Reluctant Hedo Turkoglu saves some face

Hedo Turkoglu, seen here watching last week's win over the Nets Feb. 3, 2010, says his friends told him 'don't be stupid' after he at first refused a mask.

Hedo Turkoglu has bowed to the wishes of his friends, family and bosses.

The Raptors swingman will wear a mask to protect a fractured orbital bone under his right eye and what transpires when he takes to the court Sunday afternoon is a mystery to all.

Especially to him.

"It's going to be fun," Turkoglu said after he practised wearing the two-strap contraption Saturday afternoon. "I'm excited about it, too. I can't wait to see and I'm going to watch the film after to see how I looked."

Turkoglu was at first reluctant to wear the mask to protect an injury he suffered a week ago after running into the elbow of Indiana Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy.

Team officials were equally adamant that he wear one – doctors might not have cleared him to play without it – and it looked like confrontation was on the horizon. But after discussion with his friends and family, Turkoglu relented.

"I talked to a couple of other doctors, a couple of other friends and they really kind of told me the same stuff that these guys told me," he said "It's not that I didn't believe (Raptors doctors), but (friends) called me because they heard I wasn't going to wear the mask and they said, `Don't be stupid.'"

Part of the reason for the change of heart was the worry that another hit would have meant a far longer recuperation process. No one knows for certain what could have happened but Turkoglu decided better safe than sorry.

"I really appreciate their concern and all that. ... In the end I have to be smarter, too, and not think about the short-term, think about the long-term," he said.

"If ... I get hit again without the mask, it would cost me a long time to get healed and I'd leave the team short and I really don't want that."

Turkoglu scrimmaged with the mask on for about half an hour Saturday and found it – as expected – a bit uncomfortable.

"When I look straight it's nothing, but during the game you really don't run a whole lot of straight," he said. "The strap is wet and the mask is slippery and it moves. I have to keep fixing it and putting it in the right way so I can see better.

"It will be (a distraction) for a few games until I get used to it."

In addition to Turkoglu, the Raptors will have rookie swingman DeMar DeRozan and point guard Jose Calderon back Sunday; both practised all-out on Friday and Saturday.

And Turkoglu will once again be initiating most of the offence, even if he's not entirely sure how good his peripheral vision might be.

"(Sunday) will be a kind of special day for me, too; looking forward to not messing up too much," he joked. "Got to be sure and stop and look and then pass it."