Ronny Turiaf

[AbeVigodaLive]

I've probably read 50 comments that read something like this "just wait until Ronny Turiaf is back."

He seems to be the 2013 version of 2012 Budinger. I hate to break it to everybody, but Turiaf is not the type of guy to put a team over the top. He never has been. He's a placeholder, until your starter gets back on the court.

His offensive game is very limited. And his rebounding is actually pretty poor. He's a good positional player who can block shots better than anybody not named Dieng, but that doesn't mean he's an imposing presence out there on defense.

There's a reason he's been traded multiple times. And signed by various teams for short stints as a free agent. And there's a reason the Wolves got him for $1.5M this summer. He's a locker room guy who knows where to be on the court.


[Note: I do think he can help as a guy who's willing to knock an opposing player on his ass instead of conceding the layup.]

[bleedspeed]

Agreed - He will be solid but not a game changer. Will solid be enough?

This team needs 3 things.
-3pt shooters
-Strong finishers in the paint
-Long weak side defenders

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I fully admit to being a Turiaf apologist, as he has always been one of my favorite players. While I don't see Bud's return as having a major impact on the team (he didn't look that good returning from his injury last year), Turiaf does add a dimension sorely lacking on this team...toughness. He understands and applies help defense in a way Pek and Love will never. He always has an eye on the ball, rather than just focusing on his man, and he is not afraid to initiate contact when a player moves to the basket. It's been frustrating to watch point guards get to the basket with impunity this year...Pek and Love never send them a message. They won't feel as comfortable around the rim with Ronny in there.

He has been traded over and over because he just doesn't have a developed offensive game. But his per 36 numbers are very good for someone at his salary level.

Points: 10
Rebounds: 7.7
Blocks 2.6
Assists: 2.9

And of course he also plays a major intangible role on this team. I know it's small sample size, but we are 2 games over .500 with him in the lineup, and 3 under with him out. I'm looking forward to his return.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Abe, It depends on what you mean by "over the top". I don't think Budinger or Turiaf will suddenly make us title contenders this year. However, do they help put us over the top in terms of securing a playoff seed? I think they can, assuming everyone else stays reasonably healthy as well. We are probably on pace to be a couple of games over .500 as it stands today with the current healthy roster and remaining schedule. Add these two guys into the mix and it's fair to say we could win 46-48 games. That might be just enough to snag us a 7th or 8th seed.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

Well, let's look at this logically for a second. MIN is +3.5. SA is +8.8, and POR and OKC are +7.1 and 7.2. So the question is pretty simple: Are Bud and Turiaf worth 4 or 5 points a game. I say they are. Especially Bud for two reasons. 1) More Bud means less Shved and MaM, and 2)If he never gets injured in the first place, they don't cut Johnson, so he could play some (if not most or all) of Cunningham's minutes.