No Canadian bacon and pineapple!
Hedo Turkoglu, a highly talented pro basketball player, originally from Turkey, may wind up playing for the Blazers next year. He'll be in town today to check things out.
If you bump into him, you'll know. He's 6 feet 10 inches tall. In the NBA, this makes you a "small" forward.
My friend and fellow pie judge Dwight Jaynes, who's my go-to guy on pro hoops matters such as these, is skeptical that the Portland team and Hedo would make a good fit for each other. If he came here, several current Blazer players would likely be sent packing.
Word has it that Turkoglu likes to eat pizza before games. Let's hope that if he decides to sample the local fare, the team steers him to one of the better joints. Some Portland pizza is enough to make the guy sign with Toronto.
| Posted at 4:59 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (18)
"Turkoglu likes to eat pizza before games"
He and Travis Outlaw should be able to do game-day meals.
I am not getting this trade, they're goign to have to over-bid for some guy starting to go downhill. They should be saving cap for next year when some good free agents start showing up.
This year, they should have grabbed Richard Jefferson, I think the Spurs are starting to build a contender again. We're still shallow on inside players.
Posted by Steve | July 2, 2009 4:14 AM
Bella Faccia on Alberta is the real deal!
Posted by dan | July 2, 2009 4:41 AM
Everyone kept griping about how it was all on Roy down the stretch. This guy is money in the closing minutes. He's option #2 and a proven vet who makes good decisions. He will definitely fit. I love Travis but he's more interested in getting home to Mississippi than playing an extra 28 games in the playoffs, and he makes really strange decisions sometimes. Turkoglu is a warrior who obviously loves the game of basketball, and he plays well with others.
Posted by Usual Kevin | July 2, 2009 4:42 AM
The problem with Portland pizza is that there is no dedicated pizzaria, instead we make do with shared space.
Posted by Bark Munster | July 2, 2009 5:06 AM
Pssst...If you see Hedo in Portland today, tell him the weather's always like this. Pass it on.
Posted by Bill McDonald | July 2, 2009 5:18 AM
There is no 'real deal' in Portland. There are a couple of places that come close to copying a NYC slice, but as far as Chicago or little Italy pies, Portland is a pizza vacuum.
Although there are plenty of West Coast Wolfgang Puck style mutants (not that any of those count as real pizza)
Posted by D | July 2, 2009 6:14 AM
If he came here, several current Blazer players would likely be sent packing.
Mainly Outlaw.
Posted by Lou James | July 2, 2009 6:19 AM
From watching him most recently, he wants the ball in the clutch and handles the ball reasonably well, but seemed rather plodding in his movement in the paint. I see the ideal Blazers as a speed team. Does a plodding dribbler advance that cause or fit well as a go to guy? I guess it's the fit I would question.
Posted by genop | July 2, 2009 7:39 AM
My rabbit ears have picked up conversation that the courting of Turkoglu might be strategy for negotiations with other teams.
Posted by David E Gilmore | July 2, 2009 7:45 AM
I suspect Apizza Scholls is better than anything he could get in Orlando. For that matter, Ken's or Tastebud too, probably. Anywhere else and he's rolling the dice, to be sure (though the extra thick, piled-high pies at Flying Pie are a guilty pleasure). The good pizza places in this town are really good, there are just so many bad ones (and so many people who don't know jack about pizza).
Posted by Nate Currie | July 2, 2009 1:00 PM
Nate... you left out Bella Faccia at NE 30th and Alberta. Definitely right up there with the best in the city.
Posted by Matt | July 2, 2009 1:23 PM
Hedo , come and stay awhile!
HotLips in the Pearl has a great
pie and the outdoor terrace is full of Europeans. Sun Nite a
Samba Band gigged , and a good time was had by all!
Posted by billb | July 2, 2009 3:01 PM
OK, starting now, NE transplants are officially banned from complaining about the state of pizza and bagels in Portland. We get it.
Aye?
Posted by TKrueg | July 2, 2009 3:42 PM
It's not just Portland. There is little good pizza west of Philadelphia. The epicenter of great 'za is Wooster Square in New Haven, Connecticut. Quality declines in proportion to the distance from that location.
Posted by Jack Bog | July 2, 2009 4:48 PM
With apologies to the Bella Faccia fans, I don't place them in the same class as any of the places I mentioned. I think Apizza Scholls is the best, but the others are pretty solid. Bella Faccia's pizza is respectable but the crust just doesn't measure up for me.
I'm afraid I disagree with Jack too. While the pizza in PDX doesn't measure up to the meccas of New Haven or Brooklyn, there are a lot of really crappy pies near there, and a bunch of cities between here and there that don't have nearly as good of pizza as can be found in PDX (St. Louis, anyone?).
Posted by Nate Currie | July 3, 2009 1:38 AM
Where will he live? Lake Noturko?
Well darnit, let's have that pizza discussion, aye?
Benny Tudino's in Hoboken, #1 NE.
Flying Pie pepperoni thin crust, #1 PDX.
A Pizza Scholls is for wankers. Great pizza is served in a pizza joint. It isn't fine dining, there's no wait,there's no wood involved.
Posted by Skeezus | July 3, 2009 7:52 AM
Somebody's leaving.
Read this Fri 2pm news:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4304805
Posted by got logic? | July 3, 2009 2:14 PM
apizza does not have a wood fired oven and its definitely a joint with east coast 'tude. its not my style but they are good at what they do. imo, a real pizza has nothing but olive oil a thin coating of san marzano dop sauce, a few small dabs of mozzarella di bufula, and fresh basil leaves. anything else is just another american bastardization -- like chef boyardee or chimichangas.
real pizza:
http://www.pizzeriaaummaumm.com/temp/img9876544152818781.jpg
Posted by yuan | July 4, 2009 5:49 PM