Lakers take a look at Turiaf
The last couple of days have been both eventful and hopeful for former Gonzaga standout Ronny Turiaf, who is still trying to make his way back to the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers following open heart surgery.
Turiaf, Los Angeles’ second-round pick in last year’s NBA Draft, spent Tuesday evening in Yakima, dominating play – in front of Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, no less – in the Yakama Sun Kings’ 122-108 Continental Basketball Association rout of Sioux Falls.
On Wednesday evening, he was reportedly with Kupchak in Portland, watching the Lakers lose to the Trail Blazers 113-103.
There is wide-spread speculation that Turiaf, who underwent surgery to repair an enlarged aortic root in July, has played his last CBA game, going out in style by scoring 21 points and pulling down nine rebounds in the win over the Skyforce.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Kupchak hooked up with Turiaf this week to get a firsthand look at how he has progressed since joining the Sun Kings two weeks ago and to decide whether he wanted to re-sign the 6-foot-9 power forward, who was a three-year starter at Gonzaga, where he was named the 2004-05 West Coast Conference Player of the Year.
The Lakers had tendered what was reportedly a $1 million contract to offer to Turiaf shortly after drafting him, but voided the deal after learning of his heart condition.
Since then, Turiaf has attempted to recover from his surgery and get back into playing condition, and his stay with Yakama was considered a big step toward reaching that goal.
But after his initial game with the Sun Kings on Dec. 26, Turiaf made it clear he had no plans to spend more than a couple of weeks in the CBA, insisting he would consider offers to play professionally overseas if the Lakers didn’t make an effort to re-sign him.
Kupchak, prior to watching the CBA game, told the Daily News the Lakers “were very encouraged with what we’ve seen” from Turiaf, who has averaged 13 points and 6.3 rebounds in nine games with the Sun Kings. But the Lakers, who already have 15 players under contract, would have to make a trade or waive a player to free up a spot on their roster for Turiaf.
Turiaf’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye had reportedly set a Wednesday deadline for the Lakers to resign his client, adding Turiaf was willing to accept lucrative deal to play in Spain if the Lakers balked.