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http://www.sportsline.com/columns/weblo ... y/10561003

Hedo's heroics might mean All-Star spot
Updated: Jan/27/2008 04:41 PM

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Before Sunday's game-winning 3-pointer took down his Celtics, Hedo Turkoglu had Doc Rivers' vote to make the All-Star team as a reserve. His desperation turnaround 25-footer, the final points in a 96-93 Orlando victory, wasn't a part of Rivers' thought process that Turkoglu should be one of the 12 Eastern Conference All-Stars he'll be coaching on Feb. 17. It helped hammer in the point even if Rivers did say post-game that Turkoglu had just lost his loyalty. "Yeah, I just rescinded it," Rivers joked. "Got to call the league and get it back."

Since the NBA has opened up the center option to power forwards for the first time, there are as many as five spots available for forwards this season when you combine that with the two reserve forward spots and two wild cards. Washington's Caron Butler and Boston's Paul Pierce are likely the two leaders for the conventional backup spots, while Toronto's Chris Bosh is a shoo-in as well, even if moved to center. That puts Turkoglu in the mix with New Jersey's Richard Jefferson, Washington's Antawn Jamison and Atlanta's Josh Smith for a wild card spot.

"He deserves to make it. I've always gone by record and you look at Orlando's record and you look at Hedo and the way he's played, I think he deserves to be on," Rivers said. "I'm voting for him but I don't know if that's going to help with one vote. I think most coaches go by record, so I think he'll be on."

Hey Doc, did I ever tell you that you were my favorite coach?

doc is an okay coach..he was a good person coach but bad x and o's.

Reverse psychology. He's publicly saying he wants Turk on the AS team, so that when he doesn't vote for him behind the scene, people will think it was one of the other coaches and see Doc as a kind and unbiased person which he's not. It all makes sense.

by saying "a lot of coaches go by record" i think hedo is in it...washington won't have 2 all stars on their team, butler will be there, but jamison will not because (and i am not being biased) orlando is the frontrunner in the division) orlando has had a better season and hedo is a large part of that. i think the reserves will be:

east:
g/billups
g/j.johnson
f/butler
f/pierce
c/bosh
wc/turkoglu
wc/jefferson

west:
g/nash
g/paul
f/nowitzki
f/west
c/camby
wc/roy
wc/stoudemire

t-mac won't be playing IMO because he hasnt played enough games, his numbers are horrible (43% fg, 31% 3's, 27% ft) and his averages are basically like hedo's expect he averages 2.5 more points, but he's on a worse team who already has an all star.

Do coaches get a say on injury replacements? This could be Hedo's path to the All Star Weekend.

^yes they do. coaches pick the reserves. in this case doc picks the replacements. and i think hedo has 2 paths. three point shootout and all star game

The one problem I have with the AS teams is that it never seems fair. For sinatnce IMO a guy like Caron Butler def deserves to be on. But I dont think Jamison does. A guy like RJ is having a great yr, but his team is horrible, so how is he an All Star? Hes obviously not helping them win. Josh Smith is having a very good yr as well but hes no All Star. Then you look at a guy like Hedo. Hes on a good team and hes is one of the main reasons were doing so well. Without Hedo we wouldnt be this good. Is he an All Star? To me he has to be. Take Josh Smith away and the hawks are still pretty good wit JChill. Take RJ outta NJ and they get a bit worse but they suck already. Take Jamison outta Washington and they will dip, but IMO there not as good as their record shows. The reason they are so good is because of Caron. So if Hedo didnt make it and someone like RJ or Jsmoove did, that would be BS.

Hedo deserves it , I'm glad he has really cranked it up a notch right before the voting so that is fresh in the coaches mind .

way to go doc!! to bad fans dont vote on record or dwayne wade and jason kidd wouldnt be starting it should be billups and joe johnson