Magic F Turkoglu wins NBA Most Improved Player Award

Apr 28, 2008 - 5:01 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu was honored Monday for his outstanding season, winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award.

Turkoglu won the award in a landslide, receiving 61 first-place votes and 380 overall points to easily beat Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay.

An eight-year veteran who entered this season averaging 10.5 points over his career, Turkoglu was one of the key cogs for the Magic, who went 52-30 en route to earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Turkoglu, 29, averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season, posting career bests in each category. The 6-10 Turkey native made 45.6 percent of his shots - also a career high - and connected on 40 percent of his 3-pointers while starting every game for Orlando.

"Everybody thought I should have made All-Star," Turkoglu told the Orlando Sentinel. "I didn't give up. I just tried to get better and show improvement."

Turkoglu has carried his high level of play into the postseason, averaging 19.3 points and 7.8 rebounds over Orlando's first four playoff games. The Magic own a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series with the Toronto Raptors.

Gay, 21, showed marked improvement in his second NBA season, averaging a team-leading 20.2 points for the Grizzlies. He received 23 first-place votes and 167 overall points.

Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge finished third in the voting with 128 points. Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson (100 points) and Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (77) were fourth and fifth, respectively.