| Expectations On Turkoglu's 09-10 Season Authored by Gagan Gandhi - October 7, 2009 - 9:52 pm
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2008/09: 16.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.9 APG, 36.5 MPG
Career: 12.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, 27.9 MPG
2009/10 Salary: $8,975,000
Contract Status: Signed through 2013-14
Claim to Fame: Listening to his wife when she snubbed Portland for Toronto
Strengths:
Not since the days of Vince Carter have the Raptors had someone who is known for his ability to hit big shots late in the game; it’s been a while since the Raptors had a legitimate scoring threat at small forward. This is one of the main reasons why his addition to the starting unit is key. What’s the best part about him having the ball with the shot clock ticking down? He likes it and you won’t see him backing down from pressure situations.
Besides giving Jay Triano another option late in the clock, he also gives him another option at point. I don’t mean point guard in the classic sense, but in the sense where Jose Calderon or Jarrett Jack take the ball up half the court and then hand it off for Turkoglu to control. He has good ball control for a big man and is able to make the timely decision that point guards are usually relied upon for.
It’s all about options with Turkoglu and his versatility is an asset the coaching staff will surely be glad to use.
Weaknesses:
The addition of Turkoglu doesn’t exactly help the Raptors defense. He’s an average on-ball defender and he’ll get you three to five boards a game, but you’d expect so much more from a player his size. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not going to kill you on the defensive end, but I think Raptors fans will be disappointed in his defensive game a few nights this season. It’d be nice if he could potentially get 7 rebounds a game, but don’t count on it except for the rare night as just like Bargnani, he’s more of a perimeter orientated player.
Although more of a downside than a weakness, some believe Turkoglu’s best years are behind him and even if they aren’t that he doesn’t have many productive years left. His date of birth says he’s 30 but there are also others who suspect that he is actually a couple years older. If that’s the case than the five-year deal given to him this summer will quickly become a disaster. But then again, I refuse to believe anything regarding Turkoglu unless Banu says it for she knows all ...I joke, I joke, no nasty emails please.
2009/10 Expectations:
16.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.9 APG
Just as Colangelo is going to live and die with his first overall selection of Andrea Bargnani, he’s going to live and die with his acquisition of Turkoglu. He’s a good backup plan in case Bosh doesn’t return after this season as it still gives the Raptors a solid trio of Bargnani, Calderon and Turkoglu, as well as potentially tons of cap space.
The Raptors want to win now, not three or four years down the road, because of that reason alone bringing in Turkoglu is a good move and it’s a move that should put the Raptors back into the playoffs. Where they seed though may very well be based on his ability to run the point in key situations in case of injuries to Calderon or Jack. It’s a signing that is high risk, yet also high reward.
This is part two of a five part series analyzing the Raptors starters and bench players. Follow Gagan Gandhi on Twitter and join his group on Facebook . He can be reached at: gaganrealgm@gmail.com with any comments, concerns or requests. |
