O.C. Register: As a businessman, Kobe Bryant understands why the Lakers let Ronny Turiaf walk. The popular forward, a restricted free agent, had received a four-year, $17 million offer sheet from the Golden State Warriors and the Lakers decided not to match it.
But as a teammate and basketball player, he thought the decision stunk.
“I’m sad about it. I wish we could have kept him,” Bryant said. “I love him as a person. I love him as a basketball player and I hate to see him leave. I just wish him all the best.
“He would much rather have stayed with us, but that’s the nature of the NBA, man.”
Lakers deciding on Turiaf, then perhaps go after Artest?
UPDATE: Lakers have until Friday afternoon to match Turiaf’s offer; haven’t yet
Lakers let Turiaf go to Warriors
Letting Turiaf Walk to Save Up for Artest?
ESPN: Ronny Turiaf: All-Sleeper Team
Loading ...
Couldn’t Ronny have rejected it? Or does he HAVE to go because the Warriors offered him more?
But yeah I feel the same as Kobe. And now Kobe doesn’t have some language lessons ;[
KOBE AND RONNY ARE SOUL BROTHAS…THEY WILL CROSS PATHS AGAIN,AND I DONT MEAN PLAYING AGAINST EACH OTHER(LAKES/WARRIORS).RONNY WILL SOME HOW MAKE HIS WAY BACK,JUST LIKE D.FISH DID!!!!HE’S GOING TO GET PAID JUST LIKE D.FISH DID. HE’LL COME BACK HOME!!!
What a tragedy.
He are stuck with pieces of garbage like Smush Walton and Vlad Moronovich and we have to let Ronny go.
There needs to be a way to tie performance incentives into salaries to help prevent teams getting saddled with high paid non-performers.
Regardless, he’s getting paid big money for WAY more playing time. Ronny deserves the contract the Warriors gave him. It’s sad to see him go, but for him to have turned down a $17mil/4yr. deal for what the Lakers could have given him would have been just asinine. I hope he finds his way back to the Lakers, but in the end, its a business, and if anyone deserves to be filthy rich in the league, it’s Ronny.
maybe one day we will see ronny turiaf in a laker uniform once again, only time will tell and he will become a much better player in the future too
yea this sucks kobes rite.. but if the last quote is true then why did he not stay kobe??? but i think will be backkk
I think it’s for the best…after all the Lakers expect Mihm to be healthy, Bynum will probably be getting more minutes along with Gasol, Odom can play PF (or we might get Artest, but it might come with Kenny Thomas though), and Mbenga will stay and we might possibly get Garbajosa. I think the Lakers wouldn’t have minded if Ronny was worth 4-mill or not, I think it’s more about how many minutes he was actually going to play than how much he’d get paid:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9929568
RONNY WILL BE BACK….ITS DESTINY!!!!!!!
Is chatbox dowN or what bruh
Kobe wasnt too sad to see him go. If the Lakers wasnt paying him damn there 40% of the salary cap, maybe they could have kept Turiaf. Its funny that Kobe hates to see Turiaf go but was smiling when Shaq was traded.
Turiaf leaving is sad on all levels. The dude - literally - gave his heart in Los Angeles.
Unfortunate to see him go, but again its a business and he was looking for a pay raise like we all are in our careers. You can’t keep everyone. Role players come and go.
I believe something is wrong with the Lakers organization. I don’t understand how the Lakers can let the only tough guy next to Koby go. It’s just ridiculous, when you still have a guy like Luke on your team. Now the Lakers are a step backwards, instead of building on what they already have. It’s just sad to see Turiaf go. Even if Bynum comes back, you still need a guy like Turiaf. There is no gurantee with just Bynum, Koby needs more help and toughness.