NBA Rumors: How Ronny Turiaf Could Impact Boston Celtics or Miami Heat

Buyout season is here. It's that time of the year when teams who aren't in contention dump players who are at the end of their contracts and who aren't living up to them. Then contending teams swoop in and snap them up. 

Here's the thing that people often overlook when they snatch up the castoffs from teams that aren't in the playoff hunt. Namely, they are players that are cast off from losing teams. They're being cast off for a reason. 

I recall having bought an awesome shirt in a thrift store once for next to nothing. I got home, tried it on, and realized that there was a tear in sleeve. Moral being, there's a reason you can buy it in a thrift store. That's not to say you can never get a bargain, but buyer beware!

This is a prelude to one of the most unintentionally funny tweets I've ever read in my life. 

Pack of teams? Hilarious! There's a pack of teams chasing after the great Ronny Turiaf, salivating like starving wolves for a bone. 

Turiaf has a career point-per-game average of 5.2 points—that's barely a point for every syllable in his name.

He adds 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He's played 56 minutes this season for the Washington Wizards. Even his per 36 minutes over the last two years are best described as well below average, at 8.2 points and 6.6 rebounds. 

Turiaf has some strengths. He's a decent passer, and when he shoots he tends to make, but there's a reason that he's on the waiver wire. He's a 29-year-old who, even at an age where he should be in his prime, is an end-of-the-bench player who isn't likely to add much to any team, even teams that are desperate for a big man, such as the "pack-leaders." 

I'll grant you this. Miami, who started Dexter Pitman yesterday because Joel Anthony was injured, and Boston, who saw Jermaine O'Neal announce his season is over is due to a wrist surgery, need help with their bigs, and Turiaf fills that void. 

What does he have to offer? He can fill minutes, which is actually something that both teams could use. The other advantage is that neither team depends on their center for scoring, so his lack of great scoring ability doesn't really hurt them.

That's really all that he offers, though, a little extra depth and a player who can fill up a few minutes if there's an injury or a foul situation. 

If you're a Heat or a Celtics fan getting excited about the potential of signing Turiaf, temper your enthusiasm. He's not a difference-maker, he's a below-average role player.