 minutes against the Nets. J.J. Redick will start in Carter's place, if he's unable to go.
Turkoglu was among the most sought-after free agents in July with Portland making a strong push for him. The Blazers offered a deal worth $49 million and Turkoglu committed verbally before backing out when Toronto made a stronger push. He and his wife, Banu, preferred the cosmopolitan feel of Toronto and its strong Turkish community.
Like his time in Orlando, Turkoglu’s No. 15 is now a thing of the past. He wears No. 26 because his daughter, Ela, was born on Feb. 26 in Orlando.
His transition to Toronto was slowed somewhat by a toe injury in the preseason, and he’s eased into this regular season slowly. He had 12 points and seven rebounds in the season-opening defeat of Cleveland and even though he had 14 points in Friday’s loss to Memphis, he made just four of 10 shots and turned the ball over four times. Unlike in Orlando when much of the offense ran through Turkoglu’s hands, much of the ball-handling duties fall on Jose Calderon’s shoulders now and Turkoglu has had to adjust.
Yes, Turkoglu is gone, but he made it clear that a big part of him will always be in Orlando. He said he’ll be forever grateful to the Magic and coach Stan Van Gundy for helping him become an elite player.
``Stan put the ball in my hands and trusted in me, and that meant a lot to my game,’’ Turkoglu said. ``The fans there loved me and I’ll always remember that. I love Orlando, but I’m in Toronto now.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonOctober 31, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
The call came late on a Sunday night back in early July, just hours before Hedo Turkoglu was about to board a plane back to his native Turkey and just a couple of days after he had officially left the Orlando Magic.
``Turk,’’ as fans in Orlando affectionately knew him for five seasons, wanted to get out the message that he was sad about leaving the Magic. He was ecstatic about landing a five-year, $53 million free-agent contract, but some of that enthusiasm was tempered the fact that Turkoglu wouldn’t be playing with the Magic any longer. Some of his greatest professional and personal moments came in Orlando, and Turk wanted the fans in Central Florida to know that he was grateful.
``Please tell all of the fans in Orlando that I appreciated so much being a fan favorite all of those years,’’ Turkoglu said. ``I loved my time with the Magic and I know that I will miss people in Orlando.’’
Turkoglu, the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2008, will face his former Magic teammates Sunday for the first time when Orlando (2-0) plays in Toronto (1-1) at 1 p.m.
Turkloglu was a major piece of the Magic’s drive to the NBA Finals last spring, averaging 15.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 24 games.
Turkoglu was never better than in Game 7 against Boston in the second round of the playoffs when he had 25 points, 12 assists, five rebounds and four assists. And in the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland, Turkoglu averaged a team-best 6.7 assists to go with his 17.2 points per game. In The NBA Finals, Turkoglu was Orlando’s leading scorer at 18 points per game while shooting a solid 49.2 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from 3-point range.
But when the Magic couldn’t agree on contract terms with Turkgolu following the season, he opted out of the final year of his contract and became an unrestricted free agent.
``It’s sad to leave, but this is what is best now for me and my family,’’ Turkoglu said last July. ``I’ll never forget all of the great times we had in Orlando.’’
The Magic traded for Vince Carter on draft night in late June, all but ending Turkoglu’s time in Orlando. The Magic were leery of giving Turkoglu, 30, a five-year deal and had no desire to pair him with Carter. The feeling was that both players need the ball in their hands to be successful and their talents would have been repetitive.
Carter, who suffered a mild ankle sprain in Orlando’s 95-85 win in New Jersey on Friday, is questionable for Sunday's game in Toronto. He made five of seven shots and had 16 points in 15 minutes against the Nets. J.J. Redick will start in Carter's place, if he's unable to go.
Turkoglu was among the most sought-after free agents in July with Portland making a strong push for him. The Blazers offered a deal worth $49 million and Turkoglu committed verbally before backing out when Toronto made a stronger push. He and his wife, Banu, preferred the cosmopolitan feel of Toronto and its strong Turkish community.
Like his time in Orlando, Turkoglu’s No. 15 is now a thing of the past. He wears No. 26 because his daughter, Ela, was born on Feb. 26 in Orlando.
His transition to Toronto was slowed somewhat by a toe injury in the preseason, and he’s eased into this regular season slowly. He had 12 points and seven rebounds in the season-opening defeat of Cleveland and even though he had 14 points in Friday’s loss to Memphis, he made just four of 10 shots and turned the ball over four times. Unlike in Orlando when much of the offense ran through Turkoglu’s hands, much of the ball-handling duties fall on Jose Calderon’s shoulders now and Turkoglu has had to adjust.
Yes, Turkoglu is gone, but he made it clear that a big part of him will always be in Orlando. He said he’ll be forever grateful to the Magic and coach Stan Van Gundy for helping him become an elite player.
``Stan put the ball in my hands and trusted in me, and that meant a lot to my game,’’ Turkoglu said. ``The fans there loved me and I’ll always remember that. I love Orlando, but I’m in Toronto now.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
