"Observers of Hedo Turkoglu's 10 seasons in the NBA, or maybe even those with just a few glances, know that Turkoglu will not stand out without the ball.

Many fans may have been disappointed that a player who will make $32 million the next three seasons is averaging 9.3 points, 5.0 fouls, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his first three Suns games. The fouls and rebounds are no surprise for a player who never has been a starting power forward. The offensive results might be just as easily explained, considering his lack of involvement or engagement in the offense.

In the second half of Friday's 114-106 loss to the Lakers, Turkoglu did not touch the ball in the frontcourt for nearly six minutes, albeit in a good Suns scoring quarter. He then set up Jason Richardson for a mismatch score in the post. A minute later, he drove on Lamar Odom and scored over Theo Ratliff for his first score and followed with a fast-break layup.

Until that first touch, Turkoglu was disengaged other than two great up-court passes off his rebounds. For the most part, he hovered at the 3-point line, where he has made 6 of 12 tries.

"I'm just trying to spread the floor and give a lot of space for Steve (Nash) when he picks-and-rolls," Turkoglu said. "In certain situations, when I rebound the ball, I have to bring it up and just be aggressive. When I catch the ball, sometimes I don't have to settle on a jumper. Like (Friday), I tried to do it a few times. I tried to take it to the basket and take advantage against the big guys. There are still things that we've got to do a better job, and for myself, to help all my guys."

After that first second-half touch, Turkoglu was more involved but still barely moved off screens, not diving or popping quickly. He is suited to operating with the ball off screens, not without it.

When drawing a switch, Turkoglu did not get the ball against Derek Fisher and passed out of posting on Steve Blake 20 feet from the basket."