Except for some desultory play late in the fourth quarter, the Magic had a fairly easy time beating Milwaukee, 97-87, and thereby winning their seventh straight game. Indeed, the most intriguing aspect of the contest was the opportunity to reconnoiter Orlando's newest players.The result was a mixed bag of lively bodies, dead legs, alert passes, bull's-eyes, bricks, and generally atrocious defense.
Hedo Turkoglu
He mostly functioned as a passer from either the high-post or a wing -- and his entry passes into Dwight Howard were exceptional. As ever, Turk the Turk was more effective dribbling left than he was going to his right, but he was moving much better without the ball -- mostly curls around weak-side screens -- than he has since he left Orlando.
He also was the beneficiary of several high screens, but usually hung out on the weak-side wing and waited for the ball to come to him. Turkoglu wasn't featured in Orlando's offense until the closing minutes, when he nailed a big trey and then a pull-up jumper (going right!) that finally put the Bucks to sleep.
Turkoglu's defense was routinely slow-footed and he was frequently nailed on combo screens. But he did defend with energy.
Overall, Turkoglu brings two vital benefits to the mix -- an entry-passer who can't be left alone because of his dangerous long-distance shooting and, most importantly, another clutch scorer to take the pressure off of Jameer Nelson.
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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/01/06/charley-rosen-gilbert-arenas-hedo-turkoglu-jason-richardson/
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