Yeah, Turkoglu got robbed. When I made my selections, I didn't choose Hedo because other guys where having better seasons. But never in my wildest freaking dreams did I imagine Hedo Turkoglu would get screwed out of an All-Star roster-spot by Joe Johnson. In that regard, Turkoglu is more deserving than Johnson, and I'm pretty cheesed-off. Ultimately, Turk's omission comes down to two factors:
- He hasn't ever played this well
- He doesn't score over 20 points per game
Below, you can see the statistical comparison between the two players. Note that points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and turnovers are based on per-36-minute production to give a better idea of how each player would fare given the same amount of playing time. Also note Turkoglu's huge advantage in nearly every shooting statistic.
| Johnson | Turkoglu | |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
| 18.7 | Points | 18.4 |
| 3.9 | Rebounds | 5.8 |
| 4.7 | Assists | 4.0 |
| 0.7 | Steals | 1.0 |
| 0.1 | Blocks | 0.4 |
| 2.3 | Turnovers | 2.7 |
| 6.4 | Points per 4th Quarter | 6.0 |
| .407 | FG% | .438 |
| .350 | 3FG% | .371 |
| .851 | FT% | .835 |
| .458 | eFG% | .505 |
| .514 | TS% | .562 |
| 16.0 | PER | 17.2 |
| 18-24 | Team Record | 29-18 |
| 3 | Division Rank | 1 |
| 7 | Conference Rank | 3 |
Other Expressions of Outrage
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Henry Abbott at TrueHoop:
Hedo Turkoglu
In what was supposed to be the season he became redundant (thanks to the arrival of Rashard Lewis), Turkoglu instead became resplendent. He freaks out defenses by being a tremedous shooter and slashing with grace. But most importantly, he is the best Magic player at getting the ball to Dwight Howard in a position where he can use it. He's also a go-to guy in the clutch. I'd take him over Hamilton, Kidd, gimpy Wade, and right there with Jamison and Johnson. - Charles Barkley (transcribed by John Denton of Florida Today):
TNT analyst Charles Barkley picked Turkoglu to make the team and said the Magic's forward was the player he felt most deserved an all-star nod.
"Hedo Turkoglu is having a fantastic season and deserves to make the team," Barkley said. "I'm disappointed that Turkoglu didn't make the team. He's made a lot of game-winners. The biggest slight is Hedo Turkoglu."
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Brett Edwards at Fanhouse:
As far as snubs go, Hedo Turkoglu strikes me as the one who's playing the best this season that was left off the team. Ray Allen is solid, and is one of the big three on the team with the best record in the league, but he's definitely been the weakest of the trio this year.
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UPDATED - David Friedman of 20 Second Timeout, although he's not quite outraged:
I guess Bosh is being considered as the team's back up center. I am surprised that Johnson made the team not only because this violates the rules [of not choosing a center] but because of the mediocre record of his team. If the coaches were not going to choose a true center then Hedo Turkoglu should have gotten the nod.
As bad as Turk's omission from the team was, Jose Calderon's was worse. I've about had it with stats for tonight, but let me say the following: Calderon outdoes Jason Kidd in essentially every category other than rebounding, and is dead-even with him in assists, when adjusted per 36 minutes. He also turns the ball over less frequently. And he does all this for a much-better team; the Raptors are 25-20 whereas the Nets are 19-26. It's absurd that Calderon isn't starting, let alone that he's not even in the damn game.
Regarding the Western team... Chris Kaman. Ouch. Third in the league in rebounding and in blocked shots, but he plays for the Clippers, which is basically an automatic disqualification from consideration.
The Eastern coaches owe Turk an apology. Damn. I was really looking forward to adding this jersey to my collection:
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