Yardbarker: Ronny Turiaf

NBA Draft: Best Late Picks In The Past 20 Years!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:16:45 -0500

The 2008 NBA draft should see a host of freshman get chosen in the first round, so who will it be, Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley as the first pick? But most importantly who will be that late first or second round pick that proves to be the gem of the draft? Over the years there have been many great late picks taken that had NBA executives shaking their heads. www.rawsportsblog.com

Celtics Dominate, Win 17th Championship

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:19:08 -0500

Somewhere Red Auerbach is smiling and lighting up a victory cigar. The Celtics delivered a beatdown of epic proportions Tuesday night to win their record seventeenth NBA championship, and first in 22 years. This year's final match-up was billed as a rebirth of the classic East Coast-West Coast rivalry that captivated the country in the 1980s, but turned into a lopsided affair dominated by the Boston defense.

The Real Question Becomes, Where Do the Lakers Go From Here?

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:24:20 -0500

The Boston Celtics have their comeback. They likely will be headed to yet another championship, and the title cements the Hall of Fame credentials for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. The real question is, what of these Lakers? Perhaps the only thing more amazing than their Game 4 collapse is that they even reached that point in the first place. Either the Lakers are crushed by this loss, or use it as a springboard to bigger and better things as they anticipate the return of Andrew Bynum.

Rondo's Sick Pass to Powe for the Dunk

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:05:48 -0500

Rondo fakes the pass behind the back only to go around Ronny Turiaf for Leon Powe to dunk on him. Powe had 21 points in 14 minutes of play, while Rondo tied a career high 16 assists. Keep doing your thing Rajon!

Numbers Tilt in Favor of the Celtics

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:27:34 -0500

Boston held homecourt winning Game 1 98-88. The win was big for the Celtics as they now have a mental and mathematical edge they did not have before the start of the series. After taking the first game Boston has now moved into the role of favorites at 53 percent to win the series, an increase of 10 percentage points.

NBA FINALS PREVIEW FROM A KNICK FANS PERSPECTIVE

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:51:03 -0500

The Lakers and the Celtics will re-new their rivalry in the NBA Finals and it is going to be a classic series flooded with story lines. Kobe Bryant vs Kevin Garnett, one is trying to win it all for the first time and the other is trying to win it all for the first time with out using "Diesel" fuel. the Lakers have Lamar Odom the Jamaica, Queens native the Celtics have the Big 3 click the link to find out different reasons to root for either team

Handicapping the NBA Finals, One Position at a Time

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:13:49 -0500

After matching up all five positions and the bench, the Roster Doctor drops a somewhat surprising prediction. Using a combination of stats and analysis, he finds that the Celtics have edges in many of the head-to-head matchups. But yet he picks the Lakers - read to find out why.

AccuScore NBA Finals Preview

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:03:09 -0500

After some lackluster match-ups in recent years there will finally be a glamour series in the NBA finals: the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Boston Celtics. The two classic rivals each completed shocking turnarounds from just a year ago to reach this point, but only one team will be crowned champions. AccuScore analysts break down the series and tell you who has the advantage.

The Lakers Team 2008

Sat, 31 May 2008 09:08:49 -0500

How the Lakers have gone this far and it hasnt all been Kobe, just like it wasnt all Kobe the last time he won a championship. 1) Kobe Bryant-- has been amazing and for once he is being a leader out on the court. After seeing him pick apart the supposedly amazing defender "Bruce Bowen" is there anyone who can stop Kobe? Though at times he tends to ballhog and at times shot selection is dubious you have to give credit for his killer instinct and his desire to win. So I give him a pass for all the shots he takes because he does have an amazing FGP at 50% and makes shots that change the ebb and flow of the game. I can boast more about Kobe but hopefully all of you have seen what he has done this past year in leading to the FInals. 2) Pau Gasol- Charles Barkley called the trade for Pau a happy meal. I forget who Lakers traded for him anyway to Memphis, one of Jack Nickelsons (idc bout spelling) sunglasses and a shirt Denzel Washington wore at a game, I realy dont know. Kobe could do everything himself but that didnt lead to any championships in Post-Shaq era and with the Addition of Gasol a Very Good Center it opened up the game for Kobe. Pau is gaurenteed a double double every game and he actually plays defense unlike majority of the centers in the NBA, Just Ask Tim Duncan how it felt to get blocked all day. Congrats as well to Pau for being the FIrst Spaniard to Go to the FInals. Pau please shave your head and that nasty beard, Beards are only acceptable for players Like Baron Davis and mr 4 pt play Larry Johnson. 3) Lamar Odom- A Talented Player in all aspects of the game with only problem is consistency. But throw that consistency out the door because of what he has done this year. It is not all about stats regarding Odom who averaged a double double as well but the fact that he and Gasol open up the game for Kobe and shooters like Farmar, Vujacic, Fisher and Radmanovic. Recent news say he has not been smoking up before games like he did back in LA. 4) Derek Fisher- Solid Point Guard. 3pt Shooting in PLayoffs was 55%. Obviously not in top 10 pt gaurds in NBA but the fact that he hustles and puts it all out on the floor is something to give praise to. His shot put threes are classic. 5) Vladimir Radmanovic- Wolverine (X-Men). Fun to Watch always bombing threes. But is a good shooter. What he lacks on the defensive side he makes up for it cheerleading whens hes on the bench. 6) Jordan Farmar- Solid Backup. He has stepped his game up other than the Jazz series in which Deron Williams was like please sit down peon and watch the King play. Dude is always flapping his arms after each play. I dont get it only thing I see flapping beside your arms are your ears Will Smith (favorite actor though for mme). 7) Sasha Vujacic- Nice hairstyle. Cocky player but its all good if your hitting your shots. Ronny Turiaf is your butt buddy Vujacic 8) Luke Walton- Kobe yells at you more than any other player, the price you pay when Bill Walton is your father. I like his game reminds me of David Lee in NY 9) Ronny Turiaf- the Renaldo Balkman of the Western Confernce. Always Jumping Around , Going wild on Defense and Always Dunking on Offense. And Gr8 Cheerleader. 10) The ENd of the Bench--->Trevor Ariza, Ira Newble, Dj Mbenga, Chris Mihm, Coby Karl, Andrew Bynum--> When will yall play. Im not wasting my time on these players though they deserve credit for being practice players and Ariza and Bynum are solid players. o yea Phil Jackson but he doesnt do anything but just relax on the bench and talk to Celebrities next to him during the game anyway.. There is a reason why he has won so many championships and contrary to what Red Aurebach said about Phil Jackson inheriting great teams, he actually had to go through the doldrums of failure the past years unlike his Chicago Bulls run in which he inherited Jordan and Company. In conclusion if the Lakers win the title its because they have a Star (Kobe) , a Great Team Around Him and a Coach who has won about 10000 championships. (Lets just hope Kevin Garnett doesnt keep on slapping the floor like Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country searching for some bananas)Peace One Love....

Shutting Down San Antonio In 700 Words Or Less

Tue, 27 May 2008 03:24:51 -0500

While divide and conquer may be the end result we Laker fans are seeking, L.A. needs to think short term "game by game" in strategizing some answers to the Tony Parker Problem, the Manu Ginobli Ginormousness & the Tim Duncan being PARKED under the rim for rebound, retrieval and rejection galore. How you win games is spreading the love around. On Friday night, in the 30 pt Laker victory, every single Laker who hit the floor had at least 1 bucket. Good passes kept SA's defense on its toes and they never knew who'd be the one to let it fly. Distribution of the ball is key but L.A. needs to make sure they don't over-pass the ball. (They've done that MORE than a few times and I've screamed bloody murder over the turnovers that resulted). Manu shot lights out on Sunday and that CAN NOT happen again for ANYONE on San Antonio. Lamar should be ready at all costs (positioned just outside the paint to avoid a 3 second call) to jump and swat. Pau has needed to work on his pouncing for some time now and he's clearly not getting the hint that he's the guy who should be handling it …. so somebody else will have to. NO EXCUSES. If Jordan Farmar can block a guy 6 inches taller than him FROM HALF COURT, everybody can do their part. Another problem they faced was converting on the opportunities that they are given as a result of the rebounds they actually snagged. People need to start shooting. Less set-up, more toss-up. Luke needs to stop being fearful that his shots won't drop and just go for them. The defense HAS to be better. Plain and simple. They were INVISIBLE in Game 3. Sasha looked like shit letting Bowen run all over him. Vujacic was 1-5 (in FG's) and he didn't stop ANYONE, least of all Tony Parker who was running thru the lane at WILL it seemed. It's as if the Lakers had tunnel vision with the shots they threw up in that they were just expecting them to go down. If you're going to throw up a shot, prepare for the aftershock of what could be if it doesn't drop the way you planned. 80% of the Lakers squad were most often times halfway up the court by the time the ball was rejected by the rim or denied by the hands of a Spurs. For the ONE purple and gold jersey I saw under the rim (or remotely near it) there was a small gathering of 3-4 white ones. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. Teams ARE entitled to an "off-night" now and again but Sunday was absolutely RI-DAMN-DIC-ULOUS. I SHOULD be thankful that it wasn't 20+ but I am trying to shake it off, much like the team is. I said that I would personally kick Lamar in the nuts if he ever played that bad again and I plan on making good on that promise if he doesn't "bring sexy back" (his words, not mine) IMMEDIATELY. For the first time ever, my editor's assessment of Pau being "GA-SOFT" is looming in my mind as possibly an accurate statement. I've stood up for him since day 1 saying that he's not like the other "Soft Europeans" flouncing about, but he's got to step it up or I'll be pulling my support. Derek Fisher, who was an absolute STUD in Game 2 was totally anemic in Game 3. It's like they just let him fly under the radar as a decoy. I'm not looking for a stand-out person because, as we all know, that person will almost ALWAYS be Kobe Bryant in some capacity. What I AM looking for is some semblance of strategy and solidarity. For what it's worth, Fish is due for a Manu-sized three-party and I think this situation can be salvaged so I'm not worried. However, it may take an odd mixture of the "out of left field" players like Luke Walton, Ronny Turiaf or DJ Mbenga to get it done. Don't be surprised if the Bench Mob brings it harder than the Big Time on Tuesday.

Turiaf rocking the vote with 63%!

Tue, 27 May 2008 00:27:49 -0500

Drive home the win and vote Turiaf for the Yellowbook Cam!

Vote 4 Ronny, NOW!

Sun, 25 May 2008 07:07:30 -0500

Upside and Motor, the NBA blog are running a campaign to get Ronny Turiaf as the Yellow Book Lakers player-cam player for TNT's interwebby coverage of game 3 between the Lakers & the Spurs. Great idea.

Internet Campaign: Vote Ronny Turiaf for Yellowbook Cam!

Sun, 25 May 2008 04:51:28 -0500

Go to TNT's website to vote Ronny Turiaf for the Yellowbook cam! Visit for the official home of the campaign a campaign poster. http://www.tnt.tv/sports/nba/playoffs08_preview/#

Video - Turiaf lays a fat one on Jacques Vaughn

Fri, 23 May 2008 22:28:39 -0500

Ronny Turiaf kisses away Vaughn's boo-boo after Sasha 'The Machine' Vujacic hits Vaughn in the dome.

Video - Is Ronny Turiaf sane?

Fri, 23 May 2008 22:02:59 -0500

It wouldn't be surprising if Turiaf speaks his own language.