Or should I say ‘joie de Turiaf’? I know that Turiaf’s joie de vivre is a contagious force, an irrepressible energy that somehow transforms the way I watch televised basketball.  Years ago, I met a Philly guy who lectured me on how much he loved Turiaf.  This dude was a casual NBA fan with no real attachment to the Lakers (Ronny’s team back then), yet he felt compelled to drunkenly express his bizarre Turiaf love (Nah, nah, ya don’ undah-stand… He’s a BEAST…a BEAST…I LOVE him). I thought it was odd at the time, but I get it now.

And here’s where it gets a little messy.  Because, well, I’m not sure where to separate Turiaf the player from Turiaf the lovable force of nature.  For the purposes of clarity I’m chucking metrics and win percentages out the window.  Hell, Turiaf competes for playing time with two of the most productive (in my opinion) Warriors and I still love the guy.  I know he’s merely a capable backup center. Trust me, I know.

It’s that Turiaf owns his space.  He’s not going through the motions of a NBA basketball game–he’s celebrating every moment. In a corporate, pressurized, sport, Turiaf stands out as a whirlwind of innocent exuberance.  He gets hyphy, and so do you.  You do because he conveys just how much damned fun competition should be.  That’s corny, but it’s coming from a guy who might just channel his inner Ronny next time he wins at pickup hoops or even Madden 2010.  It won’t look as cool when a 5-11 Jewish dude’s jumping around and flailing, but I’m wringing more celebration out of life because Ronny showed me the way.

And here’s where it gets a little messy again. I have no clue who the real Turiaf is.  I’m not even sure whether to call him, “Ronnie” or “Ronny.” He really could be anybody, even a two-faced Kirby Puckett type.  All I know is that he gives a piece of his being every night on the court, and we’re better for the transference.  Oh and then of course, there’s this:

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at 8:33 am and is filed under Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.