Orlando Magic News for September 18th: Hedo Turkoglu's 2007/2008 Season May Have Been a Fluke
by Evan Dunlap on Sep 18, 2008 5:43 PM EDT
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Print- B. Shoals names Hedo Turkoglu as one of five NBA players he expects will "will lose ground or tread ugly, stagnant water in the coming months" after having a great season last year:
Given the abnormal nature of Hedo's rise, it's hard to not think it wasn't also something of a fluke -- another marker of the MLB career year. What's more, now teams are approaching him, not [Rashard] Lewis, as the Magic's number two. So while he's obviously found a good situation in the Magic, there's no way the high continues unabated.
With opposing teams shifting their defensive focus from Rashard Lewis to Turkoglu, I agree with Shoals insofar as I doubt Hedo will duplicate last season's success in the coming season. However, it's possible that Lewis will pick up that slack, at least from a scoring standpoint. Last season, Turk averaged 19.5 points to Lewis' 18.2. Would anyone be surprised if Lewis' and Turk's scoring averages flip-flopped as a result of the focus on Hedo? I know I wouldn't be. In any case, an increase in 'Shard's offense could mitigate a decrease in Turk's offense, and the Magic wouldn't be any worse off.
- Dwight Howard threw the first pitch in the Tampa Bay Rays' convincing 10-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox last night. Ball Don't Lie has a photo, and 3QC reader David pointed me to the video from Bugs and Cranks. Thanks, David.
- Be sure to check out DRaysBay, SB Nation's Rays blog, as Tampa Bay looks to make the postseason for the first time in franchise history. We're rooting for them at 3QC, especially since our beloved Yankees are done-for.
That's a wrap for the night. Have a good one. Drop news in the FanShots and commentary in the FanPosts, if the mood strikes you.
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I agree with your assessment of Shard and Turk. They depended on each other to do certain things last year. Rashard took attention away from Turk allowing him to drive to the basket more then he ever has in his career. Turk’s penetration allowed kick outs to Rashard so he could rain threes all day. I can see the situation reversing this year and that may be a good thing. They both can excel in the other players role.
I'd like to see Rashard do more than shoot threes
He needs to post-up more — he has better moves than Dwight, which might not be saying much, but still — and he needs to drive more.
I’d love to see Rashard Lewis post up more often. One thing that has hurt him is playing power forward, stronger power forwards defending him, which has limited his effectiveness. Still there’s enough times where he’s matched up with a small forward where he could get some touches in the post. SVG just doesn’t seem to appreciate that option.
I’m a bit frustrated by Lewis’ reluctance to drive. I think he’s regressed from his final season in Seattle in this regard. With him playing power forward it should be easier than ever for him to be effective off the dribble. I’d like more of that, he needs to copy some of Hedo’s moves.
With Tony back...
Rashard should get more minutes at the 3, which means not having to outmuscle guys like Nowitzki and Bosh in the post if he parks himself on the block. When he’s guarded by other natural 3s, like Stephen Jackson or Corey Maggette, for instance, he’s damn good.
I hope to see more versatility from him. I’d also like to see him drawing more fouls, since he’s such a good shooter from the stripe.
I don't believe
That Hedo’s numbers will diminish. It was apparent that given appropriate playing time, he fit perfectly into SVGs system. However, should his numbers diminish, due to increased defensive attention, that opens up more opportunities for Lewis, who is a better “pure” offensive player, and for Nelson, and the Magic may be better off anyway. It is never a bad thing to have several offensive weapons.
true, if I remember correctly there was a lot of trade talk surrounding Hedo last season. Then SVG arrived and he developed a huge man crush on Turk. From then on Turk has looked great. So yeah, I agree that SVG’s system fits him perfectly. I also think that Dooling was a product of the system and will take a huge drop in productivity this season.
by magic fanatic on Sep 19, 2008 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions
i agree
and if you didn’t notice, once SVG got here, Turk stopped missing all that time due to “undisclosed illnessess.” I think Turk just didn’t like the last coach so he took himself out of games. And Keeyon won’t thrive unless he’s allowed to attack the basket. But I tell you what. I sure don’t want to face him next season. Everyone seems to have career games against the Magic. Especially the 1 and 2 guards.
The trade rumors were a result of Hedo’s perceived redundancy with Rashard. They’re both 6’10" forwards thought of as primarily spot-up shooters. But Stan freed Hedo and let him make plays for his teammates.
But I think he’s out the door now. Not because the Magic don’t like him, but because they can’t afford to pay him next summer, and they can’t afford to just let him walk for free.
If he’s not gone by the deadline, I don’t know what the Magic will do. Otis can’t let him leave outright, can he?
Hedo walking
That would be a HUGE blow….
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
by Eyriq the Red on Sep 20, 2008 9:04 AM EDT up reply actions
I think Jameer is the difference maker that makes Orlando a title contender or not. They need his penetration and playmaking to diversify their offense … otherwise they become to predictable and over reliant on Hedo. Nelson doesn’t need to be an All-Star but he needs to play at his highest level (or near to) more often than he does.
I'll tell you what Jameer needs to do.
Guard somebody.
It's not an effort thing
He’s just small. It’s not a situation where he takes defensive possessions off. Of course, that doesn’t help the situation at all, but it’s worth pointing out.
Hedo has it for good
I think this Hedo is here to stay. Why? Maybe it was just me but he seemed to develop a drive to the basket game for really the first time this year, and he seems to be one of the best at finishing the drive too. I don’t remember him really doing that much at all before and the fact that he is so good at it means we will see more of the same. Especially with Lewis’s shooting to help spread the floor, though I don’t really think he needs the help to be such an effective finisher, it just adds to his potentency. We also know that Nelson can drive and finish, and what I want to see is how MP does with that. Considering we have Dwight and Lewis, two players that really open the floor up, any player that can drive and finish or create should have a field day as a Magic Man.
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
We want to keep Turk around
But we also don’t have the money to pay him, unless we want to go into the tax…
I’d like to see Hedo and Lewis play together on the wings in a big lineup alongside Dwight and a power forward (Battie). I don’t know how well it would work but I’d love to find out.
I think Lewis could defend most two guards well. At 6-10 with good athleticism and solid defense he could cause a few problems for the opposition. A few players would cause problems but I think he could do well against the vast majority of shooting guards.
I’m sure we’ll see a few big lineups now that Battie is back. A wing of Hedo/MP/Lewis is pretty big, then have Battie/Howard holding down the paint.
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
by Eyriq the Red on Sep 23, 2008 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions
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