A Hedo Turkoglu Pause - How Old is 30?
It's funny how conventional wisdom so quickly coalesces, and hardens into an almost impenetrable truth. Right now, in Blazerville, support for signing Hedo Turkoglu (to a reported 5-year, $50 million contract) is probably running at about 10-1.Roughly 12 weeks ago, few fans knew who Hedo Turkoglu was, much less could spell his name and rattle off his stats. Now, it's almost as if Hedo is the player the team, the city, and the fans have been waiting for all these years.
Chalk a lot of that up to a magical run through the NBA playoffs where often times he was the second best player on the court after LeBron and then Kobe. Funny what matchups can do for you.
Anyhow, none of this is to pour cold water on the idea of Hedo Turkoglu joining the Blazers. But at times like this, it's useful to take a pause and consider the alternatives.
Ball Don't Lie does that in a rather illuminating post. Check it out here.
The basic thrust - Hedo is freaking 30-years old, by the time the Blazers are in all likelihood prepared for their championship run, he'll be at least 32, and the final 2-3 years of his contract will have Hedo relegated to being a backup - at $10 million a year.
Compelling argument against the notion of Hedo Turkoglu. Worth a read.
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I am with you. I think we should start the "No Thanks, Hedo" campaign - maybe with customized Ramon Session and Brandon Bass jerseys.
I am surprised to hear you put the pro-Hedo percentage at 10-1... i would have to say that from everything i read and hear, it seems much closer to 3-2 against.. just throwin that out there...
i myself am not a big fan of the idea.
and just for the record, Hedo's been a known commodity for years now. even those who dont remember him stepping in admirably for Peja back when Sacto almost beat the L*kers, would likely have been quite aware of him last year (a better year for him than this one) when he outplayed the more ballyhooed Rashard Lewis..
I think people WERE 10-1 for Hedo. But then we start hearing crazy talk like $50 million and the tides turned. Sprinkle on a little Rudy pouting and I think more are against than for.
Blazers are in a tough spot. Our FA window is this year, period. So we either over pay for someone with the cap space we have, or we stand pat. I'm leaning towards not getting Hedo, and throwing the money towards Ariza/Powe. You could probably get both for the same price as Hedo. Doesn't add the veteran experience as far as age goes, but they have a lot of deep playoff pushes between them.
Then we thin out via trade for a PG upgrade. I wonder if Gordon signing with Detroit kills a trade for Hinrich? A big reason for the Bulls doing that trade was clearing cap for Gordon... Do they still want to pay $10 million for a backup PG, or will they slide him into the 2 spot with Rose on the floor as well?
You need to give Blazer fans more credit. Everyone has known who he is for some time now (even if it was only as the ugliest man in the league) and most of us are smart enough to know the numbers being discussed are not very reasonable.....
Yeah I've got to add to the chorus of fans calling you out on that 10-1 figure... the general pulse of Blazer fandom here seem to be vehemently AGAINST signing him... I've only talked to maybe one person who is for it.
10-1?!?!?! WHAT, are you talking about no one wants Turkey Glue here... maybe like 5 people in Portland are happy about this. Perhaps the poll should have taken place in portland with Blazer fans and not internet noobs....
10 - 1 for?
Where in the world is that number coming from? Every single person I have talked to (even the uninformed random Portlander who would be classified as a bandwagoner) is either against, or at best, doesn't care.
I don't know ANYONE that is pro Hedo in PDX.
what the eff are you talking about? blazernation does not support this move 10-1. this blog sucks. your wife is hot.
This is the EXACT problem with writing a sports blog about a Portland, OR ballclub when your head is stuck up the ass of Our Lady Showbiz.
Portland fans are almost all AGAINST this, not for this. I do not understand where you get this 10 to 1 figure. It's 50-50 at best.
Blazer fans also tend to watch basketball, especially in the playoffs. They probably remember Hedo Turkoglu from his appearances in the Western Conference Finals with the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs before he was ever in the finals with the magic.
Way to have the pulse of the people, gang. First the epic failure of naming your site "Beyond Bowie" and now this. I'm trying to like you guys; don't make it so hard on me.
Shaq is 35 and he was an all-star this year. Who's to say that Hedo wouldn't be at that level in 5 years? (I realize this is irrelevant now that Turk isn't coming)