via ESPN New YorkRonny Turiaf is expected to pick up the player option on his $4.36 million contract and then spend the summer playing for the French national team, which will attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics at the EuroBasket 2011 tournament in Lithuania. Turiaf's return to the national team has been a long time coming. Although he had to sit out last summer due to an injury and preparation for his first season in New York, Turiaf has always had a passion for always proudly representing his culture. Turiaf is very good friends with the likes of Tony Parker and Boris Diaw, and told "Knicks Journal" last summer, "it’s always been a pleasure for me to play on the national team. We have a lot of things going our way."Knowing that Turiaf is likely to return should also be a positive for the Knicks, as when healthy, he provided the team with solid defense and a big time energy boost, igniting the home crowd almost every time he took the court. With Shelden...
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