<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ryan @ Jul 9 2008, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Why's everyone so against this signing. $4 mil is not much for a big man in the NBA. Biedrins is our ONLY center now that POB is gone (I would have definately picked up the option for POB instead of Turiaf though). Al is probably going to be gone and Hendrix is a second round pick who odds are, will never be anything special, and Randolph is a 3. That leaves only Wright at 4. Without Ronny, we would have a frontcourt rotation of a lightweight center, a second year PF who never played as a rookie, and a scrub who's just hoping to make the team. I agree Turiaf wil never be a star or even a quality starter but he definately filled a need at a bargain price (by NBA standards).</div> I rather have a solid guy who can play in Ronny Turiaf than have picked up POB's option of $3.2 M. Remember, Nellie said (to POB), "I told him if he goes down to the D-League and isn't a dominant player, there should be red flags all over the place, and he should be the first to notice. He's not only not dominating, he's not playing very well. He's a long-term project. I really liked him the first week of training camp, but I assumed there would be great progress. ... He hasn't gotten better one bit." Just recently, he failed to impress in his workouts with the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. W's would've paid $3.2 M for a guy who would have rotted on the bench again under Nelson. On second thought, POB would've been expensive cannon fodder for Nellie's therapeutic rants against the Warriors players. We definitely need Ronny to play the 4 if Wright's not ready to step in and he can also back up Biedrins. He frees up Al in a deal and makes MP expendable. The guy will definitely get minutes under Nellie and be a tough defender who can fill the paint. We need Ronny. I just hope Lakers don't match like Stein is saying.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jason voorhees @ Jul 9 2008, 02:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I rather have a solid guy who can play in Ronny Turiaf than have picked up POB's option of $3.2 M. Remember, Nellie said (to POB), "I told him if he goes down to the D-League and isn't a dominant player, there should be red flags all over the place, and he should be the first to notice. He's not only not dominating, he's not playing very well. He's a long-term project. I really liked him the first week of training camp, but I assumed there would be great progress. ... He hasn't gotten better one bit." Just recently, he failed to impress in his workouts with the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. W's would've paid $3.2 M for a guy who would have rotted on the bench again under Nelson. On second thought, POB would've been expensive cannon fodder for Nellie's therapeutic rants against the Warriors players. We definitely need Ronny to play the 4 if Wright's not ready to step in and he can also back up Biedrins. He frees up Al in a deal and makes MP expendable. The guy will definitely get minutes under Nellie and be a tough defender who can fill the paint. We need Ronny. I just hope Lakers don't match like Stein is saying.</div> You make a great point comparing to POB. In that sense, it's a no brainer. I actually liked Turiaf in LA. I know he fills a tough interior need, but I'm just baffled at how we can go around spending that kind of cash on a bench player when it could have been combined with other assets to be used in a greater move. We already have Harrington, Wright, Randolph and Hendrix who all can play at that position. And IMO Wright should be the starter there anyway to make-or-break it this year. I guess Mully/Nelly plan to play Turiaf at center? I don't know, but that 4.5 mils/year could have been added to the other 8mils we have left, to make 12.5 mils, which could have landed a difference maker. We should have at least made offers to many other RFAs. Like Smith/Iggy. I'm just shocked that we making these mediocre moves when we have NOBODY to play PG...? I'd have rather sucked until 2010 and then signed Steve Nash.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ryan @ Jul 9 2008, 11:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Why's everyone so against this signing. $4 mil is not much for a big man in the NBA. Biedrins is our ONLY center now that POB is gone (I would have definately picked up the option for POB instead of Turiaf though). Al is probably going to be gone and Hendrix is a second round pick who odds are, will never be anything special, and Randolph is a 3. That leaves only Wright at 4. Without Ronny, we would have a frontcourt rotation of a lightweight center, a second year PF who never played as a rookie, and a scrub who's just hoping to make the team. I agree Turiaf wil never be a star or even a quality starter but he definately filled a need at a bargain price (by NBA standards).</div> You're right, ryan. As Fitz was saying on the radio, getting Maggette is like trading for Pietrus and Barnes. The salaries match up with the new offer to Maggette and Maggette's performance should be an upgrade. So, same goes with Turiaf. It's like trading POB for Turiaf and their salaries are pretty close and we'll get more use out of Turiaf. I guess he'll be our backup C
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brian @ Jul 9 2008, 02:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Laker fan here. I'll just give you guys a run down on his game if you're interested. Like most of you already know, Ronny's a great teammate. He cheers for everyone on the bench, dances, high-fives, everything. He's a great locker room guy. His offensive game isn't that great at all, except for maybe a couple of dunks here and there, don't expect much. For some reason last season, he kind of fell in love with his mid-range jumper, which is pretty horrible. He's all right defensively. He's a pretty good shot blocker and you guys will see him make hustle plays here and there. My main gripe about him is that his play is so erratic he picks up fouls like crazy. A lot of times, it ended up biting us in the ass because it would put us in the penatly early on in the quarter. Another thing about Ronny, don't expect much rebounding from him because he is not that good in that department. I don't know where you heard he was a good rebounder Run, because he isn't. Also, for some reason, I don't think he's really improved that much since his rookie season, but he's still pretty young and still has time to develop. I love Ronny, but ever since the allstar break this season, he has been pretty much non-existant for us whenever he steps onto the court. He was pretty horrible as well in the Finals, so it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. With that being said, I think playing in a fast pace offense should benefit him. As for the contract, I think it is a bit overpaying, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's not really THAT bad of a deal. But for us (Lakers), I think it would benefit both sides to go opposite directions. Ronny should benefit playing in a fast pace offense, and for us, I believe there are better options out there. I really wish Ronny the best of luck because I'm pretty positive Mitch won't match the offer. I'm sure he will become a fan favorite for you guys.</div> Yeah, that's what I'm saying, role player all the way. But he definitely helps and is a lot more usable than most of the rookies we drafted as bigs. I'm sure he has the opportunity to improve as a rebounder, I just wonder what defensive schemes he can cover to be that big rebounder. Some guys are better when they know they got guys blocking out for him, some guys are better rebounding from out of position. There's definitely some potential. I think I speak for many warrior fans, when we say we got to have some legit post players. We need the kinds of guys that will go up to another post player and just lean on them and wear their legs out. We need Turiaf to legitimately fake the other team into believing we're going to pass inside to him and then pass when they underplay him. We never feed the post, so we already limit our offensive potential to just running pick and roll with our only big. There's no unpredictability in that because Biedrins doesn't pick and pop so we need other options that know how to clear out space in the paint. If Turiaf pans out for us and catches us by surprise, he'd be a huge steal. The only real thing in question is the fact he's never had a good amount of finesse to him so you can't count on him for consistent scoring outside of dunks. The other thing is he's an older player for your average 2-3 year vet. I don't think it's a big deal, but there's some doubts about how much better he can get. He might have already hit his ceiling, which in that case, makes his deal pretty ridiculous. But he's still pretty young and bigs typically need more age to get more mature physically. 25 is the prime age for most when it comes to developing strength which is why I don't believe most young guys can be all that good unless they're man children like Lebron or Dwight Howard or they're just super quick, functionally strong and finesse to make up for it. It is probably why Kevin Durant struggled to match the same hype that Carmelo Anthony had. Melo's a pretty strong dude for his rookie year.
Well Turiaf seems like he would be Beidrins primary backup. He is a really thick guy and is a tad undersized heightwise for the center position.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Lavalamp @ Jul 9 2008, 08:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Well Turiaf seems like he would be Beidrins primary backup. He is a really thick guy and is a tad undersized heightwise for the center position.</div> Sometimes, it's not about length, it's about girth. Actually, in basketball it's really about wingspan and functional strength + quickness/coordination. Jumping ability, maybe the height to see over defenders is important to some positions, but big guys need the strength, wingspan, and the ability to react and cover short distances quickly. I think Turiaf can do that. He's a disruptor and a physical presence down low. What I worry about is he's not going to solve any inside scoring problems unless the setup guy draws defenses away from Turiaf. He was pretty effective against us Warriors, though.
I think it's an underrated move by Mullin stealing Turiaf away. Since when is $4M a lot of money for a servicable big man in the NBA? Turiaf gives the Warriors a high energy workhorse off the bench and a shot blocking presence in the paint. I hope the Lakers match the offer, because it's tough to replace quality people in the league and Turiaf had a huge effect on the Lakers chemistry. The last time the Lakers got rid of a quality player, Caron Butler, he went on to become an All-Star. Turiaf is the consemate teammate and he'll fit right into the Warrior and Bay Area culture. He'll be an instant fan favorite and get the fans going every home game.
Some more tidbits form Janny Hu: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>OK, the paperwork is done. Forward Corey Maggette officially signed his five-year, nearly $50 million deal today and will be introduced at a Friday morning in Alameda. Meanwhile, Lakers' restricted free agent Ronny Turiaf signed his offer sheet with Golden State. Four years, $17 million. Slightly frontloaded. Player option for the fourth year. Now the Lakers have seven days to match the offer, which seems unlikely, since it would effectively cost them about $10 million (factoring in the luxury tax penalty) to keep Turiaf. (Also, I've gotten a lot of e-mails about Kelenna Azubuike, who I left off the depth chart the other day. He's a restricted free agent, like Turiaf, so whether or not the Warriors' keep him depends on what else Kelenna is offered. As in, they like him, but they aren't likely to pay a premium for him. So if Kelenna signs a good offer sheet with another team, the Warriors might just let him go. Not being tied to Brand and that $90 million deal, though, does create some flexibility for the Warriors).</div> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/warriors/index WTF does "slightly frontloaded" mean? 5, 4.5, 4, 3.5 = 17 mil so is it safe to say that's what the contract is? Interesting that there is a player option on there too, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of him thinking he can get another long term deal after that 3rd year.
After some reading around, it was reported that the first year was $4.2 million. So maybe it's just 4 years of 4.2?
If he is getting 4.2 mils at the first year, I guess it will be 4.2 mils for all 4 years. This deal reminds me of first Foyle signing. He also got 4 mils for energy, hustle and all those stuff. Foyle's first deal wasn't bad, and I hope this signing will be the same as well...
I like Turiaf. I liked him in college at Gonzaga. I also believe he had a pretty strong performance or two against the Warriors in the past. He is a strong post player, very active, just like what the Warriors need. Post players cost a lot of money. I think this is a very good deal for the Warriors. As a starter last year Turiaf averaged 10.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and almost 2 (1.9) blocks per game in about 29 minutes per game and in 21 games as a starter. I think this guy is going to be the energy plug off the bench for this team. This team needs better bench performances than it got last year, in particular down the stretch in the most critical part of the season. I think Turiaf will help there. One concern I have, which may not needbe a concern (since I am a bit ignorant on this issue) but didn't he have some major health issue a couple years back? I guess if there was it hasn't kept him from playing a good amount of games the last two seasons. So maybe it shouldn't be a concern.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kwan1031 @ Jul 11 2008, 05:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>If he is getting 4.2 mils at the first year, I guess it will be 4.2 mils for all 4 years. This deal reminds me of first Foyle signing. He also got 4 mils for energy, hustle and all those stuff. Foyle's first deal wasn't bad, and I hope this signing will be the same as well...</div> Yeah I haven't seen the 4.2 mils starting salary but it does add up if its all 4 years. And I agree it is like the Foyle signing- Turiaf is actually pretty similar to a young Foyle. Slightly undersized, bulky, long arms very good shotblocking numbers considering limited minutes (5th in the league in blocks per 48 mins IIRC), apparently hes not a very good rebounder though which the stats also indicate. I wouldn't say hes a bad rebounder but from what Lakers fans are telling me he also sounds like Foyle in that he goes after every block and loses rebounding position. He is way more athletic than Foyle though, finishes strong around the rim, hes got a decent mid-range shot too. Plus he actually cares about basketball, plays with a ton of energy, cheers on his teammates and helps team chemistry whereas Foyle never seemed to be into basketball. I've also seen some youtube clips of him decking guys in mid-air, which I don't necessarily condone but at the same time it makes me furious to see Beans and (formerly) Pietrus and Barnes give weak ass fouls right under the rim and let the player score easily and-1. If he has some enforcer in him then the signing is that much better, I don't know if hes a super-nice guy like Pietrus/Beans or if hes more in your face like Barnes but this team going into the season does lack an enforcer type with Barnes gone. Too bad Jack is so level headed and determined to prove hes a changed man these days, lol.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Too bad Jack is so level headed and determined to prove hes a changed man these days, lol.</div> HAHAHA, yeah, but he doesn't really have an intimidating physique. Remember Byron Houston? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byron_Houston Damn, he's in prison now!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kensaku @ Jul 11 2008, 12:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Too bad Jack is so level headed and determined to prove hes a changed man these days, lol.</div> HAHAHA, yeah, but he doesn't really have an intimidating physique. Remember Byron Houston? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byron_Houston Damn, he's in prison now! </div> That guy was a beast! I remember Sprewell punched him in practice one day, I guess we should have known then that Spree was a little crazy. BTW, anyone else think it's a little funny that he was on a team called the "Juicers"
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ryan @ Jul 11 2008, 01:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kensaku @ Jul 11 2008, 12:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Too bad Jack is so level headed and determined to prove hes a changed man these days, lol.</div> HAHAHA, yeah, but he doesn't really have an intimidating physique. Remember Byron Houston? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byron_Houston Damn, he's in prison now! </div> That guy was a beast! I remember Sprewell punched him in practice one day, I guess we should have known then that Spree was a little crazy. BTW, anyone else think it's a little funny that he was on a team called the "Juicers" </div> I thought it was Jerome Kersey who got into it with Sprewell, and Sprewell chased Kersey around the gym with a 4x4 Hacksaw Jim Duggan style. I remember Sprewell later said in an interview why he grabbed a 4x4 to fight Kersey with. "Have you seen how big he is?"
Here's a blurb from Marc Stein who is at the Las Vegas Summer League gathering rumors. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>An informal survey of team executives and agents here in Vegas has turned up pretty much no one who thinks the Lakers will match the four-year offer sheet worth an estimated $17 million that Ronny Turiaf has signed with Golden State, as much as the Lakers went into free agency hoping to retain Turiaf and Sasha Vujacic. The theory in circulation holds that minutes will simply be too scarce in L.A.'s frontcourt next season with Andrew Bynum coming back from injury to partner Pau Gasol to sanction a long-term contract to a clear-cut backup. And as my man Sam Amick from The Sacramento Bee points out, retaining Turiaf leaves the Lakers with no hope -- thanks to luxury-tax concerns -- of taking on the extra contract (Kenny Thomas) they'll need to swallow if they can convince the Kings to agree to a swap featuring Lamar Odom and Ron Artest. The Lakers' interest, by all accounts, remains hot after their toughness and defense were repeatedly punked in a six-game NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics. Word is L.A. believes that any fears about Artest's reliability can be assuaged by the fact that Phil Jackson would be coaching him and that Kobe Bryant would be his teammate. Kobe and Ron-Ron share a mutual respect that suggests no threat to the Lakers' pecking order. Insists one source close to the process: "[Lakers owner] Jerry Buss actually likes Ron Artest's game and his personality."</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/stor...=FA-News-080712
C: Andrew Bynum PF: Pau Gasol SF: Ron Artest SG: Kobe Bryant PG: Derek Fisher Jeez... that's a lock for championship.
I didn't want to make another thread, but, so tomorrow is the Lakers last day to match the Warriors offer to Turiaf right?
