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July 22, 2006
The happiest anniversary
I'm not sure where Ronny Turiaf will be Wednesday - - at last report he was training with the French national team in advance of next month's FIBA World Championships - - but I'm sure he will be celebrating somewhere. It will be a year to the day (July 26, 2005) since Turiaf underwent open heart surgery to repair an enlarged aortic root.
The fact that Turiaf made it back to play in the NBA less than seven months after undergoing the surgery is an absolute marvel. I will never forget being summoned to the Lakers practice facility last July on 90 minutes notice to hear team spokesman John Black say Turiaf was suffering from the same heart condition that killed actor John Ritter.
The Lakers said that night the best-case scenario was that Turiaf would sit out the entire 2005-06 season. I thought the odds probably were that he never would play again. As it turns out, Turiaf played in 23 games last season after struggling just to put on his socks in August.
A source I talked to a couple of months ago said Turiaf had the most to gain out of any player this off-season. I don't know how the minutes will break down next season, but it's fair to say that Turiaf can be expected to play a greater role on the team. Even if he's just dancing on the sidelines, though, Turiaf will be an inspiration to many.
Posted by Ross Siler at July 22, 2006 11:19 PM