Turkoglu brings experience to Blazers

The Trail Blazers have been putting together a special team over the last few years with young stars such as Brandon RoyBrandon Roy, LaMarcus AldridgeLaMarcus Aldridge and Greg OdenGreg Oden—who still hasn’t reached his full NBA potential. But the one thing the Blazers have been lacking has been an experienced player to bring everyone together. Now some would say that Brandon Roy was turning into “that player,” but “that player” is now Hedo TurkogluHedo Turkoglu, who has agreed in principle to a deal with the Blazers. Though there are no figures or years down on paper yet, it was obvious Turkoglu was on the move after the Magic traded for another small forward in Vince Carter.

With the Magic’s lose, comes the Blazers gain. The Blazer’s get the nine year veteran in Turkoglu, who average 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists last year while playing alongside sharpshooter Rashard LewisRashard Lewis and big man Dwight HowardDwight Howard. Turkoglu, 30, brings great experience to this young team, and could bring out the best in big man Greg Oden, due to the infamous pick-and-roll that he and Howard used to run to perfection in Orlando. What Turkoglu also brings to the team is an experienced ball-handler, who rarely turns the ball over (only 1.7 turnovers a game on average), considering he’s attempted over 1,000 field goals over the past two seasons.

With Turkoglu added to an already good team with Roy, Aldridge and Oden (amongst others), the Blazers go from being a good team to being a great team. Even their guards led by Steve BlakeSteve Blake and Rudi Fernandez benefit from a scorer and a leader like Turkoglu coming to Portland. With multiple scorers on the squad already, Turkoglu’s presence may take away from Brandon Roy or LaMarcus Aldridge, allowing the Blazers to pick key matchups that they feel will give them the best advantage over opposing teams.

Overall, this is a great move for the Blazers. Turkoglu will most likely receive anywhere between 8 or 9 million, which is what he was looking for from Orlando, depending on the Blazer’s salary cap. The Magic lost a great small forward in Turkoglu, a guy, who arguably is on the rise, while Vince CarterVince Carter is on the decline, but the Magic had their reasons. What were they? I guess we’ll find out when the season starts, and Hedo Turkoglu is playing against them instead of for them. Welcome to Portland, Hedo.