Hedo Turkoglu did next to nothing from a statistical standpoint for the Clippers a season ago, after being added in the middle of the year in an attempt to bolster the bench with a veteran player that could help the team for its run into the postseason.
But he must have been a good practice squad player and/or a good locker room presence, because L.A. is reportedly going to bring him back for next season.
From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:Free-agent forward Hedo Turkoglu is nearing agreement on a one-year, $1.4 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
After working out a contract buyout with the Orlando Magic and signing with the Clippers in January, Turkoglu, 35, averaged three points in 38 games.
So, why bring back Turkoglu if he wasn’t much help in live game action last season? Something Chris Paul told me at the launch of his latest signature shoe from Jordan Brand might hold the answer.
I asked Paul what the Clippers needed to do to sort of get over the hump, because with their core of him, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in place, along with Doc Rivers now there as president and head coach, it feels like they’re close.
“It sounds crazy being that we won 57 games, but I think just consistency,” Paul told NBCSports.com. “I think we’ve just got to approach every game with the same mentality. No matter who we’re playing against, no matter the situation -- on the road, at home, we’ve got to win the games that we’re supposed to win.”
Bringing back Turkoglu will certainly help the consistency, even if on the surface it seems like his re-upping with the team won’t help with much else.