Banu & Hidayet Turkoglu, originally uploaded by ayse's cakes.
If this ranking took into consideration salary, Hedo would be much lower now than he should've been for last season. The money one makes does not determine worth but market value. Just keep repeating that. Anyway, the Turk's not the bargain he once was, but he's poised to continue making an East team run more smoothly than it does without him, and that's good for something. Last offseason, I ranked Hedo as number 41. That number was obviously a bit low for the influence his play had on this post-season's outcomes.
Hedo shouldn't be your number one guy, but he's valuable for his distributing skills and his ability to make a few clutch shots. Thirty-third will probably be the highest Turkoglu should rank on this kind of list. He peaked at the right time, of course, for contract negotiations. Yay for him and his family. From the type of production you see from Hedo, however, it doesn't look as if the pay off will result in a dip in production. More than anything else, that will come as he declines out of his peak years. He's only 30, but it seems like he's been around forever. I guess that'll happen with all the guys who entered the league at very young ages in the aughts.
Hedo comes into Toronto with the opportunity to define his career. He was a solid bench guy for the first five seasons of his career and, over the last three seasons in Orlando, has become a very good starter in this league. With the Magic's ascension to the Eastern Conference championship, Hedo was propelled into the spotlight. Thus, some of the praise of this offseason (tempered though it may have become), is simply due to timing and exposure. Last season was actually a return to form for Hedo after a breakout 07-08 season when he won the Most Improved Player of the Year award. His stats this past season were down across the board. The question now is how much of a positive factor he can be in Toronto. Will he help lead them to the playoffs and even playoff success? If he does so, he can cement a reputation for heady play and important contributions to contending teams. If he doesn't, he won't be the first.
