As a local kid out of Gonzaga, thought I'd start a thread in respect of Ronny Turiaf, who's career could be in jeopardy as he has open heart surgery. Best wishes to Ronny and his family, and hopefully he can get back healthy ASAP. Such things makes basketball pale in comparison.
Can't do enough homework for the draft. I guess this is why player unions fight owners over the issue of guaranteed contracts. I wish that Turiaf would have been a first round pick so that he could have gotten guaranteed money. I wish Turiaf the best. It seems as if Gonzaga players have been faced with more health problems than most. I read somewhere that without the surgery he has the life expectancy of three years. Pretty tough news for anyone to swallow, let alone a 22 year old NBA prospect. I hope that the same people that cheered for him as a player can reach out to him after he has this surgery. He'll definitely need all of the support that he can get.
I hope he can come out of the surgery all right. best wishes to him and his family and I hope I get to see him play again.
Best wishes to Ronny. If anyone has the strength and determination to overcome something like this its Ronny Turiaf. I hope that someday he makes it back to the league so that he can bring those elements to the basketball game.
Wow... this kind of life threatening stuff makes basketball meaningless... worthless. I also wish that Turiaf had recieved a guanteed contract so that he can afford the surgery and life a good life even if he can't play back to the same level he used to be able to. I really hope that he pulls through this and comes back.. playing at a high(er) level than before. Good luck Ronnie...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Iron Shiek:</div><div class="quote_post">I read somewhere that without the surgery he has the life expectancy of three years.</div> Yeah, if he had kept on playing he had a 75% chance of suffering a fatal episode, which is a scary thought. Last thing we want is another Reggie Lewis situation.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Casual:</div><div class="quote_post">Jerry Buss is paying for Turiaf's medical expenses.</div> They are keeping his rights, too.
Sad part is the league is investigating to determine if the Laker's can pay his medical fees without giving him a guaranteed contract. Now that is just plain lame. Let them pay the fees...
Found this article on Ronny...good read. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> The people of Spokane always knew Ronny Turiaf had a big heart. Little did they think that organ would visit upon them the anxiety they're feeling this morning. Turiaf, the magnetic Frenchman who spent four compelling seasons at Gonzaga, was to check into Stanford University Medical Center at 5 a.m. today and throw himself at the mercy of a couple of the finest heart surgeons in the world. At issue is the enlarged aorta discovered by Los Angeles Lakers team doctors last week, a deformity deemed to have the potential to kill him if not corrected. </div> Full Story courtesy of Seattle Times
