Au Revoir, Ronny?
Ronny Turiaf, the Knicks oft-injured center, may take his cranky knees overseas to France to play for Villeurbanne during the NBA lockout.
The French League team announced it on its website yesterday, but agent Mark Bartlestein said the deal isn’t done as they look into insurance.
“There’s definitely a lot of insurance things that have to be worked out,” Bartlestein told The Post.
If the deal goes down, Bartlestein said Turiaf will have an opt-out to rejoin the Knicks if the lockout ends.
Turiaf played in 64 games last season, bothered by chronic knee pain. That could be an insurance red flag. Even while playing for Team France in Olympic qualifiers in August, he broke his hand and missed the tournament.
“I will be on the plane on Wednesday and I hope to take part in my first training session by the end of the week,” Turiaf was quoted on the club’s website.
Bartelstein, however, said no plane reservations have been made
Turiaf would join All-Star point guard Tony Parker on the club. Turiaf has a French heritage, growing up in Martinique. He was given a huge ovation during the Knicks’ preseason game in Paris last October.
The Knicks are razor-thin at center and now two of them are in Europe. As reported by The Post, rookie Jerome Jordan is playing in Slovenia and has an opt-out. The Knicks will be desperate to sign a center during free agency.