Sabonis' touch around basket an added bonus

By Brian Meehan, columnist, The Oregonian
      
Basketball coaches often are obsessive about getting the ball inside
to frontcourt players. They turn a deaf ear to guards and shout out the 
post play.

Mike Dunleavy is not calling as many plays from the bench these days
since he and the Trail Blazers worked out their differences. But the 
former NBA guard still loves to ring the big guys' numbers. A close 
look at the play of 7-foot-3 center Arvydas Sabonis shows why.

In three home games last week, I charted Sabonis' play each time he
touched the ball in the halfcourt offense. I was looking to see what 
came of each touch. I gave him points if he scored or if a pass 
resulted in points. The results were amazing. And they shed light on 
why Sabonis is such an efficient player.

It's not scoring that makes Sabonis so valuable. Rather, it is his
passing and the decisions he makes with the ball. During the games last
week, the third quarter emerged as Sabonis' time, no doubt because of
Dunleavy's halftime reminders.

Sabonis was at his best in last Tuesday's win over the Cleveland
Cavaliers.

He touched the ball 15 times during the third quarter; eight of those
touches turned into points. He started the quarter with an assist to 
Rasheed Wallace, then threw a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Bonzi 
Wells. He dropped another assist to Wells later in the quarter, and 
scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The quarter ended with him 
converting Wallace's fullcourt pass into a layup. With Sabonis in 
charge, the Blazers extended a six-point halftime lead to 11.

Against the Miami Heat last Thursday, the third quarter again proved
the charm. Sabonis touched the ball 16 times; six of those possessions
turned into points. He had two assists to Stacey Augmon and one each to
Wallace and Damon Stoudamire. He scored four points, got five rebounds 
and blocked a shot as the Blazers extended a 10-point halftime lead to 
17 points.

Sabonis did not see the ball nearly as often in Saturday's loss to the
Sacramento Kings. His third quarter again was remarkable, even though 
he touched the ball only six times. Five of those six touches turned 
into points. He had two assists and scored six points.

Sabonis runs the floor gingerly on gimpy knees and at times looks
awkward. But he is among the best halfcourt players in the league. He 
is the key to keeping the Blazers' halfcourt offense dynamic. When the 
ball goes inside to him, defenses collapse . . . and he frequently 
finds an open teammate.

I appreciate the players' newfound freedom to call plays so long as
they don't forget to dial Sabonis' number.


That was not a clone of Kings guard/forward Predrag Stojakovic, who
hurt the Blazers down the stretch Saturday at the Rose Garden. It was
Hidayet Turkoglu, or "Brother Hedo" as forward Chris Webber calls him.

"Brother Hedo came in in the fourth and did a great job," Webber said.

Kings coach Rick Adelman turned to the 6-8 rookie to put more size on
the court after Stoudamire burned point guard Jason Williams in the 
third quarter. Turkoglu responded with 11 points, including seven in 
the fourth quarter.

Give Kings general manager Geoff Petrie credit for drafting this
21-year-old Turk. Turkoglu played the last four seasons with Efes 
Pilsen in the Turkish League in his hometown of Istanbul. He shot 53 
percent from three-point range and averaged 14 points a game.

Turkoglu looks as if he can play at least two positions in the NBA. He
showed ballhandling skills in the game against the Blazers as Adelman's
strategy worked. He was a member of the Turkish national team and the 
16th pick in the 2000 NBA draft.

Brother Hedo hails from an ancient city where east meets west. His
game blends east and west as well, the long-range shooting of the old
country with the athleticism of America.