MIAMIMiami Heat forward Ronny Turiaf had a number of options after he was waived by the Nuggets last month.
He wanted to play with a team where he could have a consistent role, and a team with the potential to make a deep playoff run. He chose the Heat, but not after giving some serious thought to signing with the Celtics.
"Boston was definitely a serious consideration for me," Turiaf told CSNNE.com. "It came down to the final two, final three teams and Boston was definitely right there."
It's hard to argue that Turiaf made the wrong choice.
Had he signed with the Celtics, he would have been battling Greg Stiemsma for playing time. Stiemsma has been a surprisingly solid contributor off the bench with his defense, shot-blocking, and now, an occasional bucket around the rim of a spot-up jumper.
Boston ultimately signed Ryan Hollins, who has played sporadically behind Stiemsma.
As for Turiaf, he became an instant fixture in the Heat rotation which includes him starting all four games for Miami since the Celtics' 91-72 pummeling of the Heat on April 1. He is expected to start tonight against the Celtics.
"Miami came down to being the better fit for me, with basketball and everything else that came into the equation," Turiaf said. "Boston is a great team, but I have no regrets about my decision."
In 10 games with the Heat, Turiaf is averaging 3.6 points and 3.9 rebounds while playing 15.6 minutes per game. In the four games that he has started for Miami, he has averaged four points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 18.8 minutes.