For the second time since he arrived in Washington this season, Wizards center Ronny Turiaf spoke of the Great Architect in describing his search for understanding the latest twists and turns of his career.
Turiaf just got back to Washington on Monday, having been in his native Martinique to see his grandmother for personal reasons and then deal with a visa issue. All the while, he’s still trying to recover and get cleared to practice again following the broken hand he suffered on Jan. 1 – a re-aggravation of an injury he initially suffered last summer while playing for the French national team.
Wizards coach Randy Wittman said Turiaf would see a doctor again next week in the hopes of potentially being cleared then. There’s no doubt the team could use his energy, defense and basketball smarts in the front court.
Asked when he might return, Turiaf said after the team practiced on Tuesday, “This is not just my decision. If it was just me, choosing to play, I would’ve been back a long time ago. They are putting the strain on myself, on me, because they know sometimes, I may not be the most rational guy when comes to help teammates and to do stuf. It’s been a very frustrating but also uplifting six, seven weeks. I made a lot of changes in my life. It’s been a fun, trying, grinding time for me.”
Referencing the open-heart surgery that he underwent as a rookie, Turiaf called himself “the picture perfect person for unusual stuff,” and he joked that he’s looking forward to spending time with someone other than Wizards strength and conditioning coach Drew Cleary. But Turiaf also has a spiritual side that has been a source of strength for him, particularly when he had his heart problem, which he talked about earlier in the year when Jeff Green was diagnosed with a similar condition.
“The man upstairs, the Great Architect, whatever you want to call him, has plans for me,” he said when asked about his level of frustration. “It’s just a matter of me just walking in the path that’s laid in front of me.”
He’s missed chances to play against two of his former teams this season, New York and Golden State, and he’ll also have to watch as another former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, comes to town on Wednesday.
“Just while I feel like it’s good right now, I want to go back, but He’s telling me, ‘Just be patient,’” Turiaf said. “In the bigger picture, I don’t want to have to deal with same broken hand all the time. I’d rather take my time once and not have to worry about it because this is not a career ending injury. But it’s something that can be very nagging for the rest of my life if I don’t take care of it. Unfortunately, it has to happen during a lockout season, and now for someone like me that wants to play and help teammates, that’s life.”
