Turiaf may become regular Laker starter

Ronny Turiaf is in his third season with the Lakers and has seen his playing time minutes this season double so far thanks to the injury to Lamar Odom. He has been starting and has impressed averaging about 10 points and 5 rebounds per game in 26 minutes per game while shooting 60% from the field. With Odom expected to play in Fridays game against Minnesota it will be Luke Walton who returns to the bench with Ronny remaining as a starter. Jackson is not giving any definitive answer but is expected to move Walton to the second team.Walton "would be really good to help that second team," Jackson said coyly on Wednesday. It's a good time for Turiaf to get playing time to show everyone what he's made of since he is in the last year of his three year contract. Unlike another Laker who has shown some unhappiness with the Lakers Turiaf had this to say about his stint with the Lakers since coming into the NBA a few years ago,"Do I look like I don't like where I'm at? No. Do I look like I don't love my teammates? No. I love the way the city embraced me, the way they've been supporting me throughout my career. Turiaf has come a ways since being drafted 37th overall in 2005. Just like most second-round picks, he would have come into the league with a non-guaranteed contract. Initially, though, he had other things on his mind. Turiaf had open-heart surgery in July 2005, the thought of which left him in tears at a pre-surgery news conference in which he pledged to play basketball again but also acknowledged, "I'm scared of dying." He underwent successful surgery to have an enlarged aortic root repaired, missed most of the 2005-06 season and became a rotation player last season, appearing in 72 games. Things have changed for the better for him. "I'm really enjoying the ride," Turiaf said. "I'm just happy that Coach Jackson has given me the chance to showcase and be able to help the team more than I used to. Hey Ronny, if you like it here with the Lakers they we like you too! Thanks for the tough, hard playing you've given the Lakers so far, keep up the good work! Oh yeah, thanks for leading our Laker cheers the past couple of seasons too. Now, with you playing all the time we will need to pass on the rag waving to someone else.