Pistons 7-footer Okur rookie in name only

But Okur, averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in his last five games, isn’t basking in his newfound glory as Detroit enters Game 2 tonight at home against Philadelphia.

"I don’t have time for celebration," the former soccer player says. "We don’t have to celebrate this game. I think it’s going to be a long series, so we have to concentrate on other games and just keep winning. That’s our goal."

If the Pistons are to reach their goal, Okur will play a prominent role. He gives their bench size and versatility. He can play power forward and center, and his shooting range extends to the three-point line.

"People laughed at me when I told them how good he was," says Pistons co-captain Michael Curry, who jumped on the Okur bandwagon after seeing him play in the summer league. "I’ve been impressed with him from day one. I told Charles Barkley he’s going to be as good as Pau Gasol (2002 NBA rookie of the year for the Memphis Grizzlies), because I know Charles is big Gasol fan."

Okur, one of two Turkish players in the NBA — Hidayet Turkoglu of the Sacramento Kings is the other — came into the league almost unnoticed as the No. 38 overall pick in the 2001 draft. He spent the 2001-02 season with his Turkish club Efes Pilsen. When the Pistons signed him to a two-year, $2.1 million contract last summer, they thought they had a steal.

Okur isn’t the normal NBA rookie. He turned pro in Turkey at age 14 and became a member of the Turkish national team at 18. He helped Tofas Bursa to the Turkish National Cup and league championship in 1999 and 2000. He was MVP of the 2001 Turkish National Cup with Efes Pilsen after Tofas Bursa disbanded.

Curry says that experience has enabled Okur to hold his own in the high-pressure atmosphere of the playoffs.

"People underestimate those type games," Curry says "He has been in a lot of big games. These games are big, but he is able to draw from that."

Okur averaged 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 72 games during the regular season. Those stats pale in comparison to those compiled by more celebrated rookies this season. But they are deceiving. Okur played spot minutes (17.2 a game) on a team that’s deep at his position with veterans Ben Wallace, Clifford Robinson and Corliss Williamson ahead of him.

Okur started out slowly in the postseason, scoring just two points in his first three games.

"He had his struggles," says coach Rick Carlisle. "He could have folded it up or he could have stepped it up. At that point he stepped it up, and he has been able to gain momentum."

Says Okur: "I just feel more comfortable now. Because I am rookie, I have to go out there and do something right away. That’s my job."