Hidayet Turkoglu

[Spike]

What do you guys think about Hidayet Turkoglu? I like him a lot. He was erratic in the limited minutes he got last year but he was only a rookie and with time I think he'll improve. He's got a good outside shot and can take it to the hole. He played the point guard, shooting guard, small forward and even the power forward spot in Turkey.

He plays well against the Lakers for some reason too. Because I remember he was awful in the Kings' first round playoff series with the Suns but then was really productive against the Lakers. He also did well in the Kings' only win against the Lakers this past season, the last regular season matchup between the 2 teams. So I guess if you're going to do good against one team, it's not bad that that team be the 2-time defending World Champions.

Another thing I like about Turkoglu is he's not your typical European player that comes into the N.B.A. and doesn't want to play any defense and is soft. This year he's shown he's willing to move his feet and play defense. He shut down Shawn Marion one time when the Kings played at Phoenix and were down by something like 29 points and came back to win that game. And Turkoglu is also tough. He's shown an ability to want to get into the lane and fight for loose balls and scrap with other big guys. He did that in Europe too causing his nose to be broken 10 times. His nose was broken so much that it not only looks funny because of that but he can't even breathe through it so when he's on the court he has to breathe through his mouth. He just recently had plastic surgery on it last month.

What I see for Turkoglu's future is that Chris Webber speculated in Ric Bucher's mid-season article about his free agent status that he wasn't sure if this team had go to guy down the stretch of close games because Webber doesn't really like to do that even though he has the capability. He likes to initiate who takes the last shot not the guy who actually does that. But I think Predrag Stojakovic can do that but I also think Turkoglu is tough enough mentally and physically and has the talent to do that as well.

[Marc]

Who is this guy? I've never heard of him!

[Ross]

Turkoglu is from Turkey(I think), and this will be his second year in the NBA, this upcoming season. I really don't know what to think of him, I haven't stayed up late enough to watch Kings games on TNT, when they are on, but I did think he was pretty good in the playoffs.

[Spike]

Originally posted by mjames:

Who is this guy? I've never heard of him!

He was the Kings' first round draft pick in June of 2000. He was a great player from Turkey who was unknown (apparently still is, hehe). So unknown that the Kings were roundly criticized for taking him instead of Desmond Mason, a good defending 2-guard because their need at the time was backcourt defense. Turkoglu's still young. He's only 22 years old so he still has a lot of room to grow. But the Sixers also knew about him and wanted him that year and were ready to pick him up at the next draft spot but the Kings grabbed him.

Other stuff I know about him I said in my last post. Like I said he did make his mark in the 2nd round playoff series with the Lakers last May particularly carrying the Kings' scoring load and keeping them as close as he could in the 4th Quarter of Game 4 when Webber disappeared.

Before the trade for Mike Bibby there was some talk that Turkoglu could play the point guard because he's got good ball-handling skills and played some of that spot at Turkey so Turkoglu played point on the Kings' Summer League team this year. He could still see some time at the point this regular season if Kings' head coach Rick Adelman sees the Kings getting killed on the boards and needs a really big lineup.

[Marc]

Well, I guess Spike being out West explains how he knows him. He didn't play to my knowledge much or at all in the playoffs when I did watch games on NBC, and I couldn't stay up to midnight in the school year watching games! That explains it.

[Spike]

Originally posted by mjames:

and I couldn't stay up to midnight in the school year watching games! That explains it.

Yeah, good point. I'm so glad I live out on the West Coast.

It's like Monday Night Football games ending around and after Midnight in the East. I shudder to think.

[Kamikaze Kiel]

Ive never heard of him either marc...so dont feel so bad....

[Marc]

Originally posted by Kamikaze Kiel
Ive never heard of him either marc...so dont feel so bad....

Who says I feel bad? Was just being frank at the time.