Hidayet Turkoglu, 'Michael Jordan of Turkey', Signs with Toronto Raptors

After a stellar 2008-2009 season which included a trip to the NBA Finals, an agreement with the Portland Trail Blazers and then a change of heart, free agent Hidayet "Hedo" Turkoglu agreed on a $50 million+ contract with the NBA's Canadian franchise, the Toronto Raptors. With much of ado about the future whereabouts of franchise All-Star big man up in the air and in constant talk, the acquisition of Turkoglu (via a four-team trade with the Raptors, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies) gives the Raptors the ability to have some more optimistic options with their roster. With Turkoglu's inclusion on the team, he figures to be the principle small forward that would be an interesting fit with former No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani and Bosh, all of whom have certain measurable levels of versatility that could project like Turk's old team, the Magic, and could be look somewhat Phoenician, a la Steve Nash's MVP seasons from 2004-2006 with the Suns.

Turkoglu being a Raptor gives the team a definite upgrade, overall, but what can people expect from his skills for the next few years? A few different nationally known columnists have projected Turkoglu as having no more chances to duplicate his 2009 season, as his PER player rating (patented by John Hollinger) has slipped in the past year or so, but there a few reasons that Turk probably keeps up with his current productivity and doesn't disappoint like some believe he will for the future years of his contract.

One reason is that while Turkoglu does have above-average athleticism, his game has always been dictated by his unusual and special basketball skills. Being 6'10" (after growing two inches when he was a rookie with the Sacramento Kings in 2000-2001) AND having the ability to shoot everywhere from the court gives him considerably more run as a player in future years. For instance, Robert Horry of Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs fame, came into the league as a similarly built athlete and player to Turk; likewise, Horry has the ability to shoot the ball that gave him considerable more time on the floor, and built similarly to Turkoglu, he played as a small forward and power forward often. Horry didn't maximize much of the potential that he was projected as having, as far as being the next Scottie Pippen, but his shooting ability, in part, gave him seven championships. In Turk's case, that same ability will allow him to be productive even when his overall level of play degrades, as Horry basically played half-seasons in the twilight years of his career, literally playing most his minutes in his later championship years in the playoffs.

Another reason to be hopeful of Turkoglu's NBA future for the next five years, despite already being 30 years old, is that he IS in some ways very much like Pippen, the future Hall of Fame swingman. Having played point guard as a King early in his career, Turk being so big and having the ability to create, dribble and distribute as a guard gives him more value as an offensive threat on the hardwood. One of the reasons the Magic made it to the Finals was that Turkoglu allowed for pressure to be relieved from the guards and made his teammates to be offensive threats because he could easily initiate offenses and plays anywhere on the floor, due in large part to his size. If anything, if Pippen were to have been the deadeye shooter that Turk is, Pip himself would have been even more dangerous.

Finally, as aforementioned, Turkoglu, while a good athlete, has never had to rely solely on his ability to run and jump to be an effective force in the NBA. He can drive, he can dunk, he can jump, but his dunking and jumping ability are all bonus features of the player that he is. He contrasts to 2009 lottery pick Earl Clark (of the Phoenix Suns), a player who, at 6'10", has all the athleticism and versatility in the world to be a very effective player, but must work on his shooting to really flourish as the star scouts have thought him to be; in effect, he is the quasi-antithesis of Turkoglu, but in many ways, the two compare favorably. In all, Turk should be a high-quality performer in various capacities for the majority of his five-year deal with the Raptors.