Hedo likely to come to Portland..

[jimboiitmac]

The greatest basketball player to ever emerge from Turkey has apparently signed on to a deal with the Portland Trailblazers.

The only downside is apparently this has frazzled Rudy Fernandez who hoped to play a role similar to what Turk has been playing for the Magic for the Trailblazers. Apparently he wants to be traded so he can buy out of his contract and earn more overseas. (unsure of what will happen here..)

Here's the scoop:

Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan had a dinner date Wednesday night with free-agent forward Hedo Turkoglu, amid a growing sense around the league that the courtship will lead to Turkoglu making a verbal commitment to sign with Blazers this month.

Turkoglu
Turkoglu

Turkoglu and his agent, Lon Babby, are also scheduled to travel to Oregon for a Thursday tour of the Blazers' facilities and meetings with Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard and assistant GM Tom Penn. But Babby insisted Wednesday that suggestions of a done deal were premature, describing them as "ahead of the process."

What's clear is that the 30-year-old from Turkey is by far the Blazers' top free-agent target and potentially the first marquee free-agent signing of Pritchard's reign, with Portland projected to have between $8 million and $10 million in salary-cap space this summer -- with firm figures not known until the league announces next season's salary cap next week -- and with the Orlando Magic lacking the financial flexibility to re-sign Turkoglu after trading for Vince Carter last week.

Teams and free agents were permitted to strike verbal agreements on new deals as of 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday but new contracts can't be signed until the cap figure is announced and the NBA's moratorium on signings is lifted on July 8.

Babby said that he has received inquiries from four other teams, some with cap space and some without, although the Detroit Pistons -- initially expected to be a leading suitor for Turkoglu with more spending money than any other team in the league -- were not one of them. The Pistons instead reached verbal agreements on Wednesday night with guard Ben Gordon and forward Charlie Villanueva.

Europe calling?

Fernandez Portland's pursuit of a certain player from Turkey has infuriated the Trail Blazers' lone remaining Spanish player, Rudy Fernandez, to the point where he'd prefer to play in Greece, Russia or even Spain again. Chris Sheridan has the details. Story

The Toronto Raptors were known to be one of the teams with enough cap space available to make Turkoglu a respectable offer, but the Raptors would have to renounce their rights to Shawn Marion and Anthony Parker in order to do so without trying to acquire him via sign-and-trade.

Turkoglu is seeking a five-year contract in the region of $50 million after turning down a four-year offer from Orlando, worth approximately $36 million, before the Magic pulled the trigger on the Carter trade. Babby said he had not heard from the Magic within the first 12 hours of the free-agency period.

"But I don't think that door is closed, although everyone realizes it has gotten harder to do something there," Babby said. "I haven't talked to [Orlando GM] Otis Smith since the process started, but I will."

The Blazers were the first team to express interest in Turkoglu. The (Portland) Oregonian newspaper reported that Pritchard first made his Turkoglu plans known to Blazers cornerstones Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, both of whom are eligible for contract extensions this offseason.


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Turkoglu, 30, averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists last season in helping Orlando reach the NBA Finals for just the second time in franchise history. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 24 playoff games, shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from 3-point range, and won NBA Most Improved Player honors in 2007-08 after averaging 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists for the Magic.

"I'm excited for him," Babby said Wednesday regarding the Blazers' aggressive pursuit of Turkoglu. "They've communicated their interest and we'll see where it goes from here."

Portland is one of just five teams this summer projected to be sufficiently under the salary cap to sign free agents outright, along with Detroit, Memphis, Oklahoma City and Sacramento. If the Blazers complete the signing of Turkoglu, that could lead to the departure of a swingman or two from Portland's current roster, with Travis Outlaw, Nicolas Batum, Martell Webster or the reportedly disgruntled Rudy Fernandez potentially affected.

Turkoglu is such an unbelievably good player I can't believe the Magic wouldn't throw more money at him and think that he can be replaced with Carter?

Carter is a scorer, plain and simply.

Turkoglu is a playmaker, a better passer than Carter, definately a better shooter, more clutch etc. He's a true point-forward for the Magic and he really makes everything fit - I think the Magic will be worse off without him.

But how scary could the Blazers be with Turkoglu?

PG - Steve Blake/Jerryd Bayless/Patty Mills
SG - Brandon Roy/Rudy Fernandez/Martell Webster
SF - Hedo Turkoglu/Travis Outlaw/Nicholas Batum
PF - Lamarcus Aldridge/Channing Frye
C - Greg Oden/Joel Pryzbilla

That's potentially a VERY young, very deep, very talented team.

Everyone saw how good they were this year, and they add Turkoglu to the mix without losing any key players.

Roy and Aldridge are already becoming spectacular - if Oden can become a glimpse of what he was meant to be damn this is a dangerous squad. Outlaw off the bench? 6th man of the year anybody?

[ozballer23]

Frye won't be there, they decided not to make him another offer.

They look extremely dangerous with Turk there. Many scoring options, especially with outlaw off the pine!

[lvnmaoriboy05]

Hedo Turkoglu isnt worth 50 mil, the Blazers gotta be crazy to deal for him

[*Oz]

Hedo Turkoglu isnt worth 50 mil, the Blazers gotta be crazy to deal for him

Exactly. He needs the ball in his hands too much to make a difference, can he get that in Portland? Gives next to nothing on defense. Wrong vet to bring into that young team IMO.

[jimboiitmac]

Exactly. He needs the ball in his hands too much to make a difference, can he get that in Portland? Gives next to nothing on defense. Wrong vet to bring into that young team IMO.

He does need the ball in his hands a lot but he got the job done on a team full of players who had a lot of the possessions (Dwight, Jameer, Rashard).

Brandon Roy is gonna dominate the ball no doubt but Roy is no Dwyane Wade or Lebron James. He won't demand the ball as highly as that and Turk will get it the rest of the time. I can see some very nifty passing going on.

But even if Roy splits time as playmaker and Turk's role isn't as huge in making plays as it was in Orlando - he's still a deadly shooter who can get his 20?

[*Oz]

I should rephrase that. If he doesn't have the ball he's doing next to nothing. Wrong vet to bring into that young team. Watch any of the top Western Conference teams blow right by them in the playoffs, mark it down. Nothing changes unless the core develop stronger and grow a pair and believe me I rate the young talent they have. That's just how I see it anyway. And he's not exactly young. He'll be in a wheelchair when that squad is peaking.

[nzwarriors#1]

I think Turkoglu could potentially ruin the blazers, he takes a lot of stupid shoots and makes only a couple of these.

[*Oz]

To top it off Rudy wants out because of this, old news and it's already posted around here somewhere but I was reading it earlier elsewhere. They don't keep the team intact. Losing Rady wouldn't be a major blow, but it's still a loss.

[dickyKnee]

Not sure what Portland is thinking. An aging, shooter with little D doesn't really fit.

[jimboiitmac]

Not sure what Portland is thinking. An aging, shooter with little D doesn't really fit.

Geez I must be completely losing it, reading all the Hedo critics in this thread is unbelievable.

Barring DH12 Turkoglu was probably the most important player on a team that just went to the finals, beating both the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers on the way?

I just can't understand it.

Yes he's not a spring chicken but he's 30. Shaq's 36 and such a big deal is made about him going to the Cavs yet members on this board seem to think the fact that Turkoglu is 30 means he will be useless?

All the analysts and vets say they need some solid veteran guys who are very good players to come in and help guide a young team. I think Hedo fits this mould pretty well? They weren't meant to bring in young players...

Bizarre..

And yes he does need the ball but he will easily be able to get that in Portland. Like I said he had to share the ball with Nelson, Alston, Lewis and Howard and yet he was still one of the best playmakers in the NBA. Apart from Brandon Roy nobody on the Portland squad demands the ball, I think Hedo will be fine..