Turiaf may never play in NBA

[Kori Ellis]

http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/07/21/sections/sports/pro/article_605091.php


One factor is the health of second-round pick Ronny Turiaf, who was held out of half the summer-league season because of complications with his physical. It is possible the contract Turiaf signed a week ago will be invalidated and the Lakers will lose another big man.

That's pretty sad; I hope he gets healthy and can still play. He's one of Tony Parker's good friends and supposedly a good guy.

[clubalien]

personaly i think things liek that and he whoel grant hill thing sucks

[T Park]

I wonder what it is.

If so, a shame. I was hoping for Turiaf that he would make it.

By the way it isnt pronounced Ronny, its Row nee

[MajicMan]

Rumors are it might be a minor heart condition

[Kori Ellis]

I deleted all the stupid posts in this thread.

[Twisted_Dawg]

I deleted all the stupid posts in this thread.

After you finish deleting posts....get Clubalien a spell checker.

[picnroll]

I've heard rumors too that it's IHSS or idiopathic hyertrophic subaortic stenosis also called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. That's what Hank Gaithers died of. The way the Lakers are reacting it seems pretty serious whatever it is.

[timvp]

That sucks. I wonder if it's part of the reason why his stock fell.

Probably not.

[Bruno]

It's sad news if it's true.
He is a realy good guy who could be a solid role player in nba (not like Petro aka the next Moiso).
Hopefully he decided last year to retire from the draft to have his degree in marketing this year. So maybe he will never earn money with Basketball but he will maybe have a good job.

[tempest186]

There was a press conference about this - it is confirmed he is out for the season and will require heart surgery for an enlarged aorta.

http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?t=5372&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=25

[MajicMan]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO

Kori Ellis you should ban that Spur fan that brought the bad karma

[Russ]

Sorry to be so crass, but Mitch Kupchak's dog always ate his homework. He couldn't draft beer.

[MajicMan]

Sorry to be so crass, but Mitch Kupchak's dog always ate his homework. He couldn't draft beer.

He coudn't draft beer, ho ho ho. Fuck you! We're talking about someone who will undergo open heart surgery and you're making stupid comments. Ronnie has been regarded as a steal in the second round and already has shown great character. We just lost a promising young big and a nice guy so go fist yourself. Lakers and Spurs will always be enemies but some lines you don't cross.

[Russ]

He coudn't draft beer, ho ho ho. Fuck you! We're talking about someone who will undergo open heart surgery and you're making stupid comments. Ronnie has been regarded as a steal in the second round and already has shown great character. We just lost a promising young big and a nice guy so go fist yourself. Lakers and Spurs will always be enemies but some lines you don't cross.
Let's be glad that this problem was caught before any ill effects were realized. In that regard, let's acknowledge that Mr. Turiaf played a full college schedule with, apparently, no problems.

With that said, Mr. Turiaf is a property that was poorly evaluated by a notoriously bad appraiser -- your own Mitch Kupchak.

If you're too dense to see that, go &^%*%*& yourself.

More to the point, enjoy the next few seasons of Laker basketball. :)

[2pac]

Its looking like 2pac will never play in the NBA as well. :(

[JUUOT]

THAT SUUUUUUCKS.
you can never be happy about a young hard working young fella. russ you lost it.
i hope turiaf can have a successful surgery and one day fullfill his nba dreams.
good luck to him

[Russ]

THAT SUUUUUUCKS.
you can never be happy about a young hard working young fella. russ you lost it.
i hope turiaf can have a successful surgery and one day fullfill his nba dreams.
good luck to him
I lost it, huh?

What about the Lakers?

Doctor to Turiaf: You need heart surgery.

Kupchak to Turiaf: That nice contract you just signed, we're going to invalidate it.

[TheTruth]

Much bigger deal than just another lost draft pick by the Lakers, Russ. A life is on the line.

[JUUOT]

it is called respect.
when a guy is going for heart surgery the first thing you do is not to be outragious.

Actually if contract is invalidated what did the lakers lost? a scound round. come down on the agressiveness. remember it is a SPORT first and even if it is a business you can still show respect for the dude.

[Russ]

Much bigger deal than just another lost draft pick by the Lakers, Russ. A life is on the line.

Okay, I'll take the bait.

Why did he fall so far in the draft, then?

Would you have picked him higher because "a life was on the line?"

What about the Laker "family" that is trying to nix his contract?

Many people are diagnosed each day with Turiaf's condition. Our hearts go out to all of them. But should they all be compensated by NBA teams regardless of what they can contribute?

There's only one way to prove that you are sincere -- advocate a trade of Tony Parker for Turiaf. Otherwise, stop passing judgment on others who are only looking at this like every other NBA GM is.

[JUUOT]

"advocate a trade of Tony Parker for Turiaf"

said it all. sorry

[Bruno]

Why did he fall so far in the draft, then?



He has had a quite bad senior season at Gonzaga (some injuries) and has limited offensive skills. His draft possition was not related with his heart.
It was not a laker's mistake but only bad luck especially for Turiaf.

[MajicMan]

What Turiaf probably has is what is called an aortic aneurysm, which is an enlargement of the aorta (the main artery in the body) due to a weakening of the layers in the wall of the vessel. In young people it may be due to genetics (Marfan's Syndrome, Ehrlos-Danlos Syndrome), and is typically located up high in the chest. In older people it's usually due to long standing high blood pressure and high cholesterol and is located lower down in the abdomen.

It's tough to diagnose an AA in a young person since in many cases they are asymptomatic. They may have had vague chest and/or back pain once in a while, but for the most part they don't find out they have it unless 1) they are having an excruciating episode of ripping chest pain that radiates to the back or 2) it was an incidental finding on a chest x-ray.

I'm not sure if a chest x-ray is part of a potential NBA player's physical (my guess is no). It's not something you can necessarily pick up on a physical exam either.

In other words, unless the player has a genetic condition that predisposes him to having an AA, OR they are complaining of symptoms that make you suspicious, it's TOUGH to pick up on any plain physical exam (especially if the AA is located in the chest versus the abdomen).

And no, you don't just suddenly get an aneurysm, unless ofcourse you suffer a traumatic blow to the chest, which can rupture your aorta and give you an aneurysm.

I think Kupchak may have been the victim of just bad luck.

[spur219]

Damn that sucks. Turiaf was one of my favorite college players. Hope that one day he can play in the NBA.

[DesiSpur_21]

Let's pray that he gets healty and can lead a normal life - basketball is the least thing that is of importance now for him.

[MajicMan]

The Lakers are paying for his surgery

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8663875/
Turiaf reportedly to have open-heart surgery
Lakers’ second-round pick’s career threatened by diagnosis

NBCSports.com news services
Updated: 11:45 p.m. ET July 21, 2005

Ronny Turiaf's NBA career may be over before it ever started.

Turiaf, the Los Angeles Lakers' second-round pick at No. 37 overall and the West Coast Conference player of the year as a senior, has an enlarged heart and will need open-heart surgery, ESPN reported.

Turiaf's condition was confirmed by his agent, Bouna Ndiaye, who said the problem was diagnosed during extensive medical testing in Los Angeles. Lakers spokesman John Black reportedly said Turiaf will have the surgery in 4-6 weeks. A press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on Friday in Los Angeles.

The Lakers signed Turiaf to a two-year guaranteed contract on July 14. He played in a summer pro league, but was held out the final four games.

Ndiaye reportedly said Turiaf would remain in Los Angeles to meet with more doctors Friday before determining when and where to have surgery.

"His aorta is too large for his heart," Ndiaye said. "This is open-heart surgery. He could come back if everything goes OK and he works hard."

Ndiaye said the contract would be voided but Lakers owner Jerry Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak would "take care of the medical costs and told us they would keep his rights."

"They are showing us the good human part," Ndiaye said. "Ronny is down. He's a winner and he's determined to get back one day."

Black said the contract Turiaf signed was conditional on passing the physical and once he didn't the contract becomes void. But Black said the league lawyers might not agree with that interpretation. Black said the Lakers want to pay the medical costs, but once again this is up to the league's interpretation of his contract.

[tekdragon]

Damn. That just sucks. Poor kid...you've just got to root for him. Here's hoping he makes it back.

On a much cheerier note: does this mean the Lakers are cursed? How long did it take Boston to recover from trading the Bambino? You just don't trade Shaquille O'Neal, folks. The gods of basketball shall smite thee with great vengeance! (see: Magic, Orlando)

[Medvedenko]

Cursed....I don't think so...
It is indeed a sad day for all b-ball fans. Let's just hope it's a speedy recovery.

[tekdragon]

You're an optimist, I like that.

...but the first time Kobe tweaks an ankle you'll remember The Curse of Aristotle.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

And if that curse is real, just imagine. It took the Red Sox nearly a century to shake the curse of a somewhat fat guy. How long would the curse of someone as massive as Shaq last?

[Kori Ellis]

"I was made aware of an abnormality with my heart during my physical exam in Chicago at the pre-draft camp, as well as in an exam in France," Turiaf said. "However, both doctors in Chicago and France cleared me medically to play and I looked forward to the draft and a career as an NBA player. With this latest information coming to light, I am naturally disappointed that my dream of playing in the NBA will not come true, at least for the time being. I am also anxious and a bit scared about having to undergo this surgery.

"In looking at the big picture, however, I feel lucky and grateful that this condition was discovered by the Lakers' doctors when it was, as this is a potentially fatal condition," Turiaf added.

"Finally, I am optimistic and hopeful that things will go well and I will be able to lead a healthy, normal life, and eventually that I will again be able to pursue my dream of playing in the NBA."

Looks like the Lakers doctors may have saved his life by uncovering the severity of this.

I hope he gets well soon.

[tlongII]

He's a good kid. I hope he is able to someday play in the league.

[ALVAREZ6]

That really sucks for him...I would hate, really really hate being signed onto an NBA team, and then have something like this come up. I feel bad for him. That sucks.

[a-puppy]

Okay, I'll take the bait.

Why did he fall so far in the draft, then?

Would you have picked him higher because "a life was on the line?"

What about the Laker "family" that is trying to nix his contract?

They're not nixing his contract, ya doof. The contract was conditional on the results of his tests. They are retaining his rights. He may play in the future. If he can't, Buss said he will award him a job within the org.

[a-puppy]

Damn. That just sucks. Poor kid...you've just got to root for him. Here's hoping he makes it back.

On a much cheerier note: does this mean the Lakers are cursed? How long did it take Boston to recover from trading the Bambino? You just don't trade Shaquille O'Neal, folks. The gods of basketball shall smite thee with great vengeance! (see: Magic, Orlando)

Yeah, the team with the most championships in the 4 major American sports since 1980 is downright cursed. :drunk

[exstatic]

Ndiaye said the contract would be voided but Lakers owner Jerry Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak would "take care of the medical costs and told us they would keep his rights."

I guess the rich can do anything. I would think that once you void his contract, his rights are gone, too.

[Russ]

They're not nixing his contract, ya doof. The contract was conditional on the results of his tests. They are retaining his rights. He may play in the future. If he can't, Buss said he will award him a job within the org.
They could waive the condition. Are they going to?


He may play in the future. If he can't, Buss said he will award him a job within the org.
Actually, that's the way Kupchak got his start in the Lakers' front office.

[exstatic]

Actually, that's the way Kupchak got his start in the Lakers' front office.

And look how well THAT worked out. :lol

[Russ]

And look how well THAT worked out. :lol
My point, exactly.

History repeats itself. :)

[Horry For 3!]

That sucks. He was a good player at Gonzaga.

[a-puppy]

They could waive the condition. Are they going to?

They'll do what the Spurs would do -- not waive it.


Actually, that's the way Kupchak got his start in the Lakers' front office.

Actually, Kupchak played on the 1985 title team.

[alamo50]

I am glad for Turiaf that this was discovered now.
I am also very happy that he won't be a Faker now.