Update: Hedo may not be headed to Portland after all -- reports now suggest he ended negotiations abruptly and will sign with the Raptors.
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop is reporting that the Blazers have landed top free agent Hedo Turkoglu for the princely sum of $50 million (or more) over five years. Hedo had been the expected target of Portland's largess before the Magic acquired Vince Carter. That move made this move rather logical from every perspective.
... well, except the perspective that it's unclear exactly why Portland needs a ball-dominant small forward. After all, the Blazers do have one Brandon Roy, eternal All-Star, under contract. And with Roy dominating the ball this season, the Blazers finished with the league's finest offense. In terms of offense, this is a bit like the Lakers adding Ron Artest: sounds good on the surface, but when you look at the details, you get a bit worried.
As we all attempt to grok Ron Artest: Los Angeles Laker, much will (rightfully) be made of the strange relationship Kobe Bryant and our antihero Artest enjoy. Off the court, the stars claim to be best friends. On the floor, there has been some serious (and recent!) bad blood.
But in real basketball results, Pau Gasol might be the most endangered Laker in all of this. Kobe ain't giving up shots to Ron-Ron ... but someone will have to, unless you think Artest -- who has in the past placed himself in the same league as Kobe and LeBron James -- will shave half his offense to become Trevor Ariza II. I sincerely doubt our protagonist will be so generous. So the Laker attacker who requires the ball to be fed -- Pau -- figures to suffer.
There were various reasons to believe Josh Childress might be spending only one season in Greece. The forward, who signed with Olympiakos last summer after reaching an impasse with the rights-holding Hawks, is a quality player who belongs in the best league in the world, the NBA. He reportedly got the yips when the Greek league championship game fell victim to an assault of explosives thrown by fans. And all told, he didn't really set Europe on fire as hoped.
So that Childress is back in America talking turkey is not a big surprise. But the particular team he will first visit with -- the Milwaukee Bucks -- registers as a stunner.
He may not be willing to lace up his sneakers for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Spanish point guard prodigy Ricky Rubio won't hesistate to become an American pitchman. Via Canis Hoopus, the young Mr. Rubio appears in what would appear to be his first stateside ad campaign, joining the likes of Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer in a spot for Gillette.
But it ain't all rose petals and champagne amid the Hedo saga. According to ESPN's Chris Sheridan, the Portland courtship of Turkoglu has left one Mr. Rudy Fernandez feeling a bit ... hurt. Hurt to the point he is allegedly attempting to quit the Blazers.
The Pistons have been tied to Bulls gunner Ben Gordon for ages, it seems, with pundits constantly bickering about how little or much sense a pairing made. Detroit, after all, traded All-World champ Chauncey Billups precisely to free up time for buckin' Rodney Stuckey while also inking former All-Star Rip Hamilton to an extension.
The assumed pursuit of Charlie Villanueva -- now confirmed by Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski -- makes more immediate sense. Rasheed Wallace is gone, Amir Johnson will vie for Villanueva's old job in Milwaukee, Antonio McDyess can probably find greener pastures.
But regardless of how it looks now, these are two pursuits that make bundles of sense together.
Celtics forward Leon Powe tore his ACL in Game 2 of Boston's playoff series against the Bulls. A hard-working fellow who, in two seasons, had put himself in position to get a decent contract in restricted free agency, Powe had suffered another in a long line of amazing disappointments. Powe grew up in a broken family, spending time in foster care. His mom died while he was in high school. He tore his ACL twice, once in high school and once at Cal.
Every challenge life has thrown out Powe has been defeated. This latest ACL tear has killed his chance of getting a big lucrative contract this summer. Even worse, it might leave Powe completely unsigned -- completely unemployed -- as the Celtics have decided to not make Powe a qualifying offer.
Jason Quick of the The Oregonian reports Portland bosses Kevin Pritchard and Tom Penn made a play for Orlando free agent Hedo Turkoglu early Wednesday morning, just as Orlando's other major free agent -- Marcin Gortat -- was getting flowers from the Rockets. Two Western contenders pilfering the Kings of the East, how quaint.
Portland is one of two teams (outside of Orlando) that makes perfect sense for Turkoglu from all angles. While the Blazers have a nice collection of small forwards, none offer the ball-handling skill that a team with shooter Steve Blake at point guard requires. Further, though Brandon Roy has shown to be a good leader, there's a real lack of veteran guardianship on the roster. As they say, Hedo has been there, done that.
The Rockets have targeted Orlando center Marcin Gortat as a desirable pick-up. Whether this had been the plan all along, or whether Yao Ming's injury has forced management's hand(s), it doesn't matter. It only matters that the Rockets are seriously serious about landing Gortat, who caddied for Dwight Howard this season.
How serious? Right around midnight, Houston GM Daryl Morey posted a message on Facebook and Twitter imploring Rockets fans to tell Gortat how much they love him.
Could it be any other way with Carlos Boozer and the Jazz? Everything is so complicated, from late owner Larry Miller's combative stance on Boozer's injuries to Boozer's renewed sense of self-worth to the constant conflict between stardom and also-ran status. Boozer surprisingly picked up his 2009-10 team option Tuesday, putting Utah on the hook for $12.3 million.
Boozer is well worth the cash, so this development should be a clear win for Utah, right? Well, it's complicated. Boozer's commitment puts the status of back-up power forward Paul Millsap and starting center Mehmet Okur into question. By casting his lot with Utah for one more year, Boozer may very well have cast his buddies out.
Update: Hedo may not be headed to Portland after all -- reports now suggest he ended negotiations abruptly and will sign with the Raptors.
As we all attempt to grok 
There were various reasons to believe 
Despite 
The Pistons have been tied to Bulls gunner 
Celtics forward 
Jason Quick of the The Oregonian reports Portland bosses 
The Rockets have targeted Orlando center 
Could it be any other way with 
