Last year with the Magic, Turkoglu averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists during the regular season. In the postseason, the native of Turkey was instrumental in leading the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals.

With the Blazers, Turkoglu will play small forward next to Brandon Roy at shooting guard, LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward and Greg Oden at center. The 6-foot-10 Turkoglu gives the team a playmaker with size who has a knack of coming up clutch in important moments.

The Magic have already made plans for life after Turkoglu. On draft day, Orlando traded for Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets and waived goodbye to Turkoglu.

On Friday, the Blazers are more than happy to welcome Hedo Turkoglu on board.

Hedo Turkoglu Leaves Orlando to Join Portland (Image: Zuma Press)

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Hedo Turkoglu Headed to the Blazers

Diana Taurasi was pulled over for driving under the influence after a key win again the Seattle Storm.

Yet, the celebration quickly turned sour when Taurasi was pulled over by a cop in the wee hours of the morning. According to ESPN.com, the officer who pulled her over smelled alcohol and gave Taurasi several field sobriety tests. She was then escorted to a mobile DUI van where she gave a sample of blood.

Though her blood alcohol content is unknown, Taurasi was cited for a DUI. The Mercury were immediately informed of the incident though they have yet to issue a statement.

Image: Zuma Press

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Diana Taurasi Cited For DUI

Ron Artest to the Lakers (Image: Zuma Press)

The Lakers needed to look for a new small forward after Trevor Ariza decided to ask for more money than Los Angeles wanted to pay. Although Ariza played great in the NBA playoffs, the Lakers obviously think he is expendable. Enter Ron Artest.

Last season with the Rockets, Artest averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He shot 40.1% from the floor, 39.9% on three-pointers and 74.8% at the line.

Prior to being traded to the Rockets last year, Artest had previously played with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings. He entered the NBA in the 1999-2000 season as a first round draft pick out of St. John’s.

With the Lakers, Artest will likely start at small forward and give the team a tenacious defender, who can create his own shot, bang in the inside and shoot from the outside.

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Ron Artest to the Los Angeles Lakers?

On the season, Morgan is hitting .277 with two homers, 27 RBIs, 39 runs and 18 stolen bases. The 28-year-old is an everyday starter for the first time in his big league career.

Burnett is a 26-year-old relief pitcher. Prior to the trade, he had a 3.06 ERA in 38 appearances with the Pirates. He began his career as a starter but is now a full-time reliever.

The Pirates get a player in Milledge who has a ton of potential. He was expected to breakout this year with the Nationals but has instead found himself in the minor leagues. If the center fielder can get back on track, he could turn out to be the best player in the trade.

Hanrahan has struggled this year. After pitching well in 2008, he has a 7.71 ERA in 34 appearances so far in 2009.

Nyjer Morgan - Washington Nationals (Image: Zuma Press)

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Nyjer Morgan Traded to the Nationals

Ben Gordon - Detroit Pistons (Image: Zuma Press)

Gordon has played all five of his NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls. An unrestricted free agent, Gordon averaged 20.7 points per game last season and played in all 82 contests. He also averaged 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Although he’s played some point guard in his career, Gordon would likely play shooting guard with the Pistons. The question Gordon’s signing would bring up is what would happen with Richard Hamilton. Last season, Hamilton wasn’t pleased when he was sent to the bench.

Another player the Pistons are reportedly interested in is Charlie Villanueva. Last season he played with the Milwaukee Bucks but the Bucks have cut all ties with him. It’s possible for the Pistons to land both Gordon and Villanueva this summer.

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Ben Gordon to the Detroit Pistons?

Last season’s Rookie of the Year and MVP took some time off to have a baby. Now, she’s back and ready to play.

Parker let the world know via Twitter that: “I’m bbbbaaaaacccccckkkkkkk!! headed to first practice!”

According to ESPN, Parker practiced for the first time since her maternity leave but told the Los Angeles Times she would have a better idea about how she is adjusting after finishing contact drills.

After getting back into the basketball groove, Parker expects to be back on the court in five weeks — which is plenty of time for her to make an impact on the rest of the regular season as well as the playoffs.

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Guess Who’s Back?

In his only season as head coach, Curry guided the Pistons to a 39-43 record. In the first round, Detroit got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a series that was hardly competitive. Considering that the Pistons had come off of a stretch of years where they at least made the Eastern Conference Finals, the 2008-09 season had to be considered a failure.

Pistons president Joe Dumars hasn’t said who he will go after to replace Curry. Names that have come up in early rumors include Avery Johnson, Jeff Van Gundy, Doug Collins and Bill Laimbeer.

Curry had a number of questionable decisions last year. He also struggled with how to best utilize Allen Iverson after the trade that sent Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets.

Michael Curry Fired by Pistons (Image: Zuma Press)

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Michael Curry Fired by the Pistons

However, right now nothing has been finalized. The only thing that is certain is that Yao’s foot fracture isn’t healing as expected. He’ll have second, third and fourth opinions before the Rockets decide what to do.

Sources close to the Rockets believe that the prognosis is grim. If Yao has surgery, the best case scenario has him returning around the 2010 All-Star Break. If rest or surgery doesn’t help, there’s a definite chance the 7-foot-6 center out of China would have to hang up his sneakers for good.

In this past season, the Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. In the second round, Houston took the eventual champions to seven games. Although the Los Angeles Lakers won, the Rockets’ future seemed to bright.

Not anymore.

Yao Ming - Career Over (Image: Zuma Press)

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Is Yao Ming’s Career Over?

Coach Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors stole Curry right out from under the Knicks’ noses when he picked him 7th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.

To anyone out there who thinks Nelson is planning on trading Curry to the highest bidder (ahem, Phoenix Suns) — think again.

“He can unpack his bags and relax,” Nelson said after welcoming Curry to Oakland. “He can buy a house. We drafted him because we think he’s a terrific player that fits right into our program. He ain’t going anyplace.”

Curry will be paired up with Monta Ellis to create a quick and sharp-shooting backcourt. He will definitely see playing time this fall, as Nelson hopes Curry can help spark his offensive attack.

“I looked at the top 10, and [the Warriors] jumped off the page with the way they play,” Curry said. “I’m a fan of the game, so I notice these sorts of things. I’ve seen enough of them to know I’d fit in here, at least on the surface. It’s exciting to get here and think about what could happen with this offense and this coaching staff.”

If Curry is as exciting to watch in the NBA as he was in college, then Bay-area basketball fans better get ready for some highlight-reel-worthy plays this season.

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Stephen Curry Is Staying In The Bay Area

1. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings
The Kings had the fourth pick in the draft and decided to pick Evans. He’s not a bad player but if they wanted a point guard, Rubio made a lot of sense. Curry also probably would have helped more.

Tyreke Evans - Sacramento Kings (Image: Zuma Press)

2. Jonny Flynn, Minnesota Timberwolves
After picking Rubio at 5, the Timberwolves turned around and took Flynn at 6. Back to back point guards? That doesn’t make much sense, especially when both point guards are small.

3. Darren Collison, New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets went the ultimate safe route at 21. Collison, at the very best, will be a backup point guard. He’s probably more of a third point guard.

4. Rodrigue Beaubois, Dallas Mavericks
Beabois is talented but there’s no way he’s a first round talent. He needs to learn the point guard position and there’s no guarantee that he’ll ever be able to do that.

5. Christian Eyenga, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers need help next year. If they don’t win it all, LeBron James could lead for a bigger market. In the first round, the Cavs decide to go with a prospect who needs two or three years? That didn’t make much sense.

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Worst Picks in the 2009 NBA Draft