Hedo Turkoglu’s Eurobasket nightmare continued as Turkey suffered an 84-61 defeat against Greece.
It’s no secret that Turkoglu is having one of his worst national competitions, averaging only 10 points, 3.5 rebounds per game, also shooting a horrible 26 per cent from the field. Hedo’s display was not different than the previous two games. In fact, it only got worse.
The Orlando Magic forward scored only two points from free throws in their “all or nothing” game against Greece, missing all of his night shots from the field and turning the ball over for four times the entire game. But still this was not only his fault. Turkoglu has never been a sharp shooter or a finisher over the course of his career. Remember what happened when the Toronto Raptors expected him to be. He had his best days as a facilitator with the Magic, carrying the team to the NBA finals in 2009. But the questionable style of Bogdan Tanjevic, who came to the tournament as the Turkish side’s head coach despite of harsh criticisms and a strong opposition in the public, was never able to get the best out of Hedo’s diminishing skills.
Now that the Turkish national team is preparing to go back home, the 34-year-old forward can focus on the last year of his contract with the Orlando Magic that may end sooner than expected. The player’s representatives and the Magic front office were rumored to be working on a buyout that would release Hedo from the franchise in the summer. On the other hand, the last year of his contract is only partially guaranteed and Orlando can buy him out for around $5 million instead of paying him a $12 million.
Whatever happens, things don’t look nice for the aging Hedo, and the Turkish national team. The end may be near for him. Not to mention it may not be very different for Bogdan Tanjevic.
