You may remember Ronny Turiaf from his playing days at Gonzaga; the man with the big smile and the bigger hair. Turiaf’s exuberance and passion made him a favorite among Zags’ fans, the same qualities that will surely make him popular among Lakers ticket holders.

Following his senior season at Gonzaga, Turiaf was diagnosed with a heart ailment that required open-heart surgery. The dream of a career in the NBA was quickly flashing before his eyes as he received the diagnosis that he may never play basketball again.
After the surgery and a battery of tests, Turiaf was cleared to resume playing basketball again. Full of resolve and determination, Turiaf started his comeback with the CBA’s Yakima Sun Kings, where he played his way back into basketball shape. After his relatively brief stint with the Sun Kings, Turiaf was called-up by the Lakers during the past season.
Playing in 23 games this past season, Turiaf’s number were modest (2.0 ppg. and 1.6 rpg), but his game continues to evolve. While he scored the basketball in college he does not feature a polished offensive repertoire. Right now he’s an energy guy; someone Phil Jackson can rely on to come off the bench and provide quality minutes without taking a step-back. He’s a nice complement to Chris Mihm and Brian Cook, both of whom prefer to face the basket while Turiaf is more of a banger.
It’s truly a miracle that Turiaf is playing basketball again, much less playing for the Lakers. You’ll love his energy and how hard he plays every night. If you needed another reason to watch the Lakers this year, now you have one. Need Los Angeles Lakers tickets? StubHub has got you covered.
After four long, grueling weeks of preseason camp, there’s only one candidate for Lakers MVP and that’s Gary Vitti. The long-time trainer has been a fixture with the organization for more than two decades and this may be his toughest assignment yet; getting key players, such as Kobe Bryant (knee) and Chris Mihm (ankle) healthy for the start of the regular season.
The Lakers were banged-up throughout the preseason and their record is indicative of the rash of injuries. Veteran, Aaron McKie spent much of the month of October battling back spasms, while forward Brian Cook, who the Lakers will rely on to provide depth in the frontcourt, suffered a sprained ankle that limited his playing time during the preseason. Not to mention, Phil Jackson is still recuperating from hip surgery.

The Lakers are one team in the Western Conference that can ill afford to lose key players. Depth is a concern for Coach Phil Jackson at just about every position. The Lakers are optimistic that Kobe Bryant’s surgically-repaired knee is fully healed and will not hamper him during the year. There are a lot of question marks with the Lakers right now. If they can get healthy and manage to limit injuries that would deplete their roster, they should be competitive in a Pacific Division full of parity.
Thankfully for the Lakers, they have a head trainer that’s been around the block and worked with some of the best players in NBA history. If Gary Vitti is able to craft his magic and nurture the Lakers walking wounded back to health, the Staples Center crowd should shower him with chants of M-V-P…M-V-P. The preseason is over and it’s time to start playing ball that actually counts. Visit StubHub for a Los Angeles Lakers tickets buying experience that is (James) worthy of an all-star vote.